Don’t Patronize Me

I have written before about my frustration with the way the current conversation about the 2nd Amendment is muddied by words like “hunting” and “sporting.” We have all received letters from our Representatives that in one way or another attempts to placate us with assurances that they are supporters of our rights to keep and bear arms because, after all, “I’m a hunter myself.” The current discussion about the 2nd Amendment is rife with these sorts of patronizing statements.

Now, as if we haven’t had enough, the President wants you to know that he understands you. “Up at Camp David, we do skeet shooting all the time,” he said. “And I have a profound respect for the traditions of hunting that trace back in this country for generations.”

Never were 30 more out of touch words uttered. I used to believe that statements like these that belie the true meaning and historical significance of the 2nd Amendment and replace it with hunting, which is increasingly less culturally significant, were ignorance. I now believe that it is a purposeful attempt to rewrite the history and context of the 2nd Amendment in the minds of Americans. It is a distraction and a deflection. If you say a lie often enough, it can become a form of the truth.

When a politician makes statements like this, they are patronizing you. They think they can assuage your fears by offering their weak, hollow, and transparent assurances that they are pro-2nd Amendment. The 2nd Amendment has nothing to do with hunting. Don’t buy the lie, don’t stop making your voice hear, don’t compromise, and do not accept these answers from your Representatives.