By the time this posts, the ATF will have just released their final brace ruling and published it in the Federal Register.
Ever since they brought the brace ban back into the conversation on January 13th, there’s been an understandable amount of anger and frustration in the online discussion.
Unfortunately, some people have allowed the anonymity of the keyboard and the cloak of righteousness to lead them to behavior that they probably wouldn’t exhibit in person.
We are at a pivotal stage, and have the chance to either make great headway or do irreparable damage to our cause.
If these events have motivated you to contact your legislators and express your displeasure in a well articulated fashion, donate to one of the 2A activist groups with a track record of productive action and success, or otherwise involve yourself in the process, then this article isn’t really directed at you.
If, however, your indignation over the ATF’s overreach led to emotional rants on social media, combative statements about “fedbois”, or other belligerent conduct, congratulations. All you’re doing is playing directly into the caricature of the unreasonable gun-zealot that’s being painted of us by the opposition.
These emotional ramblings do nothing but make the poster feel good and unravel the hard work of those that are actually struggling to make headway.
You’re not helping, and frankly I resent that people are smugly patting themselves on the back while simultaneously making life harder for those that are working towards productive change.
Dunking on the anti-gun crowd does nothing. Those people are already so staunchly entrenched in their belief that they’re unlikely to ever accept our perspective as valid.
There is, however, a large swath of society that is utterly agnostic on the subject. This is where optics matter. Sterile facts and extreme fear-mongering aren’t an effective way to win hearts and minds. Far too many people get fixated on making sure everyone knows just how right they think they are that they completely miss opportunities to actually be persuasive.
