WAS FREUD CORRECT?
Does this explain elements of hoplophobia, and the position of many leftists?
"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity."
--Sigmund Freud, General Introduction to Psychoanalysis

I think that it's important to understand the reasoning and motives that drive gun-control proponents. Know thine enemy. Characterizing them as a bunch of liberal whackos with penis envy is neither accurate nor insightful.

I divide ggs into three categories:

1) People who out of ignorance and exposure to misinformation (often from TV and movies) don't understand that firearms, properly selected and used, are safe and effective tools for various tasks.

2) People who make a conscious decision to lead a life of nonviolence with a full appreciation for the personal consequences this has. These people are rare and their faith often plays a large role in their lives. Though small in numbers, they are outspoken. Their effect on public policy has been limited post-9/11 because most people don't accept the underlying premise of their message.

3) People whose trust in governments is greater than their trust in individual decision-making. Generally, they underestimate the safety and effectiveness of empowering individuals (e.g. they make the "wild west" argument for safety and the "middle aged white guy" argument for effectiveness), and overestimate the transformative power of government (arguing that substantial reductions in violence can be achieved by concentrating availability of the means in the hands of government actors).

Trivializing and mocking the ggs takes the focus away from the real debate and the real issues, whether amongst ourselves or in wider public discourse. It's not about genitalia or mental illness, it's about differences in deeply held viewpoints about the role of government and individual rights.