Have you ever given up on a gun friend?
- Thread starter mljdeckard
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mljdeckard wrote:
I don't know how old you are, but I suspect that you in the early stages of your career path. This is a common time when friendships become strained, and your circle of friends often changes or grows smaller. Your circle of acquaintances, however, grows.
You want to "bring" him with you. He may not have those desires. You are attempting to apply YOUR definition of success on him, and you are defining what success is based upon your values.
One day-- depending on circumstances-- he may not seem so bad to you. You don't know where your life will take you.
I'll use my own life as an example.
I had a friend just like you described. He didn't seem to be going anywhere. He was working for a local sheriff’s office and seemed content. Oh, he had BIG dreams of working for the ATF, but I didn't see that happening.
I, however, knew my goals. I was going to be a stockbroker just like I saw in all those Wall Street movies back in the 80s. I was going to be living large.
Well, he stayed with the Sheriff’s Office, and I left the state to pursue my dreams. That ended our daily friendship. We lost contact with each other.
I did exactly what I said I'd do. Let's take a look at how that worked out:
I lived in 5 states in 15 years. I ended up most of the time being at least 1,000 miles from my mother and father. I missed a lot of Christmas Holidays with my family. Once, I was so busy that I didn't even SEE my family for 17 months.
I was so busy with work that I eventually got a divorce. Later, it ended a lot of other relationships that I hoped to foster.
I also went through market fluctuations that were not fun. I went through a couple "downsizings" where we were offered severance packages to leave if we were senior brokers. That contributed to my moving from state-to-state.
So, I had a failed marriage, didn't see my family, and had not sunk "roots" anywhere. But I was a good broker and I had been making a lot of money.
One day, I found myself at the end of my rope. You can usually look around your life and realize when you've reached that point.
I had just kicked a new girlfriend out of my life. I found out that she was into the Miami drug scene when I was busy with work and she'd visit home.
I was living in an apartment looked like a guy decorated it. It had surf-boards and SCUBA equipment in every corner of the rooms. Even though I had a nice bed in the master bedroom, I realized that I slept most nights on my Futon couch in the living room. It was a wake-up call when I realized that I had moved my alarm clock into that room.
Did I tell you that I drank a lot? I basically would go to work, leave and hit the bars with my co-workers, come home and crash on the couch, get some coffee before work, and do it all again the next day. When I'd take out the trash, it was nothing but wine bottles and take-out food boxes.
After the last round of "downsizing" and needing to find a new firm, I had had enough. I looked at an empty life, a community that I had no connections to (I could pack up and leave the state, and it would be a couple weeks before anyone noticed), and no meaningful relationships.
All I had was a big bank account and a brand-new BMW roadster sitting out front.
I lost it. I gave all of my furniture to Good Will and took off to Puerto Escondido, Mexico for a month of surfing to clear my head. It was the best thing that I ever did. I decided that I needed to re-evaluate what I wanted out of life. For the next year, I lived in my hunting camp in MS while finishing a master's degree.
Now, I am retired from the investment world and am a Jr. High English teacher, I have a good wife, and live in my great-grandfather's house that I restored and renovated out in the woods. We are trying to start our own family now.
I see my parents and my in-laws on practically a daily basis and life is good.
I don't make the money that I did back in those days, but I socked away quite a bit in the past. Everything I have is paid for-- including my house. But a lot of those guys that I used to work for-- especially an ex-fiancé' I once had-- would say that I checked out of life, and fell off the path.
I disagree.
The things that I gained-- Job security, no debt, a good wife, family, community, less stress, getting off at 2:45 PM, working 5 days a week, retirement, living in the woods, etc.-- FAR outweigh the things that I left behind. My old acquaintances will never get it or see it in those terms. I wish them the best of luck and whatever happiness they can find in this world. I finally got mine.
But this LONG post was coming around to this....
Remember that friend that I mentioned earlier? The one at the Sheriff’s Office?
Well, he lives not to far from me now and we have gotten back in contact. Sadly, we did this at the funeral of one of our "clique" of High School friends last year. We picked up at the exact point where we left off 1 1/2 decades ago. The same friendship and absolute trust was there like nothing had ever happened.
He DID have goals, and he reached to some degree of success-- by HIS measure.
