Why do gun owners like stupid women?

[GregGry]

Well if any of your wives/girlfriends are like my girlfriend, they carry a purse thats about 10 sizes to big. My g/fs is big enough to stuff a desert eagle in it, and still have room for everything else . Granted a purse isn't the best place for a firearm, in the event it gets snatched. In that case my g/f could certainly wear a smaller pistol somewhere around the mid section/side, provided she wasn't wearing a summer dress.

 

[DirksterG30]

Why do gun owners like stupid women? I don't see the connection - I think a better question is why do some guys like stupid women?

I married a smart woman - she was not anti-gun (her dad was a bigtime shooter, and she watched him reload when she was a little girl), but she just wasn't ready right away. I often took her shooting with me (she's very supportive of my habit). When she got used to the idea, we discussed gun safety, and then I let her shoot my guns. We took an NRA safety class together, and now she has her own pistol (a 9mm CZ) and she's quite a good shot with it. Now she's interested in getting her CCW.

 

[Double Maduro]

Pax,

This thread has caused me to think. I wonder if there are really that many "dumb" women out there. Think about it for a minute.

If a woman is "dumb";

1. She makes her mate think he is smart.

2. She can get her mate to do things for her because she wouldn't understand how to do them herself.

3. By being "dumb" she can manipulate the mate without them realizing it.

4. On this particular issue, choosing guns, she can get the mate to do all of the research, and then just enjoy the fun of trying out the choices.

5. If she is really "dumb" she can probably even get the mate to pay for the gun she chooses.

6. The "dumbest" even manage to make their mates feel smug, superior, helpful and protective all the while getting the mate to do exactly what they want.

Another thought, if men didn't pay so much drooling attention to "dumb" women, the Hiltons, Simpsons, etal. would there be so many "dumb" women? I don't think so.

It's kind of like cats and dogs.

We make dogs do all sorts of things, tricks, pointing, retrieving, guarding, bomb sniffing, etc. to earn their room and board, because we see them as smart.

We don't make cats do anything for their room and board, because we see them as "dumb".

Which one is really the "dumb" one?

Just some thoughts, my wife is one of the smartest people I know, the only dumb thing I can recall her doing is marrying me.

DM

 

[hillbilly]

Pax, simple question here back at you.

How many men in your life would you trust 100% completely and totally to go pick out paint and/or wallpaper, furniture, and redo your home's interior all by themselves?

While I know individual men who would be perfectly adept at such a task, the vast majority of men I know would either create total messes of such a home redecoration or just not even bother in the first place.

My wife wants my input when she gets a gun because I know more about them than she does. She likes to shoot, and carries for personal protection, she's just not very passionate about them.

I want my wife's input when I shop for clothes because she knows more about them and she pays attention to how they look on me. She's a professional artist whose had "color studies" even, so she can actually color coordinate my wardrobe.

I don't even pay attention to what color my clothes are when I put them on. I just wear them. I use clothes every day, but I'm not very passionate about them.

If I did all my clothes shopping all by myself, I'd probably never wear anything but jeans and t-shirts, if I could get away with it.


It reminds me of a funny greeting card I once saw. On the cover were several diffferent shades of green that what the caption "What women see," will all sorts of words like "hunter" and "sea foam" and "chartruese."

When you opened the card, there was the caption of "What men see," and the one word "Green" appeared under swatch of green.

I know there are exceptions to rule, and that stereotypes are just that....stereotypes.

But in my personal experience there a lot more men who would spend a lot of time obsessing over an M-1 Garand tech manual than there are women who would do the same thing.

And, there are a lot more women who would spend hours and hours shopping for clothes than there are men who would do the same thing.

Lots of knowledge and passion in both cases, but just different areas of focus and different priorities in lots and lots of cases.

hillbilly

 

[Andrew Rothman]

priv8ter nailed it.

For some reason, it tends to be the guys who care more about the inner workings of gadgets, be they cars, DVD players, computers or firearms.

