"I don't need a gun."

[larryh1108]

I feel the same way as you do. It's very prevalent in our society. 'If you own guns, you're a gun nut and are looking for people to shoot' is what they think. That stigma makes us keep our hobby close to our vests. We should be as proud of collecting guns as everybody else is about their hobbies yet we keep our mouths shut at work, church, etc. Why? So we aren't labeled or feared because we like our guns.

I've never hunted and have no desire to. I like my hobby of collecting guns. I also have them for SD and HD as well. Range shooting is a hobby like tennis, golf, biking and every other activity yet we don't discuss our hobbies around the lunch table at work where others can hear. I'm not ashamed in any way but I keep to myself about my interests. The "gun stigma" is the main reason. It's wrong.

 

[Drail]

People who say that they don't "need" a gun have quite obviously never had another human being trying to kill them. Then it will become crystal clear to them why someone might "need" a gun.

 

[ZeSpectre]

"after the whistle blows is no time to come up with a game plan".
I think possibly the OP needs to point out that nobody "needs" insurance until the fire/car wreck/flooding/ et-al. Having a firearm as part of your personal care kit is just that, more insurance. HOPEFULLY you'll never "need" it, but if you do you won't have ANY time to go get one.

It has taken me YEARS to convince the inlaws to have such basics in the house as
-Decent quality flashlights and extra batteries
-Battery powered radio
-Food/water for a week

Even after 9/11 (they are RIGHT NEAR the Pentagon) they still wouldn't take the Red Cross lists seriously.

Something, I have no idea what, changed recently and they've dropped a pretty penny purchasing some home protection, some pre-made bug out bags, and a small supply of MRE and similar consumables.

Concealed carry is an insurance policy

 

[Ms_Dragon]

They don't need a gun right up to the point when they need one the most.

These same people have the misguided impression that the police are there to keep them safe.

 

[76shuvlinoff]

I hope I never need mine, that doesn't mean I'll be without though.

 

[ZeSpectre]

But a gun,Ze? We know those in laws are never gonna get that!

Actually Johnny Dollar, when I say "home protection" I'm talking about his n' hers glocks. They also had me run them through the CCW permit course and they are applying for permits this week. (knock me over with a feather). I mean they were never anti before, just ambivalent. Eventually I'm going to find out what lit a fire under them.

 

[12gaugeTim]

This thread is actually quite low road at its core.. If someone doesn't want to own a gun, they don't have to. It's your right to freedom of speech just like its your right to remain silent. I find the rare instance(s?) where a county enforces mandatory gun ownership fairly detestable. It's this xenophobic, unyielding, "our way is better than your way" attitude that drives gun control discussion in the ground and widens the rift between the two schools of thought. If you really want to proselytize the unbelievers then put together some research that shows why they should reconsider gun ownership for their own safety, don't commiserate on the Internet about how backwards they are, which solves nothing. Or better yet, let bygones be bygones and you do your thing while they do theirs.

 

[HighExpert]

We are getting ready to sell our house and had the visit and tour with the real estate agent today. She saw the guns on their racks peacefully sleeping, the generator in the yard and the dehydrated food in the storage room and said, "Are you all preppers?" to which I replied, "Aren't you?"

 

[bigbayou87]

12gaugetim, please read my reply at the top of page 2. This thread isn't going where I intended it to go.

 

[ZeSpectre]

I am stunned, but congrats! After years of reading about your in laws, I never thought they would take the plunge!

That makes two of us!

(and for the record, due to divorces and re-marriages I actually have two sets of inlaws. I don't see the other set changing their minds though)

 

[bikerdoc]

She saw the guns on their racks peacefully sleeping, the generator in the yard and the dehydrated food in the storage room and said, "Are you all preppers?" to which I replied, "Aren't you?"

I have no patience with those kind of people.

