Disdain for Younger Generations of Shooters: What's the Deal?

[Corpral_Agarn]

Hello THR!

Recently I stumbled across a post that accused folks of the younger generations (that would be me) as treating guns 'like toys' and that our lives 'revolve around video games'.

I posted a response, but admittedly it was off topic for that thread.

It seems that playing video games as children is believed (by some) to be the cause of an inability to be responsible with firearms.
So by that logic people who played video games = not responsible with firearms.

I figure that because 99.9999% of all serial killers drank milk as children then we can conclude that
Drinking milk as children = serial killer

or not, seeing as correlation does not equal causation...


I want to know what's up.

Why are people that played video games as a kid and that are 'first time fathers' and own 'plastic guns' viewed with such disdain?

I would think it damaging to the gun community and generally unwise to paint us all with such a brush.

I could be that my jimmies got rustled because I am of that age group and am responsible with firearms. As are my brothers... and friends...

Older generations have been complaining about newer generations since the beginning of time, but when it comes to the firearms community we need to be on the same team. Now more than ever.

So what gives?

Did someone just not get there Geratol that day or what?

 

[ny32182]

I usually drank the milk after killing the cereal before school in the morning.

 

[Jack.I]

There will always be curdmundgons. If you don't do things their way, you ain't one of them. At least that is how they feel. Most on this site are pretty cool though. For the ones that aren't, I give 'em a poke every now and then. Just do a post on how out of date the .45 ACP is and they'll come out of the woodwork.

 

[Sam1911]

Why are people that played video games as a kid and that are 'first time fathers' and own 'plastic guns' viewed with such disdain?

You answered your own question...

Older generations have been complaining about newer generations since the beginning of time,

Every generation has believed fervently that the next generation was the worst lot of wastrels ever to bring shame to their family, race, and species. Every generation predicts the end of civilization as we know it because of the excesses and stupidity and new viewpoints of the young. And each generation forgets that they explored the world, invented new mistakes, and (collectively, in general) lived through it and made the world a new creation, just as their dads did, and their granddads, and so on.

I would think it damaging to the gun community and generally unwise to paint us all with such a brush.

Of course it is. Not surprising, and we should be hardly be disappointed in the oldsters. After all, every new generation swears to themselves that they will NEVER be just like their parents...

but when it comes to the firearms community we need to be on the same team. Now more than ever.

Sure. Fortunately, the trend is for folks to be more conservative as they get older. The young shooter reaps both a benefit and a detriment from this: On the one hand, the oldsters don't much care for the young guy's taste in guns or his style. On the other hand, the oldsters are not as inclined to vote for a bunch of "progressive" anti-gun types.

 

[Sheepdog1968]

I tended to think the same about video games and mass shootings like you. Then, I read some of David Grossman's work. I think he may have a book on it. I know he discussed it in On Killing. I trust him and it has made me think there may be some correlation.

 

[oneounceload]

and that our lives 'revolve around video games'.

Stereotypes come from real world experiences. You don't have to read too many threads here and elsewhere where the "younger crowd" is only interested in zombie slaying and "tackycool" guns.

BTW, it's serial and Geritol - (misspellings and poor choices ("shotty" anyone?) of words are another thing that gets to some of us old curmudgeons)

 

[danez71]

That was a thoughtful reply Sam... and I believe true.


I'll also add that the pendulum swings both ways.... the stereotype wouldn't exist if there wasn't the display of the action.

 

[buckhorn_cortez]

BTW, it's serial and Geritol

"Cereal" = grain used for food; breakfast food made from toasted grain usually eaten with milk.

"Serial" = consisting of, forming part of, or taking place in a series.

You would have a bowl of cereal for breakfast, and if you ate more than one bowl you would have eaten serial bowls of cereal.

 

[oneounceload]

And if you ate the whole box, then we might consider you a cereal killer.......

As mentioned, each younger generation thinks their parents don't know or understand squat and each generation of parents thinks their kids' music sucks and that they are lazy and indolent. Those are generalities; the gun specific ones come from observations. Internet forums, gun stores, gun shows, gun ranges - what most of us older "curmudgeonly" folks have seen and heard - repeatedly - tends to lend some credence to the stereotypes being currently complained about. Go back 100 years and most of the stereotypes were ethnic/racial/cultural in nature as folks from new countries came here and did things differently. Personally, at least at the clay target clubs I shoot at, the young kids are polite, respectful, safety aware (and damn good shots with those young eyes and reflexes). That said, when it comes to rifle and pistol ranges, the observations are 80%+ the opposite. I don't mind some kids goofing around and having fun blasting cans or whatever - but the unsafe attitudes I have seen mean I no longer go to those places.

 

[Corpral_Agarn]

Spelling errors noted. Thanks all... I suppose it doesn't help my case any...

You answered your own question...

I suppose I did... still lots of us (including me) do not own plastic guns...

