Found out my neighbor is one of those!

[nitrogen]

I never discuss religion, politics, or guns with anyone unless I know they have similar beliefs.

No wonder we don't convert nearly as many anti-gunners as we should.

Christianity would never have grown as a religion unless people spoke to non believers about it. Same with guns.

[Oldgringo]

I never discuss religion, politics, or guns with anyone unless I know they have similar beliefs.

No wonder we don't convert nearly as many anti-gunners as we should.

Christianity would never have grown as a religion unless people spoke to non believers about it. Same with guns.

As I understand the history of Christianity, there were certain obstacles to be overcome before Christianity spread; e.g., lions, tigers, other beliefs and religions? Gradually, the early Christians, through their actions, convinced their detractors that they were cool.

Likewise, there must be a receptive listener before there can be a discussion; otherwise, it is a harangue. Perhaps an invite to go shoot a few rounds at the nearest range is in order? If the neighbor is still anti-gun after the invitation, see yard signs above.

[03Lightningrocks]

i have always gotten along with my next door neighbor ,friendly guy. the other day we were talking in the front yard and i mentioned that my wife and i just got back from the shooting range. at first he seemed curious "what did you shoot?"he asked.i told him was practicing with a new .45 that i will be carrying when i get my chl. "whats a chl?" i explained its a license to legally carry a gun. he quickly voiced his disapproval,"thats all we need is to have a bunch of yahoos runnin around with guns on their hips ! i dont have any guns in my house" i was shocked with his attitude. i told him that its my right and duty to protect my family and myself. he told me at his last house, someone kicked in the door while he and his wife were at work and took his stuff and if he owned guns they would be in the bad guys hands.
i said "what if they kicked the door in while you or your wife were home?". he said "well , then they wouldnt have broke in if someone was home"....i dont think he gets it ! all i know is that when something happens, he will be the first one knocking on my door ! ill probably let him in because after all, i am one of the good guys!

p.s. i will still wave and be neighborly
he has his oppinions and i have mine.

I would have ask him if he thinks I am one of those Yahoos he is talking about.

[boomerang]

all i know is that when something happens, he will be the first one knocking on my door ! ill probably let him in

Why deny him the opportunity to learn from experience?

[glocklvr]

Invite him out to the range I have converted a couple of anti's that way.

[ninemm]

Something like 1 out of 4 home invasions take place while people are home according to that one guy's blog where he just recorded the 4,000th use of a gun for defensive purposes. Or something like that. I'd post the link but I'm feeling lazy today.

Edit: Guess I wasn't that lazy, http://www.texasshooting.com/TexasCHL_F ... 23&t=24315

"1009 of these incidents (out of 4000) were home invasions--where the criminals intentionally broke into a dwelling that they knew was occupied"

Just to clarify, I believe that the statistic is that 1 out of every 4 instances in which a gun was used for self defense was during a home invasion, not necessarily that 1 out of every 4 houses broken into is occupied.

My theory on this number being so high is two-fold. First, people spend most of their time at home, so invariably you're most likely to encounter the situation where you spend the majority of your time. Secondly, any gun owner has guns in their home, so a gun is more accessible for self defense if necessary.

usa1 - I do recommend being cautious of who you tell, but don't be surprised if your neighbor shows interest in shooting and getting a CHL after thinking things through.

Love the picture Wildscar!

I have to agree. If nobody was home, the incident would be a burglary, not a home invasion.

[LaUser]

This brings up an interesting situation though. HOW do you go about convincing people that it is 1) a great idea and 2) that they should do it themselves.

Convincing people about some ideas, such as guns, is very difficult. People who are anti-gun seem to fall in two categories, one, never been around them; two, have been a victim of gun violence or is close to a victim of gun violence such as Columbine or Virginia Tech. Both have their reasons and both are very difficult to convince otherwise.

Remember, every great idea initially was thought to be a bad idea when first introduced. The best way to convince people is by being a very good example and being low key. Trying to change a person's mind by preaching is difficult at best. People who like guns congregate together, such as on this forum. People who are conservative Republicans like to hear from other conservative Republicans who share similar ideas. Going to church, or a place of worship, helps validate a person's religious beliefs. Being with people of similar beliefs validates our own beliefs and fortifies how we think about ourselves.

It takes a very rare strength of character to be the lone voice crying in the desert.

[Purplehood]

You can only DO it by TRYING. You and the person you are interacting with themselves, don't know what might "trigger" (LOL) a conversion. Take someone to the range. Let them watch you and loved-ones handling firearms with care, precision and a sense of joy in a shared-experience. Rant at them. Coo at them. The worst that can happen is they say, NO.

[SlowDave]

This brings up an interesting situation though. HOW do you go about convincing people that it is 1) a great idea and 2) that they should do it themselves.

<snip>

It takes a very rare strength of character to be the lone voice crying in the desert.

I go about convincing them by telling them the benefits in a general sense. They may come away suspecting that I carry or have guns in the house, but they won't know.

And I'm very happy to hear that I have strength of character! I love nothing more than having an intelligent discussion with people of vastly different viewpoints. On the internet, it is extremely difficult to do that, as it usually quickly degenerates into name-calling and cliches, but ocassionally, it happens. I find it very helpful to do more questioning and less preaching. If nothing else, it helps me to better understand the thought process of those I disagree with. Maybe this doesn't fit, 'cause if you're the lone voice, the others usually end up piling on and you can't get a word in edgewise and the aforementioned intelligent discussion is made impossible.

[Fangs]

I love nothing more than having an intelligent discussion with people of vastly different viewpoints.

I never expect to agree 100% with anyone I meet, so I'm always amused when I run into the people who believe that their way is right and won't even consider anything else. Finding someone who can articulate what they believe and why without getting offended when I explain my differing beliefs and reasoning for them is usually very enjoyable.

[USA1]

UPDATE... today i saw my neighbor for the first time since our conversation about his anti gun attitude,we were both very cordial,talked about the weather and such. this time, as i we said good bye, i didnt mention that my son (16) and i were heading over to the range to let my son try out my .45 .
P.S. we had a great time at the range ,came home , cleaned my gun , logged into the forum.

emptyin some brass is very therapeutic !

[Oldgringo]

UPDATE... today i saw my neighbor for the first time since our conversation about his anti gun attitude,we were both very cordial,talked about the weather and such. this time, as i we said good bye, i didnt mention that my son (16) and i were heading over to the range to let my son try out my .45 .
P.S. we had a great time at the range ,came home , cleaned my gun , checked into the forum.

Would that have been a good time to ask if he wanted to go along and...?

[USA1]

maybe ill ease into the subject.......baby steps !

[dleewo]

Christianity would never have grown as a religion unless people spoke to non believers about it.

Well, for very long time, Christianity was spread via the end of a sword! So "spoke to non believers" is not quite accurate. I was more like "forced non believers to convert" :-)

[Liberty]

Christianity would never have grown as a religion unless people spoke to non believers about it.

Well, for very long time, Christianity was spread via the end of a sword! So "spoke to non believers" is not quite accurate. I was more like "forced non believers to convert" :-)

As I understand Christianity, non believers can't be forced to be converted only to listen and pretend. I admit some factions may have differing views on this process that I so not comprehend.