Targets
Bob Ricker of the American Hunters and Shooters Association is commenting on blogs. Says he of the American Hunters and Shooters Association’s target audience:
I think it should be clear from my comments here and on other “whacko” blogs that AHSA is reaching out to a more educated, sophisticated and straight thinking hunter and shooter demographic.
Let’s see:
Educated - check. I have a degree or two. And several professional certifications.
Sophisticated - check. I mean I do drink my natty light* from a bottle.
Straight thinking: Check. definitely not gay.
Hunter: Ooh. No. I don’t really like killing things. Even spiders.
Shooter: Check.
I don’t hunt so I guess I’m not the target demographic.
He continues:
Unfortunately, a “bitter” female with a gun and a chip on her shoulder probably would not find AHSA’s message of civic responsibility much to her liking.
Your misogyny is showing.
* note: I really do not drink natty light. Ever.
March 20th, 2008 at 9:50 am
No, wonder I read your blog. I’m not in the educated, sophisticated and straight thinking hunter and shooter demographic.
1) BS in engineering and an MBA. I’m also a licensed Professional Engineer and Geologist —- clearly not educated
2) I don’t drink but my favorite TV show is survivor ’cause I like watching Amanda’s nice body
3) Straight thinking ….. I’m not gay either (see #3), not that there is anything wrong with being gay
4) I also don’t like killing animals. I have no problem with bugs though and have been known to overuse pesticides.
5) Yes, I’m a shooter although haven’t shot in months because ammo is so expensive. Friggin’ Chinese are killing my hobby.
March 20th, 2008 at 10:02 am
I confess, I used to drink natty light. Beast light too, for that matter.
March 20th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Given that supposed criteria I really don’t think actual hunters are their target audience, it’s the pseudo-Hunters and pseudo-Shooters — the ones in the basement with the X-Box and Halo….
March 20th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Educated: BS in Computer Science
Sophisticated: I am well versed in gourmet foods I guess that counts (this seems like a silly criteria)
Straight thinking: I like to use logical analysis to make decisions
Hunter: Nope
Shooter: Eh I shoot, not as much as I would like to though
I think anyone who is a “straight thinker” would disagree with them as their views are not backed by the empirical evidence. The only people that may back them up are the sorts who hunt for sport and don’t care if anyone else can own guns.
March 20th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
I thought you killed a coyote once or something.
March 20th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Yeah, but that’s a dangerous varmint near my home. I didn’t like it.
March 20th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
I may only have an associate degree, but I have a working knowledge of several languages, can work with partial differentials, and have a lot of self education.
Sophisticated? Meaningless term, unless you have a definition handy (I do like good cognac).
Straight thinking? Try to use logic and rational thinking to solve problems.
Hunter? Yes, I have no problem with hunting if it will be eaten or is causing a problem.
Shooter? Definitely.
Ricker can KMA.
March 20th, 2008 at 9:16 pm
Knowledge: MS in Envrionmental Science/Ecology
Sophisticated: I know how to say “Yes maam” and “Yes sir” to the proper gender and “Please” and “Thank you” to all.
Straight thinking: Married to the same woman for 36 years. And know enough of what’s good for me to behave.
Hunter: Hell, yeah! No problem with the killing but when you pull the trigger, the fun stops and the work begins.
Shooter: Not nearly as much as I’d like.
As far as AHAS is concerned I prefer an organization that is goint to proect ALL my rights–and AHAS is not the one.
March 21st, 2008 at 3:48 pm
Hey SayUncle- only seven comments to this post? I’m stunned. Of the 30 to 40 million so called NRA members Bitter writes about, you could only find 7 who don’t agree with me. How many “whackos” do you represent?
March 21st, 2008 at 3:55 pm
That exceeds AHSA’s membership.
Not everyone comments. And we pro-gunners generally allow comments unlike your buddies Helmke and Gonzo.
Total comments for this blog are currently at 52,336 and it reaches about 5,000 people a day. Hell, this blog is the fourth Google result for your organization.
Stick around, you might learn something. Like intellectual honesty. Or how to count (hint: your comment is number 9).
March 21st, 2008 at 4:09 pm
Bob:
Most everyone else is too busy with full time jobs. So…we read, laugh at you, then go about our merry way.
March 21st, 2008 at 4:13 pm
That’s not really Ricker, is it? It’s someone posing as him.
Nobody’s really stupid enough to bait gunbloggers and their readership, are they? “Intellectual honesty”?? A few exchanges and then he’ll declare “Reasonable discourse!” and run for the hills.
