Guns

[snakewispera snr]

I've posted this on the UK forum for a reason.... We don't have guns...
I've been following the 2nd amendment thread on CAVS GROTTO...
and I am really surprised at the amount of guns you lot have....
Rich Z has 50 calibre sniper rifles (that was a shock to me, to know you guys can buy those. What the hell do you hunt with one of them!!)
Nanci has a cute little automatic.......??????
Meg goes out shooting with her partner..
You all seem to be ok around fire power and don't think anything is unusual about liking guns.
What I want to know is....
Why do you want to own guns... We are in the 21st century. The right to bare arms was written a gazillion years ago.
So explain to a Brit (we don't get the American gun thing) what the fascination with guns is.....

 

[torsten]

I get the gun thing, I always have liked guns. I have a proper Bow for target shooting for archery and an air rifle but would love something like Rich's 50 calibers snipers. Guns are just so fascinating if you want to collect them like Rich's Colt python collection or to feel and see the power of the sniper rifles.

Well that's what i think anyway.

 

[snakewispera snr]

I get the gun thing, I always have liked guns. I have a proper Bow for target shooting for archery and an air rifle but would love something like Rich's 50 calibers snipers. Guns are just so fascinating if you want to collect them like Rich's Colt python collection or to feel and see the power of the sniper rifles.

Well that's what i think anyway.

Don't get me wrong Torsten, I like guns, and done my fair bit of military shooting... I was a marksman... I don't understand them in everyday life. How you can pop down to wallmart for the shopping and come home with a piece...
Most Brits are uncomfortable around guns, yet the Americans see them as everyday items....

 

[Drizzt80]

Most Brits are uncomfortable around guns, yet the Americans see them as everyday items....

I think I'd be very uncomfortable driving on the left side of the road. (Meaning) I've grown up with a gun in my hands and am very comfortable with their safe use and ownership. My sons have as well.

I hunt. I shoot. I enjoy both. They make me happy.

Others would probably include collecting. You could probably guess that there is also a fraction of the gun owning population that feel more "manly" shooting guns. :shrugs:

D80

 

[snakewispera snr]

I think I'd be very uncomfortable driving on the left side of the road. (Meaning) I've grown up with a gun in my hands and am very comfortable with their safe use and ownership.
D80

That sort of makes sense...
I live in Wales, very narrow roads and lots of hills all twisty turny...
Years ago I gave an American a lift from the airport to a village near me.....
They were frightened to death all the way... They said it was like being on a roller coaster.. LOL
When I told them they could borrow the car, they refused point blank....

 

[alan]

Mike, I don't own a gun, haven't used a firearm at all in 20 years.
I totally get wanting to own guns.
I used firearms in the military also, but I never felt like it was necessary to own one. I'm practical when it comes to buying things, that's why I don't have a gun.
You say you like guns, remember how much you enjoyed shooting? Some people want to be able to do that when they want to.
I'm not a hunter but it must also be satisfying to eat supper knowing the meat is from an uncaged animal killed quickly and cleanly by you.
People collect all manner of items, a collection of guns can be fascinating in many ways (like fine watches). History, workmanship, function, looks.

Did I mention they're fun to shoot?

 

[snakewispera snr]

I think it was the lady's loving guns that threw me the most...
Or Rich 'The Terminator' Z, and the 50 calibre's..... Three of them, no less...

 

[BobbyHill]

For me, there is something very relaxing about target shooting. It's a form of meditation to me, in that it forces me to wipe my brain clean of all the everyday stresses I have, and focus on doing JUST ONE THING. I'm always challenging myself to get better (I think golfers will understand this one well), and going to the range also provides a positive social gathering for me. Afterwards we usually go out and have a good time. It's like a ritual in my life.

To the OP: I would suggest to you that the difference in cultures accounts to the difference in comfort in handling and being around firearms.

 

[BobbyHill]

I think it was the lady's loving guns that threw me the most...
Or Rich 'The Terminator' Z, and the 50 calibre's..... Three of them, no less...

Anybody can enjoy shooting. I commonly see women embrace the hobby, even here in California. I think it would help if you tried not to think of shooting as such a "macho" thing. For many of us (including myself) it's really not. It's just a hobby.

As far as .50 BMG rifles go... those are a LOT of fun to shoot, and I certainly can't blame Rich for owning a few. Most people don't hunt with them, but don't forget that hunting isn't the only legitimate reason to own a firearm.

 

[Nanci]

I think it was the lady's loving guns that threw me the most...

Does ladies loving snakes throw you too?

 

[snakewispera snr]

I think it would help if you tried not to think of shooting as such a "macho" thing. For many of us (including myself) it's really not. It's just a hobby.

Does ladies loving snakes throw you too?

You need to remember that the ONLY people in the UK to regularly have guns are criminals and the military...
Yes the police sometimes have guns over here, but it's very seldom that we see them..
We see guns as death....
Now ladies owning snakes are quite common....Thats not going to throw me at all... I've seen lots of ladies with snakes, heck I've even caught their clothes as they threw them into the audience... But thats another story.... LOL

 

[BobbyHill]

You need to remember that the ONLY people in the UK to regularly have guns are criminals and the military...

