Today’s quote is from Joe Huffman:
Come out of the closet. In the early days of the gay rights movement there was a phrase, “Silence equals death!”. Getting people to come out in the open about being a gun owner helps the anti-gun people realize we aren’t red-necked, knuckle dragging, Neanderthals, who beat their wives, complain about the “coloreds” lusting after our women folk, and whose idea of a good time is shooting our empties while chugging beer from the tailgate of our pickups. It worked for the gays and it can work for us.
I agree with this. When I first started getting back into shooting in my mid 20s, after not having shot since I was a kid shooting cans, I was pretty quiet about it around coworkers. These days virtually all my coworkers know I shoot Silhouette on Thursdays, am a member of the NRA, and am politically active in the gun rights movement.
It is a risk, because you never know when some corporate drone will decide you’re too dangerous for the company to keep around and fire you. I think it’s a risk we need to take. Others who have preceded us have taken far far greater risks in the name of preserving freedom, and if we can’t step up in this manner, we’re doomed.
Of course, the one caveat is that being out only helps if you’re actually normal.  If you’re building a bunker in your cubicle out of old QIC computer tape cartridges and reams of copier paper, in preparation for the day the UN sends in the blue helmeted ones to impose the New World Order on your workplace, you might want to think about staying in the closet.
“Of course, the one caveat is that being out only helps if you’re actually normal.”
But, if you’re not normal, are you actually very likely to realize it?
I fully agree with Joe, & I said it more than 10 years ago.
When “Gay Pride” hit, & they came out of the closet, the country was a bit more than stunned by the shear number, & suddenly the polticians started talking about “Gay Rights”
If half of the est. 80 million gun owners came out of the closet, they wouldn’t even try to disarm us. Think about the NRA they have slightly over 1% of the population as members, can you imagine the power they would have with 40 million members?
Polticians would be earmarking money for gun ranges!
“If you’re building a bunker in your cubicle out of old QIC computer tape cartridges and reams of copier paper, in preparation for the day the UN sends in the blue helmeted ones to impose the New World Order on your workplace, you might want to think about staying in the closet.”
Nobody _ever_ lets me have any fun…. ;-)
Luckily the husband of my company’s owner and president is a CCW holder, no worries about corporate drones pitching that argument. Interestingly, my main client is absolutely anti-gun and we have many good natured debates about our opposing positions.