Gun owners with little knowledge?

[PlayboyPenguin]

There's nothing worse than a person who maintains he is an expert on everything even though it's clear that he has zero knowledge to go with his opinions. For some reason, guns seem to bring this type of behavior out in people more than most topics.

That is for sure. I am definately NOT an expert in firearms or ammunition. My skills lie solely in shooting them. But you would be suprised at how many times I have overheard a conversation in a sporting goods shop or read a post on the internet where I say to myself "even I know that is not true".

 

[mustanger98]

mp510 said:

BTW, us Yankees aren't all bad shots, and I am sick of people thinking we are all a bunch of anti-gun paranoid Brady supporters. And BTW, I LOVE the South, ALOT!

Is this comment directed at anybody in particular here? Just wondering. Like I said, it depends on where somebody (Yankee or Southerner) happens to be from- city vs. country- but it can also be dependant on whether one's family has a hunting background. I have relatives in Atlanta who can't understand why I would choose to have a gun and can't begin to fathom why I would want to shoot a deer. I think it's the same all over.

As for the Nazi association, I guess we could call assault rifles submachineguns. But they would then be confused with select-fire and fully automatic weapons chambered in a pistol caliber. And it was how the Soviet Union originally referred to weapons of the AK type. Do we want them to be associated with Stalin, rather than Hitler?

This aspect of the symantics game could make for a much livelier debate than I had thought. As for Hitler vs. Stalin as somebody to associate something with, they're just the ones who coined the terms. And why do they get to come up with all the mean-sounding terminology? Because they were mean people thinking mean thoughts. And the AK wasn't Stalin's rifle as far as design goes, but rather Kalashnikov's, but who listened to Kalashnikov at that time? Probably nobody.

But to put these weapons into the terms I was talking about works on how they operate as opposed to size of parts and ammo. They do fire a lot faster than what most of us are used to shooting. American Rifleman TV did a demonstration on this recently, but I'm afraid it was more like preaching to the choir as far as getting the word out goes.

 

[default]

Well, Hitler didn't design the StG.44, either, but was persuaded to approve its development and production despite, amusingly, in light of the current subject, a dispute about nomenclature and semantics. (Hitler wished to discontinue new "rifle" projects). But yes, semantics can be pretty complex. The origins of terms we use everyday without giving them much thought are often obtuse, peculiar, or arguably incorrect or misleading. What do you listen to music on? A "stereo". But what if you are listening to monaural recordings on it? Okay, fine, then it's a "hi-fi". But many recordings are by no means "high fidelity". Yet "electronic audio recording playback system" is awkward to say.

It's the same thing with "assault rifle", although I believe it to have a more narrow technical definition than "stereo" or "hi-fi". Hope you weren't angered by my post, I was just stirring the pot a little. Nice talking to you!

 

[mp510]

Mustanger98,
I was directing that comment to the couple of posters who made some generaliztions about northerners that I didn't rightly care for. And,I happen to be an urbanite, but that does not mean much either.

 

[mustanger98]

default, I ain't worried about your post and stirring the pot. That's what I'm doing and it's probably what half the posts are anyway. The Hitler/Stalin comparrison... we're on the same page there- all either of them did was coin a term we're stuck with after somebody designed something.

mp510, I dated a yankee when I was a teenager... she made comments about the South I didn't care for too. And half of my time growing up was in suburban areas. I just happened to have a family made up partially of rural people. Nothing personal.

 

[Ryder]

Why does everybody assume he didn't know what he was talking about? If he was a felon then it was illegal for him to own an SKS as claimed. If he got it in trade for narcotics (probable) then it is illegal since drug dealers are prohibited owners. If I am not mistaken (hey, it happens ) certain simple modificatios to the SKS make it an illegal firearm per BATFE regulations for anyone to own even though the same modifications to a gun which wasn't imported are permitted.

My dad owns guns. He knows them inside and out. He's an incredible shot. But only with the ones that he owns. He knows games laws but absolutely nothing about criminal firearm law. He's one of those drag them in the house if you shoot them on the porch kind of guys.

