Duncan Long on Cypherpunks and Guns

[Tim May <tcmay@got.net>]

While looking through Duncan Long's Web pages on survivalism, guns, and
such, I found this interesting mention of Cypherpunks.


This particular article is at: http://www.prairienet.org/guns/dlgs/gun3.htm
It dates from January, 1996.

His main page is accessible from there. Long is well-known for his series
of books on the M-16, Surviving Nuclear War, terrorist incidents, etc.,
mostly published by Delta Press and Paladin Press. (The kind of books
Loompanics likes to display.) He also has some views on Christianity,
Armageddon, and such...mostly I ignore these views, and am more than happy
to have him be a good Christian so long as his views are not imposed on me.
I mainly read Long for his views on guns and gun laws.

--Tim


--begin excerpt from Duncan Long's article--


Cyberpunks

At the risk of getting "flamed", I thought I'd make a few comments about
Cyberpunks. First, the definitions (using material I've lifted from
some Cyberpunks sites on the WWW). According to those that consider
themselves to be Cyberpunks, there are three main
sub-classifications of Cyberpunks. These are:

Hackers: Persons who are skilled or talented with most aspects of
computers, electronics, and technology. For hackers, technology is not just
a hobby but a way of life.

Cypherpunks: Individuals who believe that the government is out to invade
the privacy of everybody on the planet. The cypherpunk's central
goal is to out-smart the system. (The encryption program, PGP, is often
referred to by this group as "the Cypherpunk's best friend").

Ravers: Folks who use synthesized and sampled music, computer-generated
psychedelic ("cyberdelic") art, and designer drugs to create
massive all-night dance parties and love-fests in empty warehouses.

Now if you grew up during the 1960s, you'll recognize the Ravers; they're
basically hi-tech hippies. And the hackers are those darlings of the
media that show how dangerous those of us on the Internet are to society
(and give the establishment a good reason to demand more controls
on the Net, censorship, etc., etc.).

But if you go beyond the surface, especially with the Cyberpunks, you
discover that these people have a lot in common with the survival,
militia, and gun rights movements. Like us, they don't trust the
government, are using the Net (hey, you're here, aren't you?), and (yes)
even
want to own firearms to protect themselves from lack of good law
enforcement as well as run-away government agents who are apt to trample
on their rights.

There are some differences between the hard-core gun rights crowd and the
Cyberpunks. Gun owners tend to be older and a bit more
knowledgeable about government and how it does and doesn't work. And (as
might be expected) has a better grasp of which firearms are
suitable for self defense and which are Walter Mitty.

But the two groups have a lot in common, even have a lot of "members" that
belong to both groups. I think it will only be a matter of time
before Cyberpunks and gun rights groups join forces or even become one and
the same thing.

Undoubtedly this is another worry that will keep the gun grabbers and those
interested in getting rid of freedom in the US up at night.



--end excerpt from Duncan Long's article--