Hi, Bob! Another non-hunting recreational shooter here! And I don’t agree with you either. I’m really looking forward to meeting Bitter at the 2nd Amendment Blog Bash. Perhaps you should attend as well!
March 21st, 2008 at 4:19 pm
Bob who?
Sorry…doesn’t ring any bells.
March 21st, 2008 at 4:24 pm
Bob will have to register as a reader, since he doesn’t have a blog
March 21st, 2008 at 4:26 pm
Education: I have a BS and MS in Electrical Engineering.Sophisticated:See my shooter response.Straight thinking Currently I’m a software developer for Microsoft. You can’t pass the interviews if you can’t think straight.Hunter and shooter: I had a hunting license and went hunting one year. I got my deer with one shot through the vertebra of the neck from 255 yards away. But mostly I just shoot paper and steel targets with my handgun with my lawyer and college professor friends. And occasionally I shoot at high explosives with the director of a nonprofit Shakespearean theater company, a congressional candidate and other friends.
March 21st, 2008 at 4:38 pm
Educated - Do three foreign languages and a law degree from a top-ten university count?
Sophisticated: I’ll concede that trait since it’s mostly in the eye of the beholder. Presumably, from the perspective of a fake gun rights organization, anyone associated with a real gun rights organization lacks in sophistication and nuance.
Straight thinking: Pretty much. I voted for California’s marriage amendment in ‘00 but went wobbly on Virginia’s in ‘06. I have dated exclusively women, though, and have never thought about dating men, so I guess that makes me straight thinking, at least.
Hunter: Sorry, wife won’t allow it. I certainly have no moral objection to personally killing anything I’d pay a butcher to kill for me, and probably would enjoy the sport on a nice day with the right gang; it’s just not the hill I want to die on.
Shooter: Yup.
As for the name of the fake organization, in addition to being a shooter I am an American and have nothing against associations, so I figure 3 out of 4 can’t be too far off. The main reason I’ll never see eye to eye with AHSA is because I think ordinary citizens are “people,” guns are “arms,” and “shall not be infringed” means something other than “never existed to begin with.”
March 21st, 2008 at 4:42 pm
BS - Comp Sci - 25+ years of mainframe assembly language, if you know what that is Bob.
Sophisticated - matter of opinion; Don’t care what yours is Bob.
Straight thinking - Logic is the business.
Hunter and shooter - more than a few guns for more than 30 years. Elk last year in western Colorado. Hunting on my own land this fall in the CO mountains.
And number 3 when Googling the AHSA.
And Bob, if you want to go into readership, your site doesn’t get enough to show any data on Alexa.
Want to tell us how many paying members you have?
March 21st, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Ah hell, he’s got me there. I was only an electrician on multi-million dollar fighter jets and helicopters. I’m so dumb, I have to spend my days programming computers to work on 100 terabytes of data. It’s such a menial job that I only make enough to support a family of four with just my salary alone.
Unsophisticated I’ll not only agree with, but wear with pride. I drink white wine with steak and don’t care for opera. Sue me.
March 21st, 2008 at 5:15 pm
Educated: Master’s in Engineering and I design jumbo jets for a living (among other talents, like IT admin, turbine tech, etc.)
Sophisticated: I shave my head and don’t read literature, so probably not, although I can usually chat with anyone from a average Joe to a US Senator and not be out of my depth, so maybe I got a little.
Straight Thinking: I support logical thought over emotional response any day
Hunter: Now that I have time, yep!
Sorry Bob, your group are poseurs.
March 21st, 2008 at 5:16 pm
Stupid programmer and law student here.
March 21st, 2008 at 5:20 pm
Actually, Bob, I did not leave a comment here, because I would have found it rather redundant with the one left on Ahab’s place.
Honestly, though, I think that is someone scamming as Bob… I have a hard time believing someone who can come up with a such a comprehensive, doublethink organization like the AHSA could make a comment so incontrovertibly stupid as that one…
March 21st, 2008 at 5:31 pm
I don’t have a blog of my own, just throw the odd comment out here and there, and I have to chime in here.
Was it really Bob commenting above?
And why did John Rosenthal have to quit the AHSA just because he is also a member of some gun control groups? The text on the AHSA webpage says “his active involvement with certain gun control organizations made it very difficult for Mr. Rosenthal to subscribe to and support our policies that at times could be inconsistent with those of a pro-gun hunting and shooting organization.”
So the anti-gun Rosenthal had to quit AHSA because AHSA policies “are at times inconsistent with those of a pro-gun hunting and shooting organization,” or am I misreading this in my whacko inconsistent way?
March 21st, 2008 at 5:46 pm
Bob Ricker? Yeah, I disagree, and so do 13 people in my store. Just polled ‘em personally. We’re all wackos, I guess.