Of course it is. Not surprising, and we should be hardly be disappointed in the oldsters. After all, every new generation swears to themselves that they will NEVER be just like their parents...

I pray everyday that I am half the man my father is. I hope I end up just like he has.

Sure. Fortunately, the trend is for folks to be more conservative as they get older. The young shooter reaps both a benefit and a detriment from this: On the one hand, the oldsters don't much care for the young guy's taste in guns or his style. On the other hand, the oldsters are not as inclined to vote for a bunch of "progressive" anti-gun types.

Agreed.

 

[Corpral_Agarn]

And if you ate the whole box, then we might consider you a cereal killer.......

As mentioned, each younger generation thinks their parents don't know or understand squat and each generation of parents thinks their kids' music sucks and that they are lazy and indolent. Those are generalities; the gun specific ones come from observations. Internet forums, gun stores, gun shows, gun ranges - what most of us older "curmudgeonly" folks have seen and heard - repeatedly - tends to lend some credence to the stereotypes being currently complained about. Go back 100 years and most of the stereotypes were ethnic/racial/cultural in nature as folks from new countries came here and did things differently. Personally, at least at the clay target clubs I shoot at, the young kids are polite, respectful, safety aware (and damn good shots with those young eyes and reflexes). That said, when it comes to rifle and pistol ranges, the observations are 80%+ the opposite. I don't mind some kids goofing around and having fun blasting cans or whatever - but the unsafe attitudes I have seen mean I no longer go to those places.

I can get next to that, I suppose.
Although I stopped going to the public range because of everyone's lack of awareness and safety. I honestly couldn't make the distinction between who was the biggest offender.

 

[entropy]

It depends on the individual; I have two sons, 22 and 17. The older one loves walnut and steel guns, though he owns an AR. He hunts a lot more than plays video games (and those usually are the Cabela's hunting ones). The 17 year old plays LOTS of video games and goes hunting only on the opener with me, and absolutely has to use my AK for deer hunting. He loves to blast zombie targets at the range, and pop cans in the back forty at his Grandparents farm.

Both were taught from birth the correct way to be safe with firearms. They went through 4-H Shooting Sports (of which I am a Leader) and of course Hunter Safety. The older could teach it, and I keep trying to get him to....and they are both very good shots. (I chalk that up to genetics. )

If kids are taught how to handle guns correctly, and shown what the consequences are when they don't, (Watermelons and deer rifles are very effective visual aids) there generally won't be any problems.

But that doesn't stop the younger one from saying 'deagle'

ANd BTw, I've seen my share of those elderly (and middle aged) curmudgeons do lots of stupid/dangerous things, too.

And Jack.I ;The .45 ACP is not out of date!

 

[herrwalther]

I have gotten quite a bit of "you don't know what you are doing because you are young" treatment from the older crowd. Usually in gun shops or ranges. I do fairly well to ignore it since I have more real world firearm experience than most I run across. My wife gets quite a bit more disdain at shops and she is more likely to say she was a military investigator and walk away from a sale though.

 

[TomJ]

FWIW, my oldest son is 19 and is more responsible than I was at 30. I'm letting him pick a few guns from my collection when he turns 21. He wants my Springfield Mil Spec 1911, a CZ 75 compact, S&W Model 66, AR 15 and a Henry .357 Carbine. You'll notice there's not a plastic gun in the bunch. He and his friends reflect well on your generation. Now I need to go take my Geritol

 

[TimSr]

People use what they are comfortable with, and are reluctant to make drastic changes, at any age. Our military is made up mostly of young "kids" who will likely gravitate to those type weapons in civilian life just like prior generations. My own fascination with military weapons stopped with the M-14 and I was well into revolvers before the semi-auto craze. There is no doubt that movies and video games might have an influence, but that is nothing new either. Clint Eastwood had to turn a dud into a big seller that S&W came up with and could not sell.

Everybody wants a convenient scapegoat. Today its video games. When I was a kid we ran around with toy guns doing the same things. We did get more exercise doing it though. After the Kennedys and King were assasinated violence was blamed on toy guns and watching Wile E. Coyote trying to kill the Roadrunner, and by the late 70's they were actively trying to ban cartoons.

For me, while the decline in hunting interests by younger people is regretable, it is exciting to see the growing interest in pistols and personal defense shooting, and the trend towards being more accepting of citizen carry. I do not think that younger guys, in general, are less responsible. Sometimes the most irresponsible and most difficult to enlighten are the older guys who know everything.

When I was a kid, if you saw a guy carrying a pistol, he was either a criminal or a cop, and the idea of "common folk" being armed was almsot unhead of except from the NRA and other groups that couldn't even buy TV time. Its refrshing to see how the youth culture has chnaged in that respect. Now if you would just pull up your pants and turn down that rap crap.......