In his steady pace, he worked up and became a State Trooper. He makes a good living doing what he loves. He has a solid family, and good relationships. He owns his own home, and is in a good financial position. He did all of this his own way and without having to go all over the USA leaving his friends and family behind.
Who am I to say that my way was better than his? I figured he was a loser at one time. I figured that I was somehow "above" him in my aspirations.
Re-read my account of how that went, and you can see (I hope) how there is fallacy in that way of thinking.
I'm 37 years old now, and I am incredibly fortunate that I get a second-chance at it. I am young enough to correct my mistakes. God willing, I won't miss out on raising a family because of the desire to chase my dreams like some I know have done. I can still have what my friend has had all along.
Moreover, I get a second chance to correct my attitude. I don't so easily place myself or my values above those of my friends anymore. Somehow, a sense of superiority feels rather hollow to me these days.
I'd much rather take people as they come, and decide my friendship of them not by achievement, but by character. I'll take a poorer or less ambitious friend who is absolutely honest and of high character over some of the people I've called friends in my life.
Because of that, I have very few friends now.
But you know what? I have noticed something about the friendships that I've recently made. Most of them are parents of my students. They are typically "good ole' boys" who work blue-collar jobs, drive 4X4 trucks, deer hunt, and have a beer on occasion.
I don't expect anything out of any of them other than being a good parent to my students. But those that I have made friends with could call me in the middle of the night and I'd be there to help. I know that I could do the exact same thing with them.
And that is good enough for me.
To quote a favorite ARFCOM saying:
"You're doing it wrong."
Friendship is about taking people as they come, not trying to make them into what you think they should be.
Sorry for the long post. I do, however, hope that it helps.
-- John
I don't know how old you are, but I suspect that you in the early stages of your career path. This is a common time when friendships become strained, and your circle of friends often changes or grows smaller. Your circle of acquaintances, however, grows.
You want to "bring" him with you. He may not have those desires. You are attempting to apply YOUR definition of success on him, and you are defining what success is based upon your values.
One day-- depending on circumstances-- he may not seem so bad to you. You don't know where your life will take you.
I'll use my own life as an example.
I had a friend just like you described. He didn't seem to be going anywhere. He was working for a local sheriff’s office and seemed content. Oh, he had BIG dreams of working for the ATF, but I didn't see that happening.
I, however, knew my goals. I was going to be a stockbroker just like I saw in all those Wall Street movies back in the 80s. I was going to be living large.
Well, he stayed with the Sheriff’s Office, and I left the state to pursue my dreams. That ended our daily friendship. We lost contact with each other.
I did exactly what I said I'd do. Let's take a look at how that worked out:
I lived in 5 states in 15 years. I ended up most of the time being at least 1,000 miles from my mother and father. I missed a lot of Christmas Holidays with my family. Once, I was so busy that I didn't even SEE my family for 17 months.
I was so busy with work that I eventually got a divorce. Later, it ended a lot of other relationships that I hoped to foster.
I also went through market fluctuations that were not fun. I went through a couple "downsizings" where we were offered severance packages to leave if we were senior brokers. That contributed to my moving from state-to-state.
So, I had a failed marriage, didn't see my family, and had not sunk "roots" anywhere. But I was a good broker and I had been making a lot of money.
One day, I found myself at the end of my rope. You can usually look around your life and realize when you've reached that point.
I had just kicked a new girlfriend out of my life. I found out that she was into the Miami drug scene when I was busy with work and she'd visit home.
I was living in an apartment looked like a guy decorated it. It had surf-boards and SCUBA equipment in every corner of the rooms. Even though I had a nice bed in the master bedroom, I realized that I slept most nights on my Futon couch in the living room. It was a wake-up call when I realized that I had moved my alarm clock into that room.
Did I tell you that I drank a lot? I basically would go to work, leave and hit the bars with my co-workers, come home and crash on the couch, get some coffee before work, and do it all again the next day. When I'd take out the trash, it was nothing but wine bottles and take-out food boxes.
After the last round of "downsizing" and needing to find a new firm, I had had enough. I looked at an empty life, a community that I had no connections to (I could pack up and leave the state, and it would be a couple weeks before anyone noticed), and no meaningful relationships.
All I had was a big bank account and a brand-new BMW roadster sitting out front.
