Fight Against Terror More Guns?

[GoBrush]

The other day I was in a gun store and a guy in there had just returned from Iraq and was putting his hard earned cash down to by a new AR15 with all the goodies on it.

Question do you think that our returning hero's are buying more guns than they would if they had not served?

And do you think that being in the military brings new people into the shooting sports?

Just curious

 

[birddog]

Interestingly, the couple of guys I'm close to who served in the Iraq wars are not very deeply into guns/gun collecting. That being said, the one I squirrel hunted with was a deadly good shot.

 

[Checkman]

I've read that the shooting sports in the U.S. became very popular after WW1 and WW2. Supposedly it was WW1 that led to the huge growth in popularity in bolt action rifles in the United States. Anyway I served many years in the Army, though I never saw combat, and I like to shoot. Possibly military service can have some effect. I guess it's up to the individual.

 

[mustanger98]

I've read that the shooting sports in the U.S. became very popular after WW1 and WW2. Supposedly it was WW1 that led to the huge growth in popularity in bolt action rifles in the United States.

Jim Carmichael's article on the American Deer Rifle touched on those points. Ex-doughboys coming back, having trained with '03's and .30-06, turned to using those as deer rifles.

Anyway I served many years in the Army, though I never saw combat, and I like to shoot. Possibly military service can have some effect. I guess it's up to the individual.

I've always been a civilian, but both of my grandfathers are/were WW2 vets, one in each theater. One rabbit hunted earlier, but never got big into guns, but ironically, he's the one that got me turned onto the M1 Garand. The other, though he never just shot to be shooting, was one who when he shot, his target died. So while the one told me how great his issue rifle was- and I eventually got one- the other inspired me to try to shoot as accurately as he could. So I guess each of them in their own way (and Daddy's daddy teaching him as a kid), they passed something of guns and shooting on to me.

 

[psyopspec]

Question do you think that our returning hero's are buying more guns than they would if they had not served?

In my case this is true. And while I haven't asked around, I know of one other returning GI who came home and bought his first privately owned firearm upon returning from Iraq, too.

 

[chopinbloc]

well, i know that i've been able to afford more than i would have otherwise. no way i would have been able to afford the m1a, especialy. it is surprising, though how few soldiers are shooters.

 

[Devonai]

The Olympic Arms catalog my buddy sent me in basic was rather popular. Everybody in my platoon loved every aspect of firearms training. 'Course, they also loved the Brazilian Ju-Jitsu the Army is passing off as hand-to-hand training these days. Practically every night after that our bay was the darn Octagon.