Talking to a Brick Wall

Have you ever had a conversation with a brick wall? How did it go? Did you find it stimulating?

Did you ever try to convince a brick wall of some empirical fact? Say, if you wanted to convince a brick wall that the earth is round – how would that conversation go? Would you expect to make progress? Would the wall understand the concept of gravitational attraction that causes bodies of a certain size to form a spheroid shape? Would it understand the pictures from space that show the earth to be round? Would it understand the geometric data that shows that the world is indeed not flat?

Does this sound reasonable? Would you expect such a conversation to bear fruit?

This is EXACTLY how experts on firearms and violence feel when we try to talk to anti-gun people. Nothing we say – no empirical data, no historical context, no logical reasoning of any kind makes any difference to these people. To them it's all about fear, denial, and a total lack of responsibility.

Explain to them the function and use of semi-automatic carbines, and that they are the best defensive weapons available in America today?

They reply with – why would you want an assault weapon whose only purpose is to kill lots of people quickly?

Explain to them the defensive tactical value of normal capacity magazines?

They reply with – assault clips' only purpose is so you can kill lots of people!

Explain to them how violent crime rates universally increase after making restrictions on good people defending themselves?

They reply with – why do you want blood in the streets?

Explain to them how mass shootings increase when gun-free zones are created, giving shooters easy victims?

They reply with – why would you want to kill children?

Explain that historically, once a government disarms its populace, other rights are steadily eroded – sometimes with catastrophic results?

They reply with – why do you hate America?

And on, and on, and on, and on, and on... There is literally no end. The more facts you pound over their head, the angrier and more defensive they get.

I just watched the presidential press conference – and all I can say is that I am more disgusted than I have ever been.

We are living in interesting times.