Trouble at work from anti-gunner

petej88 · January 6, 2001, 12:53 AM

Recently at work, a fellow co-worker who was sitting near me, was talking to another co-worker. At one point he jokingly said, "Pete has guns. Make sure you stay on his good side so he doesn't come to work and blow us away". How do you think that made me feel? I felt betrayed and absolutely sick about it.

I talked to this co-worker a little while later and asked why he said such a thing. After all, we've worked together very well for several years. He simply said, "Oh, I'm not afraid of you. I was just kidding".

Well, how do you think this plays out in people's minds? If he keeps saying such things enough, it may in time become a fact in some people's minds. Eventually, this simple jest could cause a harmful snowball effect. That's the political climate I live in. Do I need to be a closet gun owner like several others in my work area that I happen to know about? What is the solution?

**Mike Irwin** · January 6, 2001, 01:58 AM

My response would be, to the third party...

Yep, I've got guns, but Pete doesn't. So, if you're looking for some easy cash some night, you can shake him down. He won't put up much of a fight, he's just a Nancyboy.

EnochGale · January 6, 2001, 10:32 AM

Invite him to the range. Tell folks this (got this elsewhere):

Your wife and 10 year old daughter leave the mall. They see a scruffy weird kid who gives your kid the lacivisous tongue lick. Your family hurries to the car and drives off.

As they proceed for awhile, they see a car with Lickboy
following them.

They are far from home but equidistant from two house.

Mine - gun boy or Nancy boy.

What's your call?

jimpeel · January 6, 2001, 10:51 AM

I take ribbings all of the time for my political beliefs and firearms ownership. Grow yourself a sense of humor.

dvc · January 6, 2001, 11:21 AM

There was a great article posted here the other day from the JPFO entitled, "Raging Against Self Defense: A Psychiatrist Examines The Anti-Gun Mentality".

In a nutshell, anti-gun people attempt to project their own insecurities upon us. In other words, your joking 'friend' is more likely to be the one to come to work and 'blow everyone away' than you are.

What this person's statement tells us that your 'friend' has actually thought about blowing everyone away and is acting out his/her intentions by poking fun at you.

"Projection is a defense mechanism. Defense mechanisms are unconscious psychological mechanisms that protect us from feelings that we cannot consciously accept. They operate without our awareness, so that we don't have to deal consciously with "forbidden" feelings and impulses."

petej88 · January 6, 2001, 11:48 AM

dvc,

Do you perchance have a pointer to the article you mentioned. I did a search and could not find anything in this forum.

Oatka · January 6, 2001, 11:53 AM

I dunno about the sense of humour bit. It all depends where you live. I'd be REAL worried about that cretin if I lived in Massachusetts. They're disarming/jailing people nowadays just for non-PC TALKING for chrissake.

Maybe you should 'splain to him that in today's environment, that type of joking is not appreciated. Maybe that "joke" gets back to some higher up who figures, "Hey, we'd better get rid of X, we may be sued because . . . ".

If he pulls it again, depending upon your outlook, he might become a victim of an industrial "accident", or, tell someone in HR that you resent this type of harassment.

I've rained death on these idiot school superintendent for their Zero Tolerance lunacy, but in this case I think that type of talk should be snuffed out FAST.

Remember, the next big anti-gun push will be to identify beforehand, those "unstable people with guns". "Hey check out X, because Y was saying he might shoot somebody. EVERYBODY knows about it."

dvc · January 6, 2001, 12:28 PM

Here ya go:

http://www.jpfo.org/ragingagainstselfdefense.htm

Lance Gothic · January 6, 2001, 01:12 PM

Petej88,
You're civil rights were violated. Defamation of character. Report it to your HR office, state agencies, federal agencies, congressperson, senators, EEOC, Department of Labor and everyone else you can think of.
None of us has to take that, or any, form of abuse.
If the same comment were directed toward a woman, an Afican-American, a Presbyterian, an immigrant would they be any less offended? Neither should you!
Make your government enforce the laws designed to protect you. And if you're asked if you want to make a federal case out of it you may reply in ALL confidence..."Excuse me, but you already have."
Regards,
Lance Gothic
Shibumi

RHC · January 6, 2001, 04:55 PM

Just ask him politely to cool it.
Explain that you know he's joking, but that's how rumors get started, and soon everyone will believe it.

