I agree this is a facepalm, but not for the reasons you say.
It's embarrassing to generalize all users of quality camping / search and rescue gear as gun-nut psychotics. My wife pokes fun at my "shooter pants" all the time, but I bought them originally for the Urban SAR team I was on, and loved them enough to use them for camping, jogging, yard work, etc etc. Just high quality.
It's equally embarrassing to gatekeep against the guys who "likely don't train" because you are actually validating the "tactical nerd" stereotype they're referring to. You're just saying: "No, they aren't the ones the article refers to, WE are".