Obama voters are exactly the people we need to reach, which makes this unfortunate:
Thirteen-year-old Lane Dunkley just wanted to go hunting with his grandfather.
What he got was a lecture on politics.[…]
But when father and son arrived at the lesson, the volunteer instructor, Kell Wolf, asked if any of the students voted for President Barack Obama.
Reddy, a transplanted Californian — and former Marine — raised his hand.
According to Reddy and others in the room, Wolf called Obama “the next thing to the Antichrist” and ordered Reddy and Dunkley from the room. When Reddy refused, Wolf said he would not teach “liberals” and would cancel the course if Reddy didn’t leave.
So Reddy and Dunkley left, as did a few others.
I can sympathize. People who fled California because because the state has been made difficult to live or do business in, who vote for a guy who wants to make every corner of America just like California? It’s frustrating. There’s dozens of places today that are facing this phenomenon, and the natives are the ones who suffer for it.
But what if Lane Dunkley discovered he really enjoyed hunting with Grandad. What if Grandad, likely being a native Oklahoman, could have perhaps talked some sense into the boy on a hunting trip? The only way to make people interested in preserving your way of life is to make them understand it, and you can’t do that by excluding outsiders from it. I understand how Kell Wolf is feeling, but he’s being short sighted. The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation did the right thing.
The rest of the story isn’t so bad. ODWC pulled that instructor’s card with a quickness, and even offered the Reddys a private class since they didn’t have another one scheduled. Still, it’s unfortunate that this occurred.
This is the kind of opportunity we need to take advantage. When we encounter someone who is misguided or misinformed it is our duty to communicate the facts and educate.
We won’t win every battle, but we can’t refuse to step onto the battlefield.
fracking BRILLIANT!!!
WAY TO GO. Two more anti-gunners, because of one putz!
At least he won’t be doing the Second Amendment any more favors.
I would like to briefly share my experiences in being a libertarian gun-owner/rights advocate.
To sum it up: On most places on the internet, and in real life, if you are not a Republican and didn’t vote for McCain (note: **I did not vote for Obama OR McCain, both supported an AWB**), you are shunned and treated like an outsider, or an enemy.
Funny, I seem to remember the NRA (who isn’t pro-gun enough for me due to their support for MG bans) trying to kill Heller.
Bush let the ATF ban the importation of “dual use” barrels.
Bush filed an Amicus Brief in favor of DC in Heller.
Ronald Reagan signed the law that brought 18 USC 922(o) into law.
So to any NRA/GOP types out there who say I’m the enemy, I let Obama in, or I’m anti gun: eat a d***. These GOP types need to be shunned and challenged wherever they are seen and I DO challenge them online and in real life.
I’m sorry Sebastian if this breaks your civility rule but I’ve had far too many arguments with Republicans who have openly called me anti-freedom because I didn’t vote for either of those jerks.
I really wondered if this was a true story. It seemed unreal to ask the voting record of clients. I agree that he missed an opportunity to educate but i do have a sneaky symapathy that he was fed up with those who sit back and vote in an enemy and think it does not matter on basic issues like 2 amendment and gun rights.
Never the less this was very unprofessional. I hope that the grandfather accepts the private lesson as an apology.
That’s real lame what happened.
Thankfully efforts are underway to correct the situation.
I’m with you Sebastian, we need to reach out to Obama voters.
Leave Politics at the check in when entering the gun range, or gun safety classes.
Fudds! They’ve been shooting us in the back for years maybe a little friendly fire will help them figure it out.
The only good news is we’ve got the name of another wolf…. Or is that mole?
The technical term for this is “shunning”, and is very painful to be on the receiving end. It has been described as torture, using every opportunity to shame the target.
While the term is usually used in a religious context, I think that it describes what is going on here perfectly.
See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shunning
Clair Wolfe suggested it as one approach to tax collectors and other minions of an intrusive state, but not something to be undertaken lightly.
Some folks just seem to have a hard time staying on task. I’m a hunter ed instructor in Ohio – here (and I’m sure there) it’s forbidden to discuss politics in the class. It’s also ineffective. The folks who agree with you don’t need the lecture – and those that don’t will resent being lectured as part of a legally required class before being allowed to get a government issued license.
