This isn’t meant to be a “woe is me” post and it isn’t necessarily anything new but there have been 3 events in the last week that I think give us a window into the future of what gun owners can expect. This was a week of stunning, though likely temporary, legislative victories for gun owners. However, those who would prefer your rights be removed may not need legislation enfore their agenda. If you own a gun, you will be vilified or made out to be a second class citizen just for exercising a right so intrinsic to man that it is enumerated in The Bill of Rights.
First, an 8th grade student was suspended from school and arrested on two charges, obstruction and disturbing the education process. What was his crime? He wore an NRA t-shirt to school that depicted an AR-15. His First Amendment rights were violated out of distaste for his Second Amendment rights.
The T-shirt in question (WOWK screenshot)
Second, Lights Out Saga approached Indiegogo in advance of utilizing their crowd funding platform and was told “we could offer firearm and tactical accessories as gifts for donations without violating their no-weapons policy; as long as it did not consist of firearms, knives or accessories that were regulated by law.” However, after they started the campaign “Indiegogo changed their position and stated we could no longer offer items such as optics, firearm accessories or flashlights if they originated from tactical suppliers.” Make no mistake. It is Indiegogo’s right to run their business however they please, but this highlights the way certain items and groups can be treated even though they are perfectly legal to own.
The final incident lit Facebook on fire yesterday. 4 firearm related pages, including our friends at AR15News.com, were removed from Facebook without explanation. In the case of AR15News.com it meant the loss of several years worth of work to build a page to 50K followers. An article at an internet “news” site surfaced that called attention to the fact that these pages had run giveaways that included firearms. These giveaways (at least in the case of AR15News.com) were run within the terms and conditions set forth by Facebook but they must have offended someone’s delicate sensibilities. Again, it is certainly the right of Facebook to run their business however they please, but this too highlights the second class citizen status of gun owners.
So, what does this all mean to you? It means that the once esteemed gun culture in this country is eroding but it is not lost. It means that if you are not contacting your representatives to let them know that we are numerous and we are paying attention, then we are losing. It also means that if you are helping introduce new people to their birthright of responsible firearm ownership, we are losing. It means that if you aren’t respectfully engaging people in conversations about your 2nd Amendment rights, we are losing. Be calm. Be respectful. Be informed. Be ready. Don’t give up our birthright without a fight.
Note: AR15News.com has set up a new Facebook Page. Help them rebuild by giving them a “Like.”
Try running a firearms based business and finding an insurance company or a credit card company that will work with you- it is VERY difficult.
Firearms and firearms accessories are the “lepers” of the business world, we truly are treated as 2nd class citizens these days. 🙁
Don’t worry the next dictator or World War will quickly solve their “problem with gun ownership”. Then they will wake up and realize that an unarmed citizen is an easy target for any power-hungry governments.
It’s a culture war tied up in a political struggle. It’s another manifestation of marginalizing their opponents. It isn’t just about guns, it’s about political power. The left views RTKBA as a “Republican” associated property. In their bid to marginalize Republicans, they’re going to ostracize them in every which way they can. They’ve bet their political future on this and cannot let it go. I viewed their AWB/registration talk as efforts to criminalize their opposition. They failed this time, but they’ve been plain that they aren’t done trying.
And as we see in England, the right to keep and bare arms is not limited to firearms and the left is bent on disarming all of the populace of all means of self defense. Eventually.
As I understand it the kid is actually in trouble for not following instructions from a teacher and for creating a situation where discipline broke down (ie a scene in the cafeteria).
The teacher was obviously making mistakes in this situation by letting it escalate (I’m an ex-HS teacher), but the kid was out of line.
The fact that his shirt supported one politically sensitive cause or another is irrelevant.
Eighth graders SHOULD get into trouble for this sort of thing. Trying to engage a teacher in a political discourse (ie being a wise-ass) isn’t going to do well. Try questioning a cop in the street and see how that works for you.
HOWEVER – being told not to do it again (ie not to wear that shirt) should have been enough. Arrest? Sheesh!
The kid can wear the shirt on his own time.
MadMarsupial: It seems you’ve got this all backwards.
The teacher created this situation, not the student. The teacher chose to escalate this situation. If the teacher didn’t do that, we wouldn’t be reading about this.
The fact that a t-shirt with this message on it is a politically sensitive cause is entirely the point, i.e. relevant.
The teacher engaged the student. Are you saying the fact that the student wore this t-shirt, that the student engaged the teacher in an aggressive way? I didn’t see that in the article I read. The teacher sought out this confrontation to psychologically beat down this kid and anyone else who might have sympathized with his message.
Sean – you are confusing your adult life with a situation of a minor at school. It’s not the same thing.
Teacher was a bonehead for how it escalated to the point of a kid being arrested. Not every teacher is perfect at ‘classroom management’ in every circumstance.
However the teacher was right in the initial circumstance to question the wearing of a shirt that seemed to push the boundaries of the school rules.
The kid is a minor and does not have the full rights of the law that you as a voting adult have. The kid is also at school and subject to the rules and discipline of the school.
Instead of saying “sorry sir, I’ll check the rules and not wear it again” the kids tries to engage the teacher in a political debate about the second amendment.
The only time I’ll debate the second amendment at school with any kid is in my Government class!
School is not a political forum. That’s what congress is for.
Kid can wear the shirt on his own time. Kid can do what he wants when he graduates, turns 18 and so on. He can try to be elected congressman and change the world.
At school this kid is simply being disruptive.
Turning up the next day in the same shirt is simply grandstanding. No school would have let him attend after that.
I can just picture one of my old Principals -“You want to come back? Ditch the shirt and the attitude, gain some humility and respect, then we’ll talk”.