I'm giving up my guns

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Sack up, dude. If my wife didn't like my guns, too ????ing bad. Hell would freeze over before I would give up a perfectly rational hobby just because my wife doesn't like it.

If she doesn't like guns, then she doesn't have to shoot them.

Pick one of her favorite hobbies and then give her a bunch of ignorant irrational reasons why you want her to stop it. See how far that goes.

Just because you got married does not mean you gave up your rights and now have to ask permission for every legal rational hobby. I doubt that she asks your permission before she starts a new hobby.
 
Ps-- BTW, my wife and I have been together 14 blissful years. We have a great friendship and love. But I did not marry my mom. We respect each other, and we have boundaries, one of which includes that she does not tell me what to do and vice versa.
 
I think for her to understand how a firearm could be kept safely inside, she needs to understand a little about how a firearm works. Explain to her how it could be fired, and how your multiple prevention steps will keep that from ever happening. It will greatly demystify the process to her. You probably won't be able to convince her if she doesn't understand how it works, because the firearm will always be some vague, mystical evil that is just dangerous.


What's the best way to convince someone that it is safe to keep a gun in the house?
 
What's the best way to convince someone that it is safe to keep a gun in the house?
See my previous post: Take her shooting! Once she's familiar with and comfortable with firearms, she should be much more comfortable with having them around. (But, on the downside, she just might want some for herself, too!)
 
Once she's familiar with and comfortable with firearms, she should be much more comfortable with having them around.
Hopefuly this will be true.

But a general problem I see among the NPR crowd both male and female is that there are many 'liberal' antigun people who greatly fear their own overwhelming anger and who presume that the rest of the world is as royally p.o.'d as themselves.

There is a large minority who would be totally terrified by a trip to the range, as they are basically full of hatred and the gun symbolizes all their own repressed violence. Those of us normal laidback souls who abhor violence seem to get along well with guns, but there is always a risk that an extreme anti would have a total meltdown at the range.

I would suppose a range trip would be a sort of litmus test for marriage.

I was talking to Mrs. Meek about this and we discussed the fact that when she was young and immature she was a McGovern liberal and strong anti. Our range trips during our courtship were an educational experiance for her and she was solidly conservative and pro RKBA before we married.
 
This abandonment is probably 30% her fear of guns, 50% I should have been more responsible with the money, and 20% I should have been open in the first place.

I think some of you guys are being a little hard on this guy with the "no balls" type comments.

70% of the reasons this guy is selling his guns are 100% good reasons ... he's got young'ns and they need shoes such ... that and he doesn't want to run around doing stuff behind his wife's back (how many of you guys here wouldn't be seriously pissed if the Mrs. was to spend $700 on some toy for herself without letting you know ... let alone consulting you beforehand).

Frankly it sounds like he's making a very mature decision ... now down the road when he comes around whining "my wife won't let me buy a gun even though I just got a big bonus" then we'll point at his manhood and laugh.
:neener:
 
But a general problem I see among the NPR crowd both male and female is that there are many 'liberal' antigun people who greatly fear their own overwhelming anger and who presume that the rest of the world is as royally p.o.'d as themselves.
I've noticed that about NPR. In a lot of their programs I've noticed what I call the "NPR depressed droning monotone"--this depressed-sounding monotone that drops at the end of the sentence: "Life is terrible here in Mrs. Smith's slum, and getting worse. And everyday the heat of the sun is just more and more depressing. Etc., etc., etc." I'm thinking that you have to be in therapy and on Prozac to get hired there.
 
Saturday Night Live makes fun of that aspect of NPR in some of their skits.
 
Jamz,

Sorry if I seemed a bit intemperate in my reply before. Sounds like you have a good picture and a plan. But even if it was a mistake to buy the guns, and I 'spect it was, selling them for half price may not be the answer. Time to start getting REAL pennypinching to make it up, but don't sell 'em. You'll take a beating. Only if you really need the money now and expect to have lots of money rolling in later should you sell those things.

Good luck.

520
 
Good to be honest with your wife but this is pretty pathetic. Maybe you should spend a little time educating your wife on firearms. Clearly she has little confidence in your reasoning abilities. Guns are inanimate objects not capable of causing harm on their own.

NPR is trash, probably more dangerous than your guns.

So when is it gonna stop? Will you vote for gun control measures or against your beliefs because NPR conviced your wife to do so? I'm not saying to pick sides but you should be doing more to convice her that she has been disillusioned rather than dumping a legal and perfectly acceptable hobby.

