Slater’s Nuanced Take On The Gun Debate

Today is gun marching day in America and are you excited? Are you out there with your picket signs and moral superiority or do you seethe at home, brandishing your AR-15(s), preparing for the day when Big Brother comes to take your freedom?

Of course gun control doesn’t have to be so divisive. The majority of GC advocates don’t wish for all guns to be stripped from American civilians, just that the process of attaining firearms become more stringent, and that certain styles of weapons and add-ons will be disallowed to the general public. Not to prevent people from hunting, or sport-shooting, or protecting themselves, but to impede the outrageously disproportionate number of mass shootings in our country. Like they did Canada. Like they did in Australia. 

But many gun owners feel, and I know this from having open-minded conversations with them, that any sort of reform or restrictions will create a slippery-slope situation, wherein lefties use that inch to gain a mile, eventually resulting in the complete loss of their Second Amendment rights. 

How does this relate to surfing?

In a recent Instagram post, Slater shared his brand Outerknown’s new T-shirt, which reads, “The only gun you need”, next to a silhouette of a surfer with a very large surfboard.

A “gun”. 

Not overly clever, or stylish, but it’s for a good cause!

Here’s Slater’s nuanced and smartly non-divisive caption:

#TheOnlyGunYouNeed short by @outerknown. A lighthearted take on a heavy subject. Before you jump to conclusions or make assumptions, I grew up shooting guns with my family. By the time I was 10 I could take guns apart and make my own bullets. Our dad had a shotgun rack full of guns in our bedroom from the time we were born. I don’t particularly have an issue with guns, I just like my surfboards better. The debate will probably never end but at least we can have it while we search out better options for responsible firearm access and do our best as a society to keep guns out of the hands of the wrong people while protecting our kids and communities at large. All proceeds from the sale of these shirts go to @everytown who is looking for those answers.

You can buy one here for $38, but be quick, the blue version is already sold out!