Why do you own guns?

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1. I enjoy the history and engineering that guns represent.
2. I also love shooting competition and advancing my skills.
3. Great community of people out there to talk and shoot with.
4. I am not a good fighter... Much better shooter.

The only valid reason there is to own a gun is "I want to".

Doesn't need a "I want to BECAUSE..."

Simply "I want to" is just fine :)
 
Well my parents were and are staunch antis, so that was a factor in my interest. We want what we cannot have. In order for current ownership I would say Protection, recreation, government tyranny, and then hunting.
 
Why do I own guns?

Cause for me they are handier than swords and reach farther than spears.

Deaf
 
Bought my first .22 rifle and started target shooting at 12, hunting at 17. Military and a LE career followed.

So, recreation, hunting, and self protection go into the mix. I also enjoy nicely made machinery, and a friend's Dad's WWII 1896 Broomhandle Mauser and a WWII bring back Luger I owned fit that. I'm a history buff, and my original Winchester '73 and bring back M-1 Carbine fill that bill.

I guess I just like them for many reasons, no need to pigeon hole myself.
 
I'm 77 years old. I grew up with guns. Every member of my extended family, uncles and grandfathers had guns. We hunted all sorts of animals with guns. Guns were as common as cars or cooking utensils. Everybody had some. I own guns because its a way of life I've known all of my life. I love guns. I own some inherited from the old folks and some newer stuff. I'll always have them around.
 
Simply having the right to do so is not enough of a reason for me to own guns. After all, I have the constitutionally-protected right to do a lot of things I have not yet done.

I exercise the right because I have come up with reasons to want to. Among those is, of course, for the general protection of myself, my mate, and my offspring and, to some extent, of those around me. I bought my first because I was planning to head into law enforcement, and it would simply be a good tool to familiarize myself with. It would then become a duty and defensive weapon.

But not every firearm I own is one considered primarily a "defensive" weapon. I don't hunt (yet), so none were acquired for that purpose, though a few could be used as hunters. Some are collectibles. Some are just fun shooters. Some just feel good in the hands, but don't really ever get fired. Some cross the lines separating role categories.

And some are for what I call "anti-political investments", kind of the "up yours" to those that would try to limit my access to them, or to firearms overall.

Like many others here, I simply can't be placed into one box.
 
Because I can and it ticks off liberals. I can hear the tears of liberals hitting the ground when I buy firearms or ammunition.
 
I own a lot of tools. Some serve a purpose and some are for the simple idea of having them.

Firearms are by far the most enjoyable tools I own though. The rest convey the possibility of "work".
 
Mostly because I just like them. Even though I've never paid more than $700 for any gun, I don't own anything that's not well made, and I like to use them and keep them running right.
 
Just because its all I've ever known. It's just the way it is. Oh and of course because I do understand the real purpose our founding fathers gave us the 2A. And it had nothing to do with hunting. Just sayin.....
 
I've always loved firearms! I have great memories of shooting tin cans and stuff in grandma and grandpa's burn pile (back in the day when folks burned their trash out in the back of the property). I would place smaller cans inside of larger cans and study the damage caused by the shot. Nerd I guess. I had a Savage 20g/.22 over and under as my first "real" gun. The older I got the more I enjoyed shooting and acquiring guns. Hell, I even like the way freshly cleaned and oiled guns smell. I also miss the days of burining grandma's trash.
I also think all adult males should own a firearm in case we need to defend our country from invaders.
 
Corpral_Agarn said:
1. I enjoy the history and engineering that guns represent.
2. I also love shooting competition and advancing my skills.
3. Great community of people out there to talk and shoot with.
4. I am not a good fighter... Much better shooter.

The only valid reason there is to own a gun is "I want to".

Doesn't need a "I want to BECAUSE..."

Simply "I want to" is just fine :)
Click to expand...

Good answer and I'll add...

5. I enjoy working on things mechanical and firearms present an opportunity for that.
6. I enjoy reloading my own ammunition and learning the skills to create accurate, reliable ammunition.
7. I get pleasure being successful at hunting or competition with ammunition that I crafted.
 
If they are getting their data from registered guns then its all screwed up. Arizona does not have gun registration of any kind. If Arizona is not up there in the top much less ahead of DC then the methodology is truly messed up.
 
dekibg said:
hobby...
no hunting, no real need for CCW where I live, just hobby...
Click to expand...
There's no real need for CCW anywhere.....till there is.

That article is full of nonsense as far as I'm concerned. First of all, of the states and territories they listed, only one has firearms registration at all, a fact which eliminates any confidence in any of the other information provided. Where are they getting these "registration" numbers? Second, no source I've ever seen has said that there are any less than 75 firearms per 100 people in the US, and many would suggest that the rate is far higher, very possibly more than 1 per person. They really have only a remote, wild ass guess as to how many there are. How then does the state with the highest firearm ownership rate, Wyoming, supposedly have a rate of only 19.7 guns per 100 people? Third, the categories they use are difficult or impossible to shoehorn people into. I fit into four of the categories, even though none are entirely accurate.

All that being said, to answer the original question. The primary reason I own and train with firearms is because it's my responsibility as a free person and American to do so, similar to well informed voting.
 
They are very useful tools for the things I like to do like hunt, shoot target, protect myself and family. I also like to clean them and admire the their design, function, and craftsmanship. They are NOT the center of my universe, however. I also like the camaraderie of fellow gun aficionados. I very much dislike the term "gun nut".
 
Because I like them! Liked to hunt so I purchased my first handgun and rifle.
The rest is history............
 
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