The gals more often see such things as mere tools. They want one that works, that'll do the job for them, but they couldn't care less how many cylinders, bits of oversampling, gigabytes or calibers they have.

Nothing wrong with that at all.

My wife was perfectly content to let me do the initial legwork in choosing our last automobile: I turned her requirements (and mine, a little) into a set of recommendations. Then we went and drove them, and we agreed on one.

She couldn't tell you how many cylinders or horsepower it has, but that doesn't stop her from driving it better than I do.

And I'm far too smart to call her stupid!

 

[halvey]

The fora are filled with the usual quotient of earnest fellows asking what guns to buy for their women.

1) the women really don't want the guns, the guys want their women to have the gun.
2) The guy is really stupid, and can't figure out what to by for HIMSELF, so he can't figure out what to get her.
3) the jerks that frequent gunstores scare women away. Like a few Saturdays ago I walk into a gunshop and 4 guys are sitting around with the owners smoking cigars, talking loud and telling sexist jokes.

 

[GunGoBoom]

I can't stand stupid women.

Which probably explains why I don't get a lot of dates. All the smart ones know to stay away.

+1.

Actually, *to the extent that I do tolerate them*, it's because they (sometimes) go hand in hand with a submissive personality, which works better with my semi-controlling personality. So I voted the second answer (don't talk back). The ideal of course doesn't exist - smart but still mostly submissive. If they did exist, they were married off in high school and the men who got lucky know not to dump them.

 

[Double Maduro]

GGB,

Time to find a hole and put on the flame retardent underwear.

DM

 

[Legionnaire]

Pax, your question is premised on your subsequent statement:

Failure to protect yourself, and lack of interest in the most efficient tools to protect yourself, is stupid at the most basic survival level.

My wife (who is not stupid ... she married me, after all ) drives defensively, makes sure we lock doors at night, has contributed to teaching my kids "situational awareness," etc. She knows how firearms work. She's even taken a handgun course with me and enjoyed it. She just isn't "a shooter," and consequently isn't interested in carrying.

One can be smart, defensively minded, and careful and still not assess the risk to be such that a personal weapon is needed. I don't think the women you are describing are stupid. It may be us guys! We are trying to find defensive handguns for our womenfolk when a better tack might be to work on developing a recreational shooting interest. My wife thoroughly enjoys shooting my .22s ... and as a consequence is familiar with how handguns operate. Given her sense of the general threat level, that's okay by me.

That's also what I've taught my kids. I want you to know how firearms operate, not be afraid of them, and be able to hit what you aim at. After that, whether you choose to shoot, hunt, carry for defense ... that's your decision.

 

[CajunBass]

I don't see where there is anything at all "stupid" about asking for advice. Nothing says you have to act on it. On the other hand, someone might suggest something that would have never occured to you on your own.

 

[Control Group]

We don't make cats do anything for their room and board, because we see them as "dumb".

I don't know a single cat owner - or even a frequent cat visitor - who actually thinks cats are dumb.

Aloof, spiky, demanding, insouciant, condescending, and vengeful, perhaps, but not dumb.

As I saw somewhere on THR: "Dogs have masters. Cats have staff."

 

[Double Maduro]

Control Group,

As I saw somewhere on THR: "Dogs have masters. Cats have staff."

My point exactly. LOL

We are down to 2 cats and 3 dogs right now. If I had to choose which to came back as it would probably be as a dog. I do like to hunt.

DM

 

[Standing Wolf]

I dated rather a dull-witted girl in high school—once.

 

[p35]

Someone may have said something like this already, but to put it plainly:

Most gun owners are really hobbyists- we collect and obsess over guns like other guys collect model trains. I still have my first gun (a blue Security Six), and it will do anything I actually NEED a gun for. The other dozen or so I own are fun to have and shoot, but I have them because I like having them for one reason or another, not because I really need them. Not much different from the 100 or so old fountain pens I own- I could do all my writing with only one or, God forbid, a BIC, but I just like my old Parker 51s better.

