Freethought & Rationalism Archive

The thin man · 09-04-2002, 09:58 AM

I own a number of firearms, both handguns and long guns. Do some target shooting and bird hunting. Reload my own ammo.

I am an ethical hunter, won't shoot anything unless I plan to have it for dinner. As far as using it on a person, yes I would if the need arose (to protect myself or another). The corps teaches you well, and 13 months in Nam honed that teaching.

ALWAYS assume a firearm is loaded, even if you were the last one to touch it.

scarmig · 09-04-2002, 10:01 AM

I own several guns. Large calibre handgun, derringer, two shotguns, swords, lots of sharp knives. My and my wife each keep a loaded handgun in our nightstands.

I've only had to use my handgun once. I'm glad I had it, glad I was confident with it, and glad that my assailant had the presence of mind to realize the appropriate time to high-tail it.

If any of you have any guns you aren't comfortable with anymore...let me know.

09-04-2002, 10:02 AM

Well last month I tried to buy a Glock 30, I figured it would be no big thing. Went there filled out the paperwork, and the State of Delaware called back in 3 minutes APPROVING the sale. The "feds" (as the gunshop owner calls them) took 3 days to DENY the sale.

I think I know what is going on -- the feds are reading this message board!

Nah, when I was 18 I tried to join the Marines (I was young and stupid), and they made me sign some FBI waiver allowing them to look into my juvenile history, the problem is I think they never closed my file or something.

Now they want me to send them fingerprints in order for me to get the reason for my denial (which may, or may not be based on name, and personal characteristics -- what-ever-the-hell that means). I am not going to do this until I go through the pain in the ass of having my juvenile record expunged so that they can not read it anymore -- I hope.

If anyone knows about this Brady Bill stuff and the legality of looking into a minor's history, let me know please.

Perhaps what I want to know the most is: if I get my juvenile record expunged, will the Feds still be able to read it?

[ September 04, 2002: Message edited by: 1Time ]

vagrant · 09-04-2002, 10:10 AM

Do not and never will own a gun.

brighid · 09-04-2002, 10:23 AM

I do not own a gun, but I was raised around a vast collection of weapons. My father taught us about guns from a very young age and that we must respect the power of a gun. We watched him clean, load, unload, etc. and guns were kept in a locked safe inside a locked cabinet with ammo in a separate safe in that locked cabinet. He took us with when he went to the gun range and allowed each of us to shoot a gun under closely guarded supervision, with goggles and earplugs and him showing us the ropes. I shot a handgun once and that was all I need to know that (at least as a child) I NEVER wanted to go near a gun again. It scared me so much, and it was so powerful. I felt as if my entire arm was going to shake off after it and I had the same feeling another had about the heaviness of the gun and the coldness of the metal.

I would be interested in learning how to properly handle a handgun of some sort, but I don�t feel comfortable having a gun in my home with a young child about. If the time comes that I want to embark on that path I know some excellent people who can teach me the ropes. Both of my parents own guns. My mom is licensed to carry a concealed weapon and use to be an expert markswoman.

I would hope I would never have to use a gun, but I do feel confident that I could shoot someone who was trying to harm me or someone else.

Brighid

Radcliffe Emerson · 09-04-2002, 10:26 AM

I own a revolver and a rifle, both 22s, primarily because my dad gave them to me.
I haven't fired either one of them in over 15 years, and I don't have any bullets around.

Starboy · 09-04-2002, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Stephen T-B:
Starboy knows from the range of posts here that there is no such thing as an archetypal atheist in terms of gun ownership.
The purpose of his question, I suspect, was to show that people who don�t believe in god / gods are humane, gentle and highly ethical as opposed to those who do and cannot be relied upon to be any of those things
I think the most that can be said of those who have journeyed into atheism / agnosticism from a position of belief is that they possess an independent mind and are given to analysing the human condition.
(Personally, I am a very violent person. I have an airgun at home left by a son-in-law who�s gone to Zambia to do good works - he is, of course, an atheist � and I regularly splatter slugs with it. And boy, do they splatter! It�s just disgusting.
Since I found snails eating the plums on my plum tree and stripping the leaves off one of my prettiest plants, I�ve taken to shooting them as well. I regard slug-and-snail shooting as a sport in so far as they are moving targets and therefore have a sporting chance of not getting hit.)

Stephen T-B, you are correct. There are far more gun owners than I would have expected. As for ethics, I suppose that is another matter. You may be violent, perhaps even vicious, but you appear to be frank if not honest. I have been toying with the idea of creating an ethics/morals test. Perhaps someone here knows of one.

Starboy

The Naked Mage · 09-04-2002, 02:07 PM

No guns. Some knives, some swords, and a crossbow, but no guns.

If I ever get one, it'll probably just be a cute little revolver - nothing big.

OwnRules · 09-04-2002, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by wadew:


In that case you are much better off without it.

No doubt. Funny thing is, when I first purchased it I had a feeling of invincibilty about me, not afraid of anything. But when placed in a situation where I could have actually discharged it into another human being, I felt it actually hampered me.

