Firearm Community Overwhelmingly Trained, Rational and Level-Headed

One case in point is when arguing for abortion rights, the left always uses the “incest/rape” argument, even though only about 1 percent are performed for those reasons. Ignored are the women who use abortion as a method of birth control or who are just promiscuous and irresponsible.

Another is when discussing illegal immigration, the left always refers to the “poor, hard-working father who is paying taxes and working in a job that no American citizen would want.” They casually dismiss the notion that gang-bangers of MS-13, drug runners, and common criminals frequently and continually cross the border illegally.

I am writing this to dispel the notion of a different exception, one that liberals use to “throw shade,” or cast a negative light on someone, if you’re not a Millennial.

Whenever an anti-gunner gets into a debate with a gun owner/carrier or Second Amendment supporter, they will invariably accuse the common armed citizen of being dangerous, irresponsible, or violent — just looking for someone to shoot. Recently, I was witness to a leftist calling a fellow carrier “Barney Fife.”

I wanted to use this example to enlighten my ideologically-opposite comrades.

First off, 24 states require firearm training to attain a carry permit. At a minimum, by law, half of our states enforce minimum gun handling ability to be able to carry one. Armed citizens do not want to have a negligent discharge or injure someone accidentally, so they seek out training classes and advice from experienced shooters.

Also, most gun owners never want to have to draw, let alone use, our firearms. It would be traumatic, a legal nightmare and would require ourselves or someone else to be in danger to justify it. No one in their right mind would hope for that scenario.

Training with a gun can be a very expensive hobby. I can easily take my family to the range and burn through 500 rounds. That’s the biggest reason that the firearm community shakes its collective head every time an unknowledgeable reporter or liberally-biased media member makes a big deal of someone having “hundreds or rounds of ammunition.” When leftists buy toilet paper, do they buy one roll at a time? Probably not. Just like most other commodities, buying in bulk greatly reduces the price per item. Ammo is no exception to that rule.

The firearm community is overwhelmingly trained, rational, and level-headed. We are merely fellow Americans who have accepted the fact that we may have to depend on ourselves in a life-or-death situation. We take that potential scenario seriously and do what we can to be ready for it.

When we see the murders on TV news every night, rest assured that these crimes are being committed by street-trained, unlicensed thugs who are not members of the NRA or other firearm associations. The proverbial and often referenced “good guy with a gun” is not committing crimes in this country. He is the one guarding against it — and causing criminals to think twice, or refrain from their activity altogether.

Stop with the accusations of irresponsibility, incompetence, and danger. Those are the exceptions in the firearm community.

My proof? There are between 55 million and 85 million gun owners, with 42 percent of households having one or more of the estimated 350 million or more total firearms in these United States.

If we were negligent or violent, you wouldn’t need newspaper articles or TV reports to know it.

John Cylc is a conservative Christian and eight year U.S. Army veteran who primarily speaks out on the Second Amendment, gun rights issues, and contemporary topics. Born and raised in Philadelphia, he currently resides with his wife and youngest son in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains in beautiful East Tennessee. He is the founder of ThirteenFox.com and a contributor to LifeZette. To read more of his reports — Click Here Now.