Looks like I'm not a member after all.

[RTFM]

Ok where to start, Black_Ops. if your parents chose to monitor your internet traffic, good for them. Until you are old enough to support yourself, and make your own decisions, they have every right to monitor what your doing "under there roof
Un-fortunately, they are anti-gun. Bad for you and bad for us.
Any lost member is sad.

I hate to be the cynic in the group but what if Black_Ops is just here to stir up dust??
What if he is NOT who he says he is?

(Sorry B.O. but I thought I have to bring up this question...)


RTFM

 

[sir-chimps-a-lot]

Don't worry people, I'm not a psyhco, physco, or however you spell it, and I have no problem letting my parents read what I type. My problem is that I would prefer it more if they asked. Just stealing my identity is a problem for me, I would gladly show them what they want to see. I would like to discuss my internet usage in a civilized manner.

And RTFM, maybe I'm not who I say I am, maybe my real name is Federal Agent Smit, maybe I'm one of your parents, and maybe you will just have to trust me on this.

And I'm not reading all this stuff on guns for any sick demented purposes, it's just that after playing hundreds of hours of shooting games and grand theft auto games, I'd just like to understand what makes guns do the things they do, like the difference between full and semi-auto, or what of ammo calibre is measured by, or how many monkeys it takes to operate a howitzer.

This forum is obviously the most cicilized and clean set of boards I've ever been on, and I'm sorry if I come off as some kind of "wannabe" but all this stuff is just carried over from my account in the grand theft auto warehouse.

I'm beginning to think you guys veiw me as some hateful, sick, skinny, acne prone-nerd plotting revenge against some bullies. I'm not. I'm just a kid who wants to know more about the tools that made us who we are. I don't want to be the guy who spends his whole life living in a cubicle never knowing how to defend his home against a bunch of thugs, either though. I'ts just useful knowledge how to use a hunting rifle.

Thanks you guys, the response here to a guy youve only known for a week has been overwelmingly friendly, and more than I ever expected.

Edit: maybe I watch too many Mel Gibson movies.......

 

[Tamara]

black_ops,

And RTFM, maybe I'm not who I say I am, maybe my real name is Federal Agent Smit,

FWIW, the official joke name for the hypothetical snooping federal agent around here is "ATF Agent Schmuckatelli."

 

[The Undertoad]

black_ops, believe me - I know exactly what you are dealing with. My parents are and were anti-gun, and it's been a long road trying to educate them. And I'm still not done. They won't let me keep my guns in their house, even in locked cases, out of fear that my younger brother will play with them. I always counter argue that education is key and I'd be happy to teach him gun safety - but they refuse. And I respect them, so I do as they ask.

About four or five years ago I was in your same position. I was a teenager, I played lots of video and computer games, the inevitable family conflicts ensued, etc. My parents didn't really monitor my internet usage much, which in some ways I am grateful for. But overall, I wish they had.

My parents can be genuine, reactionary blissninnies at times, but they do it because they care. I know I was angry at them for some of the dumb stuff they pulled but I still love 'em. Example: after the Columbine shooting, they confiscated a good number of my CD's, books, and video games They were worried because I was a mopey little yutz who wore too much black clothing and listened to loud, depressing music and liked to play video games that involved lots of guns. I guess they forgot that I was also a Boy Scout, honors student, martial artist, and heavily involved with marching band... Now they may have taken that event personally because the family had just moved to VA from Littleton, but I digress.

My point is, that things will look a lot different in three years when you head off to college/move out. Try to be patient, and either learn to live with their rules or change their minds in a rational way. I bet you'll all learn a lot - and good luck.

And I agree completely that this is a philosophical forum as much as anything else. I honestly can say that I am a much more mature, moral, rational person than I was some four years ago when I logged onto my first forum. I'm sure that normal maturation has a lot to do with that -- but I know that interacting with thousands of intelligent, genuinely nice people on the internet had something to do with it too.

Hope you work out a way to stick around.

 

[ysr_racer]

Oh to be young and living at home again...

When I was 18 and living at home, I couldn't believe how little my parents knew.

When I was 21 and living on my own, I couldn't believe how much they had learned in just 3 years

Will Rogers?

