Thread by @eleanor_rising

1. Thread in defence of the 2A and The Right To Bear Arms from a woman in England…

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#2A #2ADefenders #NRA

2. I moved to the US State of Virginia at the age of 8 in 1987. My father worked in Washington D.C for the United Nations. It was there I was introduced to supporters of the Second Amendment – the right to bear arms - and NRA members.

3. They were my teachers, my neighbours, my friend’s parents, my librarian, my dentist etc…They were the best people I ever knew. I still miss them to this day. And I have many people to compare them to. I’ve lived in 11 countries.

4. Here’s why…

5. My parents, though articulate and well educated, did not teach me my identity or history. Americans did. One father, a man with no television nor radio in his home, taught me about the English Civil War and Oliver Cromwell.

6. A man I met in Roanoke told me with a smile that he did know where England was...a land where 100 miles is a long way and 100 years no time at all.

7. My sixth grade teacher, who read aloud to us each afternoon, introduced me to Paul Revere’s Ride and The Highwayman.

8. On playdates, I was a part of the Christian ethos of their households. It was a revelation to me to encounter people so steadfast in their morality (not moral relativism) knowledge of scripture and committed to the preservation of their family, homes and communities.

9. They were completely unlike my parents. My older sister @robesonblogs jokes that I’m more American than British. I laugh too but in a way she is correct. I spent 7 years amongst Americans and that is nearly half my childhood.

10. After the United States, my father was transferred to Ankara, Turkey. I attended school on an American Air Force Base.

11. Outside the base I endured racial and sexual harassment. I endured the indifference of my parents. I endured the void of the ‘international, aid-worker’ community. I could not articulate any of it but there was one man who knew what was going on…

12. His name was Tom; a Republican & ex- soldier. He was my cross country coach seeing me through to winning the championships. His lessons of self-reliance, accountability and just gentle, everyday encouragement provided a fortifying/lasting relief from my disordered childhood.

13. That was why when I first came to England I found it puzzling to hear 2A supporters or NRA members mocked as Bible thumpers, rednecks, hicks or white trash. That is NOT who they are.

14. Think Atticus, ‘the deadliest shot in Maycomb County, in To Kill A Mockingbird when he uses a gun to kill the rabid dog

15. Think sheepdogs who protect their flock

16. Think gatekeepers watchful for breaches of the borders.

17. The Americans I was raised amongst - Christians, Republicans, NRA members - were peaceful people who believed in defending themselves. They are NOT responsible for mass shootings and gang violence.

18. I find it obscene that they are blamed for them. But then evil is inversion.

19. My understanding of the 2A began locally as a girl. Today, it continues as a global fight.

20. I am indebted to a people so influential in forming me emotionally, intellectually and spiritually. Something my parents were and still are completely redundant in.
Disarming Americans means destroying them. What then does that mean for the rest of Western Civilization?