Why do you own a gun?

[jn1965]

I have had long guns for a long time. I use them for target shooting and maybe for hunting if I can get the time.

I just got a pistol because

I had a flat tire on the side of the highway
While I was fixing it I was held up at knife point and relieved of my wallet.

I will never let that happen again.

I like guns, always have. I like to look at them, take them apart and admire the craftsmanship and purposeful design. I especially like the simple elegance of the Baikal single shot break away shotgun I got for my son, it is the Audrey Hepburn of guns, and the new Tokerov TTC which just looks purposeful and sinister.

I joined the NRA to support those who fight for our rights every day.

I think that without an armed populace the government would have degenerated into a dictatorship years ago. It is the fear of 100 million armed citizens that keeps the government in check.

 

[doc2rn]

Because my Girlfriend wants me to!

 

[USAFRetired]

It's all About Control

Let me answer this by way of a short history lesson:

In the Dark Ages the church would not allow the common folk to own Bibles (in Latin or otherwise)
Reason? Control

In feudal times peasants weren’t allowed to own blades over a certain length. These were reserved for the nobility. Control

In the American colonies the British tried to severely limit the ability of the colonists to produce gunpowder. Control

In India the British didn’t allow the indigenous population to produce their own salt. Control

In the former Soviet Union you couldn’t travel from one state to another (or out of the city in some cases) without the proper travel papers. Control

The list goes on and on.

This is why I own firearms. The man who fails to exercise a right will sooner or later discover that he has lost said right.

I chose to at least TRY to maintain some control of my life, while at the same time recognizing that it is ultimately in God’s hands.

____________________________________
“Slow is Fast, Smooth is Quick”

 

[sniper5]

Fringe benefit of a C & R. I just respond with "I'm a federally licensed firearms collector". That just seems to shut people up for some reason. It sounds so official they kind of go "oooooh!" And then ask what kind of stuff I collect and it turns from a gun thing into an antique thing. For some reason people think it's a big official kind of thing and I am "specially trained" or something. If they only knew how easy it is to get one.

 

[christcorp]

I am actually quite aware of why I carry, notwithstanding your position. I carry for all of the reasons of personal defense and defense of others that you mention, but I also carry to exercise and celebrate what most cannot do in other countries.

You apparently don't get this, but it is part of what makes me proud to be an American.

I have a flag on my house as well. Same principle, should you take a moment to ponder it.

AK; I definitely GET THIS. I spent 21 years of my life in the military defending our rights; one of which is our ability to even debate this topic. I most definitely get this. And I've lived and worked in more than 15 countries; including many that you correctly mention don't have the right to carry a gun like we do. If one of the reasons you carry your gun is to be an "Activist"; fine, just admit that. I post flags outside my house most of the year. That is a form of activism. The flag ISN'T freedom, patriotism, liberty, etc... It's a representation. It's there as a visual reminder. Just like someone who wears a cross or crucifix. Jesus isn't actually on the cross; it's a representation. A visual reminder. When a person gets baptized in a christian church, their sins aren't "Literally" washed away. It's an outward sign of an inward feeling. In other words; it's a visual representation for others to see what you are feeling and believing.

In that case; carrying a gun OPENLY would be a good activist initiative. It would allow others to see you "representing" a right and freedom that our forefathers gave to us. If you carry concealed or keep weapons at home; then this "Owning of Weapons" is not an activist measure at all. Unless you're posting a sign on your house telling everyone you have a gun, they'd never know. You aren't actually demonstrating your right to "exercise and celebrate what most cannot do in other countries." Now if you're doing it for your own ego; that's cool. It's obviously not any sort of outward sign being no one else knows you're doing it. Unless it's an OPEN CARRY. (You didn't specify OPEN or CONCEALED Carry).

