To those who own guns. What's the attraction?

[zanejohnson]

I don't need them for protection. I live in a good area and not 95 years old, and besides if someone wants to kill me it's a done deal. You can't stop people from hiding in your bushes or from 1000m invisible. For me it's mainly sport. I've had a CCW for almost 10 years and never carry.

i'm not trying to get in a troll/flame war here...

my whole entire point of posting in this thread is that... the reason we should be allowed have weapons is that... we need them for protection... against, either a intruder or our government (after all isn't that in the constitution??????????????????????)

HOWEVER, i refuse to believe WE NEED weapons for entertainment (just my opinion)

FURTHERMORE, i beleive, HAVING TO OWN weapons for ENTERTAINMENT ONLY, could be translated as an ADDICTION, to firearms, and the way they shoot.... i mean.. it's a reward..own the weapon, shoot it for pleasure.. have to do it.. kinda sounds the same dont it????

 

[Malak]

Philosophical: A gun is the physical embodiment of my right of self defense

On what stone tablet does it say you have a right to defend yourself with lethal force? By what rationality do you find lethal force even necessary, ever?

 

[Cogman]

A soccer ball is only designed to play soccer. Any other use goes against the intent of the creator. Guns are designed to be lethal. Using them any other way does not justify ownership, and other tools are designed for those other uses.

You make excuses and have no understanding on the subject. You only want to justify yourself, which means nothing to me. Your justifications are moot in this argument. Proving anything to me is a waste of your time so if that is all you are going to attempt, don't bother. You only prove you have no intention of actually considering the fact that you are incredibly wrong.

You have no opinion based in fact, only an opinion based on your own opinion. I can't "prove" that guns have other uses to you because you have such a limited view on what things can be used for.

That limited view about "the intent" of the creator does not make the use of guns right or wrong, nor does it prove anything. I've given you several alternative uses for guns, the fact that you reject them doesn't make them any less viable or employable.

After all, what matters more, the intent of the creator or the intent of the purchaser? The fact that the US has one of the highest levels of gun ownership in the world and it still has wildlife and order means that there is a vast amount of people out there that aren't just using their guns for "hunting and killing other people."

Your opinion is just opinion.

 

[zanejohnson]

You have no opinion based in fact, only an opinion based on your own opinion. I can't "prove" that guns have other uses to you because you have such a limited view on what things can be used for.

That limited view about "the intent" of the creator does not make the use of guns right or wrong, nor does it prove anything. I've given you several alternative uses for guns, the fact that you reject them doesn't make them any less viable or employable.

After all, what matters more, the intent of the creator or the intent of the purchaser? The fact that the US has one of the highest levels of gun ownership in the world and it still has wildlife and order means that there is a vast amount of people out there that aren't just using their guns for "hunting and killing other people."

Your opinion is just opinion.

just chiming in...

again, let me say, i think we SHOULD have the right to own firearms (FOR OUR PROTECTION)

an ak47 was not designed for hunting....

end...

 

[IcePickFreak]

Starting shooting with my dad when I was 10 and hunting when I was 12. We went just about every weekend for years from when I was 10 til 18 when I moved out. It's been pretty sporadic since then, and lately we've been going to the range again. Up til a few months ago it's been a few years though. My dad doesn't hunt anymore, but I still deer hunting occasionally.

As for why target shooting, it's a challenge, pretty much it (and for the coming zombie apocalypse). No carry laws here so gun's are locked up in a safe otherwise. For pistols I just have a .45 auto (1911/Classic army issue style) and a .22lr. My dad has revolvers, some old west style single-action types (new productions of the 1890s style pistols), one is a .357 and the other is a .45 long colt (popular back then) I find cool just because I'm a bit of a history geek.

That said, I've definitely come across what I would consider a gun "nut" (some probably would say I am just for the fact that I own some) that are downright scary to be anywhere near when they have a gun.

And comparing gun crime in the US to that in NZ is lulz. Last I checked I didn't see a souf central in NZ. US is much more than a single culture and your lifespan goes up exponentially if you stay away from selling crack on the street corner at 3am.

