The anti gun/2A types always prefer anecdotal evidence to facts/data/history, which understandablty, drives people nuts who care about such things. However, a little fire with fire never hurts. Below is one my favorites I have been posting in FB in response their anecdotal evidence that gets crickets every time. Lets list some anecdotal evidence for future use. Here’s one of my favorites:
“I ask a simple Q to what always gets crickets: if access to guns is the problem, why has there never been such a shooting at a gun show in modern history? Shows that take place every week all over the nation, guns and ammo all over the place, etc, etc. Statically about the safest place you can be. All those ‘gun nuts’ in one place, thousands of them with guns, but not a single event like that in modern history. All those “can’t be trusted poorly trained gun nuts” and nadda, decade after decade… So, if anecdotal evidence (vs hard data, the Const, history and logic is not enough) so often preferred by gun control advocates, that’s my anecdotal evidence. Anyone?”
I like to play this with those calling for the ban on “assault weapons”. The FBI crime statistics say that long guns (which include the AR15) are responsible for around 1% of all gun deaths. If your goal is to protect people, why aren’t you trying to ban the handguns that are responsible for the other 99%?
Problem there is, their response is something like “it’s a start” and they have every intention of banning that 99%, so that’s not a good example in my view. It’s best to use anecdotes that gives them no way to move the goal posts as they will. One thing I know from decades of debating this topic with anti gun types, is exactly what their response will be to such a comment.
I would meet their response with a chuckle and let them know statistically the are more likely to be killed by a drunk, someone texting or hell, even struck by lightning.
Specific to ARs and wth ammo at the ready, why no mass shootings at Camp Perry national matches?
Also, the AR15 and the even the ‘M16’ as used is what it is based on civilian inputs:
-started with a round designed to hunt varmint
-Modern special ammo designed for long range competition adopted by the military
-Free floated barrels from accurate rifle competitions
-2- stage triggers
-The stocks the grips
-The use of red dot optics
-JP even gave us completely different bolts and recoil mechanisms
-New upper receivers
-Red dot sights were driven by 3-gun competitions
Pretty much everything but the LPK kit and lower has been modified and made better because of civilian input. They aren’t weapons of war, they are Modern Sporting Rifles taken from civilians and used by the military.
It would be interesting to take a ‘M4’ and have the parts loose and show how many of them have civilian genesis.
Since we’re discussing talking points and rebuttals
I tried to start a thread that addresses this but it was locked
Essentially I brought up the point that the anti gun folks are trying to ban
To save children
While swimming pools actually are killing just as many children and harms many thousands more
Thus if these people truly want to save children why don’t they want to ban swimming pools?
There’s also statistics that show that a child is about 5x more likely to die from a pool than from a gun
I like to rephrase their statement in racist (or identity politics) terms. It exposes their sentiment and makes them change course. Or the average person reconsiders. It makes them sound like a KKK supporter.
“A black guy shot up a school. We need to make sure blacks lose some rights. Just a few. They should be okay with that.”
You can play this with a lot of points the antis make.
“But guns make it easier to kill yourself” is the reply
“But you have no control over lightning and ARs are designed specifically to kill people” is the reply
Fixed for ya “and the Bill of Rights is outdated” will be the reply
“But swimming pools are not designed to kill people” will be the response.
Exactly, you have to do it in such a way they can’t deflect or move the goal posts and used their own logic (or lack their of…) to counter. Per above, posters using “our” approach (logic, data, history) which does not have an impact on emotionally driven types. I like to point out that gun laws are inherently racist as they were created in the US to prevent free black slaves from having guns and did not apply to whites. That makes their head spin. Looking for that emotional trigger they can’t refute,
I pulled this out of my pocket this week and I am not sure if I pissed off the antis at work or scared the **** out of the paranoid.
Had everyone going on and on about what to do about an active shooter and how to defend yourself, without guns because they be evil or some shit while me and a few others are brainstorming how the **** we can get them in. I actually brought up pros and cons of designated defenders.
Anyway when everyone was going on and on about how many people an active shooter could kill I pointed out rather bluntly that I could wipe out the entire place with nothing more than some home made termite, some 550 cord, and a little bit of websearching. Kind of killed the active shooter conversation. It isn’t the gun that kills people. If that were the case, trust me, some of the competitions I have been at would have been bloodbaths. And while I have been at shoots where people got shot, every time because of stupid asshats, no one in their right mind would hit one. I shoot competition with my CCW on me for that matter. Hell somedays with the wind I might as well open carry because my shirt is blowing up and everyone is seeing that Glock and mag on my belt. But, then again, there is another half a dozen around who are carrying there too. A honest shooting competition is one the safest environment that most people would ever enter, and the friendliest and most respectable group of people you will meet.
Anyway, I am ranting. Those who have made their mental choices about what is right and wrong can not be swayed. Those who are on the fence, sometimes breaking the arguments of the antis down to nothing may help. At least that is my experience. I am not going write a term paper tonight. I will end with saying that not getting fired up and emotional when the enemy is can make you appear to be the more reasonable party. I’ve won people over being the one who is calm, collected, and able to use statistics, and facts opposed to being the screaming bitch.
