“If you’re not packing a .45, you’re not even armed.”

“Forty ‘short-and-week’ is a worthless cartridge,”

“Why would anybody carry a little 9mm?”

Any of these sound familiar?

Well, perhaps there is a small grain of truth in some of these statements, depending on the context in which they are uttered; however, it’s been my experience over the years that too many gun owners take way too much pride in their chosen “bullet religion.” I say “religion” because occasionally we all run into those devout, evangelical members of the “Church of 45.” No amount of scientific evidence will dissuade them from their faith and fervor; common sense and reason are just not a part of their universe. They latch onto their favorite notion and “preach the gospel” at every opportunity. The more they preach, the better they feel about the big .45 they carry.

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Occasionally I’m reminded that there are still a great many firearms enthusiasts clinging to the notion that in order to be a shooter and 2nd Amendment supporter, a person must fit a certain mold. While 99% of the firearms community seems to have pretty much gotten over the gender and race thing, I still notice quite often that you’d better be pretty enthusiastic about praying with the group and voting Republican if you want to be a member of the “club.”

It appears we still often require our 2nd amendment supporters to be pretty far right wing in both religion and political party. That’s all well and good for small groups and clubs here and there if that’s the overwhelming desire of their members; however, if our intention is to bring in more shooters and future 2nd Amendment advocates, how about we focus on the Bill of Rights and try not to alienate potential recruits with needless political party and religious affiliation grandstanding. It does nothing for the cause, even if it does make us feel better about ourselves.

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