Most women who own guns, OTOH, look at a gun as simply a tool. They wouldn't own multiple guns any more than they would multiple blenders. They want one that works and they can understand, and don't want to give guns much more thought than that. My wife (has an MBA, FWIW) went to the police department shooting school willingly enough when I asked her to, had fun and shot well, and promptly lost interest in the subject. She would know what to do if someone broke into the house while I wasn't there, and that's all she wants to know. Not stupid, just has different interests.

So, to get back to the original question, men who shop for guns for their women are trying to find one she's going to like on the first try, because that's probably the only one she's going to use. This forum is probably the world's best for learning the pluses and minuses of different weapons, because there's always others who already have experience with any given gun that they're willing to share. It really helps to narrow down the choices- if 20 guys say "My SO loves/hates her ______", its likely that your SO will feel the same way. I don't think anyone's being stupid.

 

[Dave R]

It has been my experience that female 'gunnies' are smarter than the average female.

Of course, I may just see it that way because female 'gunnies' think more like I think.

It has also been my experience that male 'gunnies' like smarter women that male hoplophobes. Probably because I consider male gunnies to be more likely to think for themselves, rather than just swallow the prevailing wisdom. (Our debates on 9 vs .45 and Glock vs. 1911 prove that we don't follow the crowd.)

So, I disagree with the thesis to begin with. Gun owners like smarter women. There are exceptions, to be sure. But on average, I think gun owners have smarter female partners than average.

My own story? My wife is smarter than me by objective measures. She has a higher IQ. She had higher scores in college. She married me, which proves she is a genius. She doesn't know as much about guns as me. Only proves a difference in interests, not intellect.

 

[Sam]

My wife isn't stupid.

After her first exposure to handguns, she decided she needed one (before we met). She carries religiously. I don't care for her weapon of choice, simply because she liked my 3" 13 better than her 4" 10 and took the d@mn thing.
With the suitcase that she carries under the pseudonym of a purse she could carry an M37 entry gun or an UZI but no she has to steal my 13!

Sam

 

[Car Knocker]

Pax,

"Why do gun owners like stupid women?" is a pretty broad and inclusive statement. My wife and daughter chose and buy their own guns and cars and computers, etc. And pay for them. They are adults and can make their decisions.

 

[Andrew Rothman]

Most gun owners are really hobbyists- we collect and obsess over guns like other guys collect model trains.

Naw. Most gun owners keep the thing in the closet about 364 days a year.

High Roaders (and other fora fauna), on the other hand, are indeed, for the most part, gun nuts.

 

[gunsmith]

my last GF was an lawyer

And on paper was smarter then me.
Yet even with a law degree she couldn't quite handle left turns, couldn't understand why the other drivers in the fast lane were annoyed, as she was "doing the speed limit" :banghead: ...
She couldn't find Germany, France, Portugal, Russia, China etc on a map that didn't have place names on them, and she couldn't remember how to load and unload a Glock.
However she can type 70 words per minute without a spelling error,can do all kinds of computer stuff I'll never figure, she can write better then most published authors.
Moral of the story is she is smart in some ways & real dumb in others

 

[pax]

My wife and daughter chose and buy their own guns and cars and computers, etc. And pay for them. They are adults and can make their decisions.

Car Knocker ~

Excellent.

Look at the other replies on this thread and tell me: are your wife and daughter in the majority?

Frankly, one of the reasons I started the thread is because I wanted you guys to all tell me that my perceptions were off, that the women in your lives were just as capable of making adult decisions about hardware as you guys all are. What I've read instead is that there are good reasons women don't want to make those decisions or take responsibility for their own choices.

