Wednesday, March 1, 2017
Gun Culture in Modern America
I need to write a chapter about gun culture in modern America. Some parts of the chapter are obvious: the extraordinary liberalization of concealed carry laws, constitutional carry, and the dramatic increase in carry permits; Cowboy Action shooting (I presume such events happen here in Idaho); IPSC; modern rifle competitions; The astonishing number of annual gun sales. Obviously and unfortunately the inner city criminal gun culture. Any other suggestions?
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The increase in women shooters.
ReplyDeleteYou must include Colonel Jeff Cooper- his writings, his philosophy, and the Gunsite Academy. That many of his teachings have become standard operating procedure in police and military circles world wide should be proof enough.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget to consider IDPA and 3-gun. One comes from the Concealed Carry movement and the other is examined by the military to improve tactics
ReplyDelete- I think the popularity of black rifles can be attributed in part to 1) the fact that every military veteran has, at some point, shot the AR, 2) the adoption of black rifles by the police, and 3) the "forbidden fruit" aspect of .gov telling us we couldn't have them from '94-'04--scarcity is a valid marketing principle.
ReplyDelete- The anti-gun forces did not understand the subject matter. This made it easy to make converts. All anyone had to do was go shooting with somebody one time to debunk a lot of the anti-2A claims.
- You did not mention the open-carry movement (for better or for worse).
- You did not mention the black pro-2A movement. People like the Kenn Blanchard, Colion Noir, and Maj Toure.
- You did not mention Chris Chang. He came out as a gay Asian, and everybody said, "So, what? He can shoot. That makes him one of us." See also: Pink Pistols.
- Blogs & forums (for better or worse).
- The internet has allowed us to get inside our enemy's OODA loop and disrupt them. It has allowed us to marshal our forces and get out our own message.
Is gun culture singular? Hunters, action pistol, gang bangers, bench rest, etc., etc., etc. We have many fun cultures IMHO.
ReplyDeleteVarmint hunting.
ReplyDeleteJackrabbits (Hares), running/bounding at distances from right-under-your-feet to 100 yards. Just when you think you're good enough to hit a running Jack, they take this funny hop and when they hit the ground they've zigged at right angles to where you're lining up a shot. Then they zag.
Ground Hogs, sunning on basalt cliffs, 3" high and 5" wide, at distances over 350 yards. Acres of Alfalfa crops can be mowed down in a month by a single spring crop of young hogs; farmers (who raise the alfalfa to feed the cattle/livestock which is their real cash-crop) have a choice of inviting hunters to thin the dens, or laying poison pellets.
Peg squirrels? (Their holes are slow death to live-stock who pasture there.) 3" high, 1" wide, and as alert as ...
Prairie Dogs: I've never hunted them, but I've heard that the distances for these cat-size critters can be ... challenging. Again, a threat to live stock because of the entrance to their underground dens.
Civil War reenactors. You'll be astonished at the number of black powder weapons that are out there. I even help host an annual live-fire competition - with real cannons!
ReplyDeleteDon't forget us muzzleloaders! Things like rifle shoots and primitive biathlons.
ReplyDeleteFor grins you might want to look into the Mountain Man rendezvous competitions which include black powder rifle/pistol, axe throwing and trap setting all on a timed course while wearing buckskins (though some opt for a loin cloth because of the water elements). There was a time when those were some pretty basic skills.
ReplyDeleteHistorical reenactments: not just Civil War and Revolutionary War, but also WWI and II, Spanish American War, Vietnam, etc.
ReplyDeleteHow about the general theme of yjr renormalization of guns in law abiding society? By no means there yet, but compared to when we were growing up and beyond our college years....
ReplyDeleteThen again, the whole concept of normalization is now triggering the usual suspect in the context of President Trump.
Hunting. Changes in the hunting population over the years. Going out for a squirrel before breakfast with your dad. Driving around town in a pickup with a gun rack in the back and a gun in it.
ReplyDeleteMy club has a very strong air gun contingent that produces Olympic caliber shooters, rifle and pistol.
ReplyDeleteBullseye pistol shooting goes back to the horse cavalry when you had to dismount and hold your horse with one hand.
I have nothing to contribute to the above (sadly!) but I am delighted beyond description to live in a country where the activities described here can be done by almost anyone!
ReplyDeleteDiscouragingly, I live in CA where those activities are not encouraged, to say the least.
Someday though, I will move to the real USA, where the Constitution is at least somewhat followed!
Collectors and silhouette.
ReplyDeleteIs there a sanctioning body for Mountain Men shooting matches? Or would that level of organization run contrary to the whole Mountain Man culture?
ReplyDeleteLooking for contact information on the US affiliate of the International Metallic Silhouette Shooting Union (IMSSU). The IMSSU website claims to have a link to their page, but nothing comes up.
ReplyDelete