T.Mike Curry Weblog

Are We Reaching the Turning Point?

In early 2007 there was discussion among 2nd Amendment supporters about how the major media had a reputation for rarely reporting on citizens defending themselves with a firearm. On those occasions when they did, there were notable times when the media would omit the fact that it was a citizen with a firearm that had stopped the bad guy.

Take for example, this posting from "Clasically Liberal", entitled "When Mass Killers Meet Armed Resistance". It pretty well sums it up; when a regular person like you or me used a firearm to defend themselves or others, the media pretty much ignored it.

And then an odd thing happened. A series of high profile shootings occured. The news was reported both on TV and in online news web sites. Those web sites allowed the public to post comments. And it was this last item that led to a two-fold realization.

First, the major media began to realize that amongst the average people there was a rapidly growing sentiment that gun-free zones where "free-crime zones" and that a lot of people were definitely "for" the average citizen arming themselves for self defense.

Second, all those people posting comments realized that there were a lot of other people posting comments similar to theirs. For a large number of these people, the opinions within the comments they posted were ones they themselves had been feeling for quite some time, but hadn't realized so many other people felt the same way. Seeing the large number of postings agreeing with their comments and sentiments, they realized an important fact: They were not alone in their opinion on the right to self defense.

For better or for worse, mankind is basically a social, group-oriented creature. If one person has an opinion different than the rest of the group, that person will most likely stay quiet. Yes, there are exceptions, but most always the lone opinion will go unvoiced.

Suddenly, large numbers of people realized they were not alone in their opinion:

• "Gun-Free Zones" are merely very inviting "Free-Crime" shooting galleries
• It's just wrong if you are required to be a good victim and die
• Even just one average citizen, armed with a firearm, can make a world of difference

And so we have -perhaps- reached a turning point in our society. For nearly sixty years we've been travelling down a road of progressively stripping citizens of their right to self-defense. Most people thought they were alone in their disapproval of this path (thank you, major media). Now, thanks to comments posted on the internet, we may be on the verge of the citizens of this nation overwhelmingly demanding a return to one of the founding, bedrock principles firmly believed in by those who built this nation: that everyone has a right to defend themselves.

The major media may have some trouble dealing with this. Witness the recent exchange between show hosts on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" show. After reporting on the New Life Church shooting incident in Colorado, Co-host Joe Scarborough commented that "One person with a gun in the right place can make a big difference." Co-host Mika Brzezinski replied "You know, that is the most inane statement I have ever heard."

Fortunately, a large number of Americans have recently realized that a large number of Americans share their same opinion...

"One person with a gun in the right place can make a big difference."

Ref:
Clasically Liberal: "When Mass Killers Meet Armed Resistance"
NewsBusters: Mika "Inane"
NRA-ILA: "Outrage of the Week"
"Morning Joe" Show Video Excerpt
  ( Dec 26 2007, 03:08:38 AM CST ) Permalink