Radical Inclusion...

Anyone may be a part of Gun Culture. We welcome and respect the stranger. No prerequisites exist for participation in our community…

With apologies to Burning Man, of course.

I’ve never been to Burning Man, and I’m not sure if I ever will go. It’s a bit costly, basically.

However, some people in my social circle have gone, and every year, I do admit to scoping out their adventures from afar. Whether it’s hardscrabble route of depending on the gift economy over there, or the “glamping” route, some of them manage to go, and come back in one piece.

Now, you are probably wondering, “What the hell does Burning Man have to do with guns?”

On the surface, nothing. I suspect the bulk of Burners probably are disarmament advocates. However, the first principle of Burning Man, radical inclusion, should be one of the top principles of the gun culture.

Anyone may be a part of gun culture

Yes, indeed. If someone has an interest in firearms, we should do our damndest to nurture and guide that interest. Their race definitely should not matter. Self-defense by any means is a human right, not bound by racial boundaries. Their initial political leanings should not matter. If they have an iota of interest in guns, it’s a great start. If they are a Democrat who may initially be for certain restrictions on firearms, we can work on that. My fiancé is a great example. She leans left on some issues, and was initially “skeptical” about the need for an AR-pattern rifle, but with time, instruction, and lots of patience, I bought her around to a more reasonable way of thinking on guns. If someone’s a Fudd (gun owner who doesn’t care about restrictions as long as his hunting rifles aren’t affected), we can work on that too. Their sexual orientation should not matter. Guns don’t care who you sleep with. The trick is respecting where they come from. It’s super easy to fly off the handle and judge newbies and “antis”. Most of the time it’s just sheer ignorance of firearms, not a genuine hatred of them.

We welcome and respect the stranger

I’d say this is a must. If they’re willing to manipulate and pick up a gun, we should be thrilled they’ve come that far. A lot is at stake with firearms rights these days, and the more people getting into our “scene” in a positive way, the merrier. Background shouldn’t matter. Heck, I’m definitely not your stereotypical gun owner. I’m just the Regular Guy, sure, but I’m definitely not what comes up when you Google Image Search for “gun owner”. I don’t drive a pickup truck. I don’t have a beard. I didn’t serve in the armed forces. Nor was I ever a cop. I was born up in the anti-gun North. I don’t have a single tattoo. I’m of mixed ancestry. I go to the gym, but I’m not Dom Raso or Jocko Willink. I work in the entertainment industry during the day. Someone respected my life and background, and only cared that I was interested in guns. And years later, here I am.

No prerequisites exist for participation in our community

We all have to start somewhere. I was fortunate that I got to handle a firearm when I was 8 years old. I learned the Four Rules and that guns were to be respected and not feared. Some aren’t as fortunate, but again, if they show an interest, we should take them in. No one starts out as a major-league doorkicker.

It’s kind of like the Civil Rights Movement

In my daytime job, entertainment and nightlife, someone compared it to the Civil Rights movement. “The more people getting involved, the better it gets…”. Two people in a nightclub don’t make a party. It’s boring and the event ends early and no one makes money. Two people marching for a cause can’t accomplish much. It’s a start, but the two guys marching for equal rights will give up if no one else joins in. We gotta get people to join in, by any positive means necessary. I get it, it’s fun to laugh at the memes of the SJW characters swinging dildos around at UT-Austin, but after they get tired and put the cocks down, someone should reach out to them and offer to let them pick up a GLOCK. In a controlled environment of course.

Perception is reality to the opposition

It’s fun as hell to don some tactical gear, get dirty, and beat the hell out of your guns in the mud. But it’s certainly not the best approach when welcoming people into the fold, and it’s definitely not the best approach when dealing with the mass media. When dealing with the newbies, and the media, leave the real fun stuff at home. Don’t go full Mall Ninja when the new people, or the media, come over to talk. And definitely leave the polarizing “.45 ACP, because shooting someone twice is silly…” T-shirt at home. Scaring someone is the easiest way to turn them off and give them a negative perception of what we do. Dress the part (think lawyer on TV), and be cool as a cucumber. As time goes on, you can introduce the new people to the cool stuff.

We need all the help we can get

The right to keep and bear arms is not a right granted to us by any government. It is a pre-existing human right. We have the right to defend ourselves by any means necessary. The more people we can get in on it, and the more people that understand this, the better. Thankfully, the tides are turning. Colion Noir kicked down the color barrier. Chris Cheng bucked all the stereotypes, being a gay Asian software engineer into guns. Dana Loesch is definitely not gonna sit back and let a man do the job. Antonia Okafor isn’t going to let the media stereotype her. And hopefully in a small way, this blog is showing the Regular Guy (and Regular Girl) perspective.

The right is universal. Let’s include everyone.