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Muckraker · Mar 21, 2008, 09:33 pm

I think the responses of many gun supporters in this thread is proof enough that "responsible gun ownership and use" is a questionable position.

In my entire life, I have never met a "responsible" gun owner even though I have met many gun owners.

My grandfather kept loaded rifles in the barn even though he had young grandkids running around unattended (me).

My father kept empty rifles in the closet and ammo locked in a filing cabinet but I took the key off his keyring, got the ammo, loaded the rifle, and pointed it out the window before reconsidering my action because I wasn't quite sure what would happen. I was nine.

A guy I worked with is, what anyone would call, a "gun nut." He has multiple caches of guns in different states. He drives with guns in his vehicle. He talks about his guns at work and about how he could kill anyone from a mile away with his Barrett .50 cal. He also states that if anyone comes to take his guns away he plans to go out in a blaze of glory.

My boss also owned a handgun to "protect his family." He did drugs and made it a habit to go into fits of rage at the drop of a hat. He also drove around with the loaded gun in his car, along with his three young kids.

These are all anecdotes but, as I said, I have yet to meet a responsible gun owner and many people in this thread imply that 99% of gun owners are responsible.

In addition, I have yet to encounter a "need to defend myself." I am in my thirties and, in my entire life, my home has never been robbed. My parents were never robbed. My grandparents on both sides were never robbed. None of my friends were ever robbed. My in-laws were never robbed. In fact, nobody I have ever met in my entire life has ever said their house was broken into. I live in a sub-division of roughly 100 houses and, in the seven years I have lived here, none of these houses have been burglarized.

Again, anecdotes. But my life experience is the exact opposite of what gun supporters seem to say is common. They say that the need to defend yourself is assumed and that most gun owners are responsible.

Here are two factual statements for you gun supporters as well:

1. If someone wants to kill you, you will be dead. The only way you will be able to use your guns to "defend yourself" is if the person committing a crime against you is intending to rob or rape you. In that instance you can then dish out disproportionate justice for the criminal's crime. Nothing's better than blowing the head off a meth addict that is trying to steal some tools out of your garage, eh?

I tried to explain this to my gun nut friend. I said that despite all his weaponry and defenses, if anyone truly wanted him dead then he would be dead unless he knew that someone wanted him dead and he went into hiding. If you don't know someone wants you dead then you have no chance when they put that want into action. Unless of course the killer is completely incompetent...or doesn't have a gun...

2. If a legal entity wants to take your guns then they will take them. Unless you have cordoned yourself off in a branch Davidian knockoff, you go about a relatively normal life outside of your gun fetish. Do you really think that the law will come up to your house, knock on your door, and say "open up! We are here to take your guns!" It's really quite simple. You get in your car to go to work or the store. A cop car follows you and pulls you over. They have you step out of the car. They handcuff you. They go to your house and take your guns. If they don't find all the guns registered to you (and probably more) then they hold you in custody until the whereabouts of those guns are confirmed.

Or, if it truly does turn into the fascist country you hope for, then they would simply refer to item number one. Why bother with legality when they can just pop you while you are watering the lawn? I know many die hard gun folks are drooling for the day that the government oversteps its bounds, or the race war begins, or the zombie infestation starts but, much like the Christians waiting for the end of days, you will be kept waiting.

My mom just went to an estate sale of an elderly couple that had planned for Y2K. Their whole home was filled with ammo, canned goods, and books about Jerusalem. That and the hospital bed, the bedpans, and the oxygen tanks, for they, like so many others, died before the anarchist future they had planned so fervently for came to pass.

I hope for the sake of gun owners that some "responsible gun owner" is able to make the news by successfully defending him/herself from an attempted murder. You need a few of those to outweigh all the stories about the kids of "responsible gun owners" blowing the brains out of groups of classmates or a "responsible gun owner" that decided to stop taking his medication opening up on an auditorium of college kids. Or, of course, a nine year old kid getting the ammo that was locked away, loading a rifle, and pointing it out the window (like me).

