Could anti-gunners really be right?

I have been listening to some pro-Second Amendment podcasts lately, and typically enjoy a majority of the content. There is always a lot of good commentary on gun rights, weapons, concealed carry and the proper use of all this. But, I have been really getting aggravated by the attitudes of many of the podcasters. This attitude is really just a reflection of the close-minded public who are often their listeners. No, not everyone who listens to these podcasts is a neanderthal, mouth-breathing idiot. But they are not always the intelligent, open-minded thinkers they should be. And the simple fact of the matter is both sides of the gun debate are just as guilty.

No matter the topic, there will always be at least 2 viewpoints. The basis of an meaningful conversation is the intelligent exchange of ideas. There is very little doubt that neither side is even remotely interested in changing their minds, but logical discourse can sometimes cause someone to see something a little differently than they previously had. It is unlikely that there is going to a be a complete reversal in anyone's stance, but their ideas may be changed forever, no matter how slightly.

The enemy of intelligent conversation is contempt. Too often people will stop listening to their opponenet and just feel contempt. Contempt is defined as:

"The feeling or attitude of regarding someone or something as inferior, base, or worthless; scorn."

The problem with contempt is that you no longer just disagree with a person's ideas, but you begin to really despise the person. Instead of defending your viewpoint, you now attack their character. It has stopped being intelligent discourse, and has now become ridicule and stubbornness.

Do not for 1 second get me wrong; I think that 99% of what anti-gun or anti-carry people use in their arguments is wrong. Either misinterpreted, or outright incorrect. Sometimes even knowingly misrepresented, to support an incorrect assumption or stance. But just because these individuals have what I believe to be wrong information does not make them any less human than you or me.

In today's society, it is very easy to get in to an "us versus them" mentality. White vs black vs brown. Christian vs Muslim. Democrat vs Republican. Taste great vs less filling. Whatever. But the thing that makes this country so great is that you can live, worship, vote or just feel any way you like. But sometimes the "patriots" who so loudly proclaim their worship for the Second Amendment forget about the First Amendment. Eveyoen is entitled to their own opinion, and if you don't agree feel free to question them on it. But don't just say "you're an asshole" and walk away.

If there is any one thing to blame for the general decline in public behavior, I think it is a lack of respect for others. We have become cut off from the general population around us, and spend our time huddled with like-minded individuals and beating our fists on our chests about how right we are and how wrong the other guy is. In today's 24 hour news cycle, where information is bombarding us from all sides so quickly we barely have time to process it, we have lost the ability to think. Why actually form an opinion of our own when we can take one from someones 15 second sound bite? Why spend the time discussing important issues with others who may have differing points of view, when we can just listen some more to Anderson Cooper, Rush Limbaugh, Glen Beck or even Jay Leno?

Big shock here, so you better sit down...... Everyone who disagrees with you is not a demon bent on nefarious corruption of your soul. They are poeple just like you and me, who happen to have been exposed to different things and have formed different opinions. There are no doubt people who will lie, cheat and make up facts to push their own gun control agenda (and we all know gun control isn't about guns, its about control). But there are also armed militia running around in paramilitary garb, bent on violent revolution and trying to overthrow the government. These are the 1 or 2% extreme examples, and most of the rest of us fall somewhere in between. Talk to each other civilly, exchange ideas rationally and treat each other with common courtesy, just like your mother taught you when you were a child.

The biggest mistake I think people make is to listen to nothing but sources that they agree with. If you already feel a certain way on a topic, how much more are you going to learn from similar viewpoints? Want to learn something for real; try listening to someone you has a different take on things. Yeah, maybe they are wrong. Yeah, maybe they will never agree with you and tell you how right you are. But they will point out potential flaws in your big picture, and allow you to reinforce your opinion or refine it based on new information.

Why go through all this trouble? Why leave yourself open to new (and potentially troubling) insights on things that matter to you, when you already have the whole thing figured out? Our side is right, and theirs is wrong. Well, the simple truth is neither exactly right or wrong, and hopefully both sides have some information that can be brought to the party. Nothing is ever black or white, or absolutely static in nature. No one is completely right, or completely wrong. Circumstances change, situations change. think for yourself, understand both sides of a topic and choose your own viewpoint. THAT is going to be much closer to the truth than either one of the polarizing extreme viewpoints.

And after all, isn't the TRUTH what we are after?