Gun Guys: A Road Trip

Just when I though that Facebook was at the end of my interest, one of my friends posted this interview in Mother Jones about the new book Gun Guys: A Road Trip. I am going to comment without reading the book first, however it is now safely on my iPad that thinks it is a Kindle. Shhh don't say anything to it.

What I will comment on are his comments in the Mother Jones interview with Dan Baum the author. (There is also a YouTube interview at the end of this blog).

First of all, he is a liberal, like me. Second, he is a firearms enthusiast, like me. Third he loves AR's. I love his quote, "It's like a guitar that makes everyone play like Jerry Garcia." So I prefer AK's.  I would poetically liken my AK like a bulldozer that lets you go through anything you want. So, he likes ARs and not AKs.   His interview was great, he can't be perfect.

I can relate to his view of gun owners.  I understand his negative feelings toward the NRA and how they portray gun owners.   (The NRA...") It's a catastrophe for gun owners because the face that the NRA puts on gun owners is an angry, intransigent, male, extremist, frightening scowl."  That description that is portrayed is not me.  There are over 100 million firearms owners in the U.S. and only 4 million are NRA members.  Although this gives the NRA clout in U.S. politics, they don't necessarily represent the majority of firearms owners in all issues or in image.

Baum agrees that it is important to fight for our rights to own and enjoy firearms, however as the demographics of firearm owners change with young adults and, more specifically, the largest new demographic to enter the market, women the image of a firearm owner is changing.   "The bulge of the gun guys demographic is middle-aged, rural white men with some college, and that is a demographic that has been losing ground economically and culturally for the past 30 years."

I am going to go out on a limb here and say that liberal firearms enthusiasts have to take a different direction  and project a more realistic image.  We don't know yet why so many women are entering the market.  From my experiences, women are entering just the same reason men do.  They like: target shooting, spending time on the range with friends and family, shopping for the new perfect fit firearm, and the mechanics and physics are fascinating.  Whether or not a gun would really protect you in a situation doesn't matter.  You do feel more confident if you know how to handle and shoot a firearm, even if you are not carrying a firearm with you.  Like anything else that one accomplishes, learns about and masters, your self esteem grows.

What is important to us?  Gun safety for everyone in the household.  Training and practice to build competency and accuracy.  Conversation and friendship with fellow shooters.    Competitions with friends or serious competitions with other shooters.  We also like designer firearms.

Enjoy this video interview.