Anyone else find owning guns makes you level-headed?

[Third_Rail]

Does anyone else find it easier to control your temper/make better decisions now that you're a gunowner?


I realized that it helped me quite a bit when my older sister swore at me loudly about an imagined slight and I could just walk away, laughing to myself quietly. I couldn't do that even 6 months ago.

 

[psyopspec]

Guns are inanimate objects, not magical talismans that make bad guys run away or keep a person cool-headed. A bad temper combined with a gun is a recipe for disaster. Therefore, I would not own guns if I could not first keep my temper in check while not owning one.

 

[Third_Rail]

Well, perhaps I worded this badly. I'm not quite sure how to word it, though.



Oh well, I tried.

 

[psyopspec]

I think I get what you mean Third. Kind of the new sense of responsibility that comes with owning a gun. I do acknowledge that I felt that, but I've never been the confrontational type and have always found that avoidance is the best option.

 

[Third_Rail]

Yes! Sense of responsibility, that's what I wanted to say.


I've never really been the confrontational type either, but I used to actually get steamed up when someone swore at me, I'd be mad and walk away PO'd.

Now I just walk away.

 

[MobileSuitPilotX]

I think I understand what you're getting at.

You recognize the responsibility associated with gun ownership. That means you are held to a higher standard than others when it comes to keeping a cool head. And yes, since I started owning firearms and carrying, I've found myself to be much cooler about things in general.

 

[McCall911]

Good meds help.

And I'm level-headed around my sister especially because she has better guns than I do.

(Seriously, I don't have a sister. )

Whether it's because of good genes, good upbringing, self-discipline, the grace of God, or--IMO--all of these reasons, I turned out pretty even-tempered, moral, and clear-headed anyway. But I also know that I have sense enough to use a gun when I have to.

 

[MobileSuitPilotX]

psyopspec

You just type faster than me. PPphhhhbbbttttt!

 

[Ky Larry]

Yes. I have always been a fighter. I would take on anyone with my fists, and I usually won. Now, I'm a little older and, hopefully, wiser. I avoid confrontations and will walk or run away. Idiot drivers don't make me mad anymore. I just laugh and go on my way.You live and learn.

 

[Missouri Mule]

I beleive that I am more tolerant of stupid folks since receiving my CCW.

Easier to control my temper...doubtful!!

 

[Warner]

History has a comment on this;
Remember the old adage " An armed society.... is a polite society"?

I think there's a connection there.

 

[sturmruger]

Especially when I am carrying

I really try my hardest to mind my own business and not to drive like an idiot. I feel a great resposibility to be a shining example of a good citizen with a carry permit. It also makes me more confident so I don't look like a victim.

 

[Riverrat66]

I find that I avoid confrontations when I am carrying. And that helps me to feel more relaxed and less stressed. I just don't let things bother me like I used to.

 

[Rebel Gunman HK]

I most certainly behave differently when I am carrying. I will not put myself into any conflicts verbal or physical while carrying. I avoid conflicts as much as possible anyway, but I keep my mouth shut when carrying.

This also tends to keep me out of trouble...

But I can control myself.

 

[SpookyPistolero]

I think that controlling your temper and being level-headed in general are prerequisites to being a gun-owner, not a side effect. That said, I believe that a lot of positive qualities about myself come from having grown up a shooter, especially at early ages. When you are highly trusted by someone you highly respect with something so powerful, it makes you trustworthy and respectful. Go figure.

I also act a bit differently when I'm carrying, in that I'm much more aware of my surroundings and I keep my emotions mellowed and below the surface. I'm also more considerate of others, and confidence and tolerance are more visible.

 

[joegerardi]

My temper has definitely cooled since being a gun owner...

With the realization that I now carry something that in a moment of blind anger can lead to catastrophic results for everyone, I have become a much calmer and more level-headed person. Not that I was a brawler before - I think my last fistfight was in 6th grade or somewhere around that time - but I do tend to have a temper and fly off the handle. My Sicilian blood, or something.

When the idiots piss me off now, I simply think to myself: "They're not worth the powder it would take to shoot them."

..Joe

 

[Black Snowman]

I think Jefferson said it best:

"A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball, and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be your constant companion of your walks."
--Thomas Jefferson to Peter Carr, 1785.

 

[unixguy]

Like a few others have said, I wasn't really a confrontational sort before I started carrrying, but there were definitely things that would aggravate me (usually on the road). Since I've been carrying, it's easier to remember that if I don't de-escalate as early as possible, someone might die.

For some reason, it's much easier to ignore something when you know you don't have to and are in a position of strength in the incident. Morally (and legally in my state), if I contribute to the escalation of an incident then I will at least _share_ in the responsibility for the end result.

 

[Zach S]

Maybe. I was growing out of my young and stupid phase as I got more interested in firearms. Dont get me wrong, at the age of 23, I dont consider myself old and wise, just not as young and stupid, lol.

 

[Gordon Fink]

Owning a gun is a form of taking responsibility. Controlling your anger is another form of the same. Many prospective gun owners realize that they shouldn’t do one without the other.

~G. Fink

 

[PaulBk]

I take me with myself everywhere I go.

No difference in my behavior.

-PB

 

[T.Stahl]

Well, I have to control my temper because I'm a gun owner.
There are some things you can say if you aren't a gun-owner, but if you are, people might think it's a valid threat.
On the other hand, to have guns at hand - and the opportunity to go shooting - can give you a new way to relieve stress. You can store the stress, knowing that Friday evening you'll go to the range, where you can put all that stress in a bullet and send it down range into the backstop.

"I am the most even-tempered man I know."
"Right, noone's ever lived long enough for you to get really mad. They're dead by the time you're mildly annoyed."
Tom Clancy, The Sum of all Fears, Chapter 2