 

[ku4hx]

Stereotyping is universal and is often as correct as it is incorrect it seems to me. However the types are arrived at, there always seems to be the smallest grain of truth in all of them. In many cases, that small grain of truth extended to ridiculous lengths is what seems to settle for comedy and marketing now days.

The latest I've seen is gamers who keep playing while the apocalypse happens right outside their window, a ceiling collapsing from a leaking water pipe unknown to the three guys too much into watching football on TV and a 30 something guy finally moving out of his parent's house but telling them they have to keep his pet python because there's no room in his new apartment.

Right or wrong, most stereotyping is tolerated. Profiling is a form of stereotyping and it took some serious intervention to even start to get rid of it. And that's only because those being profiled objected strongly enough to get attention and change people's actions if not their minds.

On thing I've heard for years is that kids who grew up playing electronic games make some of the very best fighter pilots. Something to do in part with fast thinking, fast acting and comfort with screens and computer gizmos. Not all stereotyping is bad.

 

[Sam1911]

I suppose I did... still lots of us (including me) do not own plastic guns...

I am somewhat confused by that line of the debate.

There is nothing wrong, negative, nor stereotypical about owning modern firearms. I know MANY old guys who own and use (very well) Glocks, AR-15s and more modern carbines, and polymer stocked rifles and shotguns. So what?

They are AT LEAST as worthy as their old wood-and-steel forebears, with many advantages the old guns didn't come with.

For every young guy who only likes new "plastic" guns, there are five old guys who are too dumb or too stubborn to appreciate and acknowledge the advantages of modern designs.

Stupidity isn't just for the young.

 

[oneounceload]

still lots of us (including me) do not own plastic guns...

Has no bearing at all. I own Glocks, HK, Kimbers etc. I LOVE the looks and feel of my S&W revolvers, but I just flat out shoot my semis better. For fun at the range? Out come the revolvers and .22s. When my butt is on line, out comes the Glock-

It's more of the attitude I seem to see more from the younger crowd than I do the older - (and as I mentioned, I'm talking pistol/rifle crowed; the shotgun clay folks, both young and old, are polite, friendly, and out to have some fun)

I just don't find this to be my taste:

[/URL][/IMG]

 

[readyeddy]

When I see young guys and gals at the range shooting modern firearms, I feel reassured that our legacy is being perpetuated. Having once been young myself, I know that they have many years ahead to learn, experiment and grow as gun owners.

Some will acquire a deep appreciation of gun ownership and dedicate themselves to preserving rights, knowledge and skills, and will one day pass on the torch to future generations.

It's like looking in a mirror.

 

[Caliper_Mi]

Stereotypes come from real world experiences. You don't have to read too many threads here and elsewhere where the "younger crowd" is only interested in zombie slaying and "tackycool" guns.

And the old folk are only interested in Cowboys vs Indians and Dirty Harry guns...

Every generation has their interest. Does it matter that people are buying zombie targets instead of the thug targets? Tacticool instead of blued and wood? Did the old folks in the 1800s complain that all the kids wanted to play with was those silly new cartridge guns instead of a good caplock?

If people are being safe, having fun, and enjoying their right to keep and bear arms, I'm happy with that.

 

[WestKentucky]

I'm staying out of this one...I'm 30 and I hate the majority of my own generation of slackers....but I find it hard to believe that Super Mario Bros causes people to become enraged lunatics who go on killing sprees.

 

[Walkalong]

Same goes for some young peoples attitudes towards older folks, some of them look at them with disdain....over the hill, stuck in their ways, out of touch, boring, dumb.....

Nothing new here, either way.

The good news is I don't believe it is a majority, either way.

 

[Sam1911]

...but I find it hard to believe that Super Mario Bros causes people to become enraged lunatics who go on killing sprees.

NO, no. Everything from Pong to Donky Kong, and on up to Mario is good and wholesome. You don't really get into "psycho-freakout" concerns until modern games came along. You know, Minecraft, stuff like that.

 

[Lord Teapot]

I'm sure it doesn't apply to everyone, but one older shooter who was kind of a dick admitted to me later that he was sorry, and he had acted that way because he could never get his kids interested in firearms, and it hurt somehow to see other young people taking up the tradition while his died.

 

[barnbwt]

"Every generation has believed fervently that the next generation was the worst lot of wastrels ever to bring shame to their family, race, and species"
Previous generations, too, those short-sighted, down-river-selling, geezer blowhards

"but I find it hard to believe that Super Mario Bros causes people to become enraged lunatics who go on killing sprees."
Every day I fight the urge to snap and start stomping turtles at the neighborhood pond.

"You don't really get into "psycho-freakout" concerns until modern games came along."
You mean like Maniac Mansion, the raciest game of its time (if not longer)? Slightly before my time as a toddler, but wasn't Mrs. Gore railing against video games as well as Dio's 'satanism' at one point?

TCB