DU gun owners: What’s your personal reason for owning a gun or guns?

[JohnLocke]

Poll question: DU gun owners: What’s your personal reason for owning a gun or guns?

[stellanoir]

1. vermin. . .

live on a farm. the groundhogs and skunks can be quite troublesome.

only used to scare not to kill. more often get the same effect by slamming the door really hard. that's the preferable treatment.

[slackmaster]

2. Financial investment, and gunsmithing as a hobby

Most of my firearms are part of my retirement plan.

I also enjoy studying and discussing the historical aspects of military firearms.

[yorgatron]

5. target practice

'm a million times more likely to smack somebody with a crowbar as far as self-defense goes.

[demsrule4life]

3. Several reasons I own guns

I own mostly older guns. I own them for hunting and competition. I also own them for the workmanship it took to make them. Guns made out of blued steel and wood, and fitted by master craftsman along with the old fashion mechanical watches I like to collect remind me of the talent it took to make them which is pretty much a thing of the past.

[brokensymmetry]

4. Personal defense.

I've never had to fire a shot in anger. I hope I never do. But I have had to use a firearm to defend myself.

And no, a call to the police would not suffice - the reality of response times means that I'd be in a world of hurt before they could possibly get to me.

[Fescue4u]

6. I don't need a reason. Im an American.

:)

But since you asked politely, I own and enjoy firearms for the following reasons in the order given.

1) Sport (target shooting, im not a hunter and will never be)
2) Self Defense
3) admirer of the engineering and craftsmanship of the certain firearms

[iverglas]

14. well hey

"I don't need a reason. Im an American."

I'm minded of something you have probably heard your mother say. In this instance:

Would you jump off a bridge just because you are an American?

After all, Americans have a right to jump off bridges, too. "Reason" enough to do it? Or something a sensible person just wouldn't do, no matter how much right s/he had to do it ...

Certainly no one may be prohibited from doing something simply because s/he has no reason to do it.

But gosh darn it, I just like to think that I live in a world where people do have reasons for the things they do, and most often just don't do them if they don't have *some* reason for doing them. Otherwise, I'd be living in a bleeding circus.

.

[demsrule4life]

15. living in a bleeding circus.

That explains it.

[Fescue4u]

22. Uh.. reread the post.

I don't own a gun BECAUSE im an American.

Im just saying that I don't need to justify it because I am an American. Its a freedom thing that some outside this wonderful country will never understand.

Sadly, some countries allocate freedoms, rights and material possessions based on need.

[iverglas]

23. and amazingly enough

Im just saying that I don't need to justify it because I am an American.

... nobody actually asked you to justify anything. So how 'bout YOU reread the post you were responding to, maybe.

(I do note that you managed, somehow, to answer it, although that could always have been the purest coincidence. But it does lead to me to suspect that perhaps, somewhere deep down, you actually do understand the difference between entitlement to do something and a reason to do something. I mean, given that you apparently haven't jumped off a bridge lately, I must assume that you do in fact grasp the distinction.)

Its a freedom thing that some outside this wonderful country will never understand.

Well, that's as may be. At least I understand plain English when I see it.

If I ever see you jumping off a bridge, though, I'll be sure not to inquire as to your reasons. Obviously, it will be "because you are an American". Have I got that right, now?

Sadly, some countries allocate freedoms, rights and material possessions based on need.

Perhaps even more sadly, I am left without a clue as to what you are talking about. "Allocate freedoms based on need"? That's quite a trick. I wonder how many freedoms I'll be needing today ... I must make a list, so I can apply for a few when I present my ration book at the grocery store, and hope there are some on offer and I don't have to queue up too long ...

.

[Fescue4u]

24. Uh yeah sure

Anyway, inalienable rights don't require a reason. As I said, its American thing, I don't expect everyone to understand.

No, I don't plan to jump off any bridges, although I hear bungey jumping is fun, its isnt my bag. Have you tried it? Perhaps you could lend your expertise there, as I don't have a clue what bridges have to do rights, but like I said, you seem to be the expert (but please include a link so that I know you are not bs'ing us ok?)

As for the "allocate freedoms based on need". Well in some less enlightened countries, one must be in the elite ruling class to exercise certain rights just such as freedom of speech, self defense etc. If one isnt in such a class, or hasnt bribed or justified their "need", they will suffer consequences up to and including death. While most of us live pretty sheltered lives, to horrors of Nazi Germany, the soviet union are all to real (I trust that when you are not studying jumping off bridges, that you have read of these eras).

btw, I must compliment you on your prose (thats writing btw), its , uh quite, uh concise (especially about bridges).