What I mean by that is if I wouldn't have had the gun, I am pretty sure I would have taken some kind of instinctive offensive action towards the thief. As Dark Jedi notices, I guess I was just lucky the bad guy didn't "read" me, because if he had, he would have noticed I was too concerned about not shooting him to worry about anything else -- I simply froze, rivers of cold sweat pouring down my face. Thus the relief in the shape of the swipe I took at him once the cops arrived.

That was a good twenty years ago, and ironically enough, I was at the end of a barrel myself a few years later while being help up at a Bloomie's. That time, the element of surprise being clearly in his favor, the only thing I managed to mutter was: "Would you like a bag with that, Sir?"

So, I think I have a good reason for saying I dislike guns, no matter who's holding them.

MzNeko · 09-04-2002, 02:58 PM

No guns, no real desire to own one. But LOTS of sharp pointy things. Between us, my husband and I have four swords, six daggers, two axes and some ninja stars - and that's just what I can think of off-hand.

Fortunately, as far as violence goes, neither of us is inclined to start trouble...

09-04-2002, 10:02 AM	#43
Divide et Impera Guest Posts: n/a	Well last month I tried to buy a Glock 30, I figured it would be no big thing. Went there filled out the paperwork, and the State of Delaware called back in 3 minutes APPROVING the sale. The "feds" (as the gunshop owner calls them) took 3 days to DENY the sale. I think I know what is going on -- the feds are reading this message board! Nah, when I was 18 I tried to join the Marines (I was young and stupid), and they made me sign some FBI waiver allowing them to look into my juvenile history, the problem is I think they never closed my file or something. Now they want me to send them fingerprints in order for me to get the reason for my denial (which may, or may not be based on name, and personal characteristics -- what-ever-the-hell that means). I am not going to do this until I go through the pain in the ass of having my juvenile record expunged so that they can not read it anymore -- I hope. If anyone knows about this Brady Bill stuff and the legality of looking into a minor's history, let me know please. Perhaps what I want to know the most is: if I get my juvenile record expunged, will the Feds still be able to read it? [ September 04, 2002: Message edited by: 1Time ]</p>

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09-04-2002, 09:58 AM	#41
The thin man Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Sioux City, IA Posts: 10	I own a number of firearms, both handguns and long guns. Do some target shooting and bird hunting. Reload my own ammo. I am an ethical hunter, won't shoot anything unless I plan to have it for dinner. As far as using it on a person, yes I would if the need arose (to protect myself or another). The corps teaches you well, and 13 months in Nam honed that teaching. ALWAYS assume a firearm is loaded, even if you were the last one to touch it.

09-04-2002, 10:01 AM	#42
scarmig Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Somewhere Posts: 689	I own several guns. Large calibre handgun, derringer, two shotguns, swords, lots of sharp knives. My and my wife each keep a loaded handgun in our nightstands. I've only had to use my handgun once. I'm glad I had it, glad I was confident with it, and glad that my assailant had the presence of mind to realize the appropriate time to high-tail it. If any of you have any guns you aren't comfortable with anymore...let me know.

09-04-2002, 10:10 AM	#44
vagrant Regular Member Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Barrington, IL USA Posts: 130	Do not and never will own a gun.

09-04-2002, 10:23 AM	#45
brighid Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: somewhere in the known Universe Posts: 6,993	I do not own a gun, but I was raised around a vast collection of weapons. My father taught us about guns from a very young age and that we must respect the power of a gun. We watched him clean, load, unload, etc. and guns were kept in a locked safe inside a locked cabinet with ammo in a separate safe in that locked cabinet. He took us with when he went to the gun range and allowed each of us to shoot a gun under closely guarded supervision, with goggles and earplugs and him showing us the ropes. I shot a handgun once and that was all I need to know that (at least as a child) I NEVER wanted to go near a gun again. It scared me so much, and it was so powerful. I felt as if my entire arm was going to shake off after it and I had the same feeling another had about the heaviness of the gun and the coldness of the metal. I would be interested in learning how to properly handle a handgun of some sort, but I don�t feel comfortable having a gun in my home with a young child about. If the time comes that I want to embark on that path I know some excellent people who can teach me the ropes. Both of my parents own guns. My mom is licensed to carry a concealed weapon and use to be an expert markswoman. I would hope I would never have to use a gun, but I do feel confident that I could shoot someone who was trying to harm me or someone else. Brighid

09-04-2002, 10:26 AM	#46
Radcliffe Emerson Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: the dark side of Mars Posts: 1,309	I own a revolver and a rifle, both 22s, primarily because my dad gave them to me. I haven't fired either one of them in over 15 years, and I don't have any bullets around.

09-04-2002, 02:07 PM	#48
The Naked Mage Veteran Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: The Execution State, USA Posts: 5,031	No guns. Some knives, some swords, and a crossbow, but no guns. If I ever get one, it'll probably just be a cute little revolver - nothing big.

09-04-2002, 02:58 PM	#50
MzNeko Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Long Beach, California Posts: 1,127	No guns, no real desire to own one. But LOTS of sharp pointy things. Between us, my husband and I have four swords, six daggers, two axes and some ninja stars - and that's just what I can think of off-hand. Fortunately, as far as violence goes, neither of us is inclined to start trouble...

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