The're scared.....

[AlexanderA]

How can someone who is familiar with guns (aka, tools) and be "afraid" of them? That just makes zero logical sense.

That's why I used the word "afraid" in quotes. I just wasn't sure what other word to use to make my point. What I was trying to get at was something a little stronger than "respect." It's undeniable that guns have a certain "intimidation factor." That's exactly why some defensive confrontations can end without a shot being fired. Actually, the "fear" factor can work to the gun owner's advantage, both by making an antagonist "afraid" of the gun, and by making the owner more aware of how he's handling it, and the consequences thereof.

As far as making logical sense, I've found that there are a lot of things in the gun world that are paradoxical (i.e., "illogical") in the extreme.

 

[Shadow 7D]

That's why I used the word "afraid" in quotes. I just wasn't sure what other word to use to make my point. What I was trying to get at was something a little stronger than "respect." It's undeniable that guns have a certain "intimidation factor." That's exactly why some defensive confrontations can end without a shot being fired. Actually, the "fear" factor can work to the gun owner's advantage, both by making an antagonist "afraid" of the gun, and by making the owner more aware of how he's handling it, and the consequences thereof.

As far as making logical sense, I've found that there are a lot of things in the gun world that are paradoxical (i.e., "illogical") in the extreme.

Ask a skydiver if he is scared? (afraid)
when I was learning, this is what I was told

The day you rig and get on the plane
and you realize you are not scared, is the day you need to quit.

The fear keeps you sharp when engaging in a dangerous activity, it doesn't have to be paralyzing, just keep you alive, it's your bodies way of recognizing a RATIONAL danger...

The inverse of this, is : Complacency Kills.

 

[Manco]

Whoa! Has it really come to this?!

Significant elements in government are trying to take away our means of protection from them, bit by bit. No, it's not actually time right now to commit acts of violence, and I hope that we won't ever reach that point, but the right to keep and bear arms (against tyranny) must be preserved.

Unless someone is actually trying to kill you, you're not justified in killing them. Their mere attempt to enact laws to restrict, or even confiscate, guns doesn't rise to that level.

Not yet, but their ultimate goal is to disarm us, and this we cannot allow, much like it was for those who won this country's independence. We're talking about something bigger than self-defense within the law--the potential loss of our liberty due to a tyrannical federal government that passes illegal laws that infringe on the fundamental rights of individuals. We're not anywhere close to this stage yet, and should do everything we can to avoid getting there, but we can still see what they're attempting to do in the long run.

You can outvote them.

We should certainly try.

Besides that, the antigunners, by definition, don't have guns, and therefore, their threats would be indirect at worst.

The Second Amendment was created in part to help protect us against our own federal government, which has by this point obviously become a massive and rapidly expanding bureaucracy that is trying to control every aspect of our lives, more and more each day. That's what governments naturally tend to do over time, and the Founders of this country knew and fully expected this, hence the Second Amendment. They are the direct threat, not fellow citizens who are afraid of guns--those are merely pawns who are, for the most part, unwittingly helping the government gain more power and eventually disarm other citizens like us.

 

[OpelBlitz]

There's no denying, some people are simply scared of firearms. I know of several individuals who fall in this group. They were raised in households with no guns whatsoever. Many of us did grow up in households with guns, so this obviously doesn't apply to many of us.

I was able to convince a few of my old friends who were like this. I especially remember this one woman who was especially "liberal" in her school of thought, but was at least open-minded enough to allow me to show her a few firearms, including an AR-15, in a safe controlled environment. She's always been fascinated with guns, so it was a prime opportunity to show that there's nothing inherently to be afraid of. After a small period of time, she felt far more comfortable around guns and even enjoy them.

Sometimes it's the small victories that make us feel better.

 

[Al Thompson]

Say good night folks.