Are you pro-gun but with close friends who are gun-ignorant?

[owlhoot]

There is a great difference between being friendly with a person and being friends with a person. We choose our friends. I have to know a person long enough to get to know who that person is, how he behaves, what he believes, his sense of honor, his integrety, and his intelligence.

I may know and like a great many people, but there are no more than half a dozen that I call my friend. I can't imagine why I would ever have a friend who is an "anti." Opposites don't attract when it comes to friendships.

 

[D-Day]

None of my close friends are really anti...except maybe one Canadian. She understands my use of them, and doesn't argue with me, so we're neutral and at peace on that issue. Most of my other friends don't have guns, or just don't care either way. No real antis.

 

[Sackett]

Well, here in 'silly-con' valley, I've made several friends from other countries and cultures. Most are neutral or barely interested in our gun culture.

On one end of the spectrum, I have a S.Korean friend who was mildly anti for yrs., until he got married and had a baby. About 1yr. after the baby came along I casually mentioned I had been at the range over the weekend; He perked up and showed a great deal of interest in learning to shoot (which reminds me, I need to set a date for his first range trip). I learned a lot about his priorities and integrity from this change in attitude. It was like he suddenly woke up and understood what it really means to be prepared to defend your family.

On the other end, I am getting to know a very nice and competent Chinese engineer, who has been here about 6yrs. (but had never heard of John Wayne --don't ask me how!). In a discussion about guns and their primary purpose in my life, he couldn't really get the picture. I asked what he would do if someone broke into his home- he said he couldn't imagine killing someone. I then asked, what about your 4yo. daughter? He said he would fight to the death, and sacrifice himself if he had to, but still didn't think citizens should have guns Now, keep in mind that this gentleman is ~45yo, and has been brainwashed by his communist govt. for 39 of those yrs. (not unlike some of our compatriots I guess). Still, I hope the discussion sparked something.

I've decided to take him under wing, not so much for guns, but to help him understand American principles of self-reliance and an independence from Govt., etc. He's reading Fahrenheit 451 now, and I'm already thinking about what's next to recommend...

 

[cambeul41]

My formerly Japanese wife is an engineer with many international contacts whom we take shooting. She reports no negative reactions from them. Possibly that might be because as an Asian female, it is harder for them to see her as threatening.

The last Chinese we took to the range was female and quite a good shot with a pistol. When we asked about that, she simply said, "Army training."

If you are wondering how one goes about becoming a "former Japanese." the answer is simple: by becoming a libertarian leaning, pistol packing, rifle shooting American.

 

[Deanimator]

My formerly Japanese wife is an engineer with many international contacts whom we take shooting. She reports no negative reactions from them. Possibly that might be because as an Asian female, it is harder for them to see her as threatening.

My best friend's wife is Korean. He met her when we were in Korea. She comes from a well to do family which formerly lived in Manchuria.

She'd never handled a gun before they met. She now has her own .40S&W Daewoo handgun and has shot trap with him.

 

[bogie]

When I was XO of a basic training company at Ft. Knox in the '80s

Hmmm... You may be one of the reasons my entire basic training unit got moved from Hard Knox down to Ft. Meadowmuffin... There we wuz, and the word came down that there were too many folks, and some had to go...

It always astonishes me to see people old enough to have been adults during WWII who seem not to comprehend that there are REALLY evil people in the world who not only don't mind hurting others, but absolutely enjoy it.

You wanna know what I think? I think that a large number of the Nazis were NOT sadistic scum... They were merely highly efficient bureaucrats. Who proceeded to "process."

Now, which is scarier? Personally, bureaucrats rank above clowns...

 

[bowl443]

Have any of you been affected by gun ownership in such a way that you suddenly look at close friends differently?

Ya, I got some close friends that have families with no guns in the house. They got baseball bats and think thats good enough. Most likely it isn't. They're not anti, they just aren't educated enough about guns to own one.

What kind of jerk would I be if I decided I didn't need some of my best friends because they don't have a gun in their house?

Life is too short to lose friends because of a disagreement on self/family defense. We'll just talk about the Cowboys instead..

 

[Deanimator]

You wanna know what I think? I think that a large number of the Nazis were NOT sadistic scum... They were merely highly efficient bureaucrats. Who proceeded to "process."

That's true, but there were more than enough just having a "good time".

