Wait, what?

[JEB]

wanting the gun simply because it was used in a suicide is a little odd but that reflects the person not the weapon.

i did some negotiating with a police chief once because they were in posession of a brand new 870 that had only been fired once (a suicide). the facts of the weapon's past meant basicly nothing to me. an interesting story yes, but i was more interested in an opportunity to cheaply own a good shotgun for deer season and one that i wouldnt mind dragging threw the woods because the finish was not in the best shape. eventually the deal fell through; they werent eager to sell and i wasnt about to pay a premium for a gun with a sub par finish that would require a none-too-pleasent cleaning job.

but yeah, if he just wants it because he gets off on owning a suicide gun then thats kinda creepy.

 

[Southern Rebel]

If you think about it, his attitude is more immaturity than weird. It kinda reminds me of some of the kids I grew up with - when they were around 10-12 years old.

I suspect that a lot of our gun appreciation appears VERY weird to some people who are not anti-gun, but aren't particularly fascinated different brands, calibers, etc. They just want one for protection.

I find it just as weird to see gunowners freaked out by guns that have killed someone (family members or friends excepted). If the gun bothers you, then the box of cartridges that the killer catridge came from should bother you - and maybe all models of gun that are identical to the "killer gun" would also freak you out.

I have two guns that were used in killings - one in a double murder and the other in a sucide. I don't find either of them to be fascinating or scary - just two guns. I didn't acquire them because of their history - nor reject them because of it. I just bought them because they were cheap.

Men's objects of fascination would fill a library for the psychiatrists - let's not put the poor guy in a ward and take away his guns. Yes, his attitude is immature, but sometimes I think my enjoyment of cleaning my guns and admiring their different attributes is a throwback to my early teen years when guns were such an interesting part of growing up. If immaturity in one area of your enjoyments of life is enough to question your ability to own guns, we are all gonna be in trouble.

 

[Mr. Bojangles]

Owning the firearm used for a suicide would give me the creeps. I wouldn't begrudge someone else for owning it, I just wouldn't want it.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

It works both ways. I met a guy at a gun shop who bought a ChiCom SKS because he had been wounded with one in Nam and he said it was therapy to be able to be on the controlling end of one.

 

[Southern Rebel]

Owning the firearm used for a suicide would give me the creeps. I wouldn't begrudge someone else for owning it, I just wouldn't want it.

Mr. Bo,

I think we are in agreement - The thoughts of eating fried chicken gizzards gives me a creepy feeling, but I have no problem if someone else rates them as gourmet dilicious!

 

[Carl N. Brown]

maybe all models of gun that are identical to the "killer gun" would also freak you out.

This is what creeps me out: when academics like Frank Zimring talk about profiling crime guns for model or type specific bans. What ends up in criminal hands is what can be stolen, smuggled, extorted and that has little to do with "weapon of choice of criminals"; back inthe day inthe'hood, the street criminals wanted the Army .45 and the Police .38 Special: that was their weapon of choice but they settled for what they could get. Ban one model they would just use what was available on the black market usually the most common in circulation. The idea that you can impact criminal behavior by symbolicly banning a certain model strikes me as the tactical equivalent of voodoo. "The disease is gun violence and the virus is the X Make Model Y" when X Make Model Y is the symptom not the cause.

 

[grumpy66]

Some folks are lust plain strange......
Take a look at how sales of the FN-five7 went UP after the Ft. Hood shooting.

 

[merlinfire]

The gun doesn't scare me. But the fact that this guy really, really, wants a gun that someone used to commit suicide....well. Guns don't scare me but people do.

 

[SharpsDressedMan]

Maybe he's thinkng about suicide.............

 

[youngda9]

I would find it odd knowing that. It would feel weird...and I definetly wouldn't go looking for one. If it was military I wouldn't give it much of a thought. If it was suicide it would be weird.

 

[rozziboy18]

hooooo holy cow!

thats creepy that thats to reason he wants it!

i have a old saa colt 45 in my safe that was used in a suicide that was give to me for safe keeping but gawd! it was my bosses father and it still creeps me out to handle it.

it dose bother me to know that there are some people out there that odd

 

[txhoghunter]

So there is something wrong with being fascinated with death?

No there isn't. However, most people see this as slightly unusual. Especially if buying a weapon that someone used to kill themselves.

I would not want this gun, just as I would not want a knife that someone had killed him or herself with. It is something I would think about whenever I saw it, and would just not sit right with me.

Just how I feel about it, and obviously everyone views things differently.

 

[shotgunjoel]

Take a look at how sales of the FN-five7 went UP after the Ft. Hood shooting.

Remember when OJ Simpson fled from the police [sarcasm font] at breakneck speeds [/sarcasm font]. Yeah, after that sales of white Broncos jumped something like 300%. Now I understand that you are talking about a weapon used to kill people, but it's the same idea, situations like that are sort of like free advertising for companies.

 

[Hardtarget]

When I was about 25 years old, my boss's brother committed suicide. About a month later he told me the family didn't want to keep the revolver, and if I wanted it ,he would arrange the sale through the local Sheriff. I didn't buy the gun because it felt wrong...close working situation and I knew his wife and son. I felt it should go to a stranger...no connections with the family.

Sad situation...and I wanted the gun...nice Colt in .38 special...

So...I really do see your point... a bit creepy.

Mark

 

[ObsidianOne]

I have a gun that my father was shot with (he lived), I always thought it would bother me, but it doesn't at all.

 

[longhair75]

I have the revolver my brother used to take his own life. It sits on the top shelf of my safe, and a couple of times a year I wipe it down with a light coat of oil. His oldest son called me a few months ago, wondering what had happened to the gun. When I told him that I still had it, he asked if I would be willing to give it to him. He is welcome to it.

 

[cougfan]

I like old milsurp guns for their history and possible action they have seen, but I wouldn't want a gun that had been used to kill someone, especially a suicide. The gun Hitler used would be awesome and I'm sure is worth an enormous amount and should be in a museum somewhere. Other than that, unless I used a gun to save my life it would take a really amazing deal to end up in my collection. I just think it would be a bad association with something I enjoy. I love taking my guns out shooting, taking care of 'em and sometimes just checking them out because there awesome, but knowing someone killed themselves with it would be too horrible a thought for me to really enjoy it.

 

[cambeul41]

I would like to say that the guns history would make no difference to me, but I suspect that would not be the truth.

A bunch of years ago I took a nice 1911 in payment for a debt from someone I did not like. Every time I looked at that gun, I thought about the previous owner. At the time, I knew little about gun values, so I sold it for less than it was worth.

Sometimes I regret the price that I accepted. Often I wish I had a 1911 of equal quality, but never do I want that particular gun back.

 

[stonecutter2]

So there is something wrong with being fascinated with death?

Not in my opinion.

The guy's approach about it may have seemed creepy, but in general I think that death holds a lot of fascination for a fair amount of folks, including the means that people go about to end their own life.