Were you an anti at any point in the past?

[jlbraun]

Or were you always pro-RKBA?

(I voted "yes". Now I think you should be able to get machineguns over the counter.)

 

[romma]

I was not a big fan of firearms after my ordeal as a teenager. But I got past it!

I was shot in my neck and shoulder by my brother...

I can't say I was an Anti, so I won't vote.

 

[TallPine]

I was never an "anti" but I might have been a litle more accepting of some regulations in the past. (12 yrs of P.S. and all that )

Now I think you should be able to get machineguns over the counter

Nope, should be able to order them through the mail

 

[TexasRifleman]

Nope, should be able to order them through the mail

When you actually COULD do that gun crime was still relatively low.

Until the press got hold of Dillinger, Bonnie, Clyde, etc and make folk stories out of them nothing particularly bad ever came of mail order machine guns.

St Valentines Massacre is always used as the reason, but it didn't stop the Hollywood bank robbers 60 something years later.

Never been an anti, would have never crossed my mind. In fact I still have a hard time understanding why any thinking person would be an anti at all.

 

[40SW]

I am 38 years old. As a teenager , I was an anti for sure and a social liberal as well. Growing up as well as being a victim of an armed robbery, I joined the NRA, educated myself, matured , learned more about the Constitution, and generally came to my senses. Now I am a very active pro RKBA activist and NRA certified firearms instructor. All this 20 years after being an anti and experiencing the armed robbery. There is nothing like it to place things in perspective and mature quickly.

 

[Zundfolge]

I was never an anti, but in my younger days I believed that harsh gun control was inevitable and probably not that big a deal (even then I didn't support it as I thought it was a waste of time).

 

[SWATcashJeremy]

I can't understand it either. They say "this right meant the state" and try to flim-flam it. No it wasn't. The Second Amendment was written so that the other 9 had any validity.

Then there's the people who say "Why would you want a gun? you planning to kill someone?" No I'm planning on A) being part of the citizen army (read: militia (the Constitutional Citizen Army not the National Guard)) B) Being able to defend myself against threats and C) being able to defend myself against tyrany.

On that note: BATFE is Unconstitutional at best and downright an abominition at worst. The agency should be taken behind the courthouse and shot (not the people..the agency)

 

[40SW]

At 19 years of age, I honestly thought that guns were evil and that gun control was the answer. I look back at those days and don't recognize myself. Its was a transformation on the highest order. It almost feels like a different life.

 

[mljdeckard]

I was never anti, but I did allow myself to be fooled by 'common sense' arguments, that some gun control laws work, and there should be limits to how much individuals are allowed to exercise their rights.

 

[WayneConrad]

What's an "anti?"

 

[40SW]

An anti is someone who is vehemently anti gun and for gun control. It may be someone who does or does not listen to logic and the facts regarding RKBA and the 2nd ammendment. It varies case by case

 

[joffe]

<-- Location, location, location.

The 'gun issue' isn't an issue over here at all (which is both a pity and good at the same time -- there is no fight for further rights but noone has made it their crusade to shut down the few ones that are left), but as a younger more ignorant version of myself I thought 'why should anyone have machine guns' and similar nonsense.

 

[CoRoMo]

Never have been anti 2A or against anything regarding arms.
Raised in a pro 2A and avid hunting family.
Used to be sort of a tree-hugger, but that wore off quickly.

 

[David904]

I used to think that pistols and rifles were fine, but that nobody needed to have an assault rifle.

Then I had my eyes opened to the fact that these are RIGHTS, not needs. Instant 180 degree change.

I wish my sport utility rifle was an "assault rifle."

 

[Johnny B]

I voted "Yes" because, though I have never at any point thought that it was a good idea to take away people's guns, I did think it was only rational to regulate them heavily. It's worth noting that I always liked shooting, though, from the time when I was around 10-12 years old and always jumped on the opportunity to go whenever it arose, but there were never any guns in my house growing up. Then, some years ago (not too many), I moved in with my aunt and uncle (a former Marine, now retired physician with an extensive collection of contemporary, classic and mil-surp firearms) to save some money while my life as an undergrad was winding down. At first, whenever he would talk about guns and gun ownership, I never really paid it any mind or thought anything, one way or the other. As the months went on, however, I went shooting a few times with some close friends (shooting skeet, plinking and so on) and, of course, realized just how much fun was to be had going out with friends and (safely!) shooting. Funny thing is that I was won over by these guys who themselves weren't necessarily out to convert me, or anyone else for that matter.

