It is a matter of considerable irony that, despite the gargantuan and expensive effort that the press routinely invests in its attempt to turn the American public against the right to keep and bear arms, the cultural trends keep moving toward freedom.
Just think about all those billions of dollars Michael Bloomberg and others have poured into the pursuit of more power. Contemplate the relentless drumbeat of anti-Second Amendment content from the newspapers and the cable news shows and the government-subsidized radio outlets. Reflect upon the high-profile speeches and the carefully crafted statements from the celebrity class. And then look at who has prevailed nevertheless: the American gun owner.
Whenever they make a big push for gun control, the legacy media preens and preaches and acts as if they have the high moral ground. Invariably, though, people look at their own situations and realize they need the chance to defend themselves; and they speak with their gun-owning neighbor, friend or family member and think: The people I know who own guns aren’t doing any harm, and they are prepared to do something should evil darken their doorstep.
Indeed, almost everywhere, the opposite of what the legacy media advocates for on this issue is happening. People are asking their neighbors if they own a gun, and, if so, what type; NRA members are telling friends and neighbors all they have to do is log on on to nrainstructors.org to find a quality gun-training class near them; uncles are asking their nephews and nieces if they have any interest in going hunting next weekend.
Since I moved to the United States 14 years ago, I have been taken by how naturally viral American gun ownership is. In many of the countries in which the people have lost their rights, there is less chance of a revival of freedom because there exists no underlying culture to sustain this critical right. This is the key reason that the enemies of the Second Amendment try so hard to vilify gun owners and to stigmatize their choices: They understand that the fastest way to prohibition is to go after the demand as well as the supply. Admirably, Americans have resisted this ploy. Certainly, people are persuadable. But they are being persuaded in the other direction.
Some of this persuasion is done by public figures who share their expertise online. It has been fascinating to watch friends of mine who were previously agnostic on the question of firearms discover a given reviewer or competition shooter or legal expert and realize that much of the information about firearms that they absorbed was either flawed or outright false.
The rest of the time, this process happens in the social circles in which newcomers already run. I cannot count the number of times that a friend of a friend has asked me, “So, you’re a gun guy, right?” They then inquire how they should get started. Depending on the context, getting “started” might mean buying a first firearm, taking a class, obtaining a carry permit or anything else. In any case, I am happy to hand over to someone the knowledge that was happily handed to me—this cycle continues ad infinitum in no small part because of the NRA and all it has done historically and all it still does today to train citizens to shoot and handle firearm responsibly, to defend our hard-won American freedoms in the courts and legislatures and to thereby enjoy this God-given right.
Many in the media are nevertheless trying to condition us to think that political arguments are won by debaters who rattle off their talking points one after another and never draw breath. In truth, though, most political change is the product of good example. The renaissance in the right to keep and bear arms was achieved by a groundswell of American patriots, but none were so important in this endeavor as the many American citizens who sensed an interest in a companion and said, “Hey, let me show you.”
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