I love the 2nd Amendment... but not necessarily its supporters.

Recently I wrote a piece titled “Gun Rights Supporters Are Losing The War on Guns . . . Here’s Why”. It more or less focused on the overall effectiveness of the two movements, but there's one specific point that was vastly overlooked – being good ambassadors.

For the most part I consider gun owners to be well-rounded, even-keeled, and a respectable bunch that keep to themselves... but then there's that vocal group that you really wish would just find a hole and stay in it. Seriously, have you ever read the comments section of an article related to gun control? My forehead is bruised from all the face-palming. It's not just because I'm rolling my eyes at ignorant “full semi-automatic” or “weapons of war” comments coming from the anti-rights crowd, but because I'm ashamed of what the people on my own side are saying. The best analogy I can give for debating gun control advocates while surrounded by some 2A supporters, is it's like taking a girl you eventually want to marry to a family reunion full of drunk, raunchy Uncles. You're trying to make a valid and persuasive point, but instead get drowned out by a carnival sideshow of fist pumping hillbillies.

It doesn't take long before you read tin foil hat conspiracies involving an inevitable violent uprising and revolution in response to an article about Dick Sporting Goods. Or someone being a complete racist by slamming immigrants and a specific ethnicity in an article about student walkouts. You're not convincing anyone of anything. Instead you're feeding the stereotype that we're some kind of looneytoon characters, and giving validity to the argument for the instability of gun owners... you sure showed them, Hoss!

Here's a couple tips...
-Keep the “red meat” canned. Do you know what “red meat” is? It's a bunch of tough guys screaming “not one inch!” or “my cold dead hands!”... It's rousing and fuel for the people that care for it, but offers little substance for anyone that doesn't already belong to your gun club. Taking the opportunity to be persuasive and allow intelligent discord to sway an opinion requires patience and some manners, but it's worth it. 

-We are a nation of immigrants that benefits from our diversity, and don't forget it. Using them as some kind of scapegoat for the war raged against the 2nd Amendment makes you sound like an ignorant old coot, and alienates demographics that should be on our side. Anyone feeling oppressed should easily be convinced of the value of the 2nd Amendment. They all vote Democrat? Maybe it's because their party has been welcoming!

-Your opinion of imminent civil unrest is a fringe conspiracy. This country is far too wealthy and content in most areas to lose their shit over “brick by brick” gun control measures. Stop pushing the theory that we're all a bunch of angry, paranoid, trigger happy gun nuts. We all do have our breaking point, but we're not even close to that yet. While the ability to put the government in check is a corner stone of the 2nd Amendment, it doesn't need to be used as a daily threat to left leaning groups.

-Stop acting like being a veteran some how makes your opinion matter more than the next guys. “Well, I'm an Army veteran and...” Cool story, bro. Thanks for letting me know you were in the branch with the lowest ASVAB requirement. Seriously though, I think a good portion of us are active duty or veterans. That in no way means you're enlightened or somehow more important than the person you're talking to. Stop trying to use your service as a trump card, because all you're doing is embarrassing the rest of us that served with you.

-Childish insults like “snowflake” and trashing millennial's might make you feel better after you've gotten it off your chest, but you just shit all over the rest of us that actually want to win this war being raged against our rights. Acting like a fool will only harden the resolve of someone you've pissed off, and again alienates a demographic that we should be welcoming to our cause.

-Your actions reflect on all of us, so please don't bring us all down with your open carry protests. One thing we can all obviously agree on is how emotions are powerful and persuasive. So how is walking down a sidewalk with your AR-15 over your shoulder like some kind of fashion statement helping? Do you really think a naive suburban family will walk by you thinking “Wow, look at that fine and well-adjusted gentleman!”? The reality is that the only positive reaction you'll garner will be from the most ardent 2A supporters, and the rest will range from simply thinking you're a douche to being completely afraid of you. Great! Now they relate gun owners to that negative emotion they felt from that interaction. Your gun is a tool, not an stylish accessory... so show it appropriate respect, and allow it to be used effectively with an element of surprise by having it properly concealed.

I truly believe the vast majority of gun owners are the reasonable ones in this fight. They've chosen a side based on lessons from history, and can formulate logical arguments in favor of our cause that don't need an emotionally plagued campaign that relies on exploiting vulnerable children to win. Those of you on the sidelines with innovative ideas and points to offer need to speak up. Those of you hurting our cause need to change tactics, or bow out and let the adults do the talking. You may never fully convince someone to be a turncoat and change sides, but we can at least get them to second guess themselves and drop the fight against our rights.

You're represented by reps that aren't in your district

Joshua Prince recently reminded us that representatives will "represent" you when it's to their advantage even if they aren't your district's rep. In particular, anti-civil rights PA state representatives have recently claimed they've heard no objections to gun control proposals discussed in the judiciary committee.

Really? They have heard not one objection to gun control proposals from anyone in the state? Or do they really mean they've heard no objections from their district? Of course, why state a realistic scope when you can obfuscate and imply the entire state agrees with you in abstract.

