Hoplology isn’t exactly a household word, so before I get too far with this post I had better define my key term. Hoplology– derived from “hoplos,” a type of Ancient Greek fighter– is essentially the study of human combative behavior. Personally, I like to think of it as a quirky branch of anthropology. Some anthropologists might visit a tribe in a remote corner of the world and study that tribe’s traditional forms of dance, trying to use the dance as a lens to better understand the tribe’s culture. A hoplologist would want to learn more about the tribe by examining their fighting methods– what do the types of weapons that they use tell us about their culture? Does the fact that their fighting techniques focus on wrestling tell us something about their society? Can we learn something from the way that they conceptualize the act of combat?
I have a phobia for doctors. That is not true, I have an aversion to doctors. It’s not quite a phobia. After my combat experience I saw a psychologist and he drove me crazy. If you ask someone 2,342 times how violence makes them feel rest assured, they will commit violence on you. I’m not completely knocking the mental health field, but sometimes they do more damage than the original trauma the patient experienced.
“Hoplophobia is a mental disturbance characterized by irrational aversion to weapons, as opposed to justified apprehension about those who may wield them.” Lt Col Jeff Cooper
This is the definition of the word that Jeff Cooper first coined. I see it all the time. I had a coworker tell me his wife would not let him get a gun even though both of them felt the need for a means to defend their young family. I told him about hoplophobia and that it is an irrational worry. Sadly, the bumper sticker is correct, “Guns don’t kill people, People do.” I told him to find a afternoon when they could meet me at the range.
We found an afternoon and I was ready. First, we talked about the logical reasons for her fear, which are not really logical but emotional. I talked about her gun training. She said she didn’t have any gun training. I said, “Yes you do!” Then we talked about the false training that comes for Hollywood and the media. We were at the range so there was someone else there shooting but several bays away. Every time there was a shot she jumped. I gave her some headsets and that helped. We talked about how guns are just inanimate objects and that they don’t just go off without human interaction. I kept all the guns in cases on another table. We talked about gun safety, and we used a “rubber” gun. It was a natural conversation, and she was put at ease.
Then I showed her a .22 Long round. Then I brought out a Ruger 10/22, and we talked about the rifle. We practice rounds I showed her how to load the magazine. Then, reminding her of the safety rules we talked about, I handed her the rifle, and she loaded the magazine and charged a round. She then cycled the gun until the 5 rounds from the magazine were all out.
We then talked again about the safety rules, and I gave her some live rounds. She loaded the magazine. I handed her the rifle again and she chambered a round. We talked about aiming and sight picture. She took the rifle and sighted in on the target and squeezed the trigger. I had her shoot the 5 rounds I had her load. We made the gun safe and went to look at her shots. She had an impressive group with one flyer. We talked about those 5 shots and went back to the bench. She loaded and shot 10 more shots. Then there were 10 more and repeated the process. I then had her make the gun safe, put the rifle aside, and then we talked. We talked about her shots, aim, grip, trigger discipline, breathing, all over again. We touched again on safety then talked about the experience. I asked her if it was a frightening experience. She said once she understood the safety rules and why we have them, and understood how to operate the gun, she was actually having fun! I said it was what I said when we started, “Education changes everything.” We did similar things with a handgun, and she even shot a 9mm and a .38. The fear was gone. Replaced by education and fun! The mystery and false teaching melted away, and she learned to safely control and use a firearm. She suffered from Hoplophobia, the irrational fear of weapons.
There are many that suffer from this. But the media is the worst purveyor of misinformation and downright lies concerning guns. The anti-gun people are not always bad about this, especially if they are taught truth and given good education. Most people react like my coworkers wife. Often many can be brought over to our side with the same type of experience. So, if you witness some idiot that think it’s funny to give a 12 guage to a petite woman and watch her get beat because of inadequate training, and no safety education, stop the travesty. And those who are guilty of this are usually not anti-gun. We want more rational people in our corner and these dangerous, bad experiences just hurt our cause. Also, stop doing stupid things with guns. Learn and keep the rules. Teach with patience and a real interest in making that first range time for the inexperienced person a good experience. Remember the safety rules:
1. All guns are always loaded
2. Never point a gun at anything you’re not willing to destroy
3. Keep your finger off the trigger and out of the trigger guard until your sights are on the target
4. Know your target and beyond the target
We as gun advocates need to be calm and rational in a crazy irrational world. Some anti-gun people are nuts. Completely unapproachable and unwilling to learn. But most people will learn and understand better. It may not make them gun people, but at least they have a better understanding that the hype created by the media is not true.
Semper Paratus
Check 6
Burn
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