Idiots With Guns #69
I have kind of let Idiots With Guns slide off into obscurity from my blog. This was for several reasons. 
It was a difficult idea to explain. With each post I stated that the purpose was not to humiliate, but educate. Apparently many readers thought I was trying to educate those who took their ill conceived photos. That was not the case. The education was there for the viewers of the photos if needed, through discussion and comments.
I was surprised to learn that at least two gun forums banned links to my blog because of Idiots With Guns. They thought the photos glorified bad gun handling and provided fodder for the Brady Bunch.
Idiots With Guns posed a management problem. If I routinely made the posts on Friday, I needed to stick with that. That is tough when you work as well as blog.
Finally, there were the incessant questions of why Jeff Cooper and others did not get depicted on IWG, even though they allowed themselves to be photographed in similar ways. I even received attachments of other bloggers pointing guns at the camera, with demands that I publish those too, as Idiots With Guns.
Well, here is the deal. Idiots With Guns is coming back. The photos and videos of Idiots With Guns are done to promote discussion about gun safety. If you want to, join in the discussion. If you disagree, definitely comment. I'll publish IWG when I want to. I will determine which photo or video gets used. I encourage your participation. Idiots With Guns is about gun safety, but it is not the last word on the subject. I am certainly no gun safety guru. I learn from discussing these concepts, just as others do.
At the very least, I want to dilute the Billy Bad Ass persona the subjects of these photos try to depict themselves as, by using them as an example of what not to do with a gun. So.......With that in mind, here we go again.....
The purpose of Idiots with Guns is not to humiliate, but to educate by promoting civil discourse about firearms safety. Every gun owner has seen people who, upon picking up a gun, just cannot resist pointing it at something they should not, with their finger on the trigger. Whether done through ignorance or absent mindedness, the results of these actions can be tragic. Many photos of guns being used dangerously are available on the internet. It is my hope that Idiots With Guns will transform these photos from dangerous examples of improper gun handling to the stimulus for discussion that promotes gun safety.
The Four Rules
1. All firearms are always loaded
2. Never let the muzzle of a firearm point at anything you are not willing to destroy
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot
4. Be sure of your target and what is behind it
It was a difficult idea to explain. With each post I stated that the purpose was not to humiliate, but educate. Apparently many readers thought I was trying to educate those who took their ill conceived photos. That was not the case. The education was there for the viewers of the photos if needed, through discussion and comments. I was surprised to learn that at least two gun forums banned links to my blog because of Idiots With Guns. They thought the photos glorified bad gun handling and provided fodder for the Brady Bunch.
Idiots With Guns posed a management problem. If I routinely made the posts on Friday, I needed to stick with that. That is tough when you work as well as blog.
Finally, there were the incessant questions of why Jeff Cooper and others did not get depicted on IWG, even though they allowed themselves to be photographed in similar ways. I even received attachments of other bloggers pointing guns at the camera, with demands that I publish those too, as Idiots With Guns. Well, here is the deal. Idiots With Guns is coming back. The photos and videos of Idiots With Guns are done to promote discussion about gun safety. If you want to, join in the discussion. If you disagree, definitely comment. I'll publish IWG when I want to. I will determine which photo or video gets used. I encourage your participation. Idiots With Guns is about gun safety, but it is not the last word on the subject. I am certainly no gun safety guru. I learn from discussing these concepts, just as others do.
At the very least, I want to dilute the Billy Bad Ass persona the subjects of these photos try to depict themselves as, by using them as an example of what not to do with a gun. So.......With that in mind, here we go again.....The purpose of Idiots with Guns is not to humiliate, but to educate by promoting civil discourse about firearms safety. Every gun owner has seen people who, upon picking up a gun, just cannot resist pointing it at something they should not, with their finger on the trigger. Whether done through ignorance or absent mindedness, the results of these actions can be tragic. Many photos of guns being used dangerously are available on the internet. It is my hope that Idiots With Guns will transform these photos from dangerous examples of improper gun handling to the stimulus for discussion that promotes gun safety.
The Four Rules
1. All firearms are always loaded
2. Never let the muzzle of a firearm point at anything you are not willing to destroy
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot
4. Be sure of your target and what is behind it
Labels: Idiots With Guns, State of the Blog
posted by Xavier at 6:44 AM
12 Comments:
Some people read too much into things.
Glad you're keeping IWG going!
Has any one done the four rules with cafe press or some other outfit like c.p.?
Personally, I think there are only so many IWG pictures you see before they all start blurring together. Ironically you have the three basic types all in this post, i.e. Gun Pointed at Self, Gun Pointed at Camera, and Gun Pointed at Other Person. Bonus points if you can tell the gun is loaded.
And if people are trying to send you pictures of themselves acting like morons I'd say it is time to stop; as at that point it IS becoming a glorification thing. It is kind of scary that some people are so attention hungry that they will photograph themselves acting in an unsafe manner so it can be posted on a website where they are called "Idiots with Guns".
I am glad to see IWG back. If it makes even one person think, or prevents a single accidental shooting, it's worth it.
By the way, I've seen that guy before: here
It amazes me howmany gun morons are your there. I would amost bet these folks wouldn't be this reckless while driving a car, or even useing a blender.
However, once they get a gun in their hands it seems the higher functions turn off.
I always tell folks who are first time gun owners that it takes the same level of responiblity as driving a car, maybe even more.
Good on 'ya for bringing IWG back. The worst thing for us, as responsible gun owners, to do is to hide our heads in the sand and pretend like nobody ever does anything stupid with a gun, or that there are no issues with something like poinging a gun at a camera. Let's have some critical thinking and healthy discourse.
I sometimes have photos of guns pointing at the camera or close to it. Sometimes, I use fired cases to make revolvers appear loaded even though they aren't. Also, some of the "guns" are airsoft. To me, there's a difference between unsafe actions and depictions of apparently unsafe behavior by actors.
I do enjoy IWG, but... you still didn't answer the question. What of Jeff Copper, et al? Will they be appearing on IWG? I personally have a photo of him with others (cops) pointing guns at the camera, FINGERS ON TRIGGERS. So?
PREACH IT!
Truthfully, I was kind of happy to see IWG sort of fade away. I'm still a bit confused as to how pointing a gun at a camera is construed as being unsafe. As far as I know, nobody's been shot over the internet yet, but I could be wrong.
Most of us already understood what you were trying to do, and applauded you. It seems odd that gunnies would come to the aid of these IWG because we all know that they ARE in fact, idiots with guns.
They make us look bad, and deserve our scorn.
Keep up the good work, and stay strong.
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