If I don't get my way

I think my ideas have a pretty good chance in a public debate with a conservative. I may not be able to convince the conservative (which is probably why I wouldn't bother) but I think I could put forth arguments that might sway a few moderates. One could say I have the courage of my convictions.

However, my ideas don't stand a chance and my courage would vanish if the conservative displayed a gun as part of his symbolic free speech.

And that is increasingly the problem with political discourse in this country.

There is a growing presence of "open carry" activists, those who insist on carrying their guns everywhere. Of course, the reason is intimidation. A big part of this trend is who is carrying the weapons in public. It's rarely Democrats. It's rarely Northerners. It isn't people of color or women. These people are using implied threats of violence to intimidate and to impose a political agenda that the ballot box no longer delivers. Patrick Blanchfield of the New York Times says the gun-toter is saying, "I feel so strongly about this issue, the gun says, that if I don’t get my way, I am willing to kill for it."