I lost it. I gave all of my furniture to Good Will and took off to Puerto Escondido, Mexico for a month of surfing to clear my head. It was the best thing that I ever did. I decided that I needed to re-evaluate what I wanted out of life. For the next year, I lived in my hunting camp in MS while finishing a master's degree.
Now, I am retired from the investment world and am a Jr. High English teacher, I have a good wife, and live in my great-grandfather's house that I restored and renovated out in the woods. We are trying to start our own family now.
I see my parents and my in-laws on practically a daily basis and life is good.
I don't make the money that I did back in those days, but I socked away quite a bit in the past. Everything I have is paid for-- including my house. But a lot of those guys that I used to work for-- especially an ex-fiancé' I once had-- would say that I checked out of life, and fell off the path.
I disagree.
The things that I gained-- Job security, no debt, a good wife, family, community, less stress, getting off at 2:45 PM, working 5 days a week, retirement, living in the woods, etc.-- FAR outweigh the things that I left behind. My old acquaintances will never get it or see it in those terms. I wish them the best of luck and whatever happiness they can find in this world. I finally got mine.
But this LONG post was coming around to this....
Remember that friend that I mentioned earlier? The one at the Sheriff’s Office?
Well, he lives not to far from me now and we have gotten back in contact. Sadly, we did this at the funeral of one of our "clique" of High School friends last year. We picked up at the exact point where we left off 1 1/2 decades ago. The same friendship and absolute trust was there like nothing had ever happened.
He DID have goals, and he reached to some degree of success-- by HIS measure.
In his steady pace, he worked up and became a State Trooper. He makes a good living doing what he loves. He has a solid family, and good relationships. He owns his own home, and is in a good financial position. He did all of this his own way and without having to go all over the USA leaving his friends and family behind.
Who am I to say that my way was better than his? I figured he was a loser at one time. I figured that I was somehow "above" him in my aspirations.
Re-read my account of how that went, and you can see (I hope) how there is fallacy in that way of thinking.
I'm 37 years old now, and I am incredibly fortunate that I get a second-chance at it. I am young enough to correct my mistakes. God willing, I won't miss out on raising a family because of the desire to chase my dreams like some I know have done. I can still have what my friend has had all along.
Moreover, I get a second chance to correct my attitude. I don't so easily place myself or my values above those of my friends anymore. Somehow, a sense of superiority feels rather hollow to me these days.
I'd much rather take people as they come, and decide my friendship of them not by achievement, but by character. I'll take a poorer or less ambitious friend who is absolutely honest and of high character over some of the people I've called friends in my life.
Because of that, I have very few friends now.
But you know what? I have noticed something about the friendships that I've recently made. Most of them are parents of my students. They are typically "good ole' boys" who work blue-collar jobs, drive 4X4 trucks, deer hunt, and have a beer on occasion.
I don't expect anything out of any of them other than being a good parent to my students. But those that I have made friends with could call me in the middle of the night and I'd be there to help. I know that I could do the exact same thing with them.
And that is good enough for me.
To quote a favorite ARFCOM saying:
"You're doing it wrong."
Friendship is about taking people as they come, not trying to make them into what you think they should be.
Sorry for the long post. I do, however, hope that it helps.
-- John
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I have 8 guitars and still don't play very well. Not planning on selling them, though. Did sell my boat, it costs too much to keep when you are not using it.
And I think I will tell my wife to give away her exercise equipment, and my mother should give away her stove and oven, she never could cook worth a darn anyway.
And I think I will tell my wife to give away her exercise equipment, and my mother should give away her stove and oven, she never could cook worth a darn anyway.
yeti
Member
OH NO!!
No SCUBA gear, but there is a LOT of gun stuff around here.
Thank you, Kilgor.
I've got one Martin acoustic. Like you, I don't play very well, but I enjoy it and it helps me with my writing.
The two happiest days in a boat owner's life:
-The day he buys it.
-The day he sells it.
Same here... but where would we hang our cloths when we iron them????
-- John
I've got one Martin acoustic. Like you, I don't play very well, but I enjoy it and it helps me with my writing.
The two happiest days in a boat owner's life:
-The day he buys it.
-The day he sells it.
Same here... but where would we hang our cloths when we iron them????
