There is great concern of a disease that seems to be spreading in our nation. It is a widespread epidemic but it is curable. We all need to do our part to stamp out this horrible disease before it spreads any futher. HOPLOPHOBIA A modern scourge.Hoplophobia, n. Irrational, morbid fear of guns (c. 1980, coined by Col. Jeff Cooper, from the Greek hoplites, weapon; see his book Principles of Personal Defense). May cause sweating, faintness, discomfort, rapid pulse, nausea, sleeplessness, nondescript fears, more, at mere thought of guns. Presence of working firearms may cause panic attack. Hoplophobe, hoplophobic. Hoplophobes are common and should never be involved in setting gun policies. Point out hoplophobic behavior when noticed, it is dangerous, sufferers deserve pity, and should seek treatment. When confronted about their condition, hoplophobes typically go into denial, a common characteristic of the affliction. Sometimes helped by training, or by coaching at a range, a process known to psychiatry as "desensitization," a useful methodology in treating many phobias. Hoplophobic behavior is often obvious from self-evident irrational responses to real-life situations, and is frequently seen in the news media and public debate. When a criminal commits a crime using a gun, hoplophobes often seek to disarm, or make lists of, innocent people who didn't do anything, an irrational suggestion. The idea of creating an enormously expensive government-run 90-million-name database of legitimate gun owners -- which by definition would not include armed criminals -- is a prime example of an irrational hoplophobic response to the issue of crime. How the writing of your name in such a list would help stop crime is never even addressed. (See, "The Only Question About Gun Registration") An effort is underway nationally to have hoplophobia recognized in the DSM, the official directory of mental ailments. Resistance from elements in the medical profession suggest this may be quite difficult, but that does not reduce the importance of recognizing a widespread, virulent, detrimental mental condition commonly found in the populace. The actual number of undiagnosed hoplophobes is unknown, but believed to be in the tens of millions. Read Dr. Sarah Thompson's brilliant essay on the medical nature of this afflicition, the article that got the ball rolling on serious medical study of a condition affecting millions of Americans. Hoplophobes are dangerous. They should not be involved in setting public policy. Hoplophobes are victims. They are sick and need help. Hoplophobes deserve sympathy. It's not their fault they are afflicted. Hoplophobes should seek treatment. Help shoot for a cure.
Oh, for crying out loud! Another mental "illness" we have to pay for? This is over-reaching from ludicrous to insane (pun intended). Looks like yet another attempt of control. .......goes off to finish her caffeine intake, shaking head in disgust........
No this tends to spread the disease further. The better option is to cure them as I did with stepsons girlfriend last weekend. Took her out in the field along with a half dozen of the guns and a few boxes of ammo and spent a couple hours shooting. Before hand she was uncomfortable even seeing a gun, now guns are cool and she likes them and is still proud and excited that she got went shooting. So now rather than being a hoplophobe who would think guns needed to be restricted, she is on the road to being a gun loveing shooter who would work to heal others with this afliction.
Indeed, as with many social pandemics education is the true cure. I am working towards educating my GF and everyone I know. Hope you guys are too, Remember if You educate 3 people, then they educate three people each... Thats alot of factorials.
Education is a cure for most problems as long as the teacher isn't a libtard and the student is capable or willing to learn things from a different perspective.
I agree with you M.M. Hoplophobia is basically fear of the unknown. Most people who are afraid of guns have not had the opportunity to be shown the ins and outs of these fine weapons of mass.......ooops, self protection devices. A few things I can think of to keep this disease from spreading are 1) Take a kid out and show him/her how to shoot. Practice safety first and foremost. 2) Let them handle the weapon (take out the ammo of course) 3) If at first you don't succeed, try and try again! That's it for now! L8ter, 13Bravo over and out.
Yup we spent about 2 hours out that afternoon. The first 15 min or so was to explain and re-repeat safety procedures. Took the time to familiarize her with each gun before she shot them, where the safties where and how to work them, how to load and unload, how to check if it was loaded (made SURE to explain to check TWICE, for YOURSELF before believing it was unloaded and still treat it like its loaded) and made sure to give a good understanding on each cal of just how far away an irresponsible round COULD land and kill someone. Then let her load (or finish loading) them and shoot them at close range (about 10 yards for handguns and 20 for rifles) so she could easily hit the targets and have fun while getting used to safe handeling and such. In the coarse of a couple hours she went from nearly flinching just to see them and acting like they were snakes that would bite her if she touched one to excited and loveing to shoot. Figure will have to head out again in the next week or so and let her do some more shooting.
