I’ve noticed that some people tend to buy into the propaganda released by the anti-gun groups or those who just seem to not know any better, and believe that gun owners are uneducated and violence prone. This is plainly untrue, so I thought I would give some of my biographical and demographical information:
I’m an African American male in my mid twenties, and I grew up in a suburb of Chicago, IL. I recently moved to Iowa for my first post-lawschool job. I’m an Attorney at Law, who holds a Bachelor of science degree, and who is now pursuing a Master of Science degree part-time. Jessie Jackson certainly does not speak for me. I am a registered Democrat, although I would likely vote Libertarian if there were a viable Libertarian candidate who wasn’t really a socially conservative Republican in disguise. I currently work as a lawyer, but have worked for software firms before beginning my career in the legal field. I am law abiding, peaceable, and generally a soft spoken person. I own multiple firearms, including my favorites which are pump action shotguns. I enjoy firearms, but they are not my primary hobby. I grew up in a family that was ardently opposed to guns, and it was not until I was about 22 years old that I really began to think about guns rights as a good things. If you want to read my opinions on abortion, gay rights, and other social issues, you can go here (spoiler alert: I’m quite liberally minded and support all of our basic rights, even those that I don’t personally exercise).
In short, I don’t fit the inaccurate stereotype of gun owners that is portrayed with depressing regularity. Neither do these gun owners, or countless others. I have also found that the gun owners I have met in Chicago area or Iowa gun stores and shooting ranges are just as racially tolerant as any other people, despite that anti-gun-owner stereotype too.
If you wish to contact me, you my email address can be found here. Please note that I do not provide online legal advice, for the reasons discussed here.
For those who are interested in my non-gun-related political views, opinions, and random commentary see my other website MyRandomTangents.com.
As an individual who is from an ethnic/religious group which predominantly votes and supports Democrats (I’m Jewish), I can’t understand why you’re still a registered Democrat and have expressed remorse that Democrats are completely uninterested in protecting your 2nd amendment rights. They don’t care about your rights and seem to have a generally negative view of the Constitution and the freedom of the people to chose, both well and poorly, the way they want to live their lives.
I’ve also read a number of your “random tangents”, and though I enjoyed most of the ones I read, I found one particularly out of step with the others. You support well-funded public schools, but you are against unions. It’s late and I’m too tired to write about this issue in detail, but I will provide you with these questions to contemplate: what major industries in American are both heavily unionized and globally competitive? Automotive manufacturing? Steel? Textiles? Education? The teachers’ unions are more interested in preserving their near monopoly in primary and secondary education and the results are evident. The US public school system lags behind most of the developed world and some parts of the non-developed world. Vouchers anyone?
You seem like a nice thoughtful individual who has obviously decided to deviate from your peers in some very significant ways. Why not go all the way and become a Republican (albeit a libertarian one like myself) and leave the Democratic party to the socialists, unionists, terror apologists, and class/race baiters?
Ari,
You do raise a good point with respect to the waste and corruption that is present in some public schools and their teacher’s unions. However I still believe that well funded public schools are essential to ensuring a well educated populace that can grow up to be responsible citizens. The issues within public education certainly need to be addressed, however I don’t see defunding public schools as the answer. This answer is admittedly a bit brief but, I may respond more fully on MyRandomTangents.com in the future.
I continue to vote primarily for Democrats because they seem to advance most of my political goals, other than gun rights. I wish that the Democrats would embrace gun rights, and try to persuade my fellow Democrats and elected officials to do so. Overall, it seems that I will have better luck getting the Democrats to support gun rights than to get the Republicans to support all the other rights I believe in. Also, it is worth noting that there are plenty of pro-gun democrats and anti-gun republicans out there.
I have to say, I find it very pleasing to run across an individual like yourself. Aside from being Caucasian and growing up in the suburbs of Baltimore, we essentially had the same upbringing and introduction to firearms.
My main reason for commenting however, is that you mentioned the stigma associated with being a gun owner, something I myself know all too well.
