"I have never fired a gun."

[Iktomiwicasa]

I come across this and similar statements from various anti gun and pro gun control people pretty frequently, so my question is addressed to you folks. Does having never fired or touched a firearm convey some sort of moral weight or a sense of ideological purity? Or is it used just as a statement of fact most times? To me, trumpeting having never fired a gun carries all the authority of the statement "I have never used a pipe wrench", or, "I have never used a hammer". It's an inanimate object, for fucks sake, a tool, and carries no special power or voodoo that will * contaminate* ones soul.

[YOY]

1. ...

[Warpy]

2. I have and I was a lousy shot

which is one reason I refuse to own one.

However, I live in the wild west where people outside the city--and even on the edge of the city--can face big, mean critters in the back yard.

Yes, a firecracker would scare them, but you want something a little better in case it's the one in a thousand that decides to charge.

[Iktomiwicasa]

4. Well

that's fair. Not everyone enjoys shooting, or feels comfortable with one, and that's a good reason not to own one :)

[yay]

9. Practice

Almost everyone's a lousy shot when they first start shooting. It takes practice practice practice to be a better shot. Just like anything else in life.

[Iktomiwicasa]

10. True that...

[Warpy]

19. I was a lousy shot when I had good vision

I'm afraid all the practice in the world won't compensate for the fact that I can't see a target clearly.

[yay]

23. Contacts? Glasses?

Just a couple suggestions.

[Warpy]

28. I've had a TRANSPLANT, thanks, and need another.

Don't pop off at people when you don't know the whole scoop.

[Name removed]

32. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Zenlitened]

38. Calm down, Skippy. See what reading Ann Coulter does?

Makes you jumpy, clouds your thinking. Step away from that stuff -- it'll mess you up! :D

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=118&topic_id=213821&mesg_id=213821

[yay]

39. Sorry

Just one article... man... I didn't think it had THAT much of an impact on me.

Sound advice good sir.

[DonP]

29. My "prescription" recommendation

A Marlin Model 60, semi auto .22 rifle with a small 3 to 9 power scope (my eyes are shot too), you can find them used as low as $50, EVEN new no higher than $125.

500 rounds of .22 LR, $15. pretty much anywhere.

Targets, any used cans you have laying around at 50 feet to 50 yards.

Cheap, easy to see through and a lot of fun plinking cans.

YMMV

[aquart]

3. Sure, kid. Keep believing that.

[Iktomiwicasa]

7. Could you be more specific?

:hi:

[onehandle]

5. "I have never detonated a nuke."

I come across this and similar statements from various anti nuke and pro nuke control people pretty frequently, so my question is addressed to you folks. Does having never detonated or touched a nuclear bomb convey some sort of moral weight or a sense of ideological purity? Or is it used just as a statement of fact most times? To me, trumpeting having never detonated a nuke carries all the authority of the statement "I have never used a pipe wrench", or, "I have never used a hammer". It's an inanimate object, for fucks sake, a tool, and carries no special power or voodoo that will * contaminate* ones soul.

[Iktomiwicasa]

8. Ahh, the new meme

gun are nukes, nukes are guns.

Try again.

[tridim]

11. They're both "arms"

[onehandle]

13. Yep. And a pipe wrench is a tool. nt

[benEzra]

43. Ummm, no. At least not the Second Amendment sense.

Nuclear weapons are ordnance, not small arms, and highly restricted ordnance at that. Not even the Secretary of Defense or the President himself has direct access to a nuclear weapon.

[mikelgb]

27. and guns are merely "tools"

you also try again

[baldguy]

17. You'll get my nuke when you pry it from my cold, dead hands!

Well, not exactly "cold" - be you get the idea.

[onehandle]

18. LOL! nt

[tridim]

6. I fired guns up until about the age of 13

because I thought things that go "boom" were really cool.

Then I grew up.

[yay]

14. So are you implying

That you are somehow superior to someone because they choose to shoot firearms? How exactly does that make you more "mature"?

[tridim]

25. No, but I do believe gun nuttiness is rooted in immaturity.

[yay]

34. And what is "gun nuttiness"?

What classifies someone as a "gun-nut" and thus "less mature" than yourself.

[tridim]

36. I'll give you a hard example

A "gun nut" is someone that comes on a progressive/liberal/democratic message board and posts an ad for a used Bolivian AK-47 and thinks that it's perfectly reasonable thing to do. My 5 year old nephew is more mature than that.

[yay]

37. So progressives/liberal/democrats don't buy or shoot rifles?

And it was a Bulgarian, not Bolivian.

[gorfle]

16. I never did.

I still think things that go boom are really cool.

[Barack_America]

12. Check out the "Latest Threads" page.

And see what two threads were posted just before and just after yours.

[maxsolomon]

15. so souls are contaminated elsewhere prior to using a gun?

i've never gambled, injected heroin, or been to a strip club either. these activities have the potential to lead to ruination. gun use has this potential also.

guns may be inanimate, but they are seductive and thrilling. if they're not addictive, why do some owners need to have so many?

btw, i've never trumpeted my lack of firearm experience. i've just never had or sought the opportunity to shoot.

[yay]

22. Strip clubs are meh...

I went to one, bought 2 lap dances, worst $60 I've ever spent.

Why do some people have so many? Well why does an audiophile have to many CD's? Why do some people dump money into a civic? Just different ways to get natural endorphins.

