British teacher's angry letter provides lesson on anti-gun mentality

For many years now, BuckeyeFirearms.org has featured an article on our website entitled "Raging Against Self Defense - A Psychiatrist Examines The Anti-Gun Mentality." Written by Sarah Thompson, M.D., the article examines some of the defense mechanisms that are common in gun control extremists.

A man identifying himself as a "teacher in England," responding to a flood of recent world-wide media attention to our FASTER Saves Lives program to protect children in schools, has provided a wonderful example of the phenomenon of projection.

As Dr. Thompson writes, "projection is a particularly insidious defense mechanism, because it not only prevents a person from dealing with his own feelings, it also creates a world where he perceives everyone else as directing his own hostile feelings back at him."

Thompson goes on to say that "most people can acknowledge feelings of rage, fear, frustration, jealousy, etc. without having to act on them in inappropriate and destructive ways."

"Some people, however, are unable consciously to admit that they have such "unacceptable" emotions. They may have higher than average levels of rage, frustration, or fear. Perhaps they fear that if they acknowledge the hostile feelings, they will lose control and really will hurt someone. They may believe that 'good people' never have such feelings, when in fact all people have them."

"This is especially true now that education "experts" commonly prohibit children from expressing negative emotions or aggression.

"Unfortunately," Thompson writes, "using such defense mechanisms inappropriately can endanger [one's] mental health."

Thompson's article came to mind as I read this British teacher's letter (edited for language):

> On Jun 21, 2017, at 11:00, Dave Sugar wrote:
>
> From: Dave Sugar
> Subject: Read me - important
>
> Message:
> You fXXXing loons... hahahaha. Giving school teachers guns in school HAHAHAHA. I'm a teacher in England, and you braindead idiots are beyond crazy with this kind of shit.
> Scenario 1) Kid steals gun from teacher.shoots people.
> Scenario 2) Gun accidentally goes off. Shoots kid.
> Scenario 3) Kid scared of teacher so doesn't ask question in class.. Good job on that one btw.
> Scenario 4) teacher snaps. Shoots his entire class
> Scenario 5) teacher has argument with another teacher. Shoots him/her
> GREAT JOB REDUCING SCHOOL VIOLENCE. WAY TO GO! Grow some fXXXing brains you trump supporting loons.
>
> This message was sent from the contact form on FASTERSavesLives.org.

Thompson's article also addresses other defense mechanisms and characteristics exhibited in Mr. Sugar's article. I highly recommended you read it.

In the meantime, Buckeye Firearms Association Legislative Chair Ken Hanson has decided to reply to Mr. Sugar by way of an open letter:

Dear Teacher in England.

Thanks for the email. It appears you don't know the full extent of what we do.

Scenario 1 Pretty impressive student since the guns are usually stored in biometric lock safes.

Scenario 2 Guns don't accidentally go off; uniformed, hyper-opinionated Progressives do.

Scenario 3 Who has a gun is not public knowledge. So just as surely as your students hate you and don't ask questions for (this non-gun related) reason, the guns in FASTER won't add to fear.

Scenario 4 Not with a FASTER gun, but if he brings a gun from home to shoot entire class, an armed teacher is present to stop the shooting 10 minutes or so quicker than the police. This same teacher can begin rendering emergency trauma aid long before the first medics can arrive, thanks to the emergency trauma medicine training and large trauma kits now present, for free, in each FASTER school.

Scenario 5 Wow - I didn't understand the level of hatred that teachers have for each other in England. Since the gun isn't present during the argument, that angry teacher is just as likely to go get in their car and drive it across the playground to run over the teacher.

The object facts are that someone in a FASTER school is much safer than walking on a sidewalk in London or Manchester.

How's that whole appeasement thing working this time? I seem to recall you tried that route 75 or so years ago, and Brits had to beg Americans to send their privately-owned firearms to Britain to secure the homeland from Nazis who were close to violently taking over ALL the British schools.

Cheers! Look both ways before crossing the street and count your kitchen knives each night.

I'm pretty sure Ken's letter doesn't follow the helpful suggestions Dr. Thompson gives in her article for communicating with anti-gun people, but it sure was fun.

Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Association Secretary, BFA PAC Vice Chairman, and a NRA-certified firearms instructor. He is the editor of BuckeyeFirearms.org, which received the Outdoor Writers of Ohio 2013 Supporting Member Award for Best Website, and was named among HuntingMark.com's Elite Armament Bloggers of 2017.