 

[The Undertoad]

ysr_racer, exactly!

Reminds me of a quote from Samuel Clemens:
"When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years."

 

[Walrus]

black_ops,

I am a parent and I monitor my children's Internet usage. I also monitor what television they watch, where they go, with whom they go, etc..
I look at it as watching over the greatest treasure in my life. If someone had a million dollars they would watch over it carefully. Your parents, I am sure, think you are infinitely more valuable than that.

You should respect your parents wishes. They are, it appears to me, very concerned about where you go when you are on line and that is a very good thing.

Maybe you should ask your parents to come along with you, as it were,when you come here. Firearms, as used by board members, are mostly used to punch holes in paper, harvest animals for the dinner table, and provide hours of fun talking about them.

Firearms are a tool and can be used for bad things at times. We on this board are against any illegal or negligent use of firearms. I think if your parents read the posts on this board they will see that.

In the end your parent's wishes must be respected while you are a minor under their care. I hop ethey will come and spend some time here before they decide. Good luck young fellow!

 

[ysr_racer]

The Undertoad,

Yep, that was the one I was going for. Are Mark Twain and Samuel Clemens the same person?

 

[The Undertoad]

Yep! Mark Twain was the pen name of Samuel (I believe middle name was Langhorne?) Clemens.

 

[ysr_racer]

Yep! Mark Twain was the pen name of ...

So they even had user names back then

 

[rust collector]

Ha! Even the term alias has a "user name". They called it a nom de plume back then. Before that, Roman and Greek authors used them. Seems we have always been conflicted between privacy and fame.

 

[gripper]

Please,participate here.You may learn things.Among them ;that you may have something to teach,as well.

 

[Double Maduro]

Black ops,

Your user name and graphic say it all. You are 15.

Most of us who have reached a certain level of maturity understand things a little better. Well some of us anyway.

The handle black ops and the graphic show that you are too young and immature to understand the nature of war. Those of us who have had to fight for our lives and those of our country people, and or loved ones understand. Those who have thought about the possibility that they may one day have to fight to live also understand.

War is not fun.

War should not be glorified.

Killing and violence is to be avoided.

We must be prepared if it cannot be avoided.

We practice waging war and defensive tactics in the hopes that we will never need the skills we gain. No one in their right mind wants to be put in a life or death situation, and the fact that you use these phrases and graphics shows your immaturity.

If you portray yourself as a gun for hire, what do you expect your parents to think? Get a better identity, one that shows something you are interrested in. Get rid of the gun for hire graphic. Show your parents that you have achieved a level of maturity where you can be trusted. I can't imagine that this hired gun persona only appears on this board.

Yes, we can tell by the way you act and present yourself that you are 15. Being 15 is not a bad thing or a good thing, it is only the age you are at this moment. Enjoy being 15 and stop trying to be older, it will happen all too soon, believe me. Stop glorifiying war and killing, two things that I hope you never experience. They are not fun or glorious.

Listen to your parents. They have more experience at life than you. Talk to them, let them know what is going on with you. Show them you care about the important things in a 15 year-olds life. Grades, friends, dating, etc. (I think that if you have spent all those hundreds of hours playing vid games and in bb's that your grades may have suffered a bit.)

Listen to the good advice of the people on this board and believe that your parents are doing this because they love you. Show them that you are responsible and they may ease up. Bring them here and they will see that we are just normal people from every life experience that happen to share an interest in firearms and shooting.

People with a bad attitude don't last very long here.

If you want some reading that will explain a little of the horror that is war, I suggest that you try, "We Were Soldiers Once and Young". It is about the first major US battle in Viet Nam. You will see how tragic war is.

I applaud your search for the knowledge that can be gained here, show your parents that you are ready to absorb it and they may let you return.

DM

 

[simon]

Black_ops,search for and let your parents read the thread"I'm an anti w/a question".It will explain lots!
Enjoy

 

[rock jock]

Good post DM.