Hint : when checking to see how many wackos a person represents, check the sitemeter.
March 21st, 2008 at 5:59 pm
Bob,
Save it for the next time you and your buddies are having martinis at the hunt club bar after “everyone got one” released pheasant.
Yeah, I suppose you won’t care if your over-unders are kept at the club, with the action wired and sealed.
March 21st, 2008 at 6:33 pm
Ah’m jes’ a collige dropowt an’ a wimmin ta boot.
Doan you mine me nun.
March 21st, 2008 at 6:57 pm
Bob,
How can you hope to reach “straight thinkers” when the evidence–to those capable of interpreting facts without emotions–clearly shows Gun Control doesn’t work?
I am a hunter and shooter. I am educated. I am a well compensated professional (read sophisticated). I live in a BIG city.
I know gun control doesn’t work. I know police help is from 3 to 10 minutes away AT BEST. I am responsible-NOT government–for the protection and welfare of my person and my family. 10 minutes is along time.
SB
March 21st, 2008 at 7:08 pm
I guess I’m one of the dumber ones here. I only have a BS in computer science. But I do hunt and like it a lot!
And Bob, I don’t agree with you.
March 21st, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Educated - Hmm. Does a Masters degree in Microbiology count?
Sophisticated - Like my ex-wife, I can fake it when I have to.
Straight thinking: Not gay, not even close.
Hunter: On occasion, I do prefer to cull the herd a little.
Shooter: You betcha. In fact, I would bet much more so than Mr. Ricker.
Sorry AHSA, that dog doesn’t hunt around here. Try again.
March 21st, 2008 at 7:21 pm
Lessee…
Education: Master’s in Experimental Psych. (My field of concentration was cognitive neuroscience.) I left my PhD program to become a neurologist, but chose being a simple country doctor since that better suited my temperament. Residency trained and board certified in Family Medicine.
Sophistication: I’m smart enough to know the difference between chicken feed and chicken shit — and which one Bob’s peddling.
Straight thinking: If Doc Russia and I can call Bob a “whacko” we can have him involuntarily committed for up to 72 hours. (While that doesn’t qualify me as a “straight thinker”, I at least have the keys to the funny farm… which is more than we can say about Bob.)
Hunter: Not recently, but I’ve spent my share of time in the Clearwater drainage. I also manage and allow hunting on some 360 acres of my family’s land.
Shooter: Whenever I can, which is often.
Get knotted, Bob. You’re not fooling anyone.
(Or at least anyone who matters.)
March 21st, 2008 at 7:56 pm
1. Educated? BA in Classics, graduate study in Linguistics and Anthropology, currently working in software development.
2. Sophisticated? See #1 (”Classics” == Greek and Latin, in case you didn’t know that, Bob). Classical Musician with a Day Job, and emeritus board member (9 years served) of a local arts organization that brings world-class musicians (e.g. Yo Yo Ma, Midori, Juilliard String Quartet) to our medium-sized city.
March 21st, 2008 at 8:11 pm
Aussie beer SUCKS!
March 21st, 2008 at 8:12 pm
Oh wait, wrong comments page
March 21st, 2008 at 9:04 pm
How many members does the AHSA have, anyway?
Too bad they didn’t call themselves the American Shooters and Hunters Association. The acronym would be ASHA, and we could call them ASsHAts.
March 21st, 2008 at 9:31 pm
Huh. I guess I’m just an unsophisticated, backwoods redneck from WY. No degrees to speak of save HS*, drink my beer from cans or bottles, love to hunt elk and deer, and am an avid shooter and collector of politically incorrect semi-automatic rifles. Damn, Bob, you caught me.
I ain’t the sharpest tool in the shed, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to have my opinoin spoon fed to me anyone, least of all you. Critical Thinking there bud. It’s whats for dinner. I do research before forming opinions pal, maybe you should do the same.
*16+ years of honorable service to the US of A reaching the rank of E6 and graduate of two different NCO academies ought to count for something.
March 21st, 2008 at 10:19 pm
Rustmeister: heh, but then again, we can still call them asshats.
March 21st, 2008 at 11:39 pm
Cute. Isn’t this the same guy that thought young women alone buying a gun should be legally monitored because they must be making a straw purchase? I’m guessing this guy’s worst fear is being shot by an ex-girlfriend.
Can’t speak s’much for “sophisticated”, but this (Los Alamos, NM) is the best-educated town in the world: more PhD’s per capita than anywhere else on earth. The Sportsmen’s Club? Massive outdoor shooting range with a huge membership relative to the population of the town. There wasn’t even a movie theater when I moved here, but the Sportsmen’s Club is a local institution. When we moved into our current house, two different neighbors spontaneously asked us if we were hunters and proceeded to gossip about where the big elk were being seen this year.