 

[sansone]

sorry to say I'm no longer my brother's keeper.. as of late, the sheep can meet the wolves without my assistance.. we're on our own now & we know who our friends are

 

[vito]

I find it almost amusing for someone to be "hurt" that someone else says they don't need a gun. Who cares? Until that same someone wants to infringe upon my RIGHT to have a gun it means nothing to me. I'm old enough to remember when air conditioning was something only found in expensive cars and many folks would say they did not need it. Fine. I didn't need it either but I wanted it. No one said, at least to me, "I don't need air conditioning in my car, and therefore no one should be allowed to have it either." But all too many people DO say that since they don't need a gun, I should not be allowed to have it. Maybe they are afraid of guns, and rather than learn what is needed to overcome their fear, they just want all of us unarmed so that they don't feel so inadequate when thinking about guns. I have known folks who think I should not be allowed to ride a motorcycle, just because they are afraid to do so, think it is too dangerous, and therefore want to keep me from enjoying riding. I think they are just jealous and want everyone to be as miserable as they are. But then again, maybe the people who tell the OP that they don't need a gun say it because they think the OP, who has guns, will protect them.

 

[Njal Thorgeirsson]

To me, "needing" a gun is less about personal utility, but more about the future of the country. No, I don't NEED a gun, but the citizens of the USA ABSOLUTELY NEED the right to own them. And if we don't exercise that right it may be gone in a couple generations. That is reason enough to own guns for me (although there are numerous secondary reasons of course- insurance against someone trying to harm me or my family, and for entertainment purposes).

 

[pockets]

It's their own decision and their own business what their needs are.
Such folk may at some time need a self-defense tool, but that doesn't necessarily mean that must be a gun.

Note: I own dozens of guns and carry daily....but as the thread title says; "I don't need a gun". I simply prefer a gun.
.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

I want a gun because I enjoy an excuse to get outdoors and test my skills with hitting targets with a gun. (My Marlin 39 rifle and Ruger MkII pistol for example.)

I want some guns (Mauser C96 and Mosin Nagant 91/30) solely out of curiousity about the history of their design or use. And maybe vintage military matches.

I need a gun (.38 revolver, .40 H&K USP) because the police can only patrol the public streets and respond after the fact to crimes that usually happen in private.

But, as long as it is "I don't need a gun" and not "You don't need a gun" I'll let it slide.

 

[Madcap_Magician]

I'm interested in selling a firearm and before i post it on the classifieds of the firearm forums i visit, I decided to give a 'heads-up' to my friends and trusted co-workers. Some are interested, some are not, but some say they don't need one.

It hurts me to hear that. No other way for me to explain my feelings upon hearing that line except it hurts me. 'I don't need one' pretty much sums up what some think the purpose of a firearm is for.

I do understand that a firearm is a tool with an intended job, but most of my firearms are range toys except for my daily carry firearm. Guns that could be used for defense, but only kill paper.

Sorry for the rant, but hearing that hated line so many times in a short time frame compelled me to seek out like minded individuals to cry to.

If you were to ask me the same question, I would say "No, I don't need one."

And apparently this would hurt you.

So I would blink and then follow it with "I already have four, and don't have the money right now for a fifth. If I did, the gun you are selling is not one I would desire, so I don't need one, but thanks."

 

[Pete D.]

Need.

"Need" is a very dangerous word in the wrong hands.
I very much resent people telling me what I need to be happy, to feel content and secure, to use for my own personal enjoyment.
When people tell me that I don't need something - be it a firearm or another hobby or another helping of pie - they are mostly telling me that they don't need it. Their needs are another issue entirely.

These are the same people who don't need a generator or batteries before a blackout. They don't extra food and water before a hurricane or blizzard....

There were people who didn't think that they needed to evacuate when Hurricane Sandy was on her way in......they were wrong.
Do I need an AR to hunt deer? No, I don't but I do need one for Service Rifle matches. The "you don't need" crowd never consider that aspect of firearms ownership.
Does anyone "need" to play golf? To watch a baseball game? To own a particular brand and type of car?

Pete

 

[Bianchi?]

If you don't want to own a gun, that's fine. Just understand the consequences of your actions. Don't tell me what to own, and I'll do the same. Only the individual can decide what is best for his or her self. Nobody else.

 

[mrvco]

If you don't want to own a gun, that's fine. Just understand the consequences of your actions. Don't tell me what to own, and I'll do the same. Only the individual can decide what is best for his or her self. Nobody else.

Exactly.

 

[mojo357]

'I don't need a gun' bothers you that much?

I think you're a little too sensitive. I have close friends who hate guns but they don't bug me about my collection and I don't push my politics on them. To each his own.

It's a different story with the anti-gun nanny staters of course. They disgust me.

 

[Ms_Dragon]

Of course I don't need a gun!

I carry my titanium tactical spork in my back pocket at all times and I ain't afraid to use it! /jk.