Anyway; if you carry just because it makes you feel "GOOD" (Outside of feeling SAFE); then have at it. But you could walk around with pictures of your guns in your wallet, just like you do of your children. It would serve the same purpose. You don't carry your kids around all day. So; if you're carrying your gun OPENLY every day; then I'll concede that you're "EXERCISING your right to carry to celebrate your right; which many others don't have". Then you are an "activist" and that is an admirable trait. Educating the populace is a very good thing. But if it's concealed, or sitting at home, then carrying it doesn't really serve any purpose other than the NORMAL reasons of self defense, safety, sport, hunting, etc.... You don't buy jewelry, nice clothing, etc... and never wear it. You buy the jewelry and clothes so OTHERS can see them. You don't get a nice hair styling, and then wear a hat all the time. If you want to make a social impact; (Which is a GREAT THING); then I agree that open carry can accomplish this. Concealed carry doesn't do this at all. Not in the slightest. And while I do get what you're trying to say; a person doesn't carry concealed to make a statement, social identity, to be an activist, or to celebrate. Such things can't logically be done without an audience of at least 1 other person. Anyway; the question wasn't about why you CARRIE A GUN. It was why you OWN GUNS. And if you're owning guns, and allowing others to see them, or telling them about them, and sharing your experiences with others; then that's great. That is how you celebrate (Exercise) the freedoms that our forefathers gave us. If you keep a low profile, carry concealed, don't tell others of the guns you own, etc.... Then you don't own guns to celebrate, but rather for all the other reasons. And yes, you can do both. And I'm sure this is exactly what you are doing. I myself do both. I sometimes carry openly (But ONLY because of convenience while working). Most times I carry concealed. I also own many more guns that are in cabinets and safes. But I SHARE my passion for guns with OTHER PEOPLE. Sometimes I let them see them. Some times we just talk about them. Some times we talk about how they are a "TOOL" that our forefathers believed would be useful in maintaining or liberties and a means of holding our government responsible to the people. And in that way, I too celebrate. If not for the 2nd amendment, I'd have to find other ways to protect myself from harm, for safety, other sports, other ways of hunting, and MOST IMPORTANTLY; other ways of keeping our government from being able to become a dictatorship.

 

[okespe04]

Guns are really cool. #1 reason for me. They also have other useful purposes.

 

[ironvic]

I own a gun because it's a killing tool. I once needed a gun for killing a very bad man and did not have one (because in those days I was a dumb liberal college kid-stupid me). I set out to learn how to shoot anything should some cop ever again tell me that if it hit the fan, and he was down, I was to grab his shotgun and save myself.

Then I discovered that guns are good for enjoyment at the range, putting holes in paper, admiring the fine craftsmanship of a well tuned .45, and to enjoy the simple Zen of gun cleaning.

I own guns for lots of reasons now. Thank god I outgrew that liberal anti-gun slant at a young age.

 

[USAFRetired]

Zen and the Art of Gun Cleaning...

Wasn't that a book at one time?

 

[SimpleIsGood229]

I own guns because I have a Constitutionally protected right to do so. I also believe it is my duty as an American citizen to own weapons for homeland security. Sound crazy? Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto didn't think so:

"You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind each blade of grass" (http://www.skylighters.org/quotations/quots6.html).


As for getting negative comments and looks and so forth; nope. I live in Texas, outside of any city limits. 'Nuff said.

 

[ironvic]

My dad owned guns, but always acted like he didn't. Had an old .22 in the closet he never shot. He went to the Pacific in WWII and did a lot of killing in the jungle. After that he didn't care for guns much.

Then one day he went to Big-5 Sporting Goods and found a milsurp 1903 Springfield. He called me that afternoon. He never called me on the phone before, hell, he never really said much to me.

"Vic! I found my old Springfeld!" Well, it wasn't the exact one he owned, that rifle was torn up when the grenade whacked him good. He was almost out of breath and filled with joy. "It's not in bad shape, but was covered in cosmoline. I cleaned it up, stripped it like I did during the war. Vic, It was just like then, I never forgot how to clean my old Springfield! Usta' could hit anything with it. Never wanted one of the newer Garands, that Springfield was good enough for me."

Damn, he was a happy man. That's one reason why one guy way back when owned a gun.

 

[ironvic]

"Zen and the Art of Gun Cleaning...

Wasn't that a book at one time?"

A book, hmmm-naw...they should make a movie!