USP45usp · January 6, 2001, 05:03 PM

That's why the gun is concealled and the people I work for don't need to know. They're happy, I'm armed, no one is for the worse. Also the reason that I never really associated with people from work; friends can be found elsewhere.

USP45usp

EricM · January 6, 2001, 10:25 PM

I get kidded in the same manner when I'm in the office. No big deal, but I work out of my home, so I don't get it much.

paratrooper · January 6, 2001, 10:54 PM

You could have said to the second co-worker " My guns are not a problem . Just watch out if ( mouthy co-worker ) follows you into the mens room .He could blow you away also ." Crude but effective .

Zak Smith · January 7, 2001, 08:26 PM

I'm lucky that many of my cow-orkers have at least a bit of a libertarian bent, but when someone does make a joke (around other people or not), I, very deliberately and seriously, explain that it is not funny, and it is not to be joked about.

This seems to work without inflaming the situation more, and usually they "get it".

MellowMikey · January 7, 2001, 08:50 PM

I got my best evaluation after talking about the use of sniper rifles in vigilante justice.

I find it amusing that these idiots are afraid of me just because I own guns. Doesn't mean I won't use it to my advantage though.

Mikey

petej88 · January 7, 2001, 08:57 PM

Hey folks, thanks for all the interesting replies. And I especially like the pointer to the psychiatrist article. Some good quotable stuff there.

I think I have enough good info to tackle the issue on Monday morning in a diplomatic but firm way.

TheBluesMan · January 7, 2001, 09:31 PM

I agree with smithz.

Off-hand remarks like this should be handled in a very serious manner. If it were me, I would put a grave look on my face and say, "I don't find that very funny. I consider gun ownership a responsibility that must be taken very seriously. Misusing firearms is nothing to joke about."

And thanks for the link, dvc. It's worth checking out.

Longshot · January 8, 2001, 08:58 AM

Lance Gothic has a good point about deformation of character. It might be a good tactic if the behavior continues.

I personally choose not to discuss firearms at work for reasons USP45usp (and others) can readily understand. Better not to draw attention to myself.

abuvavgiq · January 8, 2001, 11:11 AM

Every joke has to have a element of truth in order to be funny!

Mikul · January 8, 2001, 02:22 PM

I would have laughed it off, and probably said something like, "yea, so stop sending me all of those annoying bug reports."

It sounds like a joke, but you have to know the person to know if it was or not. There are people I would take it seriously from and others that I would not.

tuc22 · January 9, 2001, 06:12 AM

In the first place, what this person said to another individual about you was rude. Secondly, it was stupid. Tell him that he should consider what is appropriate before opening his mouth about others either in their presence or behind their backs. Ask him to apologize to the person whom he directed his little joke to, and explain to that person that he had no right to make you the subject of his sense of humor. Do not accept his apology to you until he meets this obligation.

scud · January 9, 2001, 08:27 AM

everyone here where i work is progun and we've all joked about the same thing, could be he was just joking seriously and was just in poor taste. guess it'd bother me too in a anti environment though.

straightShot · January 9, 2001, 10:05 AM

I agree with TheBluesMan.

When someone 'jokes' about 'going postal' or shooting another person, I get quite serious and state that I NEVER joke about guns or shooting. Guns and shooting are a serious responsibility, and I will NEVER smile, nod in agreement, or even simply ignore asinine comments about shooting or killing people.

When such a person can't get a rise out of you, and you don't agree or give them any satisfaction by going along with any of their asinine comments about shooting others, they probably won't make such comments again. By your displaying a serious side, if they have half of a brain, they'll see how stupid their comments are and they'll let them go without going on.

straightShot

Bogie · January 9, 2001, 12:10 PM

Of course, at one time, I did mutter something about going postal...

The exact quote - "Much more of this, and I'm gonna go postal. (silence) How much do y'all think it'd cost to send me to Hawaii? And none of them darn styrofoam peanuts either!"

Eric Blair · January 9, 2001, 12:11 PM

On thursday a group of co workers were talking about the Edgewater Tech. shooting. Being in Boston, this was a major concern for my coworkers. While outside of my cube, one of them says, "If anything happens I'll run into Eric's cube, he has arms!"