Of course the guy to whom I was referring spent a certain amount of time in China and Korea immediately after the war. There was nothing "efficient" about Japanese atrocities. 99% of it was just "recreation", some of it like the Rape of Nanking, explicitly characterized by them as such. And that doesn't count the Red Army in Eastern Europe and Germany. They didn't quibble too much over whether their victims were Axis or Allied citizens, either.

If you lived through WWII and don't believe there's real evil in the world, you're mostly just sleepwalking through life. Either that, or you've dedicated your life to lying to yourself.

 

[jackstinson]

I honestly do not choose my friends by their stance on firearm ownership. Thus I have friends who I shoot with, friends who are not anti-gun, friends who don't even think about such topics, and friends who are not pro-gun. I also don't choose my friends by politics, religion, race, hair color, income, or the type of car they drive (Is he pro-hemi?).

 

[Deanimator]

They got baseball bats and think thats good enough.

Not too long ago, I watched an episode of "Cold Case Files" on A&E. There was this guy who tried to use a baseball bat to defend himself and his wife from a home invader. It took years, but they finally found the guy who murdered him, raped his wife and set their house on fire. She said she feels as though she herself died that night. But hey, at least the dead husband didn't "escalate the violence" by using a firearm to prevent his own death, his wife's rape and the arson...

 

[Deanimator]

I honestly do not choose my friends by their stance on firearm ownership.

I choose my friends largely on the basis of shared fundamental values. If you're an ignorant bigot or you think that people have a duty to allow themselves to be savagely exploited or murdered in order to preserve the safety of the person robbing, raping or murdering them, we don't have much of substance in common on which to base a relationship.

 

[XD_fan]

Yes I have some acquaintances who are fairly ignorant on the subject of guns. All my friends are people who hunt and fish.

Its fairly difficult to know my wife and I well without acquiring gun knowledge. She's a very avid shooter and actively recruits women into the sport. I hunt and shoot every chance I get. My standard response when questioned on why I have guns is to ask why someone wouldn't have a gun, at a minimum for self-defense.

 

[bowl443]

Not too long ago, I watched an episode of "Cold Case Files" on A&E. There was this guy who tried to use a baseball bat to defend himself and his wife from a home invader. It took years, but they finally found the guy who murdered him, raped his wife and set their house on fire. She said she feels as though she herself died that night. But hey, at least the dead husband didn't "escalate the violence" by using a firearm to prevent his own death, his wife's rape and the arson...

Are you saying that I shouldn't be friends with someone I grew up with because of this? I didn't say the guy was a bleeding liberal, I said he wasn't educated on the issue to be on either side.

I choose my friends largely on the basis of shared fundamental values.

What's fundamental to you isn't to others. Does he love his family? Is he a good friend? There's not a whole lot left to discuss that isn't covered by these two questions.

I'm glad I wasn't the guy in college, who shortly after meeting someone asked, "Do you believe that people have a duty to allow themselves to be savagely exploited or murdered in order to preserve the safety of the person robbing, raping or murdering them?"

I hear what you're saying, but my close friends were my friends before I had a decent opinion on alot of these issues. Should I be the guy that picks up a little reading material one day, realizes his friends are ignorant bigots, and leaves them all behind?

I believe that could be a case of one's halo slipping down around their neck.

 

[Deanimator]

Are you saying that I shouldn't be friends with someone I grew up with because of this? I didn't say the guy was a bleeding liberal, I said he wasn't educated on the issue to be on either side.

I'm telling you what my values are and how I pick my friends. You're free to pick your friends however you like. I try to associate with people with whom I have at least something in common.

 

[aimy]

I don't really have any close friends that are gun ignorant, but you can't choose your relatives.
After 30 years of marriage, I still have 2 sisters and a mother who wondered why in the heck I would marry someone who has lots of guns and why we always have to have at least one with us where ever we go. "Does he deal drugs or something?" "Gee, what kind of friends/enemies do you guys have that you need to have GUNS!" And later... "What if your kids got a hold of them?"
I never could convince them that target shooting can be a whole lot of fun and that bad guys ARE real.
I do have a couple of normal brothers though.

 

[Gairwyn]

Most if not all of our close friends are pro-gun. I do have a few friends though(my girlfriends from highschool) that either just don't care to find out about guns or think that they don't need guns. I remember one day getting a call from my one friend talking histerically about the fact that her Older brother purchased a handgun etc..etc.. I tried to make her understand the situations that her brother(beer truck driver) is in everyday but I don't know if I made any headway... Either way she goes I left open the invitation for me to teach her and her family if she wanted to know. I still haven't heard from her. Sigh

 

[Noxx]

Due to my in-laws association with the local theater, I have many friends and acquaintances who vary from gun-ignorant to rabidly anti-gun.