[Liberal Classic]

26. Re: don't need to reason vs sensible justifications and prohibitions

Would you jump off a bridge just because you are an American?


Owning a gun is related to mental illness how?


After all, Americans have a right to jump off bridges, too. "Reason" enough to do it? Or something a sensible person just wouldn't do, no matter how much right s/he had to do it ...


Ever see Monty Python's the Life of Brian? I'm reminded of arguing that men, wombless though they are, that the right to have babies.

:)

But gosh darn it, I just like to think that I live in a world where people do have reasons for the things they do, and most often just don't do them if they don't have *some* reason for doing them. Otherwise, I'd be living in a bleeding circus.

Are you attacking anarchists here? Who doesn't believe in having rules?

I think what Fescue4u was saying it is not that we don't have rules in a free country. Owning a personal weapon is one of the rights listed among our bill of rights, among such vaunted concetps as freedom of speech, worship, etc. But that's just not what he's saying, I don't think, but I may not be able to speak for him.

For my part, what being a United Statesian means to me is liberty or freedom. What do I mean? Liberty is *not* that the government grants legitimate rights and duties to citizens. Rather to the contrary, we have (in theory) done away with the divine right of kings. Instead, the popular government is empowered by the people to do a limited number of legitimate things. All else the people are free to do to a great degree without having to justify our choices to anyone. That means the royals, the church, the party, the corp and so on. If it's legal, it's legal. Furthermore, rights we have were not meant to be a list finite list. Powers not delegated to the federal or state governments are reserved to the people. The bill of rights itself contains very important rights (considered at the time of course) that some were thought to be too obvious to mention. In essence, the person is sovereign.

It means I am free to own rifles and pistols, to drive cars that have 400 horsepower or 5 miles to the gallon or both, to play loud music with explicit lyrics, paint your house bright colors, drink lots of alcohol, read subversive literature, engage in all sorts of unsafe things not the least of which is the sex act without someone else telling me I'm being careless or wasteful, illegal, immoral, or fattening.

As I said this is all in theory, and does not excuse "Fifty-four Forty or Fight!" or other sins of the past. By and large if you don't like the current regime you are free to change it. I fully and wholeheartedly support your right to put forth the other side of things, lest this not be clear to anyone. That doesn't get said enough around here.

[iverglas]

27. and aaaaaall this

... because someone asked a simple question:

What’s your personal reason for owning a gun or guns?

And my point was really so simple. And yet I really do believe that some are, in all sincerity, not getting it.

Let us suppose that the question had been:

What’s your personal reason for jumping off a bridge or bridges?

Hands up, everybody who would say:

I don't need a reason. I'm an American.

And now, hands up, everybody who would look at someone who said that and wonder what s/he had been drinking for breakfast.


Furthermore, rights we have were not meant to be a ... finite list.

You betcha. Y'all have a right to jump off a bridge, and you just don't need any reason to do it.

I think what Fescue4u was saying it is not that we don't have rules in a free country.

And the truly amazing thing is still that Fescue4u thought that "rules" had anything to do with his personal reason for doing anything, and that anybody else would think that what he said made sense.

.

[Low Drag]

19. Me Too

I no longer hunt, much to my fathers displeasure.

I own for self defense but sport shoot as much as I can.

I like the action competitions. USPSA, IDPA and a steel shoot is always big fun.

I do like checking out the latest gee wiz bang stuff they do to improve safety, ergo, craftsmanship etc.

I thought is was amusing that S&W spent big bucks on ergonomics of the grip etc when developing a pistol a few years back. They came right back to John Browning's grip angle/shape from 100 years ago.

[texasdem99]

7. sporting

Mostly target practice, there's a nice indoor range nearby where they police all the brass for you, targets are cheap, etc.

No hunting, always was bored by it.

Haven't had the time to make it to the range in a while, though.

[patricia92243]

8. Found mine in a used piano that I bought!

[slackmaster]

9. We want gun porn details

Make and model? My mom has a Steinway, a Model D IIRC.

Got photos?

:evilgrin:

[Career Prole]

10. The western diamondback rattlesnake

A frequent visitor of my two dusty acres who seem to prefer the area around the front stoop. If they'd just hang out farther from the house I'd live and let live, but I have a young child. I killed the first one with a shovel, and that afternoon I bought the only gun I've ever bought, a single-shot .410 shotgun. It takes a while to get "ready for action" since the shells are locked in a Sentry fire-proof box and the shotgun is kept unloaded. If the snake hauls ass while I'm loading up I don't believe I'd engage in pursuit, but so far they've waited patiently for the showdown. The gun's been fired six times, with six kills. I'm not that great a shot, they just like to get that close.

