Fight back against anti-gun social bigotry

For the past few months, a major gun rights organization has been quietly — and sometimes not so quietly — conducting what amounts to an educational campaign, alerting the nation’s gun owners about anti-gun businesses and their CEOs who use their profits to discriminate against the Second Amendment.

This is not a “boycott list,” as some have unfairly described it. According to the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA), the purpose is to provide gun owners with information so they can decide where to spend their money.

Line Em Up

The list includes restaurants, airlines, banks, theaters and even insurance companies. You can find this list on the CCRKBA website (CCRKBA.org), in the left-hand column under the heading “General Interest.” Scroll down to “Anti-gun Businesses” and take a look. You will find such familiar names as HBO, Hallmark Cards, GEICO, Levi Strauss & Co., MTV, PayPal, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Yelp and Dick’s Sporting Goods — and this just scratches the surface. There are some 200 companies and CEOs on the roster.

This list can be updated. Each gun owner can do his or her part by simply paying attention. If you spot a sign or decal on the door of a business saying, “No Firearms” or simply has the artwork of a handgun with the traditional red cross-out, take a picture with your phone and take a picture of the name of the business. Alert the Citizens Committee and they can do the rest.

It Takes A Village

But you can do a bit more. Social media is a powerful tool and you can advise friends and a wider circle of acquaintances when you spot such signs. You’re not committing an injudicious act by simply noting “I found this sign on the door of …” whatever establishment posts it. Just don’t say anything else. Keep your disappointment, your anger and/or frustration to yourself. Don’t tell anyone to boycott the establishment; don’t say bad things about the business or the people who own it. Allow people to decide for themselves.

When a business declares itself a “gun-free zone,” accept it and simply spread the word. The best way to “challenge the establishment” is at its bottom line. These businesses and the people who own and run them are part of the establishment. Their naiveté could one day result in tragedy, since criminals and madmen ignore such designations and they don’t waste time reading signs on doors.

Talking Points

A while back, during an online discussion about the Portland riots, people remarked all the peaceful demonstrators should not be judged by the actions of the troublemakers. I took the opportunity to draw a parallel between this dilemma and the one constantly faced by gun owners. I wrote, “What about firearms owners? They often complain — with considerable justification it appears — that they all get penalized because some jerk misuses a gun.”

One fellow demanded to know, “how might we stop killer gun jerks without oppressing the law-abiding majority? And why does that majority need assault weapons and multiround (sic) magazines?”

My response was simple: Treat the killers the way we treat other criminals. Lock them up, or in some cases, apply capital punishment.

This guy wrote back, “The real problem isn’t assault rifles, it’s multiround (sic) magazines one would think normal gun owners wouldn’t need.”

Then I struck: “Who says gun owners don’t ‘need’ full- and original-capacity magazines? You? Who put you in charge of what anybody else owns?” It was the end of the conversation. Point made.

Learn something from this anecdote. When you encounter such people, be diplomatic but direct. Remain calm, keep your voice low or don’t write in all capital letters if communicating on social media.

When someone declares they have “a right” to be safe, agree with them. “I have that right, also, and I carry a firearm to make sure I stay safe.”

Stand Up For Us

Don’t play the victim, however. It’s the whiny approach of people for whom the concept of self-reliance is incomprehensible and frightening. Cities are full of such people while rural areas are home to people who take care of themselves and their families, including assuming the role of “first responder” if and when the need arises.

Gun owners are self-reliant people who have what we used to call a “low B.S. tolerance level.” Posting one’s business as a “gun-free zone” falls well within the definition of stockyard fertilizer because it will not prevent a tragedy.
The best you can do is avoid places where tragedy could strike. Help others do likewise by alerting your friends about businesses supporting gun control and prohibiting firearms on the premises. Post the information on social media and pass it on to CCRKBA. They’ll tell the whole world.

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