Mar 21, 2008, 09:33 pm	#86 (permalink) (top)
Muckraker Igneous Magma Posts: 350	I think the responses of many gun supporters in this thread is proof enough that "responsible gun ownership and use" is a questionable position. In my entire life, I have never met a "responsible" gun owner even though I have met many gun owners. My grandfather kept loaded rifles in the barn even though he had young grandkids running around unattended (me). My father kept empty rifles in the closet and ammo locked in a filing cabinet but I took the key off his keyring, got the ammo, loaded the rifle, and pointed it out the window before reconsidering my action because I wasn't quite sure what would happen. I was nine. A guy I worked with is, what anyone would call, a "gun nut." He has multiple caches of guns in different states. He drives with guns in his vehicle. He talks about his guns at work and about how he could kill anyone from a mile away with his Barrett .50 cal. He also states that if anyone comes to take his guns away he plans to go out in a blaze of glory. My boss also owned a handgun to "protect his family." He did drugs and made it a habit to go into fits of rage at the drop of a hat. He also drove around with the loaded gun in his car, along with his three young kids. These are all anecdotes but, as I said, I have yet to meet a responsible gun owner and many people in this thread imply that 99% of gun owners are responsible. In addition, I have yet to encounter a "need to defend myself." I am in my thirties and, in my entire life, my home has never been robbed. My parents were never robbed. My grandparents on both sides were never robbed. None of my friends were ever robbed. My in-laws were never robbed. In fact, nobody I have ever met in my entire life has ever said their house was broken into. I live in a sub-division of roughly 100 houses and, in the seven years I have lived here, none of these houses have been burglarized. Again, anecdotes. But my life experience is the exact opposite of what gun supporters seem to say is common. They say that the need to defend yourself is assumed and that most gun owners are responsible. Here are two factual statements for you gun supporters as well: 1. If someone wants to kill you, you will be dead. The only way you will be able to use your guns to "defend yourself" is if the person committing a crime against you is intending to rob or rape you. In that instance you can then dish out disproportionate justice for the criminal's crime. Nothing's better than blowing the head off a meth addict that is trying to steal some tools out of your garage, eh? I tried to explain this to my gun nut friend. I said that despite all his weaponry and defenses, if anyone truly wanted him dead then he would be dead unless he knew that someone wanted him dead and he went into hiding. If you don't know someone wants you dead then you have no chance when they put that want into action. Unless of course the killer is completely incompetent...or doesn't have a gun... 2. If a legal entity wants to take your guns then they will take them. Unless you have cordoned yourself off in a branch Davidian knockoff, you go about a relatively normal life outside of your gun fetish. Do you really think that the law will come up to your house, knock on your door, and say "open up! We are here to take your guns!" It's really quite simple. You get in your car to go to work or the store. A cop car follows you and pulls you over. They have you step out of the car. They handcuff you. They go to your house and take your guns. If they don't find all the guns registered to you (and probably more) then they hold you in custody until the whereabouts of those guns are confirmed. Or, if it truly does turn into the fascist country you hope for, then they would simply refer to item number one. Why bother with legality when they can just pop you while you are watering the lawn? I know many die hard gun folks are drooling for the day that the government oversteps its bounds, or the race war begins, or the zombie infestation starts but, much like the Christians waiting for the end of days, you will be kept waiting. My mom just went to an estate sale of an elderly couple that had planned for Y2K. Their whole home was filled with ammo, canned goods, and books about Jerusalem. That and the hospital bed, the bedpans, and the oxygen tanks, for they, like so many others, died before the anarchist future they had planned so fervently for came to pass. I hope for the sake of gun owners that some "responsible gun owner" is able to make the news by successfully defending him/herself from an attempted murder. You need a few of those to outweigh all the stories about the kids of "responsible gun owners" blowing the brains out of groups of classmates or a "responsible gun owner" that decided to stop taking his medication opening up on an auditorium of college kids. Or, of course, a nine year old kid getting the ammo that was locked away, loading a rifle, and pointing it out the window (like me).