"In Defense of the Second Amendment": a Report

Larry Correia's new book, In Defense of the Second Amendment, was released on January 24. It is a fast, easy read that is written in Correia's trademark style where he unapologetically speaks his mind while talking to the reader in a conversational manner.

https://amzn.to/3HhYx2y

Disclaimer the First

I know Larry Correia personally. I don't know him well enough to feel justified in calling him my friend, but I like him and respect him as a person, as an author (I've read all but one of his fiction series, and I'm about to start Son of the Black Sword this week), and as a Second Amendment activist. Despite what his detractors say about him, I know for a fact that this man is not a homophobe nor a transphobe, because this is us at a convention in 2019:

That is Larry Correia posing for a photograph with me, a transwoman. Notice how he isn't afraid to put his arm around me. Notice how he doesn't mind that my hand is on his chest. Notice that he's smiling so hard he's squinting.

Disclaimer the Second

Larry Correia reached out to me in 2022 to seek my permission to mention both Operation Blazing Sword and Pink Pistols in his upcoming book. I said yes, not only because I like him and because I trust him to do right by us, but also because he was instrumental in the success of Operation Blazing Sword. Without his assistance in its early days, as he correctly describes in this book, OBS would not be where it is today and might not even exist at all. 

In summary, this isn't going to be an unbiased review because I have strong, deep feelings of admiration and affection for this man. 

This Book Is:

An essential condensation of all the expected firearm prohibition tropes and how to counter them, along with explanations on why the National Firearms Act of 1934 is dumb, how to stop spree shooters, and what you can do to effect positive change within your community, state and nation by repealing bad gun laws. In short, it's  the Second Amendment version of Alinsky's Rules For Radicals in that it's a handy textbook on how to argue for firearm rights and against hoplophobes. 

This Book Is Not:

Going to change the mind of anyone who is in favor of gun control, let alone repeal the Second Amendment, and it will likely alienate a lot of fence-sitters just from the foreword and first chapter alone. While I understand why Larry Corriea equates Democrats (people, not Party) and The Left with anti-gun sentiment, there is a small but essential contingent of pro-gun liberals who will feel alienated, if not outright attacked, by this book. 

I realize that I am on shaky ground by offering advice to a bestselling professional author when I am not one. I do however have some experience in trying to convert people to my point of view regarding firearm ownership and the Second Amendment, and based on this I feel that the book would have broader appeal if it started with Chapter 2, which is both a stronger introduction and less spleen-venting. 

Again, I understand the why of it. Every gun owner has felt this way at some point, and it's a cathartic read. But it's kind of a tall order to say "For any readers who are vehemently anti-gun, I hope that you read this with an open mind, because the Second Amendment is truly for everyone" and expect that open-mindedness after you've spent the first dozen pages telling them what awful people they are. 

In Conclusion

I can already feel the comments section heating up as people type angry replies to this. Everyone has a right to their opinion, and this is mine. It is my sincere hope that Mr. Correia -- whom, again, I deeply admire and respect -- would speak in my defense that I'm entitled to this opinion, even if he thinks it's dumb as rocks. 

In Defense of the Second Amendment is a good book. I like it, I recommend it to all gun owners, and I'm going to use the lessons within it the next time I need to debate a Gun Prohibitionist... but I don't think it's going to win any hearts and minds. 

Addendum: Edited to Add This