I take a pretty hands off stance to dealing with them on the subject. If they have honest questions, I answer with enthusiasm, if they have accusatory tirades, I let them know without rancor that I'm not available for discussion on the topic. A couple of the more "anti" types have actually converted to a live and let live stance after prolonged interaction with me, so I guess I'm out there representing the responsible gun owner properly, or as best I can anyway.

 

[jakemccoy]

Due to my in-laws association with the local theater, I have many friends and acquaintances who vary from gun-ignorant to rabidly anti-gun.

I take a pretty hands off stance to dealing with them on the subject. If they have honest questions, I answer with enthusiasm, if they have accusatory tirades, I let them know without rancor that I'm not available for discussion on the topic. A couple of the more "anti" types have actually converted to a live and let live stance after prolonged interaction with me, so I guess I'm out there representing the responsible gun owner properly, or as best I can anyway.

That's about the only feasible approach in my world as well. However, the main thing that irritates me is the fact that I may have friends who would support gun control without too much thought. For example, if there were some type of proposition for a gun ban, they might vote for it as a knee jerk reaction to emotional propaganda. Such an act would be a bit worse then verbally telling me to quit being a gun owner.

 

[Deleted member 66305]

Have any of you been affected by gun ownership in such a way that you suddenly look at close friends differently?

No. But I've had some close friends look at gun owners differently after finding out that I am one.

 

[Deleted member 66305]

Sorry, but at my age I learned long ago that I don't need any liberal friends.

I used to consider myself liberal, until I figured out i was really libertarian.

Regardless, I like having a spectrum of opinions represented among my friends. A party just isn't the same unless there's an animated discussion of politics or religion -- the only thing i ask of friends is the ability to disagree civilly.

Plus, I find I learn a lot more having a diverse crowd around.

 

[Deleted member 66305]

I've got an uncle (from a side that I don't see much of) that, when he and his wife heard someone trying to break in, made his wife go down stairs first, while he followed.

I know a couple women I'd sent out first. Not because I'm a coward, but because i've seen them shoot, and I'd almost feel sorry for the BGs. The one person I'd call over in case of zombies is female.

 

[tigre]

Most of the people I hang out with are fellow grad students, and about half of them are at least somewhat anti (a few of the girls have said that they're scared of guns). Most of them are pretty liberal as well, and sometimes it gets to me, but it's fairly easy to ignore. It would be really great to have a bunch of friends who are more on my wavelength from a philosophical perspective, but you can't have everything, and I don't have much spare time to go find the few pro-gun, outdoorsy, atheist, libertarians in my area. At the moment it's good enough that my friends and acquaintances are science nerds and mostly non-religious.

 

[Caliban]

my friends- even my family- all seem downright afraid of guns. otherwise well-educated liberals are somehow bred with the notion that guns are dangerous by themselves and it is best to avoid them entirely, as owning one means you are far more likely to accidentally shoot yourself or someone you know than someone who is a threat to you.

it boggles my mind. but i guess it's what happens when you grow up in an environment that is genuinely very safe. you have never needed a weapon, and therefore you can't understand why you would. from an early age, we're taught that if someone ever approaches you with a weapon, you should do whatever they want- give them your money, anything you have- and beg for your life. i got this lecture over and over in school. better to give up a few bucks than risk death, leave chasing criminals to the cops.

it always made me sick to hear. but that's new york city for you.

 

[Just Jim]

I used to consider myself liberal, until I figured out i was really libertarian.

Regardless, I like having a spectrum of opinions represented among my friends. A party just isn't the same unless there's an animated discussion of politics or religion -- the only thing i ask of friends is the ability to disagree civilly.

Plus, I find I learn a lot more having a diverse crowd around.

I am a true conservative registered independant. I find little use in wasteing time with a diverse crowd, better to challenge myself trying to beat like minded people at games I like.

I am not interested with animated conversations with people just because they have a different point of view. I figure they will either grow up and take control of their lives or stay a child with a government mommy to take care of them.

Firearms are the teeth of our constitution, the tools to maintain our democracy and the insurance against personal harm. A good conservative spends a large part of their life to maintain knowledge in the use of firearms for all occasions.


jj

 

[gezzer]

Easy, I am 57 years old. I do not have friends who are anti-gun.

I have a few relatives and in-laws who are. I ignore them politely and when pressed, tell them off and right them off.

Life is to short to argue with brainwashed lib’s