-- John
BADUNAME37
Member
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2008
- Messages
- 4,434
A boat is a hull in the water into which one pours money.
The issue here, as far as I can see, is a safety issue, in which case I don't see why everyone is so against you giving him your opinion. It is just that--giving your opinion, and he's free to blow it off, so what's so bad about it?
Would everyone here be singing a different tune if this friend decided to be a hero one day and the OP or another innocent bystander got shot, and we found out OP knew this dude was casual about his guns and didn't say anything to him?
I get annoyed by friends who have objects for hobbies they never participate in--hell, I'm annoyed with myself that I never paint anymore and still have all of my old painting supplies--especially if they brag about these things (and my guess, though OP doesn't say, is that if this dude bought guns for "status" purposes, that he spouts at the mouth at least sometimes), but nobody's going to get hurt if I suddenly pick up a paintbrush again some day and turn out something awful (not that I ever turned out something that wasn't awful anyway )...guns are different.
True, but I believe that description was given to show WHY the OP believes his friend is not being as conscientious about gun ownership as OP believes he should, not as "concern" for the guns or any such thing.
Yes, but what if this was their only experience with cars, and they figured that some day if they needed to, they'd pull one of those suckers out and go hot-rodding down the road? I daresay we'd all consider that someone with little experience in driving and a car that is functioning less-than-well is a danger. OP's friend is fine as long as the guns stay at home, but if he blithely thinks some day that he's going to use them and nothing will go wrong...that's a different story.
Would everyone here be singing a different tune if this friend decided to be a hero one day and the OP or another innocent bystander got shot, and we found out OP knew this dude was casual about his guns and didn't say anything to him?
I get annoyed by friends who have objects for hobbies they never participate in--hell, I'm annoyed with myself that I never paint anymore and still have all of my old painting supplies--especially if they brag about these things (and my guess, though OP doesn't say, is that if this dude bought guns for "status" purposes, that he spouts at the mouth at least sometimes), but nobody's going to get hurt if I suddenly pick up a paintbrush again some day and turn out something awful (not that I ever turned out something that wasn't awful anyway
)...guns are different.Captain Bligh
Member
Not your business. Let it go.
There are some situations to give up on a friend, this isn't one.
I once gave up on a friend with whom I had shared several hunting experiences. I didn't like how he handled his gun in the field. I thought it was a safety issue, and the person most likely to be hurt was me. I talked to him about it a time or two without any change. Finally, I decided I wasn't going to hunt with him anymore. I never regretted the decision.
There are some situations to give up on a friend, this isn't one.
I once gave up on a friend with whom I had shared several hunting experiences. I didn't like how he handled his gun in the field. I thought it was a safety issue, and the person most likely to be hurt was me. I talked to him about it a time or two without any change. Finally, I decided I wasn't going to hunt with him anymore. I never regretted the decision.
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There are very few people I call my friend. I value the ones I do. Some of them have chosen different paths from me & I haven't seen them in some time. I still consider them friends & know that if we encounter each other in the future we will pick back up our friendship. I know this because it has happened with more than one person.
An older friend of mine told me once that the only thing constant in life is change.
If your friend doesn't want to do the same things you do right now instead of trying to make him be how you think he should maybe you ought to just find someone else to hang out with that shares more of your interests. Make a new friend.
That doesn't mean you have to quit being friends just maybe you need to go do your own thing for a while. It really sounds like you might be taking yourself a little too seriously.
By the way-JWarren I agree with Kilgor excellent post.
An older friend of mine told me once that the only thing constant in life is change.
If your friend doesn't want to do the same things you do right now instead of trying to make him be how you think he should maybe you ought to just find someone else to hang out with that shares more of your interests. Make a new friend.
That doesn't mean you have to quit being friends just maybe you need to go do your own thing for a while. It really sounds like you might be taking yourself a little too seriously.
By the way-JWarren I agree with Kilgor excellent post.
BADUNAME37
Member
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2008
- Messages
- 4,434
Be honest as you can be with people and then let them live the way they will and you live the way you will.
Just make sure that when he decides to go shooting or hunting that you are not around him. If he carries, then stay away from him, just for your safety's sake. Otherwise continue to be friends (if you really want to), or don't be friends (if you really don't want to).