Come on man, GET A SET! LOL

I'm kidding of course, I tried not to come across as a jerk but I can't think of a better way to put it. :rolleyes: :D
 
I stand corrected. My suggestion to you is to either sell the non family guns and use the money to deal with your financial situation. Depending on just how tight things are, don't take her to the range and hold your trips to the range down to just maintaining your current level of proficiency. (Ammo costs money and, while it may be insignificant compared to the bills and the savings really won't help in any significant way, it will aggrevate the problem way out of proportion to its reality)

Then, deal with your finances. Get a second job, or anything else (legal) necessary to deal with the bills.

Keep in mind, there are reasons and excuses. Excuses are the things we offer up as reasons for the things we do. (NPR says guns are dangerous and shouldn't be kept in the home). Then there are the actual reasons. (We're up to our ears in bills and you've that perfectly good rifle that could bring in x hundred dollars.) Or the excuse/reason could be the other way round. You've got to determine that and go from there.
 
This is one of those posts where it really isn't any of my business and I hesitate to really say anything for fear of being offensive. And, this type of thing tends to ruffle feathers of people who are not even directly involved in the situation. But, since it was posted on a public forum, presumably asking for advice...............................

I think some of you are taking this a little bit too far. Selling the guns to buy shoes for the kids and all that.
"We sort of have a "dont ask/don't tell" policy regarding my hobbies and their costs- I have had a string if expensive hobbies, and this one is no different. (Cheaper than my last hobby of time trialing my car, however). She doesn't ask, I don't tell her how much stuff costs, and as long as we can afford food, clothing, shelter and heat in the winter, we are all set."

His hobbies, both past and present lead me to believe he is not living in the projects and standing in line for government cheese. I didn't even see any mention of his having kids, but I might have missed it. When someone I know tells me things are tight financially or money could be used somewhere else I don't assume they are filing for food stamps. It usually means to me that the 4500 square foot house payment, the two SUV payments, and the pool payment are a little much.
But, as usual I could be wrong.
 
Please tell me that I'm not too late in replying and that you have not sold the firearm your father gave you!!!

At the very least, give it to a trusted friend to keep, or better yet, put it in a safe deposit box. You do not need money badly enough to sell the gun your dad gave you.

If I may be frank, you are making a big mistake if you give into the anti-gun pressure of your wife.

It reflects very poorly on her in many ways that she is not open to firearms.

If nothing else, she should tolerate your hobby because it is YOUR hobby, you being her loving husband.

If even that isn't enough for her, then I personally feel that you may have made a mistake with this woman.

I feel awful saying that, especially to a complete stranger, but threads like this are very common on the firearms forums I visit, and many people have similar sentiments.

Your wife either loves you, loves ALL of you, or she doesn't. There is no picking and choosing desireable traits/qualities/habits/etc. When you marry someone, you marry all of them, including their firearms and family, so you better get along well with your inlaws. :)

Just my humble opinions, but again; what you decide to do is up to you, but mark my words, you will regret it beyond belief if you get rid of your dad's gun.
 
Given the choice between NPR and Fox "News," I'll take NPR any day.

Lucky for me, the Patriot Act isn't quite in full swing, and Ashcroft doesn't know what radio stations I like.

Like almost everything else, NPR requires that I think about what I hear, and I can disagree with what I don't like. (Question for those of you who watch Fox "News": Do you believe every single thing they say?)

At any rate, back to the main topic: give the guns to your dad. No-brainer. Then figure out what to do about your situation. You're obviously smart enough to make this work one way or another.
 
Based on the kinda responses I've seen, I want to know what percentage of gun nuts are a) happily married b) never been married C)divorced d)divorced and remarried. It seems to me that guns nuts are more to blow off a wife than compromise on the gun issue...might be wrong. ( I've never been married)


atek3
 
I heard a recording of a 911 call by a young woman who was being attacked in her apartment. She was pleading with the dispatcher to send the police. In the background, you can hear the attacker breaking down her bedroom door. The young woman was killed before the police could reach the scene. I don't know where to find this recording or what it's called. After hearing this gut-wrenching recording, no same person could be an "Anti."
 
Shmackey - Do you believe that NPR is not biased?


atek3 - I can't speak for all gun owners, but I personally will not budge on my second amendment Rights. Furthermore "my wife is not my mom" and I am not going to have her tell me what I can and cannot do.

We are both married only once, and we have been happily together for 13 years. We will never get divorced. We have agreed on that, and we work hard to make each other happy. We are blissfully in love, while we respect each other.

But, she knew what she was marrying and she loves me for who I am: The fact is, she would not respect me if I did "budge" on my beliefs. One of the many things she loves about me is that I have principles, and I stand by them, and I am a MAN about things....I am not a mommas-boy who is going to be bossed around by my wife. (This is no reflection on anyone here).