 

[Malak]

You have no opinion based in fact, only an opinion based on your own opinion. I can't "prove" that guns have other uses to you because you have such a limited view on what things can be used for.

The point is that other uses are against intent of the design, not that other uses don't exist. You can use a pen to stab someone in the eye, but that's not what the pen was designed for.

After all, what matters more, the intent of the creator or the intent of the purchaser?

Intent of purchaser is irrelevant. You put yourself and everyone around you at risk of DEATH by owning a gun. To think they are there for protection is nonsense and not backed by any statistics or rationality.

 

[foghorn67]

The point is that other uses are against intent of the design, not that other uses don't exist. You can use a pen to stab someone in the eye, but that's not what the pen was designed for.



Intent of purchaser is irrelevant. You put yourself and everyone around you at risk of DEATH by owning a gun. To think they are there for protection is nonsense and not backed by any statistics or rationality.

Really? Cars kill more people than guns in the US. At least my post has statistics and rationality to back it up. Yours does not.

 

[zanejohnson]

The point is that other uses are against intent of the design, not that other uses don't exist. You can use a pen to stab someone in the eye, but that's not what the pen was designed for.



Intent of purchaser is irrelevant. You put yourself and everyone around you at risk of DEATH by owning a gun. To think they are there for protection is nonsense and not backed by any statistics or rationality.

let me just say here...

i totally agree...

but those ppl who wrote our constitution, thought hey maybe one day our people will need guns, to protect themselves against a government, out of control, who has guns....

this is why we need guns... we dont need them to shoot a target in the back yard.. we dont need them to shoot neighborhood stay cats...

 

[Malak]

let me just say here...

i totally agree...

but those ppl who wrote our constitution, thought hey maybe one day our people will need guns, to protect themselves against a government, out of control, who has guns....

this is why we need guns... we dont need them to shoot a target in the back yard.. we dont need them to shoot neighborhood stay cats...

The people who wrote our constitution died more than 200 years ago. A lot of terrorists who shot and killed tens of thousands of our military to overthrow the government over taxes. They are not the best people to use as an example here. Instead let's take a look at every example in the history books.

Guns have never been used for good.

 

[irishScott]

On what stone tablet does it say you have a right to defend yourself with lethal force? By what rationality do you find lethal force even necessary, ever?

You obviously didn't read my entire post. I answered your question within it multiple times. You are obviously trolling or are off your meds and have no desire for a legitimate debate. You simply spout your opinion as fact, which makes you an idiot.

As for my post, I left my experiences vague in this thread specifically for people like you who would simply twist my experiences to suit your opinions, even if the twist made no sense.

In the off chance that you are not trolling, I direct you here: http://www.thearmedcitizen.com/

Each story has a link to the 3rd party news source it was taken from. Enjoy. I look forward to your spouting "bu bu we don't know all the DETAILSSS!11!" all over this thread and proving my point.

Now go take your meds or educate yourself or something.

 

[a123456]

I don't see a problem with shooting guns for entertainment, even if I wouldn't do it myself. The difference with stabbing someone in the eye with a pen is that this is against the law.

There are plenty of items that can be misused if the user is malevolent, including cars, knives, glass, airplanes, fertilizer, sawdust, etc. Guns can be used safely and also for criminal purposes.

Seeing as how a bunch of Olympic events center around guns, I'm fine with recreational shooting if it's safely practiced.

 

[foghorn67]

Guns have never been used for good.

Wow. I always knew your ideals got in the way of facts. But holy moly, this one if the most ignorant statements ever said.

A gun quite possibly saved my life.

But again, statistics and FACTS still won't persuade you. And you already stated in this thread that others don't know anything about the subject.
However nothing you have stated indicates that you know anything about the subject either.

 

[zanejohnson]

The people who wrote our constitution died more than 200 years ago. A lot of terrorists who shot and killed tens of thousands of our military to overthrow the government over taxes. They are not the best people to use as an example here. Instead let's take a look at every example in the history books.