Either way, be honest to him and to yourself.
"To thine own self be true."
Just make sure that when he decides to go shooting or hunting that you are not around him. If he carries, then stay away from him, just for your safety's sake. Otherwise continue to be friends (if you really want to), or don't be friends (if you really don't want to).
Either way, be honest to him and to yourself.
"To thine own self be true."
Katt144 wrote:
I respectfully disagree.
I didn't get anything out of this that suggested that he was unsafe with firearms.
I DID, however, get the impression that the OP thinks that you cannot use a firearm unless you shoot and practice constantly.
I'm going to go against the "conventional" wisdom of this community here and say that is BS.
I grew up in a family of gun owners. I was shooting at 7 years old. I got my first AR at 14 years old, and killed my first deer with an HK-91.
I will go on record saying that these days, I probably don't shoot more than 1,000 rounds of centerfire ammunition in a year.
But I know how to use each and every firearm that I own-- well.
I think I may have fired my Glock 19 once or twice in the last several months. But you know what? I think I figured that little handgun out some time ago in the last 15 years that I've owned it.
I shoot my 1911 sometimes. But I have YET to actually just sit there shooting a target with it. However, I shot and killed 75 cotton mouth moccasins with it last summer.
I've fired my LR-308 exactly 50 times in the last 8 months.
But I used it effectively when I had a trespasser in my deerstand a few weeks ago.
But let's forget about me for a second. Let's look at other gun owners....
My father is NOT a sport or casual shooter. He hunts.
He shoots to sight in a rifle, or to kill something.
Somehow he knows EXACTLY how to use all of his firearms, and he is safe with them. In fact, he taught ME from the time I can remember about gun safety.
And if he needed to use one in self-defense, he'd probably do better than most of us.
Firearms are not rocket-science. You learn the skills and they stay with you. Once you familarize yourself with the concepts of using all firearms as well as the particulars of YOUR firearms, you don't magically forget them if you miss a day.
I have a Remington 870 shotgun that I have NEVER fired.
But if someone broke into my home, I DO know how to operate the slide and shoot it. I know this because I've used shotguns since before I liked girls.
Now...
Let's look at this whole "being a hero" thing...
Are you saying that if you haven't taken special training, you can't respond to a SD situation? If you know how to use your firearm, there isn't much more than that you can control. It isn't like the movies.
When I was in High School, a couple of people pulled up at our house and tried to rape my sister when she was getting the mail out of the mailbox. I was home and witnessed the whole thing. I also happened in the garage cleaning my AR. It was in pieces, but I somehow managed to get it together, load it AND prevent my sister's rape-- all at the young age of 15 years old with NO training.
I often see the "you must get training" attitude from people who did not grow up with a firearm in their hands, or have recently gotten into firearms as an adult.
Often they translate thier own insecurities or lack of proficiency to others.
It is kinda like my wife's uncle. He just recently got into making a media room for his home. I had to listen to him for 3 hours at Christmas explaining how you cannot enjoy music UNLESS you have a Macintosh sound system. He went on and on for hours about it-- even pulling up the Macintosh website.
In a couple months, he will have forgotten about this sound system and will be explaining to me how you must have a certain ping-pong table if you ever want to be good at that hobby-- oh wait... he was doing THAT at Thanksgiving.
EDIT: Last year a co-worker of his was into guns. Now this uncle has a .22 Kimber rifle that he's never shot. I'm not certain, but I don't think he's ever shot ANY firearms. But he would lecture ME on firearms as if he was an authority.
-- John
I respectfully disagree.
I didn't get anything out of this that suggested that he was unsafe with firearms.
I DID, however, get the impression that the OP thinks that you cannot use a firearm unless you shoot and practice constantly.
I'm going to go against the "conventional" wisdom of this community here and say that is BS.
I grew up in a family of gun owners. I was shooting at 7 years old. I got my first AR at 14 years old, and killed my first deer with an HK-91.
I will go on record saying that these days, I probably don't shoot more than 1,000 rounds of centerfire ammunition in a year.
But I know how to use each and every firearm that I own-- well.
I think I may have fired my Glock 19 once or twice in the last several months. But you know what? I think I figured that little handgun out some time ago in the last 15 years that I've owned it.
