Fear And Loathing And Commentary On Gun Buying

From Jay Caruso writing The Monday Notice on Substack, is the increase in people buying guns and seeking training with weapons driven by fear, the “tactical bros,” or really just about protection?

For context he’s responding to Christine Emba of the Washington Post piece “Why do Americans want guns? It comes down to one word.”

Jay Caruso:

Enba then delves into what gets my hackles up about firearms reporting and commentary. There is a level of condescension, and then a degree of judgment, as if there must be something wrong with all these people buying firearms. She first writes:

How would they use their guns in a crisis? Their confidence in their own abilities seemed inflated. This manifested in the constant invocation of the word “tactical” — a gun-industry buzzword used to suggest that buyers of weapons, body armor and shooting courses will be able to engage with enemies like trained soldiers. In other words, a fantasy.

“Seemed inflated.” How would Enba know? Then comes the condescending portion where she first conflates “tactical” with military and claims people are engaging in a “fantasy.”

Are they? She mentions “shooting courses.” Isn’t training something gun control people stress when they complain about permitless carry laws? Believe it or not, training is a big deal within the gun owner community. There is a high degree of responsibility when it comes to gun ownership. Shooting a gun accurately is like any other craft or skill. It takes practice and, in most cases, it helps to have a professional correct your mistakes early so that you don’t pick up bad habits.

Go to any gun range that has the option to sign up for classes and watch how quickly those classes fill up. Particularly, classes specifically geared towards home defense and concealed carry. Why? Not because people have a “fantasy” they will “engage with the enemy” but for preparation. To learn. To increase their skills so that they don’t have a tragic situation like randomly shooting at a car that mistakenly turns into your driveway.

As for the word tactical, it means, “adroit in planning or maneuvering to accomplish a purpose.”

Therein lies the reason people take defensive shooting classes. To learn. To better prepare. Yes, it is likely most of the people doing it will never face such a situation. It is also likely that your house will not burn down in a fire, but you want to make sure your policy covers it, right?

Mark my words: at some point, someone will write a “think piece” about the cottage industry that “exploits” peoples’ “fears” for profit with all of these “tactical” classes taught at various shooting ranges. There are forms of it already attacking the firearms manufacturers and their marketing, but it all rests on the same incorrect assumptions that Enba makes in that it’s all catering to irrational people. Speaking of which, Enba goes there:

But the paranoia that fuels gun-buying has come to seem like a mental health issue in its own right.

See the shift? She moves from “fear” which is a rational emotion, to calling it “paranoia” which is irrational, and suggesting the purchase of a firearm for protection is in and of itself, a sign of a mental health issue. Right there is where you lose people — when you suggest there must be something wrong with them for taking an action you don’t. I give Enba credit for going to the gun show. Still, that’s not enough on-the-ground reporting to justify what she wrote.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve written about this before and, yes, there are people so invested in gun culture that it does more harm than good to the gun ownership community. My friend Steve (a gun owner and veteran) refers to the “tactical bros” who, without any military or law enforcement background, do the dance of experts while dressing up in all the gear, pretending they are skilled enough to turn someone into a special forces soldier. I get it.

But it strikes me as odd that people will raise an eyebrow at those acquiring more training and skill for handling a deadly weapon. That’s worth celebrating — not reducing it to nefarious motives based on irrational behavior.

The old insults no longer apply — that people get guns to compensate for having small penises, and it’s primarily driven by white males with feelings of inadequacy. Sales are driven more these days by women and minorities, so the shift is towards “paranoia” and “fear.”

Maybe one day they’ll get it right.