Are you implying that only men commit crimes?

 

[Nanci]

I bought my first gun because I was afraid, in my own home, after someone tried to break in. I wanted to be able to do something other than wait to die if it happened again. I didn't want to feel helpless. I sleep a lot better now. Even better since I got the early warning system (dog).

Right after the presidential election, a couple close friends of mine decided to get concealed carry licenses. (Along with 90,000 other Florida residents). They took a class and joined the gun club I am a member of, and now we go shooting every weekend. That is when I bought my second gun. It's fun, it's social, it's outdoorsy, it's technical, it can be gadgety...It's a challenge, learning to shoot both still targets and flying clays. I like challenges.

 

[Drizzt80]

I forgot to add to my original post that there's a supreme confidence I have knowing that I can place a .243 bullet in the life pump of a white tail deer at 90 yards who is running at top speed. That supreme confidence allows me to sleep well at night knowing that if a liberal-empowered criminal decides to enter my house and take my property, harm my children, or worse, rape my wife, I can cleanly place a .40 S&W between his/her eyes, at less than 20 yards, and be within my legal right to do so.

D80

 

[toyah]

Are you implying that only men commit crimes?

Over 90% of those arrested for crimes involving guns in the UK are male. So while it's not only men committing crimes, gun crime over here is certainly a mainly male phenomenon.

Regarding explaining the fascination - it's just a completely and utterly different culture. I don't think I could ever understand the desire and need to carry a gun - if I was brought up immersed in that culture, I bet I would understand it just fine.

I remember being surprised and a bit nervous seeing police officers with guns in the US. But then I imagine Americans over here might be a bit nervous and surprised when they notice our police officers don't have guns

 

[Nanci]

It makes me nervous that the security guards at my hospital aren't armed. OTOH, it does not make me nervous that the police officers in Mexico carry machine guns.

 

[Phoebeq]

See, I am with D80...It makes me feel much safer, knowing that I can defend myself and my child should my husband be away, which he is sometimes for work. I suppose I could defend him too, if he is home

 

[KJUN]

Rich Z has 50 calibre sniper rifles (that was a shock to me, to know you guys can buy those. What the hell do you hunt with one of them!!)

The second amendment has nothing to do with hunting. Hunting is a privilege that can be taken away with the stroke of a pen. The 2A is a reminder to the .gov that I was born a free person, and free people have the right to defend themselves from violent aggressors whether it is an individual criminal of a criminally active government. (I have seen hogs hunted with the .50BMG, though.)

So explain to a Brit (we don't get the American gun thing) what the fascination with guns is.....

Well, look at the number of privately owned guns that were given to Brits to help them defend themselves during the WW since your people didn't have them. That's why we like them. Why wasn't Switzerland invaded by Hitler? It's because every citizen had guns. (That, and he had money stored there.....lol.). This poster explains WHY we love our guns so much - to protect our rights from invasive governments be they foreign or domestic.

Plus, my wife is 5' tall. How many criminals could force her to their will if they wanted? Lots - just because she is small. Well, that would be true if she wasn't able to equalize the odds a little bit. I love my wife, and I want her to be able to protect herself. That's why I'm a member of the gun culture.

Oh, and if you ever got to come to the range and shoot with me, you'll SEE how much fun it is to make things go bank. It's like explaining a fast car or a fast boat to someone who has never even driven a pedal bike! You just have to jump in that boat and see how fun it is for yourself!

 

[KJUN]

It makes me nervous that the security guards at my hospital aren't armed. OTOH, it does not make me nervous that the police officers in Mexico carry machine guns.

Actually, I go talk to them about their guns - usually AKs and tell them how lucky they are to have those instead of the POS we give some of our troops....lol. It would be a better conversation if I could speak Spanish, but we've managed so far. Once you really get used to guns, you get so they are just another tool (which is ALL they are!)...and an AK in the hands of a corrupt Mexican official is no more dangerous than a car.

What scares me is that our TAX officers are able to carry guns now that are outlawed for private ownership. TAX OFFICERS. What's next - census takers with GPS AND hand grenades? Water meter readers in an APC or a Humvee?

 

[kathylove]

We have several guns here...

We live on 20 acres (8 hectares, I believe) WAY OUT in the boonies! We decided that if we ever have a "problem", it might be a while before the police ever show up. So, back when we moved here in 1990, we invested in several handguns of various types, according to the advice of a friend who has a gun shop. Hubby also has some sort of rifle that I think is semi automatic, maybe similar to what the military uses? I forgot the name of it (you can tell how much I am into the guns, haha!). Plus a shotgun. The good thing about shotguns is that everyone knows the sound they make - very intimidating! Even on the other side of a locked door, lol! The whole idea is to never actually have to use them, just hopefully persuade bad guys to look for an easier target. We have done some target practice out here (and hog hunting) - luckily have never had to use them for anything else - so far!!