With the current national conversation about our second amendment rights raging once again, many people are adopting a “zero tolerance” policy when it comes to discussion of guns, ownership of guns and relationships with anyone who may be obsessed with guns.
The problem is, how do you know if the person you’re talking to is a gun nut? If they don’t wear any kind of identifying mark – like, say a black armband or something – how can you tell what a person’s view on guns are? How do you know who to show kindness and respect to and who hate right away?
In the interest of helping the public develop a healthy system for identifying people they disagree with, here are five ways to tell if your neighbor or coworker or someone else you interact with each day is actually a gun nut who cannot stop obsessing over guns.
1.They get triggered (no pun intended) by food items gnawed into the shape of guns.
Some people just have guns on the brain all the time. While the typical American is disturbed to see gun violence in the news, a gun nut will continually obsess about guns to the point where even just the suggestion of a weapon sends them into a full-blown panic attack. For example, take the case of the little boy who was suspended from school for shaping his Pop-Tart into a sort-of gun. Or the little boy who was suspended for making finger guns. Or the little boy who was suspended for drawing a stick figure holding a gun. Maybe we should just ban boys!
2.They know who Dana Loesch is and constantly talk about how they hope her kids will get shot someday so she’ll finally learn her lesson.
NRA spokesperson and NRATV host Dana Loesch is by no means a household name in most of America. She is, however a very visible presence for those who regularly discuss gun issues. However, if your coworker brings up Loesch’s name as a stand-in for misogynist slurs like “bi***” or “cu**”, or expresses their wish that her children die, that person is most definitely a gun nut.
3.They take every opportunity in casual conversation to mention that the NRA is a terrorist organization.
Gun nuts will steer every conversation back to guns in some way, even if it is just to make a joke. They cannot stop thinking about guns for one moment. They will make sure you are not mistakenly believing that the NRA is a civil rights organization by preemptively telling you that the NRA is a terrorist organization.
4.The majority of their social media posting is dedicated to bravely declaring their absolute disgust and disdain for anyone who may have a different opinion about guns.
Gun nuts can’t stop talking about guns. Their social media pages will be full of nothing but articles on gun violence, gun memes, clips of their favorite, armed-bodyguard- protected celebrity preaching about guns, and insults against anyone who might have a differing opinion on guns.
5.Their response to any attempt at reasoned, intelligent discussion about gun issues is immediately, “You have blood on your hands!”
This response is your cue – as a non-gun nut – to shut up. Gun nuts typically aren’t interested in facts, statistics, information or discussion. They just want you to know that they care about people more than you do.
If your coworker or neighbor has exhibited any or all of these traits, you can rest assured they are obsessed with guns and adjust your interaction accordingly.
You needn’t worry about the people the gun nuts are raging about. Gun owners typically don’t spend that much time thinking about their guns and generally prefer to be private about the ways they legally choose to protect their families.
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