I reply, "Yea, two of them, one to dial 911, the other to help me hide under my desk!" *

I am very vocal about my gun rights stance. I have an OPEN invitation to all my co workers to go shooting with me. Including Full Auto in NH.
It does give me credibity to be a certified instructor, but it shounldn't matter. (It does, but shouldn't)

You have to decide early on if you are going to be a closet gun owner. If not, walk like a peacock. If so, tell NO ONE at work. How's the old saying go? "Three can keep a secret, if two of them are dead."

Eric
* - It is NO ONES bussiness if I carry firearms. I don't tell people if I carry a condom or if I carry a firearm. Personal protection is just that, personal.

January 6, 2001, 10:51 AM	#4
jimpeel Senior Member Join Date: October 11, 1999 Location: Longmont, CO, USA Posts: 4,530	I take ribbings all of the time for my political beliefs and firearms ownership. Grow yourself a sense of humor. __________________ Gun Control: The premise that a woman found in an alley, raped and strangled with her own pantyhose, is morally superior to allowing that same woman to defend her life with a firearm. "Science is built up with facts, as a house is with stones. But a collection of facts is no more a science than a heap of stones is a house." - Jules Henri Poincare "Three thousand people died on Sept. 11 because eight pilots were killed" -- former Northwest Airlines pilot Stephen Luckey

January 6, 2001, 12:28 PM	#8
dvc Senior Member Join Date: December 2, 1999 Posts: 387	Hey Pete... Here ya go: http://www.jpfo.org/ragingagainstselfdefense.htm

January 6, 2001, 10:54 PM	#13
paratrooper Senior Member Join Date: March 31, 2000 Location: Kingman AZ Posts: 1,290	You could have said to the second co-worker " My guns are not a problem . Just watch out if ( mouthy co-worker ) follows you into the mens room .He could blow you away also ." Crude but effective . __________________ TOM NRA LDMA AMERICAN LEGION U.S. PARATROOPER

January 7, 2001, 08:57 PM	#16
petej88 Senior Member Join Date: November 7, 1999 Location: US Posts: 510	Hey folks, thanks for all the interesting replies. And I especially like the pointer to the psychiatrist article. Some good quotable stuff there. I think I have enough good info to tackle the issue on Monday morning in a diplomatic but firm way. __________________ http://www.45gap.com

January 7, 2001, 09:31 PM	#17
TheBluesMan Moderator Emeritus Join Date: June 15, 1999 Location: Ohio Posts: 7,558	I agree with smithz. Off-hand remarks like this should be handled in a very serious manner. If it were me, I would put a grave look on my face and say, "I don't find that very funny. I consider gun ownership a responsibility that must be taken very seriously. Misusing firearms is nothing to joke about." And thanks for the link, dvc. It's worth checking out. __________________ -Dave Miller ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ! NRA Certified Instructor: Pistol, Rifle, Shotgun, Home Firearms Safety, Personal Protection. Tick-off Obama - Join the NRA Today - Save $10

January 6, 2001, 12:53 AM	#1
petej88 Senior Member Join Date: November 7, 1999 Location: US Posts: 510	Recently at work, a fellow co-worker who was sitting near me, was talking to another co-worker. At one point he jokingly said, "Pete has guns. Make sure you stay on his good side so he doesn't come to work and blow us away". How do you think that made me feel? I felt betrayed and absolutely sick about it. I talked to this co-worker a little while later and asked why he said such a thing. After all, we've worked together very well for several years. He simply said, "Oh, I'm not afraid of you. I was just kidding". Well, how do you think this plays out in people's minds? If he keeps saying such things enough, it may in time become a fact in some people's minds. Eventually, this simple jest could cause a harmful snowball effect. That's the political climate I live in. Do I need to be a closet gun owner like several others in my work area that I happen to know about? What is the solution?

January 6, 2001, 01:58 AM	#2
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,392	My response would be, to the third party... Yep, I've got guns, but Pete doesn't. So, if you're looking for some easy cash some night, you can shake him down. He won't put up much of a fight, he's just a Nancyboy.