[Chulanowa]

20. It's funny you phrase it that way

Given that so many pro-gun people see their simple tool as a magical talisman that will protect them from all imaginable evil and makes them morally strong. There's also the fact many pro-gun people love to pretend that their tool isn't actually made for killing, but is simply a really really loud way of playing darts.

I have fired a gun. Several. I've killed (and then eaten with much relish) several animals with these guns. I'm not exactly anti-gun, but I do have plenty of pro-restriction points. The ease with which people who shouldn't have guns can get them (and inversely, the silliness of many people who would have no problem with guns being barred from having them) bugs me. The fact that the US has such a militant and often violent culture that springs up periodically like toadstools (and is usually targeting us on the left) is also, needless to say, bothersome.

[corruptmewithpower]

21. Best to learn shooting with air rifles. Very accurate, not too noisy, and

with a proper backstop, one can practice shooting almost anywhere.

[amyrose2712]

24. Well,

It is a tool that has a sole task. Killing. Not that I think it gives you any moral standing to say that. I know hateful, racist bastids that have never fired a gun. Along a trained sniper with the hugest most caring heart.

[mikelgb]

26. I've shot a Daisy air rifle, a bow and arrow, and a paintball once

My old neighbor used to be a sheriff I saw and held his gun once

I have considered going to a shooting range but I think I'd prefer archery less chance of backfire and quieter

don't particularly like guns, they kill all too easily

[sinkingfeeling]

30. Well, I was damn good in rifle shooting in college. But I have never owned a gun and never will.

[rrneck]

31. Feelings of moral superiority

frequently come from a lack of experience. Anyone familiar with firearms will have at least a basic understanding of what they will and will not do.

If anyone feels strongly about the issue, it behooves them to at least research the subject to gain a basic understanding of it before they pounce on just any solution that comes along. If you want your home or car repaired do you stamp your foot and squeal, "Just fix it and don't bother me with the details!"? Doing that will guarantee that you will spend a helluva lot more money on the repair than you have to.

Any legislation that gets passed into law has an impact on peoples rights as citizens. It behooves us to not spend our civil rights recklessly. When someone announces to the world that they have never owned, fired, or handled a firearm but that they want them unavailable to those who feel they need them is just telling the world they don't give a shit about anybody else's civil rights. That sort of arrogant attitude will always result in a less than enthusiastic response from those whose lives will be impacted by that proposal.

on edit

Here's a good place to start:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=118x214198

Why is it the gun owners are working twice as hard to find a solution to the problems of firearms violence in America? And being waaaay more civil about it?

[sinkingfeeling]

33. So should all those anti-smoking people be required to smoke a pack or two before voicing their

determination to ban cigarettes?

[rrneck]

41. Heh. They don't have to smoke them,

I'm only suggesting that if one doesn't know much about something they should do a modicum of research on the subject before backing questionable legislation. A consensus on cigarettes is pretty easy to achieve since we have all directly suffered the smoke whether we indulge or not.

Cigarettes are not a good example, and I am not sure a sufficient analogy exists for firearms. They seem to sit at the nexus of a whole bunch of social, cultural, legal, and personal crossroads. Nobody ever used a cigarette to defend their life, and they almost certainly shorten the lives of everyone that uses them. Lots of people shoot firearms and never suffer any ill effects at all.

[Tim01]

35. Never voted republican, never touched meat, never owned a SUV,

never failed to recycle,never used deodorant, never shaved my legs, never used disposable diapers, never used a racial slur, never hit another person.
Lots of these prideful boasts about lack of experience. The other side has a whole list of them too.

[spin]

40. It's hard to understand something without some experience...

For example it's hard to understand sky diving unless you have actually experienced it. Or for that matter golf, football, skiing or hunting.

It's difficult to criticize a cop unless you've walked in his shoes, just as it's hard to understand a criminal and what motivates him.

But it is very easy to formulate an opinion based on what you see in the movies or what you read in a newspaper or on the internet.

Being open minded is a virtue. Listening and learning is far more important than merely spouting disinformation gained from biased and uninformed sources.

I've introduced a lot of people to the sport of shooting. Many were afraid of firearms and hesitant to actually fire a weapon. The great majority enjoyed the experience and found the sport was far more difficult than they imagined. Many were so fascinated that they bought firearms and became regular shooters.

None suffered a major personality change. They were still the same people that they were before they pulled the trigger. But the experience did give them some understanding and appreciation for why many people enjoy shooting.

[ManiacJoe]

42. Right on the money.

I have taken many first timers to the range over the years. Some enjoyed it and joined the sport. Some found that it was not for them. However, all were thankful for the hands on experience than allowed them to have an informed opinion.

[umccoyw]

44. i dont think it means anything

pro gun people will ask antigun people if they have ever shot or held a gun because if you havent tried it you dont have first hand knowledge of guns and they feel you cant judge what you dont know about. Your right a gun is an inanimate object just like a knife or baseball bat which can all kill if used in that way by the wrong people

[OrdinaryGuy84]

45. It seems the people that never shot a gun before...

...are usually the ones most ignorant about them. A lot of them think you turn into Dirty Harry when you have one and just the mere possession of a gun automatically makes you capable of perfect aim. If they actually took the time to shoot one before they bad mouthed them people would realize that it is just a tool and not some evil object.

[Giuseppe Mazzini]

46. Well I have fired Guns

I Don't own one. But I think just like you do, it has no real point behind it.

[jazzcat]

47. I have never washed a glass.

Nor a dish.