Then again, maybe all them rigorous-thinking science and engineering types don’t count for much stacked up against the liberal-arts crowd that tends to make up the anti-gun group…
March 22nd, 2008 at 1:03 am
I agree.
Whenever stuff comes across in my blog comments pretending to be somebody (like when I was threatened with a lawsuit) I run the IP through a WHOIS query on ARIN and see what netblock it resides in. That’ll let you know if they posted it from the company network, provided that the organization is actually large enough to own an address space of their own, though it might be as small as a /28 block.
But I’m just a dumb unedjumicated gun whacko following the NRA handbook, so what would I know about anything?
March 22nd, 2008 at 1:06 am
Educated: Bachelors of Business Management
Sophisticated: I’ll let others judge that
Straight Thinking: Employed in the quality management field responsible for certification to International standards– never failed an audit, suppose that qualifies.
Hunter:not yet, but there is always time.
Shooter: yes, and going for my CCW
Mr. Ricker, just because we don’t comment on every post, that doesn’t me we don’t read or support them.
Bob S.
March 22nd, 2008 at 1:26 am
Wow, I had no idea Uncle’s readers were so well-educated. I figured they were all knuckle-dragging troglodytes like myself. I mean, I’m only a software engineer. So educated, yes… but sophisticated… I do prefer snob beers to bud light, but to me wine is just old grape juice. I don’t know precisely what “straight thinking” is, but I figure it has to do with “thinking like Bob Ricker”. If I’m right about that, I am definitely not a straight thinker. I’m not a hunter at all, but I am a shooter when I have the time.
March 22nd, 2008 at 1:29 am
Education: High School dropout (I was bored) but I think the Master’s in Mechanical Engineering makes up for it. Do design work on airliners for a living.
Sophistication: What Moriarty said.
Straight thinking: Linear thinking isn’t always the best approach; use it when needed.
Hunter: Nope; no objection to it, I just have too many other things to do.
Shooter: One of those “other things” I do whenever sufficient free time is available.
Oh, about that sophistication thing, Bob: Bite me.
And on the ““whacko” count: the only whacko to post on this thread is Bob Ricker.
March 22nd, 2008 at 3:37 am
Yeah, only a Bachelor’s in Computer Network Management here, with minors in Communications and Electronics. Oh yeah, graduate of the Defense Language Institute, but then they let a lot of dummies in there. 98% 98% 99% 98% scores on the ASVAB. Master’s candidate at Portland State’s School of Business. Hold more certifications than I can put on a business card. Gosh, the acronyms right there alone overwhelm my ability to keep track, yet another indication that I have difficulty holding a thought straight in my head.
Recreational shooter- check
2nd Amendment supporter - check
Self defense advocate - check
Hunter- not lately
Sophisticated?
Maybe, maybe not- discriminating taste- definitely. You should hear my friends complain about my beer snobbery. Dressing up for an evening out for me usually means formal kilt and Prince Charlie jacket, while I may lounge around in my utilikilt at a dive bar playing pool on less formal occasions.
March 22nd, 2008 at 7:47 am
Let’s see…
Masters in Computer Science. I guess that qualifies as well-educated. Maybe I’m a troglodyte because I work in the financial industry. I mean, how low can you go in job choice?
Recreational shooter: Yes
2nd Amendment supporter: Yes
Self-defense advocate: Absolutely
Hunter: I’ve done it but Bambi has eluded me every time. Wiley creatures, I tell you.
Am I sophiscated? Does Canadian count? Bob, I’m a bloody foreigner and I own more guns than most of your so-called uneducated, knuckle-dragging rednecks! Who, by the way, are actually pretty smart.
I don’t drink beer or wine. I head straight to hard liquor the few times in a year that I drink.
If you’re trying to reach out to someone like me, I’m not getting it. The rifle I use for hunting on the rare times I’ve done it (nothing like paying $200 to sit in the woods and freeze for the fun of it) is the same one I use for target shooting. In fact, I’d go as far to say it’s a sniper rifle. Next year, I’ve going after the deer with an “assault weapon” (FAL to be exact).
How am I fitting your stereotype? I’d dare say “sophisticated” is code for “civilized gun-hating liberal”.
March 22nd, 2008 at 8:10 am
No degrees, just lots of experience in several fields. Sophistication…. is that anything other than a highbrow word for snobbery? I mean, really? Straight thinking… rather than go there, let’s try for *clear* thinking instead, huh? Hunter and shooter, no and no. No objections, they just don’t call to me. Swords, knives and bows are my weakness.
