Do people like this make you nervous??

Status
Not open for further replies.
B

Blues Brother

Member
Joined
Aug 6, 2008
Messages
248
Am I being paranoid? or just cautious?

So my friend is over to my house with his brother in law. My friend likes to go out and plink .22s for fun once in a while, and he wants me to show his brother in law my new Sig because he is "into guns" as well.

So I say sure. his brother in law is a good guy, and I have known him casually for years. I am figuring, hey this is neat, maybe I can get a new target range partner out of this until........

I take the gun out of the case. I rack the gun to show him its unloaded, and leave the action open and hand it to him pointed at the ground. he takes the gun, closes the action and the first thing he does with it is hold up "gansta style", holding it sideways and makes a shooting sound with his mouth. I immediatly get a bit freaked by this adolescent behavior. The guy is 36 yrs old acting like he is 15! I politely take the pistol back and put it in the case and switch converstation.

This freaked me out and made me NOT want to go anywhere near this guy with a loaded gun. range or not!

Am I being unreasonable? or paranoid?

I wanted to bounce this off responsible gun minded people to see what your opinions are.

Thanks in advance.

Please offer opinions freely! :)
 
Am I being unreasonable? or paranoid?
Click to expand...
no and no, he was playing with the gun, guns are not toys! lack of maturity on his part and smart thinking on yours!
 
Unreasonable and paranoid? No.

It would seem to me that your friend's (and his brother's) criteria for being "into guns" is watching a lot of action movies and playing a lot of first person shooter video games.
 
If this guy in fact is a "nice guy" and you have a good relationship with him, perhaps this is a golden opportunity to bring in another shooter with a couple trips to the range for instruction in the PROPER manner of handling and shooting firearms. It appears nobody else has bothered to take the time.
 
If you are I am too. Behavior like this I don’t tolerate well.

Trying to talk to him about it is a personal call since you know him and I don’t. Some people you can reach and some you can’t.
 
Which is it better to be, "unreasonable" or dead?

I agree that talking to the guy is a personal decision.
 
jnyork said:
If this guy in fact is a "nice guy" and you have a good relationship with him, perhaps this is a golden opportunity to bring in another shooter with a couple trips to the range for instruction in the PROPER manner of handling and shooting firearms. It appears nobody else has bothered to take the time.
Click to expand...

Took the words out of my mouth.
 
There's just some people who can't be trusted with guns, and there's also some people who probably can but aren't the kind you'd want to be around at the range for a few reasons, you know what I mean? I've taken friends to the range before and I've discovered at least one that should probably never have a firearm in his hands again, merely because he didn't really take safety precautions seriously. What it boils down to is, if someone doesn't take safety seriously, and or seems like they need to be babysat when they have a gun in their hands, they shouldn't be given one again in the future.
 
If this guy in fact is a "nice guy" and you have a good relationship with him, perhaps this is a golden opportunity to bring in another shooter with a couple trips to the range for instruction in the PROPER manner of handling and shooting firearms. It appears nobody else has bothered to take the time.
Click to expand...

I also think this is the best response so far. Too many people walk away from opportunities like this one.
 
No sir, he didnt point the gun at anyone, just the wall.

but I still didnt like it. the whole gansta style grip just put me on alert.
 
Did he start speaking jive? How about ebonics? With all the B.S. movies and tv around today it would not suprise me. This guy may be a wanna be gangster and you fueled his fire when he got that pistol in his hands. You have to be careful who you invite over for show and tell.
 
Sadly, many (most) Americans have never held a gun before, and the first time is pretty dang thrilling. If you can re-approach the situation and lay down the law; explain that was the first and possibly last time he'll ever hold a firearm if he doesn't listen closely, be angry and disappointed, make him feel defensive, then build him up with safety and strict protocol in mind... you may have a prefect recruit. Trust is a #1 issue, and he needs to abandon immaturity 100% when around heavy machinery.