So, I went out, bought some guns and that was the start of it. I've been insatiable in my desire for knowledge, which is why this website is actually quite wonderful. I've learned more in my short time amongst you fine people here than I thought probable. Anyway, somewhere further down the line it really hit me how important this whole Second Amendment thing is. About a year ago, I was assigned to read a very large portion of the Federalist papers for a class and was quite impressed by Madison's and especially Hamilton's emphasis on being armed as a unique characteristic of a free people. It dawned on me: a people that lives under a government that cannot for any reason be resisted will never be free. It's not for hunting, recreation, or for the hell of it that we have a right to be armed; it is crucial to our being free. That kind of blew my mind a bit, and since then, I was fully on board. So, that's my journey. Hope it wasn't too long and excruciating.

 

[yesit'sloaded]

I grew up in a family of Fudds that thought assault rifles and handguns were evil ,but our nice hunting rifles and shotguns were a gift from G-D himself. Then my uncle bought an AR15 on a whim and I got to play with it. Problem solved.

 

[RoadkingLarry]

Grew up in a house with guns and a Dad that hunted. Guns in the house just "was", I figured everybody was that way. Of course I knew about 2nd ammendment and that was just that. strange as it sounds I didn't really become politically aware of the RKBA fight and how significant it is till the mid/late '80s when I was in my mid 20s. I didn't really mature in to a political animal till I was 30 and just out of the Navy.

 

[Warren]

I was never an anti, but then it took me a while to get move into the pro-gun camp from the have-not-thought-about-it-at-all camp.

It was a bit of teenage rebellion. "There are people who don't want me to have guns? F them! As soon as I can afford it I'm buying whatever I want!"

The last bit took awhile.

 

[Millwright]

Well I'm anti-gun control......what's that count for ?

Back more years than I care to think about we could buy handguns and damn near anyother kind - including 'dewats' mail order. You could also buy the parts to repair those dewats, too.....I never noticed too many gang fights or bank robberies with them, though. Hell, you could even buy cannon mail order !! >MW

 

[Tommygunn]

I was never an antigun person, but until I got out of college and into the workforce and voting, I never really understood freedom and responsibility and what the Constitution and Bill of Rights meant, and I had to do a lot of reading and "catch-up" to really learn what it all really meant. I also had misconstrued the 2nd amendment back then ... but didn't understand the possible ramifications that could result from that. Thankfully, that was rectified a long time ago.
Also, the idea of rights being "innate" or "God - given" rather than something given to us by the Constitution is not always a readily grasped concept.

 

[Euclidean]

At one point in time I thought it was okay that the government did background checks and regulated ownership of machine guns (I was a teenager), so I consider myself a recovered anti.

 

[Bobarino]

in '94 i was 17 and a junior in high school. i thought the AWB was a great idea. i didn't know any better, and was convinced that machine guns were being banned. even voted for Clinton the first time around. i've since wised up and learned to think for myself instead of what the media tells me to.

Bobby

 

[WSM MAGNUM]

No, I was never anti at all in my past. But my views have changed on some subjects that I thought were wrong in the past, because I did not have a full understanding like I do today. So, today I would say I am more pro-gun than I was in the past.

 

[Ohio Rifleman]

I'm 20 years old now, and when I was much younger, yeah I was. I bought into all that public school anti-gun BS. Fortunately, my dad educated me and I'm now a gun owner and an NRA member.

 

[Blackbeard]

There are degrees of anti-ness. I've always been pro-2nd amendment, pro-self-defense. I haven't always been pro-anonymous-machine-gun-over-the-counter, and I'm not sure I am now. Still, I don't consider myself an anti.