Need help with analogy (gun politic related)

[jim-analog]

Greetings,

I'll be attempting to explain the "gun culture" to an anti PA House Rep on Tuesday. I'm trying to figure out if there are any valid analogies to use that would show the far encompassing bundle of things that make up this mind set.

Keep all these aspects in mind (and many others I'm forgetting):

From family or friends taking you shooting/hunting for the first time, to growing up hunting for food. Having guns in the house being as common and as ordinary as having flatware. To buying or having your first "real" gun given to you. To the hobby aspects of target shooting, varmint shooting, competition, etc. To hanging out with friends while reloading or gun smith'ing together. To being a member at clubs with groups of like minded people; going on hunting/shooting trips as vacations. Learning to work on/build/modify/improve/etc. guns, then helping and teaching others. The "Zen" aspect to the act of shooting and the constant struggle to improve. The home and self defense issues; the appreciation for the history of and rational for the RIGHTs involved and the fights to maintain those rights; the political activism we're forced to take on just to "hold ground". On and on and on.

I'm trying to think about this from the perspective of someone who is NOT part of our "culture", to whom it is a completely foreign and bizarre concept. Looking from the outside, it may seem to be a strange pathology of idolatry worship or an alien belief system to them. So, I'm hoping to find the right balance without coming off as being single minded and solely focused on "gun worship".

Are there any other activities that also hold as many divergent specifics together AND are also an exercise of a fundamental human right? About the only thing I could think of (and definitely didn't want to go there) was participation in and belief of a religion. I'd appreciate any thoughts you can offer.

Sorry for the short time frame, I'm getting a huge pile of data together as well as this "philosophical" dissertation. Thanks!

Regards, Jim

[RockIsland]

I tried, and can't come up with anything. I don't think there are any valid analogies that compare. Maybe ACORN or SCIU members? That might be something they can relate to.

[Philbert]

I don't have an answer but your focus may be overly narrow. Analogies are only one tool to explain an idea. Sometimes it's just best to state your case.

[unclejumbo]

You'd have to find something that he does that relates. I can think of a few but they wouldn't be any more relatable than guns unless they're a part of his world.

There are racing families that have their kids in carts right after they can walk. Everybody races, there are car bits everywhere. When they're not racing they're working on cars, looking for car parts. etc.

Some golfers are that way, not necessarily whole families. Going all over the country to golf, looking for the next great set of clubs, hitting the driving range whenever time permits. Working to improve the short game, bunker practice, chipping, putting.

Horse people are another good example.

I think anything that people can become passionate about could be used as an analogy. For some people, that passion doesn't exist.

[GunLawyer001]

"Working on cars" comes to mind. Something that young boys often learn from their dads or brothers or grandfathers or uncles, spending an afternoon in the garage or driveway with all their gear, putting it to use. Something done because it fulfills a very practical purpose, and is also a ritual that many find comfort in. Offers the satisfaction of a successful project, and can save your ass if your car breaks down in the boondocks. Something that takes skill and care to do right.

Sure, it can go wrong, and people can sometimes die if they did their brakes wrong, or installed the wrong parts. They can soup up a car and then misuse it in public, causing high-speed accidents. But overall, the vast majority of people who engage in the activity do it safely, and the relatively rare misuses are not enough to clamp down on the majority.

[RockIsland]

"Working on cars" comes to mind. Something that young boys often learn from their dads or brothers or grandfathers or uncles, spending an afternoon in the garage or driveway with all their gear, putting it to use. Something done because it fulfills a very practical purpose, and is also a ritual that many find comfort in. Offers the satisfaction of a successful project, and can save your ass if your car breaks down in the boondocks. Something that takes skill and care to do right.

Sure, it can go wrong, and people can sometimes die if they did their brakes wrong, or installed the wrong parts. They can soup up a car and then misuse it in public, causing high-speed accidents. But overall, the vast majority of people who engage in the activity do it safely, and the relatively rare misuses are not enough to clamp down on the majority.

The anti-gun types couldn't relate to this either. They probably have thoughts of trying to ban this troubling behavior as well.

[Cfurlo]

You'd have to find something that he does that relates. I can think of a few but they wouldn't be any more relatable than guns unless they're a part of his world.

