Reply #67: Most people don't own guns for hunting; most gun owners aren't hunters.

[benEzra]

Why on earth do you need 8?

I have one. I mean if you hunt avidly you still wouldn't need more than 3 or 4 at best. A few high caliber rifles and maybe a .22 or something for small game...that's about it.

Self defense?

I'm honestly curious.

Most of us own guns for defensive purposes and recreational target shooting, and there is quite a bit of overlap between those two. About 1 in 5 gun owners hunts.

My wife owns two guns, a collectible Russian carbine (a 1952 Tula SKS) and a Glock 9mm pistol, which she is quite competent with. The Glock is for defensive purposes, and the SKS can also stand in that role, though it is more her "fun rifle," and she has a special interest in Russian history.

I own a 9mm pistol (a Smith & Wesson Ladysmith) and a small-caliber rifle (civilian AK-47 lookalike, non-automatic) both for defensive purposes and for recreational shooting; I also shoot competitively with both. I also own a couple of antique collectibles (antique Mosin-Nagants); the oldest is 102 years old, bears the imperial crest of Czar Nicholas II, was captured by the Finns when the Finns declared independence from Russia, and helped kick both the Soviets and the Nazis out of Finland.

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