 

[Zen21Tao]

I remember a year ago in a gun store when someone walked in and looked at an MP5 on the wall with a red tip and began to talk about how he carried one of those in the Army where he was a sniper. He actually said that he was told the red tip was so that the weapon wouldn't be lost when it was set down in the woods at night. The clerk behind the counter didn't have the heart to tell him that he was looking at an airsoft gun not a real gun.

 

[gunsmith]

zen21tao, I can better that story

in my old days in NYC, nobody knew I was a vet. sitting around the park bench one night a guy I knew started in with his navy seal stories, I knew he was lying but everybody else believed him.
I asked him whats "fore and aft" oh we didn't need to know that he said we were the Seals...ok...Then I asked him if "they let him keep his DD214 when he left"......Oh, no was his reply, they made us turn all of them in.....!!!!

 

[V4Vendetta]

"Then I asked him if "they let him keep his DD214 when he left"......"


What's a DD214?

 

[rbernie]

What's a DD214

A US military servicemember's Discharge Certificate.

 

[PATH]

North. South, East, or West; we are all Americans! I love visiting the South for the warm weather. I am at best a meat and potatoes shooter. Much better with a rifle than a pistol. I figure though if you are decent folk then it don't matter much where you hail from!

 

[Gordon Fink]

[H]e did nothing wrong, other than demonstrate his low regard for the law. I don’t think people like this help our cause.

In my experience, everyone demonstrates a low regard for the law to a certain degree. In fact, I suspect it is impossible to lead a normal life while operating completely within the bounds of the law. Following every law on the books would simply be too inefficient.

It’s also easy to see why the gentleman in question may have thought he had an illegal weapon. He had obviously never been to a gun store before, so no doubt all he knew about firearms came from movies or TV. In these media, the portrayal of firearms sales is almost always wrong. Characters either acquire their guns through “illegal” private sales, or “legitimate” gun shops are shown conducting business “illegally.”

~G. Fink

 

[Drav]

I've seen various people on the boards claim to have stuff that they don't believe is legit, or talk about plans that could be construed as illegal (at best). People seem to have a queer sense of security around people that they think may be their brothers.

What they don't realize is that Conspiracy to Violate Federal Firearms Laws is the easiest gun charge to make stick in a court of law.

 

[Zen21Tao]

gunsmith another good one.

I am also a Vet (Army) and was in a bar on the anniversary of the Pearl Harbor bombing where I met a guy that said the was "Marine Corps Special Forces" I asked him if he meant Force Recon he said no, he was a Green Beret in the Marine Corps during Vietnam. A real former Marine was getting pissed because this guy was talking about service related injury’s he received. He asked the guy what his MOS was an the guy looked at him perplexed, I told it meant “Military Occupational Specialty”, he still looked perplexed, I said “ your job dude” and he replied “SF.” It was here that every war vet in the bar (not I, I never saw combat) demanded he leave. He did so with his head hung way low.

 

[mustanger98]

About this time last year, I was in a college class on the Vietnam War and we interviewed vets to get their side of the story and better understand what happened from a more personal level. One question I asked the five guys I interviewed was whether they come in contact with fake vets and how do they deal with them. The general consensus was that it's sad that people are so dissatisfied with their lives that they feel like they have to spin wild tales about being somewhere they never were doing things they never did. I asked if any of the guys ever worked on tripping up the fake vets... no, if the phonies keep it up, they'll spin their tales bigger and bigger until they embarrass themselves a lot bigger than a small group ever could.

 

[Darth Ruger]

What's a DD214

A US military servicemember's Discharge Certificate.

Not quite correct. You'll get a certificate (suitable for framing ) upon your discharge with a bunch of fancy lettering and an embossed gold ribbon on it, and it'll say in big letters "Honorable Discharge", or whatever the case may be.