 

[blindhari]

I have a sister in law who is absolutely anti gun in the hands of any civilian. She lives in a nice neighborhood, in a peaceful town. Despite this she installed a complete surviellince camera system to protect her from "bad people". Her camera system was on a 24 hour feedback loop when she got home and found cops at her address. When she went in she found a member of the city council being robbed in her driveway. Her camera also showed that after the unarmed politican ( he was canvassing her neighborhood for an upcoming election" gave him his wallet the Perp shot him twice in the head. She is still adamantly sure that her cameras protect her, me I have a concealed carry permit. Oh yeah the cops took her camera system to use in the trial.

blindhari

 

[grndslm]

god given rights?

what is all this talk about god given? guns are made and sold by man... god aint got nothin to do with this.

The God given rights are the inalienable rights -- life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It's the understanding that no man is a slave and cannot impose his or her will on someone else.

if someone has a gun made by god and/or given to them by god i want to see it.

King George W. Bush claimed that God told him to go to war, and I'm sure GWB knew the people who were manufacturing the weapons necessary for war... so there's a start at finding your God-made weapons.

are you saying god wrote the bill of rights? god doesnt right the laws of men.. other men do. thats life lesson #1

Nope... but I'm saying that the Founding Fathers understood the English language far greater than 99% of Americans today. They also understood they were giving us enough power to create an equal footing for all people to have peace, abundance, & fellowship. In a nutshell, the government was founded for security. Their motto could have been summed up as "Don't eff with me, and I won't eff with you." Or you might have heard the more popular phrase: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." I like the first one a bit better, tho, because it is understood that you will be retailiating, which is in line with what our Founders really wanted -- both liberty and security, without sacrificing one for the other.

Our Founders realized that in order for Democracy to work, there will always be conflict, compromise, and hopefully, consensus...

What they might have even realized more than 200 years ago is that the government could turn into a police state, where guns and tasers are [threatened to be] pointed at civilians numerous times on a daily basis. The Man doesn't want to compromise, so he shoves a gun in your face... and you really have no choice if you want to go home. We do this as a whole to other countries. Cops do it to citizens. Politicians continue with the erosion of our rights, and the problem is... most of us don't even know what are rights were to begin with.

Who knew that life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are God given rights and cannot be taken away, provided I am not infringing on anybody else's rights?!? Not many, apparently. Politicians are constantly take these rights away from you, and it works only because you let them, ignoring the foundation of this country. You are all HUMAN BEINGS with inalienable rights. Learn them today! Learn what it means to be an American! Learn what it means to be a Freeman! You are not slaves that must succomb to orders without your consent. Research and teach your findings to others.

As was stated earlier, it's all about CONTROL. How much longer will you be a slave to the government? Will you wait until they tell you hi-cap magazines are illegal again? Will you wait until they regulate vitamins and make it so that only Big Pharma can supply you with low doses of Vitamin C and such (read: Codex Alimentarius)? Will you wait until they decide to implant microchips in every human's brain? What's the line in the sand for you to cross before you go figure out what the words INALIENABLE RIGHTS mean?

 

[TheProf]

The right to bear arms and protect oneself is a God-given right. Remember..."we hold these truths to be self evident.. etc." That truth (right to life, liberty...) is not something that the founding fathers invented. It was something they RECOGNIZED to be already true. Why? Because it is "self-evident"...meaning in today's language, anyone with half an intellect and some self respect will "know" that their life is worth protecting. When the founding fathers used the phrase, "we hold these truths to be self-evident" they were in essence saying... "these are truths that everybody just knows. Its not something we even need to prove." In the wild, we call it the instinct to survived.

That instinct to survive comes from our Creator. Remember, if you believe that it comes from man (meaning Government) then that very same Government can take it away.

 

[USAFRetired]

The Recognition of "Self-Evident" is Being Lost

TheProf, You are absolutely correct.

The problem is that our children are slowly losing this "self-awareness" of these (their) rights. I'm not going to get into the reasons here, as that is a whole dissertation unto itself. Suffice it to say it's just the "slow-boil" principle at work that has caused the cycle of tyranny and revolution to occur over and over.