I will grant that I believe owning a weapon confers responsibility in educating yourself about when and how to use it, and when and how not to use it. I could reasonably see weapon owners being required to take a test for a license much as drivers do, to prove they have the skills, judgement and knowledge to operate a given dangerous machine safely. But it would be the shooter who would be licensed, not the weapon. Within that constraint, I believe a citizen should be permitted to buy a main battle tank if he/she so wishes. Even the most cursory reading of history makes it obvious that individuals can be more safely trusted with weapons than governments. That goes for any government, with any weapons, at any time in history or any spot on the globe.
Before anyone questions limiting the liberty of individuals to own weapons, perhaps they should ask themselves whether they are comfortable with the IRS having just spent millions of dollars on weaponry, and if so why.
March 22nd, 2008 at 8:25 am
I’ve got a PhD in Electrical Engineering; I hope that makes up for my lack of sophistication and straight thinking.
March 22nd, 2008 at 9:17 am
Education: Certified Paramedic. Ok, no college degree, you got me there.
Sophisticated: Meh, the lst time I wore a suit was to a funeral.
Straight thinking: in my profession, if I don’t think straight, people literally die.
Hunter: used to, thinking about it again every time I see the deer wander through my back yard.
Shooter: USPSA matches every month, plus practice.
Nope, no target demographic to see here, move along.
March 22nd, 2008 at 9:25 am
Educated: Not in any formal sense. I ran away from home at 19 and all subsequect education has been from books, on-the-job, via hobbies or though equipment-specific classes. I have been such a failure that I’m only the head honcho fixing multimillion-dollar television transmitters at the top station in one of the largest TV markets in the country; I am a recognized authority on antique communictions equipment and the tools and techniques of radio from the late 1800s to date. And I’ll compare IQ scores with anyone.
Sophisticated: I know Dominique Aury’s pseudonym, I can usually find the right wine and guess the proper fork; I can move from motorcycling to a formal party with aplomb. I find quail eggs and caviar delightful and enjoy Mozart. –However, I am more comfortable in denim than silk and would just as soon spend an afternoon building pine bookshelves as taking High Tea at the Canterbury. (Will reconsider if they’re offering fresh popovers).
Straight Thinking: Nope. My thoughts tend to be complex, interwoven, even abstruse. It’s not easy but someone has to do it and clearly, Bob Ricker’s not the man for that job.
Hunter: Nope. I have hunted with my Dad. It was fun but for me, most of the fun was in walking around in the woods with my Dad.
Shooter: Most assuredly. Every chance I get, mostly target-shooting, primarily with semi-automatic handguns.
March 22nd, 2008 at 11:12 am
At this point I don’t think it matters. This has had a very interesting result. Appears that there are a lot of educated and smart people reading and participating here.
Me?
Education: BS in Physics.
Experience: I’ve worked for 13 years as a Health Physics engineer in the Nuclear industry. I was the guy that made certain the workers didn’t glow and the stuff that did was disposed of correctly.
At present I work in the Network Security Field.
Hunting: Not in a while. Hunting in the north-east has become much more problematic since I was a kid. Especially where I live now.
Shooter Yep. I like punching holes in paper. Especially with historical weapons. (WW1 and earlier)
Sophisticated Sorry, I’m not that pretentious. I consider myself plain folk. By the definitions of sophistication laid out here, I suppose I could qualify. You folks have some pretty good taste.
Straight thinking: I think so, but that’s hard to say when you’re the one making the judgment. Many of my friends think I am, so I’ll go with their analysis.
March 22nd, 2008 at 11:55 am
Educated:
BS in Psychology here.
Worked for my state for a while and got tired of it. Right now, I’m a small business owner with two employees and a full-time IT manager for another company. I speak 3 languages, and I head back to school in a year as soon as my wife finishes her degree- I plan on obtaining an MA in Behavioral Psych.
Sophisticated:
I’m the only person I know to have seen the play “Tartuffe” in English, French, and Creole. Then again, I drive a global-warming inducing SUV with 210,00 miles on it. We’ll call it a wash.
Straight Thinking: Clever enough to run a business, I suppose that would quality me.
Hunter: Varmints and coyotes, mostly.
Shooter: Yep.
Incidentally, I moved from California to Utah in part because of lame gun laws (out of control taxes, a poor business environment, and the government’s inability to keep the lights on were also contributing factors).
Now that I’m here, I can’t move back unless I first want to sell about $7,500 worth of firearms that are illegal in CA. If the laws AHSA wants to see adopted are adopted by some states, you’ll not only see people leaving, but you’re also preventing a lot of well-educated people (like those who posted in the comments here) from moving in.