Also, we can’t turn anyone away – even 6 year old kids when it’s highly likely that they’re there so that dad can get an extra deer tag. Generally, they don’t pass the test, but we can’t refuse to teach them.
“They called and said they’d meet us any time, anywhere,” said Daniel Reddy. “Their response has been exemplary. It has really restored my faith in government.”
Talk about unintended consequences. I doubt that’s what the instructor had in mind when he tossed out the Obama voter.
http://wwwtmrcom.blogspot.com/2009/03/opinion-most-dangerous-man-in-america.html
Why Fudds are dangerous.
Cass Sunstein is a Fudd?
Rich in Ohio, me too. In Ohio. As I read the story, I was thinking of what we’d been taught in instructors’ academy classes, about going so far as to invite anti-hunters so they could learn something about what hunters really do. I’ve had anti-hunters, anti-gunners, and Muslimas (don’t offer to shake hands when you sign the card!), and everybody so far has left happy.
From an instructor ethics point of view, the guy was way out of line. “Turn in your free shirt!” But as Chris Rock used to say, I understand. The old union fudds in my gun club turn themselves inside-out backing anything Dems do. In Ottawa County, we still have Copperheads. You live with it.
This is the approach that made conservatives so unlikeable in the 1960’s and laid the groundwork for the “Uncool, Man” default-liberalism we’ve got now. Big, big mistake.
I seriously hope that was a failed attempted at wit or sarcasm.
No, Fudds deliver us into the hands of such lunatics. Specifically dumbass and son from this story.
Tom:
You mean like Ronald Reagan signing the only permanent domestic gun ban (yet)?
He happily signed it too, check out his entry for May 19th, 1986. Last two lines.
I hope the GOP fades away forever. I’d rather have machine guns than those useless traitors to the gun culture.
“NRA” is still a dirty word to some in the NFA community.
NRA is not against machine gun ownership. In fact, I seem to recall NRA saying they would work to remove the Hughes provision from FOPA, but the political will was never there in Congress to do it. The political will is still not there in Congress to do it.
Oh come on Sebastian stop making excuses for them. We had a GOP controlled government for 6 years, and that wasn’t long enough to take us back to ’34 rules?
Then you agree Sebastian we need to stop relying on the GOP for RKBA protection. They’re unreliable, motivated (for the last few decades) by growing the size of government and just plain hate gun owners when you scratch the surface.
But why trust NRA Sebastian, their representative was on Fox News in support of a MG ban. I can’t find the video at this time but I clearly remember it, he was discussing Heller.
Breeze through ’68 issues of American Rifleman and you’ll find one of them with a quote supporting the ban, saying it doesn’t effect sportsman (which is really all the NRA cares about, not us AW folks and certainly not the NFA people)
NRA could have stalled FOPA in committee to cleanse it but did not, and Wayne promised they’d get rid of the ban and here we are, 23 years later and it’s still on the books. Wayne’s still taking a $200k salery to do nothing about it.
They had every opportunity and didn’t. Reagan didn’t even read the bill he just assumed his people had vetted it and it was alright. so we can blame him too.
Really, when gun-bloggers whine about Olofson, they have no one to blame for the mess he’s in but Republicans. How can Olofson be charged with failure to pay a tax ATF refuses to take? 18 USC 922(o).
What ever happened to Hughes by the way? Is he still alive?
I remember the video you’re talking about, and I seem to recall they deflected the issue. Why? Because Heller wasn’t about machine guns. Go talk to your representative about introducing a repeal of the MG ban in Congress and see what he says about it. The reason you don’t see it is because the votes aren’t there. The MG issue is a hearts and minds issue right now, meaning you have to change hearts and minds and create the political landscape where a repeal could happen.
Hughes is still alive as far as I know, but retired from Congress.
VXbinaca, I’m in agreement with you on the GOP.
Hearts and minds don’t rely on facts, they get their mind control force fed by the same media that helped the Fudds elect Obama.
If facts mattered we wouldn’t have damn near any infringements, but they don’t. Obama would sign a “fairness” or localism doctrine in a heartbeat to eliminate that much more opposition and facts from getting out. That happens I’ll call the Fudds for it too.
If you can’t bring people around to your cause, then everything is essentially pointless, and we might as well pack it up now. But we seem to know that’s really not true. Look at just how much the debate has changed from the 1990s.