The fact remains that most dogs will not defend you unless they are trained for that. They're a poor substitute for a gun.

If he could stop cozying up to anti-LGBT people, that'd be nice. Until then, I'm not supporting him or voting for him.

For it to work that way, you'd need to first reform police and government in many places.

You need to start with police and government reform, then.

I understand that argument, but how do you prevent racist cops and authoritarians like Trump from abusing the power necessary to do all of that?

For example, they want to ban transgender people from owning guns, claiming they're mentally ill. They would abuse gun regulation to persecute people.

I think demolishing the original Constitution(civil war) was good because it ended slavery. Reconstruction ended prematurely.

Vote for the corporate candidates no matter who.

Gun control laws.

Corrupt police enforce the law and use it against minorities and other marginalized groups. People who aren't being brutalized by the regime think it'll work out.

The burden of that always falls on marginalized groups. You're speaking from a position of privilege.

It has a long history. The actual feds loved to let the paranoia go in advance of them and dismantle organizations without any direct effort.

There's already a tool for this: the Incident Command System (ICS).

The experiences of right wing armed organizations is instructive. By organizing, they made better targets for government suppression.

As people on the left embrace the right to keep and bear arms, they shouldn't make the same mistake. Building ad hoc orgs for short term needs is better.

That's an insightful observation that gets to the heart of the matter. Here's a 5 paragraph essay on the topic that you didn't ask for.

The original laws protected slavery, didn't apply the Bill of Rights to the states, and didn't let women vote.

This isn't a hill you want to die on.

(all times are Mountain time zone)

Again, payment is optional for the class. I want everyone to learn basic safety, even if they can't afford it.

If you live in New Mexico and want to get your license, you'll need to meet up with me at the range in Las Cruces on Sunday from 10-5 for live fire.

If you live elsewhere, I can help you find an instructor for live fire and local laws to complete your training.

This class is designed to fit New Mexico requirements, but it's packed with information that's useful anywhere in the US.

We'll cover safety, how firearms work, relevant laws, de-escalation, and how to stay out of trouble.