Now first to stave off any undeserving contention I’ll define “Fudd” as a hunter or sportsman who is willing to compromise with Anti-Rights forces to save their own hobby at the expense of hobbies who don’t interest them.
The best real-world American example is of course the gun owners in the 1990s who supported the federal Assault Weapons Ban because they didn’t hunt with AR-15s (tho today they have eclipsed the Bolt and lever guns in the field) and kept a M1911 or revolver as their self-defense gun (Conceal carry was also much more rare back then) which don’t take “High Capacity Magazines”.
Also recently we talked about a black powder gun maker who was all for firearm restrictions, of course because his guns of choice aren’t firearms per ATF rules, so no harm to him.
I would say that there are much fewer Fudds out there today than there were. They aren’t extinct yet , and maybe never will be, but they are much less relevant in politics. Not only do they pose a threat to freedom, but also to human safety. Take this story in Australia. Anti-hunting activist gets shot in the face. Not sure if it was an accident or a Teenager who got egged on and made a HUGE mistake. Of course this is an extra sexy hunting story, there are countless hunting accidents world wide, if people hunt there will be hunters who shoot something they didn’t plan to.
Also there’s this story of a guy brave enough to share his negligent discharge story with us. I mentioned he got a passing grade with a “D” on his 4 rules. I say that seriously because while he did make a very foolish mistake and treat a gun as if it was unloaded without first verifying there were no live rounds anywhere near the gun, but he followed the other 3 rules very well, and when the gun did unexpectedly discharge nothing of consequence was harmed.
That’s another truth about any tool, you’re going to have accidents. We can do out best to minimize them with safety, but we can’t ever stop them. I have dents in my truck from traffic accidents. Thankfully nobody was hurt. I have scars on my hands from working with knives. I have an uncle who’s a wood worker who is missing the first knuckle on his middle finger. I once listened to a French Horn Player play a concert with his last 3 fingers, as he had removed his right index finger fabricating a mouthpeice on a lathe.
Of course all I talk about “Gun Death”, people still DO get shot, and I’ll note its more often in places where guns are banned than not…also many of these shootings are disputes over drugs or prostitutes, which are also illegal.
What does this have to do with Fudds? Well in places where the Fudds one and only sporting arms exist we still have hunting accidents and Negligent discharges. In places where civilian gun ownership is outright banned we still have gangs using violence to get their way…and they still manage to get guns.
What we don’t have is civilian self-defense. Which is lives SAVED by guns, and that is NOT a small number. As a matter of fact its such a LARGE number the anti-gun lobby totally ignores it.
My takeaway point is restrict guns, and you will only be causing MORE harm to people, as all the bad things will not disappear.
Speaking from Fudd experience myself (I was a Fudd for 30 years)…I always have a hard time from my family members when I’m showing off a new AR build or one of my C&R acquisitions. They ask (sarcastically) what kind of animal are you going to shoot with that? Of course, they all clamor to shoot the AK/AR/M1 any time I get them out…but that “Fudd” mindset is hard to break.
I got a new job that comes with discounted ammo…so I’m going to try and get my Dad into AR shooting…I think he’d really enjoy it, and I’m hoping that’ll break that “Fudd”!
Ask them what duck blind George Washington was heading to when he crossed the Delaware.
Grab any story from the armed citizen and ask if the person had a tag for mugger/intruder/rapist?
Ask if the 14th Amendment allows blacks to be free citizens only for the playing of professional sports.
It is a tough mindset to break when we have such a legacy of fair-weather gun ownership that for many years was mostly limited to hunting and sport shooting, and to rural areas.
We did forget that personal defense is a human right, and we are paying the price for it, and it will be decades before all the injustice is corrected.
We need to make sure all freedom-loving Americans (even those who don’t own guns) understand the law and our goals.
I love Fudds. Well no, I dont, but I sure do love what they have done for gun rights.
They stood their ground by not opposing the AWB in 94. Anyone affected by the AWB realized just how dumb it was – and immediately recognized that the Fudds were against them.
Any gunny who has lived through the ban learned a few lessons, ones that are quite hard to forget.
1) Those who are on your side can easily throw you under the bus. Zumbo is a particularly great example here. I am reminded of this every time I go to the range and get a dirty look from someone shooting a centerfire rifle, benchrest, at 50 yards, with only half a box of ammo. I’m sorry that my gun is too ugly, too fast, too loud, or too quiet. I do have plenty of ‘sporting’ arms, but they didn’t make it with me on this trip to the range.
2) You’ll need to fight for your own rights. Us gunnies have had some major victories over the past 20 years. RTC is big, reciprocity has been opening doors, and even sooper-sekret NFA is getting popular now that fabled supressors and SBRs are common knowledge.
3) Buy it cheap and stack it deep. Anyone who has been affected by the AWB learned the value of having a near infinite stack of supplies. If you think you may need one, buy ten. 8 years ago I remeber almost buying a SVI to shoot IDPA but mags were $150 each and I probably would have needed 5 or more. Old glock magazines would fetch $90 or more. After the ban fell, I ordered a pile of glock mags at the department price of $8 each.
So thank you Fudd. You have done much to get us motivated and independently organized.
I’d also add the “To Serve and Protect” crowd to the Fudd List. Don’t know how many times I’ve heard cops say that “Civilians” don’t need to buy all those Guns. Of course, they get pissed when you ask if they leave their weapons at the station when they go off shift, and tell them that if they have any trouble, they should just call 911 and wait for the Police to show up.
Also around here in May-issue land even in towns where the chief won’t give CCW permits to the unwashed, the local PD’s family all have unrestricted permits.
Of course in my travels I haven’t met too many beat officers who aren’t extremely pro-gun. Most of the officers who’ve given me a hard time are desk jockeys, and lapdogs of politicians.
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