Revolutionary Socialist gun 'zine - "The Socialist Gun Review"

[Koba82]

There's a zine called "The Socialist Gun Review" that just put out its second issue.
The zine is about revolutionary socialism and guns - guns not just as objects, but as a means of liberation from oppression.
Curious to see what you all thought about it.

socialistgunreview.wordpress. com

[HoboHomesteader]

sounds like a website i have run across called the revolution script.

except the zine isn't what it sounds like.

[Lily Briscoe]

Wow, gross.

[SHORAS]

Jesus Christ

[Creative Destruction]

i'm cool with this. thanks for the link.

[Brandon's Impotent Rage]

I'm totally cool with this.

I'm sick of having guns being restricted to the realm of reactionaries. It's about time that something like this came into existence.

[SHORAS]

...So what do you think the best guns for the dictatorship of the proletariat will be?

[Brandon's Impotent Rage]

...So what do you think the best guns for the dictatorship of the proletariat will be?

Well, if we're going by currently available guns, then the AK-47 and the AK-74 are your best bet. They're extremely cheap to manufacture, very easy to take apart and clean, are extremely durable (nothing short of being run over by a tank can break it, and they're very easy to learn how to properly operate and fire.

[Lily Briscoe]

I really fail to see how this obsession with guns has anything at all to do with communist politics, maybe someone could explain it to me? Because the zine just comes across as someone trying to create some romantic political justification for their gun fetish. It would be kind of funny if gun violence wasn't such a massive, deadly serious reality within a lot of working class 'communities'...

[Ele'ill]

if it weren't for gun violence do you think the violence would stop

[Lily Briscoe]

if it weren't for gun violence do you think the violence would stop

I don't think guns can be abstracted from the violence they're a pretty integral part of, or from their practical function in society in general.

[G4b3n]

I really fail to see how this obsession with guns has anything at all to do with communist politics, maybe someone could explain it to me? Because the zine just comes across as someone trying to create some romantic political justification for their gun fetish. It would be kind of funny if gun violence wasn't such a massive, deadly serious reality within a lot of working class 'communities'...


"What We Are Not:

We are not a Soviet or Communist kitsch subculture, a “Brocialist” or “Manarchist” gun club, a “gun porn” zine, or in anyway condoning non-revolutionary violence or terrorism that serves as a means of further preying on and enslaving the working class and oppressed peoples."

It sounds like you should have at least looked around before criticizing. They talk about using firearm education to assist in the massive problem with gun violence.

[Lily Briscoe]

It sounds like you should have at least looked around before criticizing.

I actually already read that when I first saw this thread last night (I also read some of the stuff in the actual zine). Declaring that you are not something doesn't magically make it so.

[khad]

I really fail to see how this obsession with guns has anything at all to do with communist politics, maybe someone could explain it to me? Because the zine just comes across as someone trying to create some romantic political justification for their gun fetish. It would be kind of funny if gun violence wasn't such a massive, deadly serious reality within a lot of working class 'communities'...
I'm the furthest thing from anti-gun, but I'd have to agree at least partially with this. Just skimming through the first issue, I can see how you could invite such criticism, because there really isn't a lot of useful information there. A lot of romance, but nothing about, say, ammo pricing/availability, handloading/casting, technique drills, etc. A lot of it isn't about gun stuff at all but general politics involving militant groups.

[Drowzy_Shooter]

I really fail to see how this obsession with guns has anything at all to do with communist politics, maybe someone could explain it to me? Because the zine just comes across as someone trying to create some romantic political justification for their gun fetish.

Regardless of whether of not they're "fetishizing guns" or it has anything to do with communist politics is not why this is a positive thing. American gun culture in general is filled with ignorance, racism, and HARD right wing politics. Even if it is an overcompensation a kind of site like this is one step towards allowing those who enjoy shooting/collecting firearms to become involved in a hobby/sport/potential mode of direct action without associating themselves with a culture that is absolutely opposed to our end goal (that end goal being a communist society).

[G4b3n]

Regardless of whether of not they're "fetishizing guns" or it has anything to do with communist politics is not why this is a positive thing. American gun culture in general is filled with ignorance, racism, and HARD right wing politics. Even if it is an overcompensation a kind of site like this is one step towards allowing those who enjoy shooting/collecting firearms to become involved in a hobby/sport/potential mode of direct action without associating themselves with a culture that is absolutely opposed to our end goal (that end goal being a communist society).

I agree completely, American gun culture is structured within a very right wing paradigm. It is very fruitful for leftists to do what they can to break down this paradigm by incorporating socially relevant issues into the use of firearms and by making it clear that the worker's movement has always been and still is friendly to firearms.

Of course, context is key in the sense that the material must incorporate the relevancy of firearms in terms of liberation, self defense, safety and so forth so to not make it a "gun porn" sort of deal.

[Sea]

Yeah generally I'm cool with this kind of thing too but I still think this is going to end badly.

[Lily Briscoe]

Regardless of whether of not they're "fetishizing guns" or it has anything to do with communist politics is not why this is a positive thing. American gun culture in general is filled with ignorance, racism, and HARD right wing politics. Even if it is an overcompensation a kind of site like this is one step towards allowing those who enjoy shooting/collecting firearms to become involved in a hobby/sport/potential mode of direct action without associating themselves with a culture that is absolutely opposed to our end goal (that end goal being a communist society).

So basically, anything that is both 'left-wing' and pro-gun is "positive" by default, and whether it fetishizes guns or has anything to do with communist politics is beside the point?

Also, I really don't understand why people try to convince themselves that their gun hobby is even remotely politically important. It isn't a "potential mode of direct action", and you are not training for The Revolution when you go to the shooting range with your bros... it isn't any kind of political activity at all. It's just a dumb hobby.

[BIXX]

So basically, anything that is both 'left-wing' and pro-gun is "positive" by default, and whether it fetishizes guns or has anything to do with communist politics is beside the point?

Also, I really don't understand why people try to convince themselves that their gun hobby is even remotely politically important. It isn't a "potential mode of direct action", and you are not training for The Revolution when you go to the shooting range with your bros... it isn't any kind of political activity at all. It's just a dumb hobby.


Honestly who are you to decide which hobbies are dumb and not dumb? Guns are very much part of who I am as I grew up shooting with my dad. Why should that part of me be restricted?

[Lily Briscoe]

Honestly who are you to decide which hobbies are dumb and not dumb? Guns are very much part of who I am as I grew up shooting with my dad. Why should that part of me be restricted?
I'm not "deciding" or "restricting" anything, though? It's just my personal opinion. I don't judge people on the basis of having a gun hobby, I just think the hobby itself is dumb. You are, of course, free to have your own opinion.

For what it's worth, I get that guns are really important to some people, and I actually hesitated about using the word "dumb" in that post. But I've seen enough messed up stuff involving guns in my life (and have enough people who are important to me who've had similar, and sometimes far worse, experiences) to feel pretty justified in having an opinion about it and like I shouldn't have to self-censor for fear of insulting someone's hobby. Yes, I think it's a dumb hobby. I'm sorry if that offends you, but it's how I feel.

This is all pretty irrelevant to the actual point I was trying to make with that post, though (which wasn't that the hobby is dumb, but simply that it is a hobby and not a form of political activity).

[tallguy]

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=homemade+pipegun&sp=QgIIAQ%253D%253D

Just ignore the right wing nuts on there and pay attention to the actual skill of how to make them. It's not hard and they work well.

[Koba82]

The Third issue just came out on the topic of Indigenous Peoples Liberation...
socialistgunreview.wordpress.com/2014/06/06/the-socialist-gun-review-vol-1-iss-3/