There is a lot of truth in this article. Too often the Second Amendment community condemns the elitism of politicians and gun control advocates, yet sometimes mirrors that same behavior toward newcomers, women, or anyone who doesn’t meet someone else’s idea of the “right” kind of gun owner. As George Carlin famously said, “It’s a big club and you ain’t in it.” When gun owners turn that mentality inward, they do real damage to the cause.
The ultimate harm is that it shrinks the movement. Mockery, arrogance, and tribal gatekeeping discourage the very people who might otherwise become strong supporters of the right to keep and bear arms. A civil right survives only when it is widely embraced. Treating the Second Amendment like a private club instead of a universal liberty only strengthens the hand of those who want it restricted or erased.
“It’s a big club and you ain’t in it.”
Many will immediately recognize that famous line from comedian George Carlin.
He was generally criticizing the perversion of the American Dream co-opted by a devolved, three-tier society that subjugates average citizens beneath the influence and power of politicians and wealthy elites.
It’s something the Second Amendment community recognizes and fights tooth and nail against daily, citing things like:
- gun control laws that exempt law enforcement
- politicians who ban firearms but retain a retinue of armed, private security
- arbitrary laws disarming the law-abiding in public while armed criminals terrorize
Yet, many in the 2A community are COMPLETELY BLIND to their hypocrisy when they do the exact same thing to outsiders or newcomers.
I was struck by this inherent double standard when, over the weekend, a small mob of fudds openly criticized a woman who posted her shooting targets up on social media after a range session.
The derogatory comments were rude, harsh, and unwarranted. And many of them came from people whose accounts showed they were involved in the shooting sports or supporters of gun rights. Some even came from those who identified themselves as veterans and Christians.
(To be fair, larger influencers in the 2A community came to the defense of this woman, encouraging her for her effort to train, receive professional instruction, and reprimanding the naysayers.)
In a rather ironic twist, the woman who was the subject of so much ridicule and criticism happens to be the Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, Harmeet Dhillon. She also happens to be the head of the newly-launched Second Amendment Section, devoted to protecting and restoring gun rights.
By News2A Team