January 6, 2001, 10:32 AM	#3
EnochGale Senior Member Join Date: May 18, 2000 Location: southwest Posts: 823	Invite him to the range. Tell folks this (got this elsewhere): Your wife and 10 year old daughter leave the mall. They see a scruffy weird kid who gives your kid the lacivisous tongue lick. Your family hurries to the car and drives off. As they proceed for awhile, they see a car with Lickboy following them. They are far from home but equidistant from two house. Mine - gun boy or Nancy boy. What's your call?

January 6, 2001, 11:21 AM	#5
dvc Senior Member Join Date: December 2, 1999 Posts: 387	There was a great article posted here the other day from the JPFO entitled, "Raging Against Self Defense: A Psychiatrist Examines The Anti-Gun Mentality". In a nutshell, anti-gun people attempt to project their own insecurities upon us. In other words, your joking 'friend' is more likely to be the one to come to work and 'blow everyone away' than you are. What this person's statement tells us that your 'friend' has actually thought about blowing everyone away and is acting out his/her intentions by poking fun at you. "Projection is a defense mechanism. Defense mechanisms are unconscious psychological mechanisms that protect us from feelings that we cannot consciously accept. They operate without our awareness, so that we don't have to deal consciously with "forbidden" feelings and impulses."

January 6, 2001, 11:48 AM	#6
petej88 Senior Member Join Date: November 7, 1999 Location: US Posts: 510	dvc, Do you perchance have a pointer to the article you mentioned. I did a search and could not find anything in this forum.

January 6, 2001, 11:53 AM	#7
Oatka Senior Member Join Date: February 28, 1999 Location: Nevada Posts: 3,076	I dunno about the sense of humour bit. It all depends where you live. I'd be REAL worried about that cretin if I lived in Massachusetts. They're disarming/jailing people nowadays just for non-PC TALKING for chrissake. Maybe you should 'splain to him that in today's environment, that type of joking is not appreciated. Maybe that "joke" gets back to some higher up who figures, "Hey, we'd better get rid of X, we may be sued because . . . ". If he pulls it again, depending upon your outlook, he might become a victim of an industrial "accident", or, tell someone in HR that you resent this type of harassment. I've rained death on these idiot school superintendent for their Zero Tolerance lunacy, but in this case I think that type of talk should be snuffed out FAST. Remember, the next big anti-gun push will be to identify beforehand, those "unstable people with guns". "Hey check out X, because Y was saying he might shoot somebody. EVERYBODY knows about it."

January 6, 2001, 01:12 PM	#9
Lance Gothic Member Join Date: October 19, 2000 Posts: 86	Petej88, You're civil rights were violated. Defamation of character. Report it to your HR office, state agencies, federal agencies, congressperson, senators, EEOC, Department of Labor and everyone else you can think of. None of us has to take that, or any, form of abuse. If the same comment were directed toward a woman, an Afican-American, a Presbyterian, an immigrant would they be any less offended? Neither should you! Make your government enforce the laws designed to protect you. And if you're asked if you want to make a federal case out of it you may reply in ALL confidence..."Excuse me, but you already have." Regards, Lance Gothic Shibumi

January 6, 2001, 04:55 PM	#10
RHC Senior Member Join Date: March 30, 2000 Posts: 678	Just ask him politely to cool it. Explain that you know he's joking, but that's how rumors get started, and soon everyone will believe it.

January 6, 2001, 05:03 PM	#11
USP45usp Junior member Join Date: May 17, 2000 Location: Eugene, OR Posts: 3,427	That's why the gun is concealled and the people I work for don't need to know. They're happy, I'm armed, no one is for the worse. Also the reason that I never really associated with people from work; friends can be found elsewhere. USP45usp

January 6, 2001, 10:25 PM	#12
EricM Senior Member Join Date: April 28, 2000 Location: Idaho Posts: 1,060	I get kidded in the same manner when I'm in the office. No big deal, but I work out of my home, so I don't get it much.

January 7, 2001, 08:26 PM	#14
Zak Smith Senior Member Join Date: December 12, 1999 Location: Fort Collins, Colorado, USA Posts: 2,682	I'm lucky that many of my cow-orkers have at least a bit of a libertarian bent, but when someone does make a joke (around other people or not), I, very deliberately and seriously, explain that it is not funny, and it is not to be joked about. This seems to work without inflaming the situation more, and usually they "get it".

