Social Media Gun Argument Cheat Sheet

Have you been engaging in arguments about guns on Facebook with family or old high school acquaintances only to feel dispirited by the sheer, numbing repetitiveness of it all? Have you sworn off further futile fights only to be drawn back in by the next thoughtless tweet to ‘avoid politicizing tragedy’ or disingenuous ‘video games are to blame’ post in the hours after a mass shooting?

We all have.

Here’s the thing: your impassioned plea isn’t going to change their mind. Not now, not today, maybe not ever. You know it, everyone knows it. The only way we’re going to get any change is by recognizing that there are way more of us calling for gun safety legislation than there are of them bristling at it — and then voting with that strength. This isn’t even a strictly Democrat/Republican divide — a majority of Republicans favor at least some restrictions on gun ownership. Even a majority of NRA members want to see some gun reform!

Spending our time and emotional resources reacting to this small, electorally outclassed minority only strengthens and emboldens them. It creates needless anxiety and a sense of nihilism, and syphons our energies from where they belong, which is turning our strong public opinion majority into a legislative one.