I shoot my 1911 sometimes. But I have YET to actually just sit there shooting a target with it. However, I shot and killed 75 cotton mouth moccasins with it last summer.
I've fired my LR-308 exactly 50 times in the last 8 months.
But I used it effectively when I had a trespasser in my deerstand a few weeks ago.
But let's forget about me for a second. Let's look at other gun owners....
My father is NOT a sport or casual shooter. He hunts.
He shoots to sight in a rifle, or to kill something.
Somehow he knows EXACTLY how to use all of his firearms, and he is safe with them. In fact, he taught ME from the time I can remember about gun safety.
And if he needed to use one in self-defense, he'd probably do better than most of us.
Firearms are not rocket-science. You learn the skills and they stay with you. Once you familarize yourself with the concepts of using all firearms as well as the particulars of YOUR firearms, you don't magically forget them if you miss a day.
I have a Remington 870 shotgun that I have NEVER fired.
But if someone broke into my home, I DO know how to operate the slide and shoot it. I know this because I've used shotguns since before I liked girls.
Now...
Let's look at this whole "being a hero" thing...
Are you saying that if you haven't taken special training, you can't respond to a SD situation? If you know how to use your firearm, there isn't much more than that you can control. It isn't like the movies.
When I was in High School, a couple of people pulled up at our house and tried to rape my sister when she was getting the mail out of the mailbox. I was home and witnessed the whole thing. I also happened in the garage cleaning my AR. It was in pieces, but I somehow managed to get it together, load it AND prevent my sister's rape-- all at the young age of 15 years old with NO training.
I often see the "you must get training" attitude from people who did not grow up with a firearm in their hands, or have recently gotten into firearms as an adult.
Often they translate thier own insecurities or lack of proficiency to others.
It is kinda like my wife's uncle. He just recently got into making a media room for his home. I had to listen to him for 3 hours at Christmas explaining how you cannot enjoy music UNLESS you have a Macintosh sound system. He went on and on for hours about it-- even pulling up the Macintosh website.
In a couple months, he will have forgotten about this sound system and will be explaining to me how you must have a certain ping-pong table if you ever want to be good at that hobby-- oh wait... he was doing THAT at Thanksgiving.
EDIT: Last year a co-worker of his was into guns. Now this uncle has a .22 Kimber rifle that he's never shot. I'm not certain, but I don't think he's ever shot ANY firearms. But he would lecture ME on firearms as if he was an authority.
-- John
OP
OP
mljdeckard
Member
The perceived safety level of where you live should not make a difference in how seriously you train. (Statistically it's very safe here.)
He agrees with me on all of these things, he just doesn't do it. The truth may be I'm just going to run out of things to do with him and move on.
He agrees with me on all of these things, he just doesn't do it. The truth may be I'm just going to run out of things to do with him and move on.
Treo
member
Mlj,
If just one or two people were disagreeing W/you that would be one thing but you've got over 65 posts out there telling you you are dead wrong in this situation. You might want to regroup.
The whole "I expect my friends to be thoroughly familiar w/ my firearms" thing is a little excessive, come on dude they're youre friends not your fireteam. You might want to head over to youtube and look up "elite team fighting" if dude still has the comments enabled you should read them
If just one or two people were disagreeing W/you that would be one thing but you've got over 65 posts out there telling you you are dead wrong in this situation. You might want to regroup.
The whole "I expect my friends to be thoroughly familiar w/ my firearms" thing is a little excessive, come on dude they're youre friends not your fireteam. You might want to head over to youtube and look up "elite team fighting" if dude still has the comments enabled you should read them
I am very concerned that the zombie apocalypse is coming soon. It is just a matter of time before the dead will rise and hunger for us all.
I constantly worry about this and keep my eyes open for signs that it is occurring. I do NOT want to be caught unprepared. Once, I almost took out a little old lady in Wal-Mart. I was absolutely certain that she was among the living dead. Fortunately for her, she picked up her prescription at the pharmacy counter and I found myself pondering whether zombies would need heart medication.
I try to speak of my concerns to my family, but they think that I am the one that is thinking irrational.