[FeebMaster]

11. Oh no.

I can hear the "if you just leave them alone they'll leave you alone" crowd coming.

[demsrule4life]

13. Do they look kind of like this?

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-11/496871/Rattler,andRodNay4,03.jpg

Sorry MrB this is not me. It is my Browning high power he is holding though. By they way he does own more then 400 guns.

[slackmaster]

16. Yummmmmmmmmmmmmm.

They really do taste like chicken.

Rattlesnake - The other white meat.

:toast:

[Career Prole]

17. Well....no, not really.

That could be a timber rattler, maybe. It's missing the white and black striped section western DB's have back by the rattle unless my eyes are just gettin' old...which can't be ruled out, of course! The white and black tail-end usually sticks out like a sore thumb, though.
It's a big dude, though!

[TX-RAT]

28. You must be proud.

Guns alcohol and children all in the same picture.

[demsrule4life]

29. And one less rattle snake to bite one of those kids

in their backyard. And besides who ever said that Busch Lite was real beer? :) Why I never touch the stuff.

[iverglas]

32. sheesh

I hadn't scrolled over to where I could see the kid.

Wot a picture that makes. Let's hope the kid didn't startle him. I suspect that the handgun he was pointing in her general direction might not have been unloaded.

Makes a great "what's wrong with this picture" exercise though, eh?

.

[demsrule4life]

33. If you would bother to learn anything about guns

It is a single action auto, notice the hammer is down so it cant go off even if the trigger is pulled.

Yes, the gun was also empty

Also notice the kid is behind the pistol holder, just where she should be.


And unlike some Democrat anti gun females posing with guns, the trigger finger is off the trigger.

[iverglas]

34. if you would ever pay attention to what I say ...

What I said was let's hope she didn't startle him.

As I understand it, it's not really a big job to cock the hammer and pull the trigger of a handgun. Isn't that just what he would have done if she'd yelled "Daddy! Snake!"?

I know that a Canadian can't get too confused on that USAmerican beverage you call "beer", but I gather that some of you do manage to. I mean, otherwise, why bother paying for and drinking it? And I haven't actually noticed anyone saying that the individual in question was NOT drinking the beer in question ...

Of course, I haven't actually noticed anyone recognizing facetiousness when it hits them in the face, either.

.

[demsrule4life]

36. let's hope she didn't startle him

I guess in that case I would of taken the magazine out of my pocket and tossed it to him, then he could load the mag, rack the slide and shot his daughter. Really half the time there is no real reason to pay any attention to you.

[Superfly]

40. And what about the other half of the time?

[slackmaster]

39. You left out a few critical steps

As I understand it, it's not really a big job to cock the hammer and pull the trigger of a handgun. Isn't that just what he would have done if she'd yelled "Daddy! Snake!"?

If he's any kind of decent gun handler he would have identified the target, ensured that he had a good backdrop, made sure the range was clear of bystanders before cocking the hammer, and aimed the gun before pulling the trigger.

And actually in the case of a single-action semuautomatic he would have had to insert a loaded magazine and cycle the action before the gun could be fired.

[iverglas]

41. yesss...

If he's any kind of decent gun handler he would have identified the target, ensured that he had a good backdrop, made sure the range was clear of bystanders before cocking the hammer, and aimed the gun before pulling the trigger.

And the beer cans by his side suggested, precisely, that he was NOT any kind of a decent gun handler.

And actually in the case of a single-action semuautomatic he would have had to insert a loaded magazine and cycle the action before the gun could be fired.

Uh huh. And my remarks were premised on an assumption that the gun was loaded.

Heavens to betsy! What an unwarranted assumption! Hey, no shit. It's just that when I see somebody with a firearm in his hand and a bunch of beer cans at his side, I figure that the worst-case scenario is probably the safest assumption. At least when I'm being mildly facetious.

I mean, isn't that what we're always being told to do? Assume the gun is loaded??

.

[Superfly]

42. Wow...

"And the beer cans by his side suggested, precisely"...NOTHING

Come over to my garage sometime. With all the beercans lying around, you'd think I was a homicidal maniac. Nothing like jumping to conclusions.

[slackmaster]

43. Thanks for the reminder

I need to do some recycling. I have about 6 months worth of beverage containers sitting in my VW van.

[Superfly]

44. Don't tell iverglass

that you have so many alcohol containers in your car...