 

[Baba Louie]

Maduro, most excellant.
Black Ops, here's the link to James Castilla's thread that simon referred to http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=27373&highlight=anti+with+questions
May I suggest that you take both DM words to heart and simon's advice, in fact I suggest you print out Castilla's thread and ask your mom and dad to read it with you. Discuss the posts therein. Pay attention to Trisha's post (it was memorable to me at least... I copied it) but the flavor of the whole thread pretty well sums up those who visit THR. Definitely one to discuss at length with parents and friends.
Ah to be 15 again. I do wish I had a place like this back in 1970 to gather other's knowledge. All I had was my mom and dad, aunts and uncles (and they were/are good ones) and a few magazines. Of course we did do a whole lot of shooting together, well, the men in the family did.

 

[sir-chimps-a-lot]

Ah, if anybody needs to talk to me in private, you can use my e-mail, eh?

Thank you people, and as for my username and graphic, I took it all from my account on the GTA Warehouse, you can find the link here:

Grand Theft Auto Warehouse

Go under the board index, and my user name there is Hired Gun. Nice, eh? I haven't posted in a while, but I've made a few threads.

 

[Intune]

Not nice, which is what folks are gently trying to tell you. GTA's whole premise is to steal things that belong to others & run rampant through the city. It is not rated "Teen" and received a "Mature" rating for a reason. Read, really read some of these posts and take to heart some of the advice given. It is right on target. I'm not raggin' on ya.

 

[entropy]

Suggestions for our young Canadian friend.

1. Change the name and graphic, eh?

2. Listen to your parents. Yes, they are anti-gun. They are concerned for you, as are lots of us here at THR. You have shown us in the short time you've been here that that concern is warranted.

3. AC-130 as the ultimate survival gun? Excepting movies, have you ever seen what one of these planes can do? I have, and while an impressive show of military firepower, they are not a "survival gun". They are a killing machine. Not glorious. Just deadly. Grow up.

4. A nome-de-plume such as 'black ops' might be the norm in the Gaming world, but here, as a 15 year old kid, it is not 'cool', funny, etc. There are people on this forum who have been/are in black ops, and that certainly must be a slap in the face to them. So as I already stated, as have others, change it.

5. I for one am willing to impart my vast knowledge to you, when you are willing to act with maturity on this forum. And I know I do not stand alone, if the previous posts are any indication.

So there, now I've said my piece. Hope you stay with us, there's much to learn here, most of it not from me!

 

[winstonsmith]

3. AC-130 as the ultimate survival gun? Excepting movies, have you ever seen what one of these planes can do? I have, and while an impressive show of military firepower, they are not a "survival gun". They are a killing machine. Not glorious. Just deadly. Grow up.

You mean this?

Actually, that was me, not Black_ops. And yes, I have seen what they can do with my own two eyes.

And frankly I don't understand the difference between a killing machine and a survival gun. Life giving sword, etc.

Don't fall off your high horse too hard.

 

[Brian Dale]

winston, the notion is that those who've seen sudden, violent death don't tend to treat it lightly.

Some rights are fundamental; other rights are earned. There are some people here who have earned the right to ride whatever horse they wish. I don't take cheap shots at them; few do.

 

[winstonsmith]

Oh, we're in definite agrement about the choice of log in name and signature icon. Don't worry. I was like that (yeah dude, i'm a hired gun! Got my GAT!) when I joined THR but almost a year here has educated/sobered me about that.

I define a cheap shot as criticising someone for something they can't control. I can't control my age. "Entropy" can control his (rather condescending) tone.

 

[Brian Dale]

Let's all take a deep breath. Sorry for the thread drift, everybody. I've learned a great deal here as well. Learning continues; I'm 44 years old, and some of my "elders" here are much younger than I am.

 

[Matt G]

If the parents of a minor choose to restrict their child's viewing of fora, chat rooms, discussion groups, and the like, I whole-heartedly support their right to do so!

The fact that I disagree with their premise (that this one is harmful) is irrelevant.

Here's to black_ops growing up to become a man who makes up his own mind, but who respects and listens to his parents, even when he disagrees with them (with good reason.).

 

[arinvolvo]

I will second that again MattG.

I was a "kid" not that long ago...and everything my parents ever did that i hated will be exactly what i do with my kids...Parents know more than you think...and only being 25, I think i came to this realization rather quickly.