January 7, 2001, 08:50 PM	#15
MellowMikey Senior Member Join Date: November 27, 2000 Location: Arizona Territory Posts: 271	I got my best evaluation after talking about the use of sniper rifles in vigilante justice. I find it amusing that these idiots are afraid of me just because I own guns. Doesn't mean I won't use it to my advantage though. Mikey

January 8, 2001, 08:58 AM	#18
Longshot Senior Member Join Date: January 17, 2000 Location: Oregon Posts: 717	Lance Gothic has a good point about deformation of character. It might be a good tactic if the behavior continues. I personally choose not to discuss firearms at work for reasons USP45usp (and others) can readily understand. Better not to draw attention to myself. __________________ "You have to understand...most of these people are not ready to be unplugged...they are so inured, so completely dependent on the system, that they will fight to protect it" Morpheus-The Matrix Semper Fi! Oregonians, please support the Oregon Firearms Federation, our local "no compromise" chapter of the GOA

January 8, 2001, 11:11 AM	#19
abuvavgiq Junior Member Join Date: January 6, 2001 Location: Santa Barbara , Ca. Posts: 11	Every joke has to have a element of truth in order to be funny!

January 8, 2001, 02:22 PM	#20
Mikul Senior Member Join Date: March 21, 2000 Posts: 1,396	I would have laughed it off, and probably said something like, "yea, so stop sending me all of those annoying bug reports." It sounds like a joke, but you have to know the person to know if it was or not. There are people I would take it seriously from and others that I would not.

January 9, 2001, 06:12 AM	#21
tuc22 Senior Member Join Date: July 6, 1999 Posts: 367	In the first place, what this person said to another individual about you was rude. Secondly, it was stupid. Tell him that he should consider what is appropriate before opening his mouth about others either in their presence or behind their backs. Ask him to apologize to the person whom he directed his little joke to, and explain to that person that he had no right to make you the subject of his sense of humor. Do not accept his apology to you until he meets this obligation.

January 9, 2001, 08:27 AM	#22
scud Senior Member Join Date: February 4, 2000 Location: Tampa FL Posts: 1,094	everyone here where i work is progun and we've all joked about the same thing, could be he was just joking seriously and was just in poor taste. guess it'd bother me too in a anti environment though.

January 9, 2001, 10:05 AM	#23
straightShot Senior Member Join Date: July 2, 2000 Location: MI, USA Posts: 668	I agree with TheBluesMan. When someone 'jokes' about 'going postal' or shooting another person, I get quite serious and state that I NEVER joke about guns or shooting. Guns and shooting are a serious responsibility, and I will NEVER smile, nod in agreement, or even simply ignore asinine comments about shooting or killing people. When such a person can't get a rise out of you, and you don't agree or give them any satisfaction by going along with any of their asinine comments about shooting others, they probably won't make such comments again. By your displaying a serious side, if they have half of a brain, they'll see how stupid their comments are and they'll let them go without going on. straightShot

January 9, 2001, 12:10 PM	#24
Bogie Senior Member Join Date: June 5, 2000 Location: Job hunting on the road... Posts: 3,827	Of course, at one time, I did mutter something about going postal... The exact quote - "Much more of this, and I'm gonna go postal. (silence) How much do y'all think it'd cost to send me to Hawaii? And none of them darn styrofoam peanuts either!"

January 9, 2001, 12:11 PM	#25
Eric Blair Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 1999 Posts: 101	Ya need a good sense of humor... On thursday a group of co workers were talking about the Edgewater Tech. shooting. Being in Boston, this was a major concern for my coworkers. While outside of my cube, one of them says, "If anything happens I'll run into Eric's cube, he has arms!" I reply, "Yea, two of them, one to dial 911, the other to help me hide under my desk!" * I am very vocal about my gun rights stance. I have an OPEN invitation to all my co workers to go shooting with me. Including Full Auto in NH. It does give me credibity to be a certified instructor, but it shounldn't matter. (It does, but shouldn't) You have to decide early on if you are going to be a closet gun owner. If not, walk like a peacock. If so, tell NO ONE at work. How's the old saying go? "Three can keep a secret, if two of them are dead." Eric * - It is NO ONES bussiness if I carry firearms. I don't tell people if I carry a condom or if I carry a firearm. Personal protection is just that, personal.