New Member from Southern New Hampshire

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Hey all, I am a citizen with progressive values from Southern New Hampshire. Recently, I've become interested in the concept of advocacy and awareness for gun ownership among citizens who hold progressive ideals. Due to a disability, I am unable to own firearms myself. However, I am deeply committed to this cause and believe that it's crucial to engage in open dialogue about responsible gun ownership.

As a progressive, I am well aware of the divisive nature of concerns regarding the growing threat of far-right violence against the left, the apparent sympathies often expressed by law enforcement agencies throughout the country, and our government's seemingly held sympathies towards the right due to its display of reluctance to deal with the threat of far-right extremism. My goal is to work with other like-minded individuals to become more comfortable with responsible firearms ownership and to open dialogue with gun owners on the right to reach common ground amidst our polarized society.

I believe it's important to acknowledge that, regardless of how many people on the left feel about guns, under these political conditions, it's not preferable for one side, many of whom seem bent on the annihilation of liberals and our ideals, to have all the guns. I am not advocating for war; I am merely a concerned citizen who wants to open a dialogue with gun owners and share ideas on how we can work towards responsible policies and ownership.

I want to make it known that citizens on the left aren't all bent on taking away anyone's rights to protect themselves, just as it is my belief that many citizens on the right don't all want to eliminate us. It is my hope by working together, we can foster understanding and bridge the gap between our differing perspectives while promoting responsible gun ownership and policies that ensure the safety and well-being of all citizens.


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Last edited by Hitch22 on Mon Mar 20, 2023 1:20 am, edited 1 time in total.

New Member from Southern New Hampshire

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sikacz wrote:Howdy and welcome from Houston! Glad you found us. I’m sure there will be people here that can discuss the issues you want to work on. Would it be too intrusive to ask about your disability?
Thank you for welcoming me, sikacz. I believe most people would consider that confidential information, though the stigma around mental illness seems to be dissolving, so I believe I feel comfortable in sharing it.

As a teenager, I was diagnosed with schizophrenia and have been in treatment for many years. Unfortunately, at the time of my diagnosis, other factors contributed to my adjudication as mentally defective.


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Re: New Member from Southern New Hampshire

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Excellent introduction post, Hitch… Your story was so well composed I half suspected an AI wrote it. Though I still harbor suspicions based on the fact that few others here have ever employed such precise vocabulary with as beautiful punctuation, take it as a compliment that I’ll be keeping one eye out on your terribly lucid posts.

As for your political position considering your medical condition, it certainly is honorable beyond words. Thank you for taking on this work for advocacy and education about firearms for the Lefties. I truly believe guns hold the unusual the potential for breaking down the mental barriers which are artificially propped up to keep voters divided. (The other big issue is healthcare or health-insurance.)
:welcome:
"It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of non-violence to cover impotence. There is hope for a violent man to become non-violent. There is no such hope for the impotent." -Gandhi

Re: New Member from Southern New Hampshire

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Hey, Hitch. Good to meet you. I know schizophrenia is a challenge. It is good to know that you still favor gun rights despite the lack of permission for your ownership of them. I think you can be productive with respect to gun rights. We talk about more than just guns here, so I hope you enjoy us.

CDFingers
Crazy cat peekin' through a lace bandana
like a one-eyed Cheshire, like a diamond-eyed Jack

Re: New Member from Southern New Hampshire

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o/

Welcome, Hitch. There's a strong focus here on a couple of topics - do guns have a place on the left in American politics and culture? Yes, we think so. And how do gun issues intersect with race, economics, and justice for all? More complicated. The intersection of gun issues and mental health has been slowly evolving here in recent months, and I think a lot of that is driven by specific voices - people make policy, you know.

American culture associates population-level psychological variance with madness and mental health issues are seen as uniquely dangerous. Yet as I recall, the statistics don't bear that out - there is little evidence that people who have been diagnosed with a mental disorder are more violent or have greater criminal tendencies. So this is certainly an aspect of gun rights that deserves at least as much discussion or advocacy as EDC, racial disparity interacting with law enforcement, or the number of cartridges a magazine can fit.

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