The fact that the gun got put away and you swiftly changed subjects, there's a very good chance he picked up on his mistake already and wants to make amends.

A good opener might be "Ok, lets try this again".
 
I wouldn't be especially nervous over it... but then, I've slept through tornadoes and run in the face of rush hour traffic across Washington DC streets for baby shoes, so my judgement could be called into question. :p
Simple fact of the matter is, some people don't know any better. He's 'into' guns. Doesn't mean he's ever heard of the four rules, has a clue about the legal issues involved in shooting people, or has ever fired a real gun in his life. This could mean he's an avid game player, who's seen guns on, say, Counterstrike or Grand Theft Auto.
I just don't think he knew any better. Maybe you could teach him the right way of doing things, and maybe he's hard-headed and full of himself and will continue doing things his own darn way.
 
This guy owns a gun. thats why my buddy told him about my Sig. so he has one! and he shoots it! like I say, It makes me nervous being around him.

He speaks no ebonics or jive. He is generally a very nice guy. very meek, mild mannered and polite. not an aggressive type for sure. he is a family man, not some punk kid. thats why its so confusing to see the behavior. if it was some 21 yr old acting this way, it would be more likely. but this guy is 36.
 
I think if you let him know how you felt about his actions, and offered to him the reasoning behind those feelings you may find him to be more rational with the handeling of a firearm. I have found that if you politlely tell people the truth about how serious you take things that directly effect your life and well being, they seem to goof around less. If the explanation does not have that effect than you are dealing with someone who should not be around.
 
I find the video game theory interesting. I wonder if he is into video games......maybe thats where that came from. or movies.
 
I've said it many times before:

I'd support mandatory gun educations for grades K-12.

The vast majority of kids in America do not grow up around responsible gun ownership. Mandatory gun education would take out the curiosity and the coolness. The only kids left messing with guns outside the regular curriculum would be the kids who have a serious intellectual desire.

Yeah, that's an ideal world, but a man can have his dreams. :)
 
So the majority of you damn this guy because the OP felt that the way he held the gun was 'gangsta.' Nothing he did was noted as unsafe. I know combat Marines that have held Berettas that way (sans sound effects).

And folks wonder why shooting participation is dwindling nationwide...
 
I think gun education is a fine idea.

I was taught gun safety and handling practices at a young age by my father. He took me to the range, took me hunting, and he taught me responsible ownership practices. And the most important part of that was SAFETY. whether it was rifles, shotguns, or pistols, safety was always first. I was fortunate to have that, many arent so fortunate.
 
HEY! I like the sideways stance. don't knock it till you try it! :p


I don't think the point is whether the guy was doing anything unsafe... just the fact that he took another man's gun, and the _first_ thing he does is act like a child would. The OP naturally expected this 36yo to inspect the gun, praise its craftsmanship, balance it in his hands, remark how clean its kept, ask how much it cost, etc... but certainly never expected his baby to be treated with such immaturity and disrespect.

[Low road comment removed by moderator]
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Wow, I really hope a lot of these comments are joking or sarcastic. If you don't want him holding it, then don't give it to him. He didn't pull the trigger, didn't sweep you etc...what's the problem?

It's silly to get upset at him for doing something he doesn't know you don't appreciate. Teach, illuminate, pass on information. The next pistol he holds might not be yours, and it might be loaded, and he just might not know the 4 rules by then unless you step up.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

1
  • Locked
CCW makes you act more responsibly??
2
Replies
43
Views
2K
Doc
D
H
  • Locked
Happened to my brother - What would you do?
2 3
Replies
51
Views
3K
seeker_two
S
X
  • Locked
Just makes you shake your head
2 3
Replies
53
Views
4K
32winspl
3
D
  • Locked
guns from NY to DE
Replies
13
Views
614
NavyLCDR
N
M
  • Locked
Did I do the right thing?
2 3
Replies
66
Views
3K
Strings
S
Back
Top