FOR writing two articles about guns early last week I copped emails about being a hack journalist, an idiot, stupid, racist, a woman who couldn’t string two words together or deal with facts, and a moron.
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The anonymous person who occasionally emails to tell me I’m a femiNazi must be away on holidays, or I’m sure he or she would have chipped in as well.
There were quite a few online comments, the majority arguing against NSW Greens MP David Shoebridge’s Too Many Guns campaign after the release of NSW Police data showing the number of registered guns in the state by postcode. It showed someone in Cardiff has the highest individual number of registered guns in the state, at 322.
Mr Shoebridge released the data and expressed the view that owning so many guns potentially made people “honeypot targets” for criminals. He copped it for that.
One of the people who emailed was Scott Hillard, who accused me of a “disgraceful bit of journalism” by writing about a Hunter woman who did not believe one person should have 322 guns after her drug addict, criminal son accidentally shot himself while running from police.
Mr Hillard’s email included that I was one of the “hacks at Fairfax”, and chipped me for not seeking an opposing point of view (although I had, and it was included). Mr Hillard finished the email with the word “Hopeless”, and his “Best regards”.
I replied politely about the points I believed were being made in the Too Many Guns campaign. Mr Hillard then emailed politely and we exchanged a few more emails until he finally said he was NSW head of Firearm Owners United, and gave me his mobile phone number.
We had a pleasant few conversations after that, in which he said his position on guns is informed by being a libertarian – someone who believes we should all be free to live our own lives within the law, as long as we don’t impinge on the freedom of others.
On the same day David Shoebridge launched the Too Many Guns campaign, we first learnt of an appalling sexist and racist online attack on Greens MP Jenny Leong by some NSW Police officers, after she raised concerns about police sniffer dogs.
On his Facebook page Mr Shoebridge copped it again for supporting Ms Leong, with quite a number of posts from gun owners accusing him of hypocrisy for defending Ms Leong, because he “attacked law abiding citizens in a vile and overt way” by calling for gun restrictions.
During an interview Mr Hillard said Firearm Owners United, which was established six months ago, was using social media to advance the case for Australia to enact gun laws closer to New Zealand, where guns are, by and large, not registered.
That’s when I gave him some advice. How we communicate is as important as what we communicate. Gun owners who post online attacks against anyone who dares venture an opinion on guns; whose opening salvo is a personal attack; who see any attempt at public dialogue as a personal affront, are not helping their cause. If someone can’t even debate the issue without being aggressive, why would anyone be thrilled at the idea of more guns?
Mr Hillard is an intelligent man with a great sense of humour, who had the decency to acknowledge I could simply have deleted his initial email because it hardly invited communication. Instead I replied and wrote an article on his views on gun laws.
It’s called being reasonable and open to another’s point of view. I recommend it.