Pretty sure I'll have an equally outrageous follow up question for everyone in a few days. I'm still formulating it.

pax

(Oh, PS to those who posted that they were offended: sorry. I confess the goal was to suck you into giving me your thoughts about this, and admit that although it's pretty well succeeded I still hate getting under people's skin.)

 

[Working Man]

My woman is by no means stupid. She has a good career and has done a fine
job of raising her son (for the most part on her own). She is well read and
politically savvy. If I could not have a good conversation with her... well
bedroom antics will only go so far .

She is just is not very well versed with guns. We went shooting and I
brought out several models and just let her shoot them all so she could
choose for herself. She picked the HK 45. Smart enough for me.

 

[Andrew Rothman]

What I've read instead is that there are good reasons women don't want to make those decisions or take responsibility for their own choices.

Pax, with all due respect, you're waaaaaay off-base.

When I need a hammer, I don't research the perfect grip, head weight, length and metallurgy for a week. I go to the hardware store and get a frickin' hammer.

I've nothing against hammer hobbyists, who may debate these fine points until their fingers fall off, but the reality is that the first standard hammer I pick up off the shelf will likely serve the purpose just fine.

The caliber wars, the polymer/steel debate, and the DA/SA debates are all good fun, but in the end pretty pointless.

We forget in our debate over such trivia that the difference between "no gun" and "any gun" is much, much greater than that between "any gun" and "the perfect gun."

I was a relative idiot when I started shooting. I was all alone (no gunny pals) and I hadn't found THR yet. I wish someone would have been there to hold my hand through the process (and Lord knows it would have saved me a lot of time and money).

Relative apathy over make/model/caliber is not a sign of indecisiveness or lack of personal responsibility, any more than answering, "Whatever you want is fine" when my wife asks where we should go for dinner.

Anyway, when a guy posts, "What gun for the little lady," chances are great that he's the dummy for pushing her into something that she is at worst not ready for, or at best indifferent.

 

[Stevie-Ray]

Hmmm...I've been married for 30 years and I definitely did'nt marry a stupid woman. She certainly has her own mind, her own opinions, and I'm still crazy in love with her. Not a brain surgeon, you understand, but she was a bill collector when we married and thus knows about keeping us on track when it comes to finances. She does spend our money rather freely at times,(QVC) but being handicapped, she has sort of a lousy life and if it makes her happy, then so be it. She never owned or wanted guns, but she doesn't oppose them either. She also doesn't begrudge me my toys and, in fact, usually encourages me. I really don't know what I'd do without her.

Stupid women, on the other hand, drive me nuts.

 

[ARperson]

Speaking as the one female vote...

It's a broad brush that has been chosen to paint the men who have a firearms hobby. But as with all stereotypes, there is always an element of truth to it, even if only a small bit.

If something, God forbid, should ever happen to my husband, I would still be able to do my own shooting, pick my own firearms/holsters/ammo, clean and repair (basics) my firearms, etc. Do I know them all like he does? No, he's a friggin' engineer for cryin' out loud. He's a darn sponge when it comes to all that technical stuff. I am not. Heck, I still have to consult the owner's manual when I change the oil on my suburban because I can never remember how many quarts of oil to put it...and I've had the vehicle for FOUR years.

My point is that I don't have the head or the desire to memorize the technical information. But I can walk into any gun store by myself and ask to see any firearm they have on display, clear it for safety, and then proceed to paw all over it. Hell, I've even been known to correct the guy behind the counter (when he's out of ear shot, of course) on some of the things customers have asked. I do know a lot about the firearms I have a lot of interest in shooting, i.e., the AR-15, K-31, GLock (what's there to know, really?), and the 1911. But I couldn't tell you squat about a Beretta or a Sig because I have no interest in them.

 

[Relayer]

WHOA whoa whoa.

Having read a few threads (by no means all of them) and thought a bit more about this...

If the woman is stupid for not knowing what kind of gun (thus, asking her man), then what does your question ultimately say about the man who then comes to the forum to ask the same question?????

Oh, Lordy.