In my sort-of home town of Seattle, the local mayor seems to think that it’s a good idea to overstep his legal powers and enact gun control laws that he doesn’t have the authority to enact. My friend and nemesis Joe Huffman attended a public hearing opposing the Mayor’s illegal plans. One of the most interesting things in his post is this:
I was very pleased there were numerous non-stereotypical gun owners testified in opposition. I think there were three self identified gay men. Several women testified including one that identified herself as a gun carrying tree-hugger, another that identified herself as a rape victim, and another that said she had spent the last several months working on the Obama campaign. Their point in identifying as such was that Nickels was pissing off people that would normally support him.
That is actually one of the neat things about the Pacific Northwest, is that the gun owning community often blows the “gun owner” stereotype right out of the water. I have met plenty of people that, were it not for their ownership of firearms and belief in the right to keep and bear arms that I would describe as “crunchy granola hippies”.
You should read the entirety of Joe’s post, it also has a transcription of the remarks he gave at the public hearing. Also, there are pictures.
Some of my best friends back in WV are crunchy granola hippies and gun owners. I think real natural hippies (not the fake plastic new-age ones) are far more likely to be OK with firearms ownership than any suburbanite soccer mom.