Between my upbringing and the place in which I live, owning firearms has always left me with the feeling that I am somehow doing something wrong. Obviously it does not prevent me from owning them, but there is always a voice in the back of my mind that makes me think I’m doing something “wrong”. I’ll occupy myself with worrisome thoughts of what my family and friends may think of me, as they all tend to be very liberal themselves. I fear they may see me as a “gun nut”. In fact one of my best friends is a Hoplophobic (suffers from a fear of firearms) and I can not even mention anything related to firearms without her becoming very agitated.
At any rate it’s very refreshing to see someone else who has come from a similar background, and shares similar ideals. It’s nice to know that I’m not the only one of my find out there, and that I don’t need to choose between restrictive “left-wing anti-gun nut”, or trigger happy “right-wing pro-gun nut”… that people can actually be something in between.
Thank you.
Ari is way off. Gun rights activist are handicapping themselves by treating gun owning democrats as pariahs. By doing so, they are slamming the door of opportunity in their own faces, by cultivating relationships and and providing support we can encourage them to take on this fight. The old methods of appealing to the republican in everyone will not work anymore,this isn’t the 1990’s. If the democrats remove gun control from their platform it will be because of gun owning democrats, not because they woke up one day and suddenly recognized the “moral authority” of the republicans. I feel that people who share this attitude are the second biggest threat to my gun rights, behind the gun control advocates themselves. the national gun rights organizations are failing my generation by failing to capitalize on having an “inside man” in the democratic party or making arguments that non- republicans can relate to. Too often activist that get media attention act as if they think they are preaching to the choir. Democrat gun owners don’t speak up because they don’t have anyone backing them up.With proper support a solid movement can be born and nurtured, but then again, I’m sure they will sacrifice everything they believe in for this single issue, right? We have been fighting gun control for over forty years and I don’t want to fight for another forty. Is this a battle we want to pass on to our children?
Tell you what I registered as an Independent last. I am tired of both parties, lying and playing politics and pandering to those who don’t pay attention.
You are definitely right. Education is key to an well informed and responsible public, but also something has to be done to educate the parents on effective parenting too because the school won’t be enough to do an effective job alone.
Parents are simply not doing fulfilling their duties. Without that problem existing nothing else will have the desired level of impact because it can’t be effectively carried out.
Glad to see young men like you rise well above the statistics and make moves to make a difference. Love the site and the attitude keep rising my brother.
We shall meet again, I am sure.
Hervy.
I am a woman in my 30’s with two small children. My father was and still is not real keen on carrying guns although he does own one and his own father averted a criminal attack with a handgun. It’s nice to know someone else out there has grown past what their parents believe and feels secure with gun ownership.
I am a Christian conservative mom who is planning on homeschooling so that my children won’t be fed all that “lay down and take it” garbage I was fed in public school. I am not a right wing gun nut but I do believe in fully protecting my most valuable possessions – my babies. I have no love for firearms, they are just a tool to keep the wolves at bay.
I have never thought about black people having to deal with stigmas and racism from carrying a gun. I can imagine it is difficult for you. Please try to get over your “right wing gun radical” stigma. Not all conservatives are gun nuts. Some of us just want to keep safe and could care less about the finer points of shooting.
Make sure you’ve got a gun case to protect your Children. And I think it’s better to teach children about guns, let them see it at a range, and understand its value and give it the respect it deserves, rather than simply hide it under a bed. Use hollow-tip rounds to increase incapacitation and decrease home damages. I guess you wont be reading this but maybe someone else will. Most if not all of this Eric has said before.
I am a green card holder and not yet an American citizen. However, I have a responsibility to protect my family.
I was told (by a firearms dealer) that I am not able to own a firearm until I am an American and can exercise my 2nd Amendment right.
Is this correct? And if so, what other non-firearms methods of protection do you recommend during this period of time, for home defense? (I have thought about pepper spray and tasers, for example).
Thank you.
Friend,
As one of the many gentiles who compromise a large majority of this groups membership, I think you might wish to have a look at
http://www.jpfo.org/filegen-n-z/ngn-download-view.htm
I will not proselytize as you are already of my faith : the faith of avoidance when possible, but reserving the right to defend yourself and your loved ones.
I suspect we are both discriminating men; this is a laudable quality, as in discriminating taste. No person is necessarily a friend, or potential enemy merely on the basis of pigmentation, gender, etc. but rather by their thoughts, and certainly by their actions.