She has stated before that she would lose respect for me if I did become spineless and let her boss me around. (We have personal friends that act this way, and it makes us both sick). I think that holds true for most women: even if they stay with a man because they can boss him around, ultimately they do not respect him and they wish they could have someone stronger.
 
thaddeus
I think there is a lot of truth in what you posted.
I am certainly no expert in human interaction. I am certainly not a good example of how to make a marriage work. But I have seen enough relationships to make some judgements. Particularly in my career as a paramedic. For years I wondered how it is that some guy that doesn't work, or is a criminal, or is a junkie, or is abusive........... can keep a woman. Why would a woman want to stay with a guy like that when there are tons of guys out there looking for women that would treat them nice ? My theory is exactly what you posted. A lot of women are not looking for a weak person that doesn't stand up for himself and allows him to be pushed around. It seems that a lot of women are willing to overlook a lot of glaring faults as long as the guy is strong and independent. Whether they consciously think about it or not, seeing someone cave in on issues that are important to them is a sign of weakness and most people do not like the spineless.
On the other hand, there are people who will take their ball and go home if they can't have everything their own way. Most people don't like them either.
So, you have to find middle ground. You sacrifice here and there, you make consessions, but there are certain things that can not be compromised and to me, this is certainly one of them. Why ? Because it is one of the most important things in life to me. It is my hobby and the subject of a great deal of my attention. It means a lot to me. I would never ask someone else to give up something that important to them and if they did I would lose a lot of respect for them.
 
I think he's doing the right thing (but don't sell Dad's gun!) It doesn't have anything to do with his wife's outlook on guns and a lot to do with being able to trust the person you have a relationship with to do what is best for the family you have.

I guess I'd keep Dad's gun, keep one of the new ones, and sell the rest to put towards family projects. Next bonus, buy another one. Just don't do it behind her back.
 
Barbera pretty much sums it up: I wouldn't want her sneaking around on me, so I don't want to sneak around her.

For me, divorce is obviously not an option, and it is just my choosing to make this a smoother transition time for her rather than just say "Hey, I bought a bunch of guns and am keeping them in the house. Deal with it." To do so is to almost guarantee a hatred and mistrust toward gun ownership. It will be much smoother, and better in the long run, to do it the long way. I'm pretty sure my Dad will take them off my hands for me until which time I can buy them back. I'll sell them to him for what I paid, and will but them back for the same price, I imagine.

So now I have to start in on the long grind of imparting the knowledge to her without making her feel ignorant. I think I'll start by having her clean my .22 rifle. :evil: (The "legit" one ;) )

-James
 
Have your wife attend one of the NRA First Steps classes with your .22 and see what happens, tell her you want to go as knowing how to properly use a firearm is the best way to prevent an accident with one.

Kharn
 
hey thaddeus do you tell your wife to 'get back in the kitchen and make me some chicken pot pie and cheezy poofs?'
Just kidding :)
I agree with what you are saying, assuming your wife is down with the balance of power in the relationship.
Just so you know where I'm coming from, I was in a relationship for about 18 months and I'll be darned before I put someone else's interests ahead of my own on a routine basis without reciprocity. I missed out shooting an MP5 SMG because she was being a nut. Forget that! 'Whateva' I do what I want!'

atek3
 
Rule#1:Avoid the loss/forfeiture of ANYTHING that is important to you and could save a life. Even if it saves by lethal potential.

Rule #2:Beginning a relationship with a lie,or introducing one into it yields bitter fruit.

Rule#3:You love your wife(Hey!,you married her willingly,right?),and you love your father,his legacy and your guns.Anti or not,most sane people can be gradually nudged in our direction both bay the inherent sanity of self defense/utility implements(self sufficiency,an equalizer)and their "empowering"aspects(women's issues/feminine equality,etc.),but do not discount the FUN FACTOR.Hey,we all like to shoot. Once your into it,we don't need a justification to head for the range with a .22 and a brick or three of whatever was on sale.Whichever one works to get her nose under the tent will be decided by her and your knowlege of her.Once again,you married her,ergo you should have a working knowlege ofwhere the tripwires are&where to step carefully.

If you give up what you don't want to to appease a point of view antithetical to your own,you'll come to regret iut,resent it and to resent HER.
I hope this helped without giving offense
 
I buy all the guns I want. My wife listens to NPR, MPR, etc. and even donates (from her account, not mine) I bought my wife her own pistol, and am going with her to CCW classes. She wanted to go, and is the one who brought it up.

Damn, I'm lucky. Now, if only she was the only child of the owner of a successful large brewing company...
 
Spoke to my Dad. He's happy to purchase the pistols and the M44 from me and let me shoot 'em whenever I want until I buy them all legit and above-board.

Now, the question is... when we can afford it, what do you think I should "buy" first- one of the pistols, or the rifle?

-James
 
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