"And the beer cans by his side suggested, precisely, that he was NOT any kind of a decent..."<VW van driver>

[slackmaster]

45. Did I say "alcohol containers"?

:evilgrin:

[Superfly]

46. Yeah, that's right...they were

extruded aluminum cylinders that had previously contained a solution of ethanol, water, and extracts of malted barley and hops. Nothing to see here, officer, please have a nice day.:toast:

[slackmaster]

47. If the cop can't make a drop come out, it's not an open container

That's the rule here in Cali.

I like to "age" my empties a good long time before I drive with them.

[demsrule4life]

48. Ok here is the story

The day before there was a family reunion. In the back there was a BBQ and lots of beer drinking. No firearms around. The next morning Rodney and I were cleaning up the yard when he saw the snake. I was carrying the pistol and gave it to him. Rodney shot the snake. When the snake was shot only me and him were in the yard. Before I took the pic I cleared the weapon and was carrying the magazine in my pocket. Rodney is like me, he is a retired airforce sp, and is currently on the Bibb County Sheriff's dept. He has also been carrying a gun for thirty years and has never shot anyone by accident.

[JohnLocke]

49. What'd you do with the snake's body? (nt).

[demsrule4life]

51. We ate him that evening

[Superfly]

52. Taste like chicken?

[demsrule4life]

53. Actually they do

not the first time I have, ate a few while stationed in Nevada.

[JohnLocke]

54. Really?? (nt)

[Superfly]

12. All of the above...

[Me Me Meme]

18. Like most

I'm in the hunting/sporting set.

As far as self-defense goes, yeah they're there, but honestly they're pretty lousy self-defense tools if they're unloaded and locked in a safe, which is where they are. I live in an apartment, and Cardinal Rule #1 is I never chamber a round into any firearm in my home, period. Once, when two neighbors had a knock-down fight that spilled into the hallway and sounded like it might just come through my front door, I took out my pistol, loaded but not chambered, and set it on the table in front of me until the police came and hauled them both off to the pokey. Then back in the safe it went. So much for defense...

I'd like to maybe start shooting USPSA in the production division this year, we'll see...but I said that last year too!

I do a little trap shooting when I can, a little target plinking with the pistol...it's funny, there were a couple of threads back there where someone asked if you'd show pictures of your firearms to your boss. I thought that...well...I COULD, but it would be kind of strange because he already saw it when we went out shooting sporting clays together!

But mostly hunting. Gawd, I love hunting with a passion. Grouse, small game, and deer. Some ducks, too, but not so much. I want to add turkey, bear and elk to this list soon. I hunt from opening weekend to closing. I did not come to Minnesota for this, as I didn't hunt or fish when I moved here in '97. But it's now the reason I'll never leave...

[solinvictus]

20. Self defense

I've never had to shoot in self defense, but I've drawn twice. Now, I'm mostly into former Soviet and Warsaw Pact small arms because of the history and because they're so damn cheap to buy and keep.

[Festivito]

21. Don't own a gun, but my reason for owning one would be

to enjoin the government with as much respect for me as it may garner for itself.

And, I do wish more Democrats would realize how important this right really is.

[DoNotRefill]

25. Other....

all of the above, and then some more reasons.

[natasha1]

30. How about an "all of the above" option?

n/t

[iverglas]

31. and of course the write-in option

"For killing people I catch trying to steal my breakfast cereal."


Y'know, the funny thing is that a whole nother bunch of people, in a distant century we all know and love, actually had a revolution because people were getting killed for stealing loaves of bread, as I recall it.

And here's natasha1, talking on the one hand about taking up arms against oppression,
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=118&topic_id=48324#48389
and on the other hand (or was that: out of the other side of the mouth?) about her entitlement to kill breakfast cereal thieves ...


Lots of fodder for fans of irony hereabouts.


Liberté, égalité, fraternité. For some of us, anyhow; others seem happy with their freedom to jump off a bridge, if they can't afford cancer treatment maybe; or sleep under it, if they can't find a job ...

.

[natasha1]

35. Whether breakfast cereal, my TV, or a diamond ring...

I catch someone breaking into my home, and I'll shoot them.

This is the freedom of defending my things from those who would steal them.

You want to give your property up for plunder, go ahead. My advice: don't try taking mine.

Nat

[iverglas]

37. Marie Antoinette speaks

Or whoever it was that Jean Valjean stole that loaf of bread from ...

.

[natasha1]

38. A thief is a thief

Be it Jean Valjean or Juan Valdez.

Steal from me at your own peril.

Nat

[Name removed]

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