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LEFT-WING GUN OWNERS, TRUST, AND THE MEDIA

Recently, leftist gun owners have been the subject of scrutiny by the media. A handful of recent mass shootings have been committed by individuals that associate with left-wing nontraditional gun ownership. Recently, a shooting in Nashville, Tennessee was committed by a transgender man. However, before this shooting left-wing gun owners, mostly trans-left-wing gun owners, were under scrutiny from the media on all sides. Gun ownership conflicts with the current goals of the mainstream Democratic party, and some traditional gun owners and right-wing media personalities construe the left arming itself as a threat of violence.

 

Ironically, the left is arming themselves with the same type of weapons the right believes they are inherently entitled to. Recently. former Fox News host Tucker Carlson ran a segment standing against transgender Americans arming themselves. The guns they are arming themselves with are the same guns emblazoned on the breast pockets of Republicans in Congress, and the same guns they display in political advertisements. However, Carlson still found transgender arming themselves to be "incitement," despite their actions being identical to the rights'.

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Paranoia, distrust, and fear dictate many left-wing gun owners' actions and outsiders or newcomers have to work to gain respect. These sentiments are especially true in regard to anyone asking questions, or proposing a different perspective. Different organizations adhere to this on varying levels, but the further along the political spectrum you go, the more paranoia you find. New members of organizations are thoroughly vetted, sometimes for a year or more. Curious newcomers are treated as if they are potentially the police or spies from the right with malicious intent. Left and right-wing gun owners have more in common than they would like to admit. They distrust the news media, plan for the worst-case scenario, and believe that firearms are a necessary component to the defense of their rights.

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Some chapters cite fears of “doxing,” as the primary reason for paranoia and extreme caution. The concern is valid. Several members of more politically charged organizations like the Socialist Rifle Association and John Brown Gun Club have been doxed. “Doxing,” is the act of publishing someone's personal information online, usually in forums that target them for a political reason with malicious intent. The information published can range from names and birthdays to home and work addresses. “Doxing,” has historically targeted members of marginalized communities, and currently malicious actors are targeting members of the LGBT community.

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The further left one goes, the more the desire for anonymity starts to show. Left-of-center organizations, like the Liberal Gun Club, are easy to access. Progressing further into left-wing ideological groups, distrust is more prevalent. Groups like the John Brown Gun Club exist on the fringe of the left and are often looked at disfavorably by both the left and right of American politics due to occasional extremist tendencies. 

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Members of the Bay State chapter of the John Brown Gun Club pose after a range day. Their faces are replaced with images of Karl Marx and John Brown. Photo via Bay State JBGC.

Paranoia limits these organizations' desire to work with professional media, however, most chapters of left-wing firearm organizations are very active on social media. This is especially true about the Socialist Rifle Association and John Brown Gun Club. Most chapters of each organization are very active on Twitter, almost exclusively. Here they engage in the dissemination of propaganda, discourse with like-minded people, and release political statements in response to timely political events. 

 

Social media provides these groups with a means to plan events and interact with their community and audience. In the pursuit of anonymity they share no personal information and even go as far as altering images to hide or remove member’s faces, yet they still engage on public social media. Although engaging on public feeds, members have been very good at remaining anonymous. They identify themselves with pseudonyms, interact under anonymous profiles, and even if they identify with their name they rarely give any further information.

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A Socialist Rifle Association recruitment poster.

Organizations are willing to work with journalists and media outlets as long as it falls under their terms. Some prefer signed non-disclosure agreements to protect members’ identities, want staged photos and videos, and choose to vet journalists looking to cover them. Since the beginning of 2023, right-wing coverage has shifted some focus to left-wing firearm organizations, and most of it is not positive. Left-wing firearm organizations like to control their narrative to protect their image, their identities, and in their opinion, their life. The value other organizations find in media coverage is often not the same for groups like the SRA and JBGC. Members fear that media coverage can lead to pushback from the left and the right. Despite little participation in media coverage and their limited interactions with outsiders, left-wing groups continue to grow. 

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