March 22nd, 2008 at 1:02 pm
WOW, 48 responses from the SayUncle brain trust! You really have me worried now. Maybe all you rocket scientists could fill me in on how to translate 48 responses into real numbers of SayUncle supporters.
March 22nd, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Bob — you sound small and petty. Why don’t you just cut your losses.
March 22nd, 2008 at 1:20 pm
BTW: PhD in astrophysics from a top-ten department, post-doctoral research fellow, and lecturer in a physics department at a top liberal arts university.
March 22nd, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Bob Ricker Says:
March 22nd, 2008 at 1:02 pm
WOW, 48 responses from the SayUncle brain trust! You really have me worried now. Maybe all you rocket scientists could fill me in on how to translate 48 responses into real numbers of SayUncle supporters.
That’s 48 more that there is on the AHSA site which dos’nt appear to have a blog. Why’s that Bob? Maybe you dont want anyone to see that AHSA is a memberless organization?
BTW, none of us are in the AHSA Bob, so no whackos here.
March 22nd, 2008 at 1:54 pm
BSc (Hons) Chemistry, Masters-equiv in Marketing.
Drink mostly black tea.
Guns a’plenty. Just got my hunter’s ed. done after waiting far too long shooting at just paper.
Sophisticated? I’ve mixed with royalty and I know my Earl Grey from my Typhoo, but I’m having trouble distinguising Bob from an Assam…
March 22nd, 2008 at 2:21 pm
BS psych, BS Mech Engr, MS Mech Engr, Ph D Theo
Member NRA.
I was issued my first M-14 when I was 17, at a little school on the Hudson River. The first lady I took down Flirtation Walk was my grandmother.
I figure this thread along has more contributors than that false flag organization of Bob Rickers.
And I have never read a better writer than Tam.
March 22nd, 2008 at 4:30 pm
Heh, Rebecca Peters tried the same argument with me during our debate the other day, suggesting that we RKBA types are the minority since the NRA’s membership is only 5% of the US’s population. Never mind that we outnumber the antis 20 to 1…if we’re the minority, what does that make them?
What a doltish argument! As though the number of comments on ONE RKBA blog has some sort of bearing on the relative strength of our movement.
I love that AHSA has pretty much given up even the pretense of being anything other than a Brady astroturf front.
March 22nd, 2008 at 4:50 pm
I have never committed a violent crime.
The rest is none of your business.
It doesn’t matter what books I read, or what degrees I have, or who if anybody I’m going to vote for, or what I do for a living , or what I do for sport, or how often I kiss my Mom, or whether I like dogs or cats, or any of the rest.
I’m a peaceable human being, and I have an absolute right to defend myself, my family, and my neighbors, with the weapons of my choice.
You want me to justify myself to you, to prove that I’m worthy, that I meet your criteria for being an acceptable gun-owner.
Piss off, Bob, you gun-grabbing would-be only-one useful-to-tyrants idiot.
Just–piss off, and leave free men to go about their peaceable business.
We do not need your approval or permission, and who we are is none of your concern.
March 22nd, 2008 at 6:48 pm
Major corporate Network Analyst here. Sophisticated? Depends on what you mean by that–I don’t buy canned beer, haven’t had a TV dinner in decades…I do own a pickup truck though. I’m not a hunter though, so I guess you’ll have to do without my support.
March 22nd, 2008 at 6:51 pm
Holy shit, bob. You learned to count. Progress. baby steps, bob, baby steps.
March 22nd, 2008 at 9:53 pm
Brain trust? Hmm. Interesting. Though from the people standing up here I’d say there are more brains than Bob’s organization can fantasize about supporting him.
March 22nd, 2008 at 11:18 pm
Because he’s a small and petty excuse for a man? Me, I’m just an East Texas country boy with a fondness for Shiner Bock beer, honky-tonk country music, pistols and EBRs. I’m guessing I wouldn’t fit in his organization even if I do have a college degree, but that’s ok. I’d wear his seal of disapproval like a badge of honor.
March 22nd, 2008 at 11:52 pm
What’s to say?
I have firearms to clean once I’ve fired them. So I have limited time to comment on the net about people who don’t think that the Second Amendment is as important as all the others.
Whatever…….
Just remind the SC that the Second doesn’t “grant” anyone a right. The Bill of Rights was put in place to confirm the rights granted to free people by “Nature’s God”, as I recall it. It limits Government, not the People.
Just like the other nine Amendments do.
Eat it and smile, Liberals. You can’t win this one.