Guns have never been used for good.

i agree, i made my statement based on our current living situation, and when we live in "time" currently...

yeah guns were designed to kill another living being, end of story.. maybe that living being was a deer.. maybe it was a human.. im not completely sure on which it was...

but yeah guns are for killing.. they aren't for target practice lol....

but either way.. the reason we need them in the USA is for killing people... i mean seriously how many of us hunt animals to eat? and i dont mean a week a year on your deer lease.. yeah, we're past hunting for dinner...

now it's for either A. entertainment
or b. killing people...

 

[zanejohnson]

and i stress the word NEED...

 

[eldorado99]

And there goes the thread...

 

[Fayd]

On what stone tablet does it say you have a right to defend yourself with lethal force? By what rationality do you find lethal force even necessary, ever?

if you're looking for an appeal to (religious) authority here for some reason, then i can provide one.

Exodus 22:2-3 tells us: "If the thief is found breaking in, and he is struck so that he dies, there shall be no guilt for his bloodshed. If the sun has risen on him, there shall be guilt for his bloodshed. He should make full restitution; if he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft."

from that it can be inferred that there are times that deadly force is acceptable in self defense.

more importantly, we have a common law right of self defense. that should be fairly simple for you to understand.

 

[Kirby]

By openly carry does that mean I could walk into a Walmart in the US and see a guy carrying a gun... And that would be fine/normal?

If the building allowed it and assuming it's not a government building/bank and doesn't serve alcohol (I think, my state you can't conceal where alcohol is served, not sure about open), yes.

If I saw a guy with a gun in Walmart I wouldn't think twice about it.




Unless it was badass and then I would ask him about it.

 

[novasatori]

I am not much of a handgun person but I enjoy rifles.

I don't own for self defense, I own for hunting and target shooting. I actually enjoy improving my skill with rifles and archery.

Like darts at long range.

 

[IcePickFreak]

Do you think if they outlawed guns completely in the US, collected every gun they could find and melt it down (other than the government, we can hypothetically trust them with them in this case) that there would be no violent crime or gun crime for that matter? Surely they won't toss in some guns with that cocaine they smuggle in.

 

[a123456]

and i stress the word NEED...

You don't *need* a lot of things but people still do them for fun. People do dangerous things for fun all the time.

People play sports, like football, rugby, baseball, skydiving/parachuting, cliff diving, scuba diving, nascar, etc. where you can get serious injury doing it for fun. In baseball, spectators can get killed or risk serious injury too.

You don't need cable TV or any number of other things that people use for recreation.

As for why people do do it, I figure it's a power thing for many and maybe a stress release for others. Tons of people enjoy wielding power. See politicians.

 

[AbAbber2k]

Target shooting is fun, though I admit I have very little experience.

I've only fired a handful of pistols (.380, .22 and a .44) and two 12 gauge shotguns.

Not sure I'll ever own one myself. My father and his father both have several. My GF's dad has an arsenal (his AR15 is his favorite).

 

[Mike Gayner]

Are you suggesting that a gun hobbyist should not be allowed to legally own a handgun for the purpose of target practice or hunting (legally) because criminals use handguns to kill people?

Yes.

 

[MidasKnight]

They kickass and are fun, and useful

 

[PieIsAwesome]

I've only seen guns in police holsters and behind glass in museums.

But they are interesting machines. No, I don't need an M-1 Garand or Mondragón rifle but having one would still be badass.

 

[Angry Irishman]

The people who wrote our constitution died more than 200 years ago. A lot of terrorists who shot and killed tens of thousands of our military to overthrow the government over taxes. They are not the best people to use as an example here. Instead let's take a look at every example in the history books.

Guns have never been used for good.

So the foundation of the United States wasn't a good thing? How did we fight and win independence from the British...with words and kind acts? I suppose Nazi Germany would have just went away. You think terrorism isn't a good example?

Yes, guns kill with the assistance of a trigger pulling human being. Guns like any other mechanical device are tools that unfortunately are used from time to time in history...sometimes for good/sometimes for bad.

The meaning of the second amendment of the Constitution of the United States remains valid to this day.

"the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed"

What's so damn confusing about that?