Thanks for your time, and glad to have stumbled across your site.
JamesX,
I’m not sure if it depends on where you live, but in Virginia, greencard holders can legally purchase firearms.
RE: Illinois FOID Issuance Abuse.
NJ has the same mandatory waiting period, which also is routinely abused, and which abuse a NJ Superior Court has ruled is acceptable, because (I paraphrase) the authorities are busy and, thus, are permitted as much time as they use.
This NJ ruling could, possibly as a “stare decisis” precedent, be used in Illinos against the interests of gun owners.
Larry
GONJ
908-277-1111
Larry,
Thanks for the comment, and that is disappointing to hear about NJ. But thankfully, the holding of an NJ state court is not binding on IL courts under stare decisis. IL courts could choose to adopt the same reasoning, but they are in no way bound by that out-of-state decision.
LearnAboutGuns,
I think the anecdotal summary is fantastic. Do you know if your summary is more or less comprehensive than the monthly summary produced by the NRA in its magazines?
Regarding your view on education, I am Libertarian and feel education is possibly the most important issue out there. I find it amazing that the democratic party is beholden to a union that is arguably rotting the country from the core. It is incredible that Democrats are generally so complicit regarding support for a teachers union that fosters poor academic environments and results. A solid example of the road to hell being paved with good intentions.
Therefore, unlike you, I have had a leaning toward the Republican party with its support for vouchers and resistance to unions generally.
I believe handing education checks back to parents each year to spend where they choose (be it public, private, public across town) would quickly foster growth of the best schools with the best culture and teachers. Poor schools would wither away and bad teachers would not be hired by discriminating peers at quality schools. The best schools would reap the financial benefit to allow growth for construction, quality hiring, etc.
At the same time I believe it is unfortunate that in the current system there is a 1st and 2nd class system of education. It is not legitimate to expect that everyone should go to college. Respect for trades and quality eduction in that area should also be widely available. The current system disenfranchises a large portion of students who are not offered a quality education outside the college track.
ProChoice, ProPot, ProGun, ProLiberty
I like the website, especially the links to the disabled and women that have been able to defended their homes from intruders with handguns.
I am gone frequently and worry about my family’s safety. My wife was raised around guns (rifles, shotguns) but unwilling to shoot either a handgun or a shotgun that would be sufficient for home defense. By researching and trying out differt handguns I now feel confident that she has the right pistol (one that she will shoot and will {hopefully} stop an intruder.
We reherse home invasion senarios to point that my kids think I am crazy, but it provides them with a good base to act on as well as giving me peace of mind.
We live in Georgia and although a permit to carry is not difficult to obtain if you qualify, the gun laws are overly complicated and need explaining in some circumstances (i.e. Ask 2 cops if you can carry in a theater and you are likely to get two differnt answers)
Gun control will never apply to the criminal.
Jason,
The armed self defense examples I discuss are in no way comprehensive. I only write about a tiny fraction of the ones that make the news, and the ones that make the news are in turn only a tiny fraction of the ones that occur.
More on that can be seen here: http://www.learnaboutguns.com/2009/01/30/examples-of-armed-self-defense/ and here: http://www.learnaboutguns.com/2008/08/01/every-13-seconds-an-american-uses-a-gun-in-self-defense/
Craig,
I think your actions are wise and prudent, and the mark of a good father. If more parents took time to prepare, I’m willing to be we would read about fewer tragedies in the newspapers.
I would just note that cops really aren’t the ones I would ask for clarification on gun laws. They are not lawyers, and I’ve found that cops often give bad legal advice. Saying you relied upon a cop’s legal opinion won’t get you out of trouble when that opinion turns out to be inaccurate.
I live in a rural community where most of the people I know live in armed households. My neighbors are polite, ethnically diverse, and mostly solve their occasional disputes in a non-violent manner. The exceptions generally involve substance abuse of one kind or another.
Your defense of 2nd amendment protections is appreciated.
Your enthusiasm for public education might be less fervent if you were familiar with its origins and purposes. I recommend you read John Taylor Gatto’s book “Underground History of American Education”. It’s available free online at:
http://mhkeehn.tripod.com/ughoae.pdf