I bring this up because it provides an interesting scoping challenge when it's time to contact your reps. Who are your reps? Well, there are literally assigned reps for your district, but there are also reps that are not assigned to your district that make decisions that impact your life. While it may not count for as much, I contact reps assigned to my district and neighboring districts for the following reasons:

• It's easy. Dom Costa's primary office is a trivial bike ride from my house. I am not in his district, but it costs me nothing to walk into his office and make a statement. I can pump out a letter as long as this post in about 15 minutes. Calling is even easier; I do that in less time than it takes me to bicycle to the office. If reps will represent me in sweeping remarks I can raise my voice even if the impact is tiny (marginal gains are meaningful in aggregate!).
• Reps and their staff are paid for by my tax dollars even if they aren't assigned to my district. Many of them couldn't function if they were dependent solely on revenue from their own districts. I don't feel bad about taking up a few minutes of their time because I paid for it.
• Sometimes my representative doesn't get a say. My assigned representative is not on the judiciary committee. In this particular case, the judiciary committee closed themselves to public comment (I wonder why!). How else will my voice be heard by the committee?

Example Cottage Industries

As banks turn on the gun industry, where will the gun industry turn? A plausible answer is to evolve into a cottage industry. Successful cottage industries exist even in heavily regulated sectors.

Here are some examples of successful cottage industries:

Ultralight Backpacking

For most of the last two (three?) decades if you wanted lightweight backpacking gear you had to find small, often one person, operations making it. Some of these companies eventually grew to become mid-sized companies (e.g., https://mountainlaureldesigns.com/, https://www.hyperlitemountaingear.com/, etc.). Still others grew to become industry giants (e.g., Osprey Packs, MSR, etc.).

Homebuilt Aircraft

The aerospace sector is heavily regulated but there is still a cottage industry catering to those that want to build their own aircraft (e.g., Airdrome Aeroplanes and other EAA-listed manufacturers). These companies will likely never be major players, but they are successful and keep up with demand in their geographic regions.

Subsets of the Firearms Community 

The firearm training community is full of small one-person shows. Even large training organizations (e.g. Gunsite Academy) tend to not be that big in the grand scheme of things. This is also largely true in the world of gunsmithing.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Cottage companies will often customize individual orders. Buy a gun from a large manufacturer and you're stuck with what you get from the manufacturer or whatever the aftermarket has contributed.
• Cottage companies innovate faster. Large outdoor companies are just now catching up to where ultralight cottage companies were more than a decade ago.
• Cottage companies are more willing to take risk. I don't see Ruger or Smith and Wesson accepting cryptocurrencies any time soon (ever?). According to CoinDesk, who discussed with Cody Wilson, 10% of Defense Distributed's revenue was in the form of bitcoins last year.
• Cottage companies aren't beholden to government contracts. The government often won't award them contracts anyway.
• Cottage industries are distributed. While this doesn't stop the government from clamping down, it does make it harder for the current wave of private virtue signaling to be successful.

Cons:

• Cottage companies often don't have the stock to ship quickly, particularly if they are popular. You can end up spending 6+ weeks waiting for an item to ship.
• Cottage companies are more susceptible to going out of business or shutting down for other reasons. Who will fix your gun when the small manufacturer that made it no longer exists? This may create more opportunity for gunsmiths. (Even if the manufacturer is in business they are more likely to charge for any repairs.)
• Cottage companies tend to try to fix mistakes but are less likely to take returns. Particularly if the item was customized.
• Cottage companies innovate faster. This is a pro, but also a con because there can end up being a large number of "versions" of a cottage company's products in the wild.
• Cottage companies make buying decisions harder. You end up having to spend more time finding companies and researching the companies themselves as well as their products. Having said that, popular small companies seem to always pop-up that are well known enough to be a "slam dunk" for new customers in the space.

Marty Hayes Proposal: American Coalition To Stop School Shootings

In the March 2018 edition of the Armed Citizen's Legal Defense Network Journal, Marty Hayes writes:

Third suggestion: The firearms industry could take it upon itself to help provide security, weaponry and training for volunteer or paid staff at schools. I suggest calling it the American Coalition To Stop School Shootings (ACTSSS). How would this work? Each firearms-related business or organization would contribute 1% of their gross revenues to a tax exempt charitible foundation, the mission of which would be to provide funding to help school districts arm and train volunteers and even to hire paid security. If each large corporation and large gun rights organization would pledge only 1% of their gross reciepts (sic), enough money would be raised to accomplish a great effort.

 He follows up in the April edition:

After publishing my commentary last month, I received 25 separate responses, and most were in support with some very helpful additional suggestions. At some point, I will organize this valuable input and put your responses into a cogent compilation. In the meantime, I will be looking at ways to take the idea to the next step. I would like to see an industry leader or two embrace the idea and take it forward. Frankly, I do not have the ability to build the American Coalition To Stop School Shootings–ACTSSS–alone. Others who have a passion to make it happen are needed to take the idea and run with it. If you or anyone you know has any contacts in the industry that might want to get involved, please contact them and run it by them. I do not expect to let the idea languish, but I also don’t want to try single-handedly to get it going and have it fail for lack of momentum.

I am not sure how you herd those cats, but it's an interesting idea. Many industries self-regulate or band together to solve problems before the government steps in and turns one problem into dozens.