March 23rd, 2008 at 1:08 am
I had always hoped I would be part of a brain trust.
March 23rd, 2008 at 4:59 am
Bob G. - Sophisticated? Meaningless term, unless you have a definition handy
I always get a kick out of this one. So many people think it means “with it”, “cool”, Cary Grantesque.
It actually explains a school of thought by the Greek philosopher Sophocles who posited that all humans were flawed and could never approach perfection due to their inherent flaws.
In that light, I am certainly “sophisticated”.
March 23rd, 2008 at 5:13 am
LabRat, you might want to check that, when I was at the Marshall Space Flight Center with NASA Huntsville, Al Claiimed the highest number and ratio of PHD’s in the world.
Not saying you’re wrong. I don’t know. But that is what they said.
March 23rd, 2008 at 5:27 am
pistolero, I am in SW Ar., whereabouts in E. Texas are you located?
March 23rd, 2008 at 7:50 am
Oh okay Bob, I get it.
You aren’t interested in actually debating the merits of anyone’s position, you’re just declaring anyone who agrees with your position to be “educated, sophisticated and straight thinking” and anyone who disagrees with you to not be. You’ve made that pretty obvious.
And to be fair, if all you want is to be *perceived* as educated, sophisticated and straight thinking, I have to admit that it’s a lot less work than sweating through a degree plan.
March 23rd, 2008 at 9:40 am
Straightarrow, currently I am in the Beaumont-Port Arthur area, in the southeast corner of Texas — hence the name of my blog. Lol..but it’s a small world, indeed. I actually grew up probably not too far from you, in Texarkana. I lived on the Texas side, graduated from Texas High School. Left T-town in 1998, but I still have several friends there.
March 23rd, 2008 at 10:04 am
I’ve been repairing, installing and maintaining CT/MRI and other medical imaging equipment for the last 23 years. So I am not educated.
But I am sophisticated enough to understand that the 2A is an individual right and more to the point, something that is not negotiable.
I’m straight thinking enough to realize that elitism is a poor marketing tool.
March 23rd, 2008 at 10:28 am
WOW, 48 responses from the SayUncle brain trust! You really have me worried now. Maybe all you rocket scientists could fill me in on how to translate 48 responses into real numbers of SayUncle supporters.
Well, Bob, you could look at the 48 States with concealed weapons permits. Thirty-eight of them “shall issue”. And let’s not upset your “supporters” too much by mentioning the States which have “open carry” without necessity of a permit.
March 23rd, 2008 at 11:30 am
I wouldn’t hang my hat on that argument if I were you. It’s a double-edged sword. To the extent that the Second Amendment doesn’t grant the RKBA, but merely preserve the right that existed before, e.g., under the English Bill of Rights, it’s a bit narrower than most gunnies might like. Plenty broad to pwn DC, of course.
March 23rd, 2008 at 11:32 am
NK: close, the number is actually 47. One of the other three, however, is the quintessential “we don’t need no steenkin’ permits” state, Vermont. Alaska has the best of both worlds.
March 23rd, 2008 at 12:21 pm
Wow… misogynistic AND a traitor to freedom! What else can one want in an elitist, lying piece of floating detritus?
Let’s see…
Educated: BA in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins University. Three classes away from my MA in National Security Studies from AMU. Certified as both a print and broadcast journalist from the Defense Information School. Yeah, I think I have that covered.
Sophisticated: I like Opera, Ballet and Broadway. I nearly did a double major at Hopkins and the Peabody Conservatory in voice. I’m an amateur photographer and author. I think I have sophistication covered.
Straight thinking: I believe in freedom and personal responsibility. I believe we are all held to a higher standard, because we understand what kind of critical responsibility gun ownership is. I don’t like organizations or individuals who claim to respect individual rights, but hide behind a veneer of superciliousness to mask their true agenda.
Hunter: Nope, not me.
Shooter: Expert with the M16 and the M9 (US Army). Go to the range on a regular basis.
Yeah. Got that covered.
As for his comments about the “bitter female” with the chip on her shoulder… the ONLY thing I’m bitter about is misogynistic, lying asshats who claim to respect the right to keep and bear arms, but are nothing more than elitist jerks who snuggle up to outright gun banners, while using misleading organizational names to misrepresent their message.
Believe me, Mr. Ricker, as an educated, sophisticated, rational woman, who respects freedom and truly understands it from a point of view of someone who came to this country from a socialist hellhole, I wouldn’t come NEAR your organization of traitorous sheep with a ten-foot pole.
March 23rd, 2008 at 1:00 pm
Educated: I have a BA in my field, have taught university and Jr College full time.