A DD214, on the other hand, is your military record, a document that sums up your military career: your rank upon discharge, time in service, a bunch of dates pertaining to your service, awards received, what your MOS was, type of discharge, etc.

 

[Malice]

Hey, for what it's worth, I grew up mostly in Illinois and Michigan.

I never touched a firearm until I moved to Texas. Coincidence?

American by birth; Texan by choice.

 

[gunsmith]

anyway vendetta

EVERYONE who has been in the service knows what it is, and has a copy somewhere, I only have a copy of mine

if you meet someone who claims to be a vet, and they don't know what a dd214 is, they're flat out liars

 

[Smith357]

We were all first timers at one point and needed help and education about firearms, I was a first timer when I got grandpa's Winchester at the age of 12, and had my father to help guide me and begin a proper education of arms. Not everyone is so lucky, many people are born into anti-gun familys and don't get their first firearm until they are in their 20s or 30s. We should always help these folks have a positive attitude and not look down upon them just because they did not get the chance to get their firearms education earlier in life. By giving this fellow the correct information about his rifle and guiding him in the right direction in a friendly manner you did the right thing. Even some of us old timers need help and education about certian arms, that's why we come to internet forums.

 

[depicts]

I think the guy approaching Malice because he didn't want to talk to the Old White Dudes makes it pretty clear he was not white. So for some reason he felt comfortable with Malice, maybe it was age, maybe it was race...whatever. If I were Malice I think I'd be a bit ticked off that someone thought they could approach me and ask how to handle an illegal situation, assuming I wouldn't talk, just because of how I looked. Whether it was age, race, or they had the same shirts on, I don't care. What makes you think I'm going to listen to your illegal stuff and get myself involved.

Now maybe if it was a race thing, there is a bond there that assumes you don't squeal, I don't know. And I'm not saying that such a thing exists because in my experience there are good people and bad people of every race, creed and color.

But I'm betting if someone thought the gun was illegal, then it probably was. Either stolen, or prohibited from him having it. Seems a bit stupid to take it into a shop to me without knowing if it's going to send him to jail.

Well, I guess there are stupid people everywhere. Hopefully he was just confused. Had the right to have the gun, the gun was not stolen or illegal, and that he learns more about guns and shooting and becomes a better citizen for it.

 

[Rosstradamus]

I myself am a West Virginia Yankee and I would pit the skills of any Mountaineer with a pistol or rifle against any Texas cowboy or southern bubba anyday.

I'm here, PP. Come ahead on. And bring Mothman with you if you need backup.

I'll even take you to our downtown shooting range, Dealey Plaza.

 

[whm1974]

Now maybe if it was a race thing, there is a bond there that assumes you don't squeal, I don't know. And I'm not saying that such a thing exists because in my experience there are good people and bad people of every race, creed and color.

But I'm betting if someone thought the gun was illegal, then it probably was. Either stolen, or prohibited from him having it. Seems a bit stupid to take it into a shop to me without knowing if it's going to send him to jail.

He could have gone online and did a little research. Or went to the gun shop SANS said gun and ask what's legal and what's not.

If nothing else, that fact he lives in Texas, he could have ask his buddys who legally owns guns about them.

Of course this is assuming that he can legally own firearms and the SKS wasn't stolen.

-Bill

 

[ARperson]

It's assuming a lot more than that. It assumes he has access to a computer and the internet (libraries aren't exactly thrilled with accessing firearm-related websites!). It assumes he knows that there are sources on the internet for him to access AND that he knows where they are and how to get to them. It assumes he knows what to ask (when you don't know what you don't know, asking questions becomes difficult). It assumes he'd get a legit answer from the gun shop owner if he went that route. It assumes he has buddys with legally-owned firearms AND that said buddys aren't as ignorant of the laws as our stroller-pushing fellow was.

If he was a member of a minority, statistically speaking he probably doesn't have the technological access to the information that we keyboard commandos do.

It's really easy to assume a lot of things about what people should/shouldn't, can/can't, would/wouldn't do. But easy doesn't make it right or good.