Recently, I extended an offer to debate Philip Germain, a Co-Chair for 25 United for Progress, and some other people of his choosing about guns and gun control. It seems that Germain had a meeting with his board and the members voted it down, for reasons that I can really only speculate.
Though the whole thing got me thinking. I think we can all agree that Facebook and social media in general, has taken a negative toll on us as a society.
Ever since the events in Newtown, back in 2012, and even more so with President Trump’s Election in 2016, social media has been ablaze in the constant bickering and heated debates about guns and gun control, along with anything political, between the right and left.
Yet nobody seems to listen to each other.
With that being said, I once again would like to extend the offer to our SCV resident liberals to have an open forum in person, to discuss guns and gun control.
I have talked to Stephen Daniels, host of “the Talk of Santa Clarita, about this, and I figured I could go public and see who wants to participate. Daniels said he would be one of the pro-gun control moderators, and I’m sure we can find a conservative moderator that we could all agree on.
Basically, it would go like this: A liberal and a conservative (pro-gun) will moderate a debate between a panel of pro-gun and anti-gun people.
We advertise it, and we collect money via ticket sales or other things, of which, all proceeds go to charity. Maybe split between Radio Free SCV (25 percent) and a victim’s rights fund (75 percent) that is nonpartisan. My point here is to get the community in SCV talking about this, but to be informed and entertained.
A forum where people can get facts, get challenged on our talking points, and not be in an echo chamber.
It seems that the pro-gun control side has their events and speaks to a giant crowd that, for the most part, completely agrees with them. I want to have an event where both sides are challenged on their talking points. Where both sides can have a civil, well rounded, respectful and robust conversation.
I fear that with the exception of a few resident liberals who believe in gun control, no one wants to have a real discussion.
They just want to pander to their base, but when they do, they yell and scream to have a discussion or a debate. I must give credit where credit is due, Daniels accepted a debate challenge from Dave Goss, Host at Connecting Right Radio, back in November of last year.
He knew that he was going into a conservative radio show with an unabashed gun rights supporter (myself) and two other conservatives who moderated the debate.
He seems to have more courage than others with an equal amount of passion for their agenda. 25th Congressional Candidate Jess Phoenix, wrote an Op-ed in The Signal and in it, wrote about her desire to have a discussion.
Well, let’s have it.
I, along with countless other gun rights supporters and gun control supporters, want to have that debate. We want to have the discussion that you have been railing for, and, we want to make it an event that the entire community can see and or hear.
I have given my word as a gentleman, that I will not go down into the mud, call people names or anything like that. It is my intention to keep it civil and respectful, in an attempt to have a civil discourse.
I know my offer will be met with some cynicism and or negative views, but that is inevitable because we have become so polarized with the political environment we live in today.
I am calling on KHTS and The Signal, to join forces and possibly sponsor this event for the betterment of the community and charity.
Matt Funicello
President and Founder
California Conservative Action Group
