Don’t tell wife

My wife just resigns herself to the fact I’ve been buying, owning and shooting guns long before we met, and I’ll still buy, own and shoot for many more years to come.

I don’t go cuckoo and spend all our money on gun stuff, but I’ll buy a moderately priced gun now and then during the year and it’s ok.

Stay safe.

I taught my wife to shoot a handgun before we married. We have never hid purchases from each other. Well, we do at Christmas but other than that, no. We will have been married for 61 years next month. That system seems to have worked well.

While socially progressive, my wife and I (married 14 years and together 25) have adopted a "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

I never spend what we can't be burdened with, she does the same. If it is going to potentially cut into funds, I always ask. Or, I simply cull the herd a bit and sell off what I'm not shooting to fund something I want more.

That said, those are some great looking Charters. I keep telling myself not to go buy the high polished Undercover with wood grips for $375. So far, ita working I've got a TV to get paid off before April and a Vegas trip in October. Still, nothing like a new gun...or three

drk1 said:

Congrats! However, just for future reference, here is a strategy that seemed to work for some of my customers. When you find something at the lgs that you just can't live without, go ahead and pay for it, but ask them to hold on to it for a few days. After those few days have gone by, explain to the wife that you were thinking of selling one or more guns and were going to take them to the lgs to see what they would be willing to pay for them. The next step is fill up some handgun or rifle cases, depending on what you've bought and awaits you at the lgs, with newspaper so that they look like there's something in there. Then make a effort of let the wife know that sadly you're going to the lgs to sell some things and let her see you going out the door with cases in hand. When you get to the lgs, replace the paper you've stuffed into the gun cases with the real thing. When you get home, make sure to look all sad and dejected, explaining to your wife how sad you are that you didn't sell anything, which is not a lie, and with a slow, dejected walk wander off to play with your new toys! Hope it works for you. Once again, congrats!

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If you need to use that much subterfuge to "get past" your wife I would argue your wife has the wrong husband.

My wife doesn't care what I buy. I don't many guns anymore anyway. I pay all the bills and buy 90% of all the food. And she has seen me buy several guns and then resale them for a lot more than I paid for them. Like the Norinco Mak 90 I bought for $250 and sold 2 weeks later for $750.

But even with as many guns as I have she always knows when I buy a new one. I guess because I sit in the garage at my loading bench and fondle my new gun.
She asked "did you get a new gun?"
Yep, you like it?"
"No".
And thats the end of that.

Our house has three different accounts, the house money, his money and my money. It is the very rare circumstance when what he buys is any of my concern. The only time that has had a firearm involved is when he bought a rifle from a neighbor that was being forced to sell for half of what it was worth. Even then it wasn't the rifle but taking advantage of a good man when he was in the middle of a bad situation.

To the guys who claim that they and their significant other have a perfect understanding about guns, and share everything, and they wouldn’t dream of buying a hot dog without spousal consultation: I’m happy for you. I suspect that your situations are not the norm. We laugh at the “don’t tell my wife” lines because many of us can relate.

My wife and I have a great relationship, but she is very frugal. Frugal is good. Frugal means she is a paragon of good sense and doesn’t buy 18 pairs of shoes. It means I have to say “Honey I think we need to buy you some more skirts.”

It also means she doesn’t have a lot of empathy for recreational spending. She knows I buy guns. She accepts that. She’s even alluded to how this one or that one is “new.” She occasionally shoots, herself. But for her, a gun is a tool. Like a potato peeler. And you might want an extensive cutlery assortment, but to cook most meals, one or two peelers more than suffices. I quickly learned, early on in our marriage, that if I brought home every new gun, and showed it off, and made it clear that this item was new and represented an outflowing of capital, it was a great way to start an argument, or at least breed resentment. Now I sneak them in, and everyone is happy.

I just lie. I've gotten very good at it.

Mosin77 writes:

..a gun is a tool. Like a potato peeler. And you might want an extensive cutlery assortment, but to cook most meals, one or two peelers more than suffices.

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Still, there are few potato peelers (or other kitchen tools) that can be re-sold for close to, or even more than, what one initially paid for them.

I try to keep my gun purchases limited to those that I could turn back into close to what I spent on them if I decided I needed the money instead.

drk1 said:

Congrats! However, just for future reference, here is a strategy that seemed to work for some of my customers. When you find something at the lgs that you just can't live without, go ahead and pay for it, but ask them to hold on to it for a few days. After those few days have gone by, explain to the wife that you were thinking of selling one or more guns and were going to take them to the lgs to see what they would be willing to pay for them. The next step is fill up some handgun or rifle cases, depending on what you've bought and awaits you at the lgs, with newspaper so that they look like there's something in there. Then make a effort of let the wife know that sadly you're going to the lgs to sell some things and let her see you going out the door with cases in hand. When you get to the lgs, replace the paper you've stuffed into the gun cases with the real thing. When you get home, make sure to look all sad and dejected, explaining to your wife how sad you are that you didn't sell anything, which is not a lie, and with a slow, dejected walk wander off to play with your new toys! Hope it works for you. Once again, congrats!

Click to expand...

You are wise. A tactic I've used before too. Never lie, exclude information . my wife couldn't guess within 15 or so how many guns I have and could only pick may be 5 out of a lineup. Another strategy that she seems to see right through is when I come home with a new gun and tell her "honey, look what I found in the dumpster". It's a joke but she knows I'm not saying where I got it. I've also drastically underestimated values, took a bag of ammo and told her I'm trading it off for some "old junk". God, I hope she's not a secret member here....

Mine said it was her or the guns. Don't miss the ol' gal near as much as I thought I would.