Artificial intelligence, no matter how much the term doesn’t really apply to what we call AI, isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. For better or worse, it’s part of our lives now, and it’s up to us to try to figure out where it fits in.
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And it’s an interesting tool, to say the least. I’ve gotten a kick out of using it at times, though I’ve also seen where it gets a whole lot wrong and is less than trustworthy.
But Frank Miniter over at America’s 1st Freedom did something interesting. He asked ChatGPT how to talk about gun control at the Thanksgiving table. After all, we already know that anti-gunners seem to think people should and have offered guides on how to do it.
While I think it’s best if we leave politics aside for holiday gatherings, as there are more important things at those moments, it’s clear not everyone agrees with me. Miniter, though, took ChatGPT’s suggestions–suggestions gleaned from anti-gun groups and their guides–and kind of flipped the script.
I did the unthinkable; I asked ChatGPT what advice gun-control groups have for Thanksgiving conversations. “Good question,” complemented ChatGPT.
“Yes—several gun-control/gun-safety groups do have advice for how to talk about guns at holiday gatherings like Thanksgiving. Here are some of their key recommendations … .” said my AI friend.
First, it advised me to use “‘I’ statements and personal framing.” For this advice, this AI engine drew on an article from the gun-control group Giffords. “Giffords suggests using ‘I feel…’ or ‘I believe…’ to express your concerns, rather than coming across as accusatory,” said ChatGPT. “This helps to keep the conversation from escalating and makes it more about your concern for safety, not just political ideology.”
With an honest foundation—sans this group’s political spin—this is actually not bad advice; for example, someone might ask, “I feel that women in particular—this goes double for single mothers and the elderly—need their Second Amendment rights, so they can protect themselves until help arrives.”
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It actually is solid advice. The reason for using “I” statements and personal framing is that it’s a lot harder to undermine the arguments being made, since they’re based on beliefs and feelings. Even “I know” is difficult to undermine because, for many anti-gunners, the idea of a personal truth is sacrosanct.
It’s a clever idea, and one that should we find ourselves engaged in such a discussion over the turkey and cranberry sauce, we should use.
Next, in all bold mind you, ChatGPT said gun-control groups advise to “talk about responsible gun safety, not just gun laws.”
Again, with the gun-control groups’ spin taken out, this is not bad advice. We can have conversations about the NRA’s resources that contribute to actual gun safety, such as that can be found at gunsafetyrules.nra.org and nrainstructors.org.
Again, solid advice.
Most pro-gun people actually do believe in gun safety. We just believe in real gun safety and not gun control masquerading as safety initiatives. The NRA offers a ton of safety programs, including the Eddie Eagle program. Other groups also have their own initiatives and every firearm instructor I know harps on basic safety to a degree that would be annoying if it weren’t so essential.
Then this AI engine drew on Giffords again to say we should “remind people that gun safety doesn’t necessarily mean taking away guns. According to Giffords, part of the conversation can focus on safe storage (unloaded, locked, separate from ammo), licensing and responsible use.”
Well, isn’t that nice of them. This gun-control group’s preferred policies don’t “necessarily mean taking away guns.” They, of course, want we the peoples’ guns, nonetheless. The rest of this advice, however, is gobbledygook, as a self-defense gun that is unloaded, locked and separate from ammo is of no use at all. Still, there is room for conversation on modern gun safes, how we store non-self-defense firearms, why it is critical to our freedom to keep the government out of our gun safes and more—again, all of that can be found in the NRA’s actual gun-safety advice.
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I’d also add that legislation that creates tax credits for gun safes and other firearm safety equipment and/or training should be part of the conversation. It becomes a lot easier to get a quality safe when a credit might offset some of the expense.
That’s not even an overly controversial position. Many anti-gunners support those same measures. It’s a rare example of common ground in the gun debate as it increases safety and doesn’t infringe on people’s rights.
The truth is that the anti-gunners are trying to tell people how to trick or manipulate their family members into either supporting gun control or, at a minimum, losing the debate around the dinner table. The thing is, nothing they say cannot be turned around, as Miniter noted.
I’m not going to lie, I actually smiled when I read this because it wasn’t something I actually thought about when I covered Everytown’s guide for holiday strife earlier this week. It’s worth a shot if nothing else.
Sure, the ideal world will have you surrounded by friends and family who are just happy to be with one another during the holiday. Some of us don’t have as much family around as we used to, so it would be perfect if everyone just appreciated what and who they have.
But if that doesn’t happen, if someone in your family refuses to allow that, then why not flip the script on them? They’re bringing it on themselves, after all.
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Editor’s Note: The radical left will stop at nothing to enact their radical gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.
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