Posted with no links at all. Of course, now the self-appointed hall monitors will claim there’s no sourcing, in order to evade reasoning, publicly known facts and self-evident truths. [More]
I found out about the virtual 2A Rally the day before it happened and decided not to do a post on it because it could come across as sour grapes for not being invited to participate. In truth, there is no way I would have expected to be, given past disputes with the principal organizer.
Now that my name has been brought into comments, I'm compelled to weigh in, particularly in light of this claim from the article:
"One of our key goals is to remind everyone that American Gun Owners are part of every demographic group, lifestyle and political affiliation. They have many different perspectives and opinions on guns… and every other topic!"
Good for them. Pointing out that gun owners are diverse is a good thing. I do it myself from time to time, over race, over sexual orientation, over religion, and laud the unalienable right of all peaceable people to keep and bear arms and welcome their support. I was part of the group that crafted one of the first web-posted "Inclusion Statements" for gun owners.
That said, while some Democrats may be arguably "pro-gun," their support for the party and its platform make it a cognitive dissonance impossibility for them to be pro-RKBA. Ditto for socialists. I will not join hands with those who would cuff mine (or worse).
And that said, I see I see one huge perspective that was deliberately ignored. Its omission exposes the hollowness of any promise of complete diversity.
It is beyond a disservice to gun owners to put on a 2A Fest and purposely banish discussion of the greatest threat to their rights. That's because the principals behind it have pushed the "single-issue" evasion and dismissed all evidence outright and thoughtlessly.
Joe Biden, noting the success in Virginia crowed about by The New York Times, is counting on that, as did Hillary before him.
Yes, of course there are "pro-gun" immigrants of all nationalities, and I encourage and applaud them. After all, saying 70 to 80 percent of this or that demographic support Democrats and "gun control" de facto implies 20 to 30 percent have different views, and I've made no secret of my admiration and gratitude for one of our foremost champions.
My bottom line on a Constitutional immigration policy: Powers are delegated to fulfill the scope of the Preamble. Enacting, enforcing, and upholding any law that does not "secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity" is an unconstitutional usurpation.
And that said, to comment poster Russn8r's detractors: I agree with him. You are ignoring his arguments and resorting to ad hominem, which is a logical fallacy. It's curious how people who stand to benefit the most from truth often fight with so much hostility against it. And threats to delete his responses are uncalled for.
As for the "numerous links" argument, as you can see from the length of his initial argument, three links to substantiate his claims are not excessive and are perfectly consistent with AmmoLand policy:
Ammoland encourages links, video, images and written opinion to add value to our news posts...
The comment form actually facilitates including links.
I'm actually very grateful to see someone defending my work and documenting the reasons why. Most of the time I put stuff out there that I know rice bowl gun groups want to avoid and it can be discouraging to know that while some readers may agree with the evidence, most won't do anything about it. I know it's not easy to take an unpopular position, especially when the "pragmatists" enjoy the major megaphones and there will be no shortage of angry respondents.
So thank you for speaking up for me and my work in a forum that has so far been unkind to you, although I do note several "thumbs up" for your comment at this time (let's hope the "down-thumbers" don't decide to swarm that).
Just as it's not about guns, it's about freedom, the goal is not unity with gun owners. It is unity with the truth.
And there's one other comment I'd like to give props to:
Someone needs to get Dr. Edwin Vieira on the list so that it actually is about the 2nd amendment. ALL OF IT.
Bravo! If we limit our arguments to "self-defense" and ignore "the Militia of the several States," the antis will always find a way to disallow "weapons of war," or as Tench Coxe called them, "the birthright of an American."