My father simply does not see the utility of having an IWB holster in my bathing suit. But really… how do I know that my pool was not built over an Indian burial ground? I DID see that Poltergeist movie. Because of this, it is MY responsibility to constantly practice at drawing and shooting my handgun underwater. I must be absolutely certain that the water-wings do NOT impair my draw or affect my aim.
I am diligent in my underwater zombie fighting preparations. Over years of practice, I have now given new meaning to the term “Cannonball!” One day, my family will appreciate my efforts to keep them all safe.
I’ve taken to the practice of giving ammunition for Christmas and Birthday gifts to my family members. I have finally come to realize that they will not take the Zombie Apocalypse seriously enough to prepare for it. They will not stockpile their own ammunition, so I must help them in subtle ways. My wife wanted a tennis bracelet for Christmas, but nothing says "I love you" better than a case of 00 buckshot. She will understand that one day.
I tripped my father the last time that we went squirrel hunting. He was upset with me, but I needed to see if he could come out of a barrel roll, dive behind a tree, and still manage to get off two shots of 12 gauge at a rapidly running squirrel. I need to have ABSOLUTE confidence in his abilities. After all, we are still debating if the zombies will be “Runners” or “Shamblers.” Its better to be prepared for both—just in case. My experiment didn’t work out so well, and the squirrel got away.
My mother doesn’t understand why I proceed to load every gun they own and place them strategically around the house when they invite me over to Sunday dinner. I try to explain to them that they have FAR too many windows for zombies to break through, and that they have to be ready to repel the onslaught while simultaneously nailing plywood over the windows. I just don’t think the old girl gets it….
But I persist.
One day they will be thankful that I have dragged them kicking and screaming into zombie preparedness.
-- John
I constantly worry about this and keep my eyes open for signs that it is occurring. I do NOT want to be caught unprepared. Once, I almost took out a little old lady in Wal-Mart. I was absolutely certain that she was among the living dead. Fortunately for her, she picked up her prescription at the pharmacy counter and I found myself pondering whether zombies would need heart medication.
I try to speak of my concerns to my family, but they think that I am the one that is thinking irrational.
My father simply does not see the utility of having an IWB holster in my bathing suit. But really… how do I know that my pool was not built over an Indian burial ground? I DID see that Poltergeist movie. Because of this, it is MY responsibility to constantly practice at drawing and shooting my handgun underwater. I must be absolutely certain that the water-wings do NOT impair my draw or affect my aim.
I am diligent in my underwater zombie fighting preparations. Over years of practice, I have now given new meaning to the term “Cannonball!” One day, my family will appreciate my efforts to keep them all safe.
I’ve taken to the practice of giving ammunition for Christmas and Birthday gifts to my family members. I have finally come to realize that they will not take the Zombie Apocalypse seriously enough to prepare for it. They will not stockpile their own ammunition, so I must help them in subtle ways. My wife wanted a tennis bracelet for Christmas, but nothing says "I love you" better than a case of 00 buckshot. She will understand that one day.
I tripped my father the last time that we went squirrel hunting. He was upset with me, but I needed to see if he could come out of a barrel roll, dive behind a tree, and still manage to get off two shots of 12 gauge at a rapidly running squirrel. I need to have ABSOLUTE confidence in his abilities. After all, we are still debating if the zombies will be “Runners” or “Shamblers.” Its better to be prepared for both—just in case. My experiment didn’t work out so well, and the squirrel got away.
My mother doesn’t understand why I proceed to load every gun they own and place them strategically around the house when they invite me over to Sunday dinner. I try to explain to them that they have FAR too many windows for zombies to break through, and that they have to be ready to repel the onslaught while simultaneously nailing plywood over the windows. I just don’t think the old girl gets it….
But I persist.
One day they will be thankful that I have dragged them kicking and screaming into zombie preparedness.
-- John
Clipper
Member
yes.
zombienerd
Member
John, your post made my day... Thank you
waterhouse
Member
Judging by his actions, he may not actually agree with you. It might be easier for him to say he agrees with you, so that you stop bothering him about it, but if he really wanted to join the NRA and write letters to politicians and go to the range more he probably would.
Travis Bickle
member
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2008
- Messages
- 476
Just out of curiosity, have you ever worked mall security?
THe Dove
BOOMER SOONER!!!
This is nuts..... The answer to your question, in "my" opinion, is yes.
The Dove
The Dove
- Status
