Are most people inherently anit-gun?

[natedog]

It seems to me that most people are inherently anti-gun. Or, they believe that people should be able to have shotguns and rifles for hunting but no handguns, machineguns, or "assault weapons". Some of my friends were shocked when I said that I want all the red tape around machine guns to go away. Is it due to media bias? Or something else?

 

[Thumper]

Not in my neck of the woods.

 

[Sylvilagus Aquaticus]

Nobody that I know in East Texas is. Most of the folks I know around DFW (who were born in Texas, anyway) ain't skeert of guns, either.

Regards,
Rabbit.

 

[tc300mag1]

Not around here except people living near detroit

 

[Preacherman]

I think that many (most?) human beings are instinctively scared of something they don't understand. We have a built-in caution about such things, based on childhood experiences where things hurt when we tried them. I guess most of the anti-gun people have not had much (or anything) to do with firearms, and thus have an instinctive distrust of them as an unknown quantity. Certainly, all of the cautious or anti types I've dragged off to the shooting range have changed their tune after no more than one or two shooting sessions, as soon as they knew how to control a gun!

 

[Standing Wolf]

I doubt it. I've certainly met plenty of irrational hoplophobes, but they've been a distinct—and neurotic—minority.

 

[Old Fuff]

Natedog:

I notice you're in Bakersfield, CA. and that may make a difference. The negative attitude toward guns is generally greater in left-wing areas. In southeastern Arizona I'd say the feelings are different, except perhaps in the city of Tucson. The answer to your question in a large degree depends on where you live, and the kind of people you associate with.

 

[Sunray]

People fear what they don't know about. Most people have never seen a real firearm and only hear about the criminal misuse of them via the media. Their total knowledge comes from movies and TV. Sadly, most of 'em think that what they see in movies and on TV is real.

 

[c_yeager]

I dont think its inherent or natural at all. I think its definatly learned behavior. Think about kids for example. I have YET to meet a kid that didnt like to play "soldiers" or "cops and robbers" or a thousand other gun-related games. If they have the type of parents who wont let them have toy guns they will MAKE one out of something. People have to grow up and "LEARN" that guns are bad. People inherently LIKE weapons. It takes an influence in their lives to change that.

 

[Beav]

Nowadays I would guess yes. Most people that I know simply don't have the exposure or knowledge of firearms. Even more so most people don't understand the politics involved or even their rights.

 

[Baba Louie]

I think most people are very afraid of all things violent and having been conditioned by the media; movies, TV, News Shows and press, automatically equate a firearm with ALL THINGS VIOLENT.

Those who have never actually held or shot a firearm exhibit this fear as their ignorance and inexperience equals, in their mind, automatic defeat (thus belittlement) to those who own, practice and have studied this particular martial art.

But what do I know? I just like to read and learn about them, shoot my guns, my friend's guns, and share the knowledge with anybody who'll teach me or be taught. I grew up around them. They are part of me, part of what I really like and know and I want to learn and experience more. I thought every American boy wanted to be a Minuteman or ride with Paul Revere. I thought Freedom was a good thing and owning and mastering one of the tools that brought it about was fine and proper and one of A Responsible American's pre-ordained rights.

Who knew it freaked out Mrs Brown next door or the State Assemblyman in good old capitol city? Must I care? Sadly, yes.

We MUST now care about that. Nervous Nellie Brown's make phone calls to the po-po (He Has A GUN!), pass laws and oftentimes look down their noses at us as our betters, since we apparently enjoy the study of, and must worship, violence, power and accuracy; much to their perceived detriment.

So are most people inherently anti-gun? Most are inherently Firearm ignorant... and proud of it, I guess. More Urban than Rural, and that's the majority.

Can they be taught? Yes. If started young before the negative brainwashing takes hold. If they can believe that they are capable of being A Responsible American, who knows... they might just become one.

So I preach to the young.

For the Children

 

[fallingblock]

That's a fine post, Baba Louie.....

You are on to something here:
************************************************************
"If they can believe that they are capable of being A Responsible American, who knows... they might just become one."
************************************************************

Just this afternoon, four of us were sitting around the table in our clubroom and the 15 year old son of the club V.P. said that his peers thought guns were interesting, but too dangerous to be allowed.

"Too much T.V.", the boy opined, "and no real-world experience".

When you consider the hostility the Australian Government expresses almost daily against "the gun culture", we thought this was a remarkable assessment from one so young.

 

[Baba Louie]

"Too much T.V.", the boy opined, "and no real-world experience".

An intelligent young man. I blather on forever and he sums it up in 8 words.
Excellant. Whats that cliche? "Out of the mouths of Babes"
Thank goodness he was brought up as he was.
The future doesn't look so dim when I see and hear of such young people, in fact, it puts a smile on my face.
But then, he's already a member of the gun culture isn't he?

Fallingblock, next time you see him, tell him some old fogie in Nevada thanks him and wishes him to shoot all bullseyes in his lifetime.

 

[greyhound]

having been conditioned by the media; movies, TV, News Shows and press, automatically equate a firearm with ALL THINGS VIOLENT.

When was the Brown case? 1934 (IIRC)?

Interesting to note the rise in gun control (oops sorry, the leftists now say its "gun safety" ) began as movies and then television became more and more the biggest influence in our society.

Maybe a coincidence, and obviously many other factors are at work, but still.....

 

[Kentucky Rifle]

Yeager's right...

It's "learned" behavior. I got my first firearm--the one that was "all mine"--at age six. A single shot .410 ga. shotgun.
I can't remember a time in my life when shooting didn't excite me. I'm a cautious man though. (Shooting a gun--and everything else. I live in condition orange.) Though not an actual "anti", my mother was scared of guns all her life. No amount of BB or .22 cal rifle shooting could cure that. The reason she was so scared was purely *mental. Her older brother was a real bad guy. I remember when I was a kid and her brother shot his wife. I don't know and never did know what caliber the pistol was. It blew off her left ring finger and the finger next to it. Completely, Zip, Nada. Then, the bullet continued on into her hip. My "uncle" somehow quickly convinced her to tell the Police that-"The whole thing was an accident"...it was really attempted murder. She walked with a limp 'till her dying day.
Ah well...my uncle, like every other man but me & one other, croaked from his first heart attack between the age of 46 to 48. Nice medical history, eh?

KR

 

[Pilgrim]

It is a learned attitude/behavior. It takes place in the schools. My "grandkids' " school officials about had kittens when one of the kids announced that her Grandpa carries a gun. Her mother had to explain to the school officials that Grandpa is a retired deputy sheriff.

A year or so later, different teacher, different principal, one of the grandkids announced in her class she shot a gun. Her mother had to explain that retired deputy sheriff Grandpa is teaching the kids firearms safety and how to shoot.

Pilgrim

 

[jfh]

The relevant points have been covered really well. I'll add this--

In the last twenty, twenty-five years, as 'sixties Activists' grew into social positions of responsibility, the impact of TV has combined with Activists' mindset to make them increasingly vulnerable to illogical thinking.

Now throw in the 'indoctrination' many of these 'Activists' got as they went through college (instead of education that included a strong concept of objectivity and critical analysis). Add in the TV impact of shortening its consumer's attention span--and we're act a spot where a lot of intelligent people not only can't think through their fear, but pass it on as 'truth.'