Now I'm not saying that we just throw up our hands, hunker down, and try to weather out the coming storm(s). I for one am trying to fight the good fight. I carry, I vote, I maintain discipline in the home and try to teach these basic principles to MY kids (starting with "Think For Yourself!").

They learned early on that a weapon is a tool. It can be constructive or (very) destructive. It is not to be freared, but it damn well WILL be respected.

The way I see it that's basically about all any of us CAN do.

 

[christcorp]

The God given rights are the inalienable rights -- life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It's the understanding that no man is a slave and cannot impose his or her will on someone else.

Too bad these were written when BLACK MEN were indeed slaves.

The right to bear arms and protect oneself is a God-given right. Remember..."we hold these truths to be self evident.. etc." That truth (right to life, liberty...) is not something that the founding fathers invented. It was something they RECOGNIZED to be already true.

No prof; the right is to "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". That is the rights given us by God. The TOOLS that we use, such as the 2nd amendment, was given to us by MAN. Man (Our founding fathers) could have just as easily said knives, self defense training, rocks, etc... Remember, the Bill of Rights, that mentions the 2nd amendment, is not a list of rights to the people; it's a list of limitations on the government.

And LEGALLY; we need to be careful. No where in the 2nd amendment does it limit the government to WHAT TYPE of gun we are allowed. It simply says that the government will not infringe on the people keeping and baring arm. The government could go literal and say during the founding father's time, they had black power type weapons. And therefor, that's all we are allowed to have. Or, they could limit ALL hand guns to a 22LR caliber. LEGALLY in both cases, they would not be infringing on our right. Do not confuse the declaration and the constitution. We own guns because they are tools. No different than a hammer or saw. They have their uses in self defense, home defense, national defense, sporting, hunting, plinking, historical, collecting, and plain old fun. That is why we OWN guns. Answers like "Because I can"; "It's my God Given Right"; "Because the constitution......" etc... are simply "Ego Answers". And if that's "WHY" a person wants to own a gun; then have at it. Not only does it not serve any purpose; it also doesn't help the cause of trying to educate the "Anti-Gun" crowd. And the more of them that we can get to own; or at least "APPRECIATE" why we own guns; the more secure our country and constitution will be. Because as much as some want to believe that GOD gave them the right to own guns; He Didn't!!! And if the vast majority of citizens in our country petition to rescind gun rights; and our government does such a thing; (Which they could with enough support of the people); then don't count on God coming down and telling them NO! It's not going to happen. The Natural rights referred to as being born with, is simply the rights of LIFE, LIBERTY, and the PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS. All the tools in which we are ALLOWED to use in order to fulfill and exercise these 3 rights; are given to us by Man. And Man can take them away.

 

[DawgsFan_07]

I was asked that by a girl I knew, who is pretty liberal but calm, well-informed, and rational enough to pleasantly discuss/debate politics with. The fact that she was a very cute redhead helped too.

My answer was that I have a fire extinguisher, a first aid kit, and a spare tire in my car. It's not that I'm paranoid, it's just that it's good to be prepared. I've used all three, and was able to twice assist people in car accidents.

I carry a gun for the same reason (which fortunately I haven't had to use), it's a useful thing to have in an unlikely but possible event, a violent crime. I also spoke about the need to rely on yourself for protection vs. the police, the founding father's idea about being more reliant on a civilian reserve/militia system than a standing military, and since she is a bit of a feminist also threw in the factoid that 16-35 yo males commit the vast majority of violent crimes and are also the physically largest and strongest demographic and a handgun can really level the field between a small woman and a goon.

She agreed to let me take her shooting next time our schedules allow.

 

[CountGlockula]

Why do I own a gun?

It's a 2nd Amendment thing...from America's baby steps.

Another reason is to have a gun to protect yourself and your family from bad guys. There are two types of criminals:

1.) Career criminals who make it their livelihood to terrorize the innocent.

2.) Flat out psychotic/mental/"take others with me to the grave"/suicidal criminals who will end lives at a drop of a hat.

Lastly, check out my signature...