I discovered pictures on an old hard drive that evoked beautiful memories from my Olympic shooting career in the 1990s. Usually, I look at these photos, smile, and share them on my social media accounts before moving on with my day. However, today felt different. While I smiled and cherished the memories, I also experienced some conflicting thoughts.
Venezuelan newspapers featured images and articles about me, a teenage girl holding a firearm. They celebrated my success in winning medals for my state at the national level and for my country during international competitions.
These articles about me were not tucked away in the forgotten corners of the newspaper’s last page. No! I made it to the front page—more than once!
Do you know why?
A picture of me holding a pistol made the front page because people back then accepted a logical truth: they understood that firearms were tools necessary for my sport, and I was achieving great things with them.
Nobody condemned me for using a tool that criminals also used to terrorize an already dangerous country. No one accused my character, discipline, and dedication to excel in my sport of being complicit in the actions of evil individuals using similar tools. At that time, Venezuelans recognized the difference between criminals and the intent behind my use of firearms.
Intent is everything. People use their intelligence to either help or harm society. For example, some individuals learn to wield knives to become the best chefs in town, while others use them to hurt children in a kindergarten.
The question is: what does the first individual have to do with the latter? Absolutely nothing.
Fast-forward twenty-three years, and we find ourselves in an era where a few influential individuals control the narrative. For instance, I face blatant censorship on social media for posting videos and pictures featuring firearms. Does it matter that I share these because shooting is my sport? Or that I work as a firearms instructor? Or simply because I believe we would be better off educating others on firearm safety?
Of course, none of this matters to gun control advocates and the censorship movement. They prefer that people adhere to their illogical thinking and irrational behavior.
For instance, it is unreasonable to condemn and censor all parents for having children simply because some individuals are bad parents. Similarly, restricting NASCAR from broadcasting their races out of fear that teenagers might take their parents’ easily accessible vehicles—potentially dangerous weapons—and cause chaos on the streets is absurd. Isn’t it?
Yet, this is exactly what those controlling mainstream media do: they suppress positive behavior associated with firearms. These individuals choose willful ignorance to feed an irrational fear, and they want the rest of us to follow their lead by silencing me and many others in the firearms community.
The bad news for them—and the great news for freedom—is that I intend to continue doing what I do!
Thanx for posting this Gabby.
We come from different places, cultures and backgrounds and yet we are the same and have the same problems with censorship and passions about shooting.
I’m so very glad that to see and know that someone of your caliber, an Olympian, is speaking up. Thank you.
Sometime I feel like I’m the only one.
Keep doing what you do!
Hi Gabby.
Excellent story. What you say is exactly what I’ve been telling people for years. Penalizing law abiding firearms owners will have zero effect on criminal behavior.
This tactic is done because it’s very difficult to address the gun crime situation. However, it’s easy to target law abiding people and fool the general population into believing society will be so much safer. I can’t remember any law aimed specifically at criminal gun use being recently proposed. Of course the people pushing this narrative are surrounded by security with guns, usually at taxpayer expense. We regular people have to fend for ourselves.
On another topic, you sure have a determined look of concentration during competition. Not many teenagers can focus like that. I certainly couldn’t at that age.
Your book sits on my desk at home. I’ve been thinking recently it would be nice to have you autograph it for me. Would it be possible for me to send it to Walther for you to sign? Please let me know.
Thank you for this email. Stay safe, Alan Greenberg RN