Are you old enough to remember when firearms were proudly displayed?

I remember as a yute in Montana l never went into a house that didn't have rifles and hunting gear in the front room almost year around. I don't remember seeing a pickup without guns in the gun rack. I'm shopping for a new Subaru currently, I'll ask the salesman tomorrow about a factory installed gun rack.

People have learned to be more discrete these days. The growth of single parent families, both parents working means the home is often empty during the day. I have seen enough stories on other boards by people who had guns stolen by a child's "friend", a family member, etc. People simply don't "know" each other they way they used to, the older sense of community is is disappearing.

We moved to a mountain community a half-hour east of Bakersfield almost seven years ago. We brought along two gun safes, but wanted a good old-fashioned gun cabinet to add to the home office. One day I ran across one on Craigslist for $150. We went to town to look at it, and found a 12 year old Ethan Allen piece that had never held a gun. Paid the lady, loaded it up, brought it home and polished it up. Cost $2400 new. Proudly sits in our office, holds the overflow from the safes, and gives the grandkids and us something to talk about.
House is alarmed, but when we're gone overnight the cabinet holds wall-hangers and BB/pellet rifles.

1976B.L.Johns. said:

And up here in the north!
Ours was in the dining room growing up.

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I think it's a regional thing too.
Here in Chicago land I'd say it's very uncommon for any guns to be displayed . I'm not old enough to remember much of the 80s but can't say I ever saw any friends or neighbors with gun cabinets. My wife's family is from central/southern Illinois and some of them still have gun cases, they don't keep guns in them anymore though.

I know a guy here locally who inherited a very nice large gun cabinet when his parents had to sell their home, his wife makes him keep it in the garage. Wouldn't do him much good, he only has one handgun .

So I'd have to say no, as a 36 year old guy in northern Illinois I'm not really old enough to remember anyone displaying firearms . years ago I did keep all my long guns on a rifle rack in a spare bedroom , I didn't have a safe. I wouldn't do that anymore and I'm lucky nothing happened to them , considering the neighborhood I lived in.

Yes

Citron said:

Wow, in Alaska?....I would not think that would happen there!

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Gun Free School Zones Act. It's a Federal law.

cougarman said:

Sure do. I remember when my uncle who sold guns at shows told me to guess how many he had hanging on the wall in his family room. He said if I was right he would give me one. I said 40. There were 39. I said that’s right after I take mine.

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He would be considered a power collector to 2A types, today.

To the Newz Media types today, he would have ''an arsenal'' (over 5 guns) (LoL)

My family growing up had a free standing OPEN rifle display case (no glass, no hinged wood retaining bar) in...the living room

ALL GOOD STORIES THNX GENTS & GEMS

Guns have become high value/high target items, and with the increasing lawlessness, guns have migrated to increasingly safe places. In my world. the taboo of displaying them is as a result of that. While security measures are in place, in layers, a safe can deter the "smash and grab" thievery.

As to offending someone, I don't invite the folks that will be offended, and if they are offended once they're in, I've made a poor choice and, if the door is close at hand, can be readily remedied.

I just retired and moved to Beaver Island. It’s located in the middle of northern Lake Michigan. It’s a very small community where crime is nearly nonexistent. I’ve been invited into the homes of a few old timers who still openly display their guns. It’s nice to see. Mine still reside in my safe although I don’t lock it because I don’t have a better place to keep them. Perhaps when I get my man cave built I can remedy that!

I remember having gun cabinets with glass door so you could see what was inside, wall rifle and shotgun racks and pistols on the wall in presentation cases. No more of that,, both from a security risk and more and more from new laws.

Bob

I remember during hunting season in HS pickups with shotguns and rifles on a rack in the back of the truck. I suspect even if they could do it today, they'd get stolen.

One thing I remember growing up, back in the day when the "grown-ups" had such social events as "cocktail parties" in folks' homes (my dad loved to entertain his faculty colleagues, fishing buddies and everyone he met in town that he decided was a friend, which was anybody who'd listen to his stories) -- you could tell who the hunters and shooters were -- there'd be a gathering of men (typically with cigars or cigarettes in hand, beverage in the other) in front of the gun cabinet and/or rifle racks on the wall where "man stuff" got discussed (.270 vs. .30-06 vs. .308 vs. .30-30 probably happened, since everybody we knew hunted whitetails, as well as Winchesters are better than Remingtons -- okay I made that one up -- , etc.). I occasionally got dragged along with the folks if whoever we visited had a kid anywhere near my age, so I witnessed the uniquely American phenomenon more'n a few times.

'Twas a good time to grow up.

Nope. I’m one of them yewts.

Yes I do! A loaded shotgun over the door, and another one or two close by!

Hell! I use to ride around with a carbine in the gun rack of my truck with my Remington 700. Never took them out but to use them!

Miltonman said:

A loaded shotgun over the door,

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Many of the people I know have an old, beat up single shot scattergun of some description stuck behind their kitchen door. Generally loaded with hb #6 shot, for use against any critter foolish enough to raid their garden, bee yard, or hen house. Mine is a Stevens 1915 12 gauge with broken stock repaired with rawhide. Works pretty darn good, just don't miss.

Mac

trekker73 said:

Now only the sword remains on display.

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And, that might want reconsideration, the beater military issued ones are now getting four figures, so would be worth a c-note at the pawn shop if sticky-fingered.

Old Dog said:

Winchesters are better than Remingtons -- okay I made that one up -- , etc.)

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No, that's a well established fact. Common knowledge, even amongst non-shooting folks. To say otherwise is to say the earth is flat.

I rode to high school with a buddy in his dad's Studebaker pickup truck, with a gun rack inside the cab at the back window - there for the whole world to see. Two guns hung there permanently: a model 94 Winchester, and a 12 gauge pump. Yeah, those were the days, we didn't lock doors and the car sat parked in the driveway, windows rolled down (AC cars were not common), and keys in the ignition. I got my first gun at age 7. It was a J. C. Higgins single shot bolt action 22 and all I shot was 22 short, LRs were expensive @ 59 cents for a box of 100. I was born in 1945, so that was a while ago.

As a kid in the 60's, Dad had a couple of wall mounted gun racks. In 71 we moved out of the 70+year old converted garage and into a new house he built. Mom had a custom oak 12 gun cabinet made shortly after. It now resides in my vault, holding my oldest battle rifles. The oldest a Sharps carbine. When I was old enough to legally drive to school, it was in our 4X4 International farm truck, complete with gun rack and depending on the time of year my Ithaca 37 12 gauge, Remington 742 or Marlin .22.

Now people just cover their cars with stickers

Sadly, this thread reminded me that as a child, there was a three-gun rack hanging over the head of my bed...proudly displaying my two BB guns. I wonder what happened to that thing?

For what it’s worth, both property and violent crimes spiked in the late 80s and early 90s and are roughly back to what they were in the 60s.

I imagine safe ownership has grown 1000% for a variety of reasons. One day my basement will be a safe