Sophisticated: My photographs are in the collections of several major museums and prestigious collections, as well as being featured on notecards carried in nationwide booksellers.
Straight thinking: Enough to recognize the difference between shit and shinola, even when the shit tries to disquise itself.
Hunter: Shot deer the last two years with 13 different military rifles, plus guided folks to more deer kills than that.
Shooter: Current Texas Highpower Rifle Champion. Twice Louisiana Highpower Rifle Champion. Regional Medals. Distinguished Rifle. Seven years as a firer on National Match Teams. NM Pistol Presidents 100.
The above qualifications give me the perspective to be disgusted by people like Bob Ricker and the group he represents.
March 23rd, 2008 at 2:31 pm
Only a BA? Dropout!
March 23rd, 2008 at 6:44 pm
Here’s his wiki-CV if anyone is interested.
March 23rd, 2008 at 8:16 pm
Education: Bachelor of Science in Biology, and recently an MBA.
Sophistication: if masquerading to drive a political agenda is AHSA’s measure of sophistication, then evidently I don’t qualify.
Straight Thinking: I’ve led a successful professional career that includes 14 years between two Fortune 50 companies, and presently run my own company at a reasonable profit. (and that’s without handouts from the Joyce Foundation)
Shooting: my granddad taught me at age 10, later I served 4 years in the Army. I’ve taught over a dozen new shooters, including co-workers and family members. Most subsequently joined the NRA.
Unlike AHSA and their ilk, I’m not paid to advocate my position on gun rights and I don’t try to force my beliefs on anybody…certainly not through governmental force as Brady and AHSA desires.
AHSA and the like are an abomination and will be fought using all legal means.
March 24th, 2008 at 8:50 am
Education: BA in political science, MBA (concentration in marketing), second-year doctoral candidate in marketing.
Sophisticated: Reckon it depends on who you ask. I have a large collection of classical music LPs, but I paid only about 50 cents a throw for most of them (the university library’s sale bin is my very good friend). I’m a godawful beer snob, does that count? On the other hand, you might think I was a yahoo if you heard me telling my kids “Get to de choppa!” every time we go to our car.
Hunter: Not yet. Reckon I ought to pass comps first, then I plan to get myself a Springer spaniel and a nice 20-gauge SxS.
Shooter: Every chance I get–which is not near enough.
There is nothing I could say about Bob Ricker, or any other gun-grabbing astroturf peddler, that would not violate my personal standards of public decorum; therefore, I shall say nothing.
March 24th, 2008 at 11:52 am
Well, I’m not gonna haul out my four page C.V. for this guy.
What I am going to point out is that internet surveys of some gun forums (for whatever they’re worth, acknowledged as debatable) point to a population that’s 80% college educated, which stands in stark contrast to the general population, which is only 30% college educated.
I’m also going to point out that it is a conceit of our adversaries to assert that proponents of a civil society that is formidably armed with militarily credible arms are uneducated, unsophisticated and bent thinking.
This supplies them with a fictitious contrast to their supposedly enlightened selves, a big wet, sloppy pile of warm fuzzies, and is pretty central to their theory of identity.
Me, personally, I wouldn’t go subscribing to theories of my identity based on anything other than my own virtues and deficits. Then I don’t have to go into angsty identity crisis every time I learn something about my opponents.
March 24th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Educated - B.S. Mathematics, M.S. Statistics. Check.
Sophisticated - Despite my natural geekitude, I know better than to wear white socks with black pants and shoes. Check.
Straight thinking - Gang Bangers who see no problem with ignoring laws against murder probably don’t give a rat’s hindquarters about your gun laws. Seems pretty straight forward thinking to me. Check. Also. not gay, double check.
Hunter - Oops, never been. Got no problem with it, just never had the time.
Shooter - I’m a noobie, but check.
March 24th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Bob, most of us simply aren’t interested in you, and it’s not because we’re too crude for you. We’re just a whole lot smarter than you. We’re too smart to be taken in by an anti-gunner who labels himself as a pro-gunner.
March 25th, 2008 at 9:42 am
It’s 2008, dude, and people with clues don’t equate blog hits to real-world support because that is silly.
Let’s face it, Bob. The AHSA is you, three or four other people, and a fax machine. Just like the ICHV, Gun Guys, Freedom States Alliance, VPC . . . . if I’m wrong, take the big step, big fella. Ask your supporters to join and pay a modest fee for membership, just like the big, bad NRA, the evil extremist GOA, and the evil Jewish extremist JPFO. I belong to all three of those, and the difference between belonging to them and “supporting” you is that belonging to them costs me money and time. It means I care enough about what they’re doing to make an effort.