There are racing families that have their kids in carts right after they can walk. Everybody races, there are car bits everywhere. When they're not racing they're working on cars, looking for car parts. etc.

Some golfers are that way, not necessarily whole families. Going all over the country to golf, looking for the next great set of clubs, hitting the driving range whenever time permits. Working to improve the short game, bunker practice, chipping, putting.

Horse people are another good example.

I think anything that people can become passionate about could be used as an analogy. For some people, that passion doesn't exist.

I agree. Find out what his hobbies are while you are in his office, and then propose to reduce the freedom to pursue those activities through "common sense" laws such as below.

Golfing: no more than 3 balls per round, no oversized drivers allowed, no carts allowed, must walk. Balls must include a serial number and gps tracker, and be registered for monitoring and tracking to make sure people aren't using more than three per round.

Running: No more than two pairs of running shoes per year, and three pairs of shorts/t-shirts. Soles must be stamped with a uniquely identifiable numbers so runners can be identified by their tracks. When the numbers wear off both pairs of shoes, you must quit running for the year.

Biking: Only 500 miles may be driven per year. If you mountain bike, you must report all miles on single track, and pay X amount per mile for trail repair. Again, tires must have a serial stamped on the tread to monitor your mileage.

When he says those laws are stupid and make no sense, then throw the "common sense" gun laws back in his face.

Aside from that, it wouldn't hurt to have solid statistical data/peer reviewed papers to interpret for him when he completely ignores you and starts to spew typical rhetoric from "his" side.

[pjj342]

When trying to explain the 'joy of guns' to an anti, you must realize that you will seem petulant and short sided to them. They will never know the enjoyment you have gotten from firearm ownership, and the piece of mind it grants you in everyday life. They will liken it to 'football that kills children', when you explain the way you enjoy guns alone and with friends. The evil they see in these inanimate objects will trump the validity of your 'sport of choice'. Talking about getting enjoyment from what they see as murder weapons, is probably not the best approach. However, a small amount of information about the gun culture may help him understand this is not just sport.

If it were me, I would take the family defense angle. Some of the points id use:
How fast criminals can harm your family during burglary, home invasion, carjacking, or robbery VS the time it takes police to arrive.
The fact that only the law abiding suffer when gun laws get enacted, since criminals dont follow laws anyways.
The number of guns already in the country, in the hands of criminals, from which you would have less abilities to defend your family.
The reality of making law abiding citizens criminals via future restrictions, and how that would destroy decent families, tearing parents from children and tossing them in prison.
Security systems do not deter violent offenders, and many people cant afford them.
Women need guns more than anyone, to protect themselves and their children against those who wish to overpower them.

There are many more arguments on the side of keeping ones family safe. Making it likewise about the children, and their safety, may help your case a bit. However, if this politician is bought and paid for already, which he probably is, theres no combination of words that can break the grasp of big money socialism aka bloomberg.

My guns are truly a gift from god. They not only protect myself and my family, but they are a constant reminder of how precious life is, and how I must act responsibly always. I will never be without food, security, or piece of mind as long as im a gun owner.

[Qtrborecrazy]

Here's one fod ya, our guns are like Obuma phones, everyone should have one.

[wanneroo]

I often say to anti gunners that are foaming at the mouth, "are you aware that ladders, stairs and roofs kill 2 and half times as many people as do guns in homicides?" It's time for comprehensive background checks on ladder purchases, a ban on any high capacity stairs and all roofs must be stripped off. We will die in the elements at least we saved ourselves from dying while falling. 50% of all falls from above 15 feet result in death.

But mostly I stick to this, if you look at the past 100 years who has killed more people than anyone? Governments. Aligned against defenseless citizens, hundreds of millions have died in agony with no means to defend themselves against tyranny. It's a basic human right to be able to defend yourselves, your family, your neighbors and your private property from enemies both foreign and domestic.

In an American society with gun ownership severely restricted, we will be a Mad Max society ruled by gangs like the cartels and tooled up "operators" from the government and we will be the defenseless sheep in the middle.

It is also unrealistic to expect the police to be there when bad things happen. Here in my country you are looking at up to a one hour response time. With the flood of drugs into here, we've had a rise in crime, home invasions, robberies, burglaries and murders. I can't expect the cops to be here in 5 minutes if someone starts bashing in my door.