Farmers, guns, and the "old days"

[epeloquin]

I am going to reserve most of my comments for a seperate thread I will start in 'Random Ramblings'

I live in the 'burbs on less than 1/4 acre so I can't carry a firearm in my yard anyway. We can't discharge a firearm within 500ft of a dwelling which I think is reasonable. That being said, I grew up around firearms and surrounded by hunters (uncles, grandfather AND grandmother) and was a hunter myself. I think there is nothing more natural than for a person on a farm to be walking across their yard or field or to an outbuilding with a rifle in hand or a pistol strapped on their hip. The fact that most firearms are locked away is a sad commentary, except in the case of young children being around, but even then they should be taught a proper respect for weapons. I have three boys who grew up in a home with guns and they NEVER touched my guns without my permission and me being there. I would periodically take my guns out and allow them to see and handle them thus removing some of the mystique.

By the way, Bullitt, that is a gorgeous roo on your avatar!

 

[Bullitt]

By the way, Bullitt, that is a gorgeous roo on your avatar!

Sadly that is not my rooster. It is a picture I pulled off the Internet. Someone told me it looks like an English or Australian strain of Single Comb Light Brown Leghorn. That strain seems to be a little bigger.

 

[herfrds]

We own a little .22 single shot rifle my FIL bought from a neighbor before he left for WWII. The neighbor bought it for $12 on credit in the 30's. He paid it off by hunting coyotes, skunks, fox's and coons all over the county.
That gun sits with the bolt open and a .22 shell ready to be slammed into it in our bedroom. Times I need both hands.
I carry it with me to our calving barn at night or I pack DH's .357 with me.
Nothing will get you to packing faster then "feeling" eyes watching you in the middle of the night and the hair on your neck and arms stands up.

 

[Cavry]

Yep, I'm in a pretty rural N. Ga.county but filling up with "outsiders" (as I was 10 years ago) who always seem to move somewhere because they like the area and then want to change the "locals". Most locals keep a gun of some type handy. On the waist or on on the stump, it's in reach. "Oustiders" usually have them too but won't carry one or admit they have them in the house. Copperheads, coyotes and other predators rarely wait for us to run inside and back. If they're handy, problem solved.

 

[Joe.G]

Me and My GF are both Cops, We do have a nice arsenal here, we shoot often on our property and I keep a rifle or a pistol handy at all times, There has been a lot of talks about Mountain Lions being seen on my property so I always have somthing near by since me and my family spend a lot of time in the woods.

I have picked up a few beater rifles just for this reason I can toss them in the shed or on the four wheeler and not worry if they get to banged up.

 

[angusshangus]

.




And by what authority, do they believe they have the right, to over rule the United States Constitution?

I don't think they are trying to "over rule" the Constitution. They can choose to "do business" with folks who abide by their conditions. They aren't limiting anyones Constitutional right to own firearms, they just don't send foster kids to homes that have firearms which seems pretty reasonable to me. This coming from someone who has been a regularly duck hunter. I wouldn't be worried about my family as it's easy to explain to a couple of people what is off limits but if I was bringing other children (who may be coming from tough living situations, they are in foster care after all) in and out of my home I would definitely think twice about keeping firearms around.

As far as firing at rodents and predators, I'm kind of stuck. In the suburban part of NJ where I live fire any sort of gun is definitely a bad idea! My only options are the traps I set to catch the moles/groundhogs/chipmunks/skunks/raccoons/opossums that come through my backyard!

 

[duckinnut]

I feel like I have set off a firestorm of sorts here and it was completely not my intention. Years ago the gun was merely a tool in which a farmer or hunter used to kill an animal. In today's world it almost seems like it is taboo to mention guns. The thing that bothers me is that we teach our children about drugs,alcohol and sex but omit guns. Why is that? All are equally deadly but we abstain from the course of guns.

 

[JackE]

I'm a very definite left-leaning Democrat.

And I don't demonize guns.

And I don't think someone should go to jail because whomever stole their gun committed a crime...UNLESS you were careless and negligent and let some child get to your gun.

I do not keep a gun in my home now because I am a supplemental care-giver for children under foster care, and firearms are prohibited by CPS and court regulations for that.

I'm a pretty redneck country girl myself. Not all conservative are rednecks and not all rednecks are conservatives.

Try not to assume silly sterotypes of me, and I'll try real real hard not to tell you what I think of conservative Republicans right now.

My only question would be, WHAT conservative Republicans??? That is an extinct breed, all I see is a bunch of cowardly RINOs. They like to spend/waste our money just like any liberal Democrat.
Jack

 

[Daisy8s]

Originally Posted by duckinnut

I think this is an interesting discussion. You bring up a great point about teaching our children. I am really conflicted because I grew up around guns and knew to respect them. My boys are being denied that because we don't have guns in the house (though my husband and I have talked about visiting a shooting range where we can rent firearms so the boys can at least be exposed to them).

Predators are not such an issue for me that I need to carry a gun. Crime is also very low where I live so I don't worry about intruders. Therefore, I can't justify the risk of owning a gun when I'll most likely never need it for protection from animal or human pest. And, while I can trust my own children how to be safe around guns with lots of other kids in our house (foster and otherwise) there is a real risk of a child whom I can't trust wanting access to a gun if we kept one in the house.

I've reasoned through why we don't have guns in the house but I am quite nostalgic for the way I grew up when spending some time target shooting with dad was a great backyard sport.

 

[JenellYB]

Actually, I'm a bit surprised, but pleasantly so, there are so many responding that DO still effectively and practically incorporate guns into their country lifestyles, understanding that 'readiness at all times' factor.

Some commented to the effect the 'old timers' didn't have much need to keep a gun always at ready since back in the Depression days, everything had been shot already and there was nothing left to shot at. First, lol, I'm only 63, I'm not THAT old! I'm remembering 50's. Second, I am in awe of what some in the generation previous to mine did to survive those times. some of the animals they killed and ate. Remembering some of their stories can sure help adjust my perspective as to just how bad migh own difficulties might seem at times.

As for the social/cultural environment around me, as far as guns go, I'm in Texas. I grew up in family and community in which guns were a tool, treated with respect, cared for with pride based more in how well one could use that tool and how one maintained it in proper condition. Wasn't much about have the biggest caliber fastest action most lethal knock down power. In fact, there was pride in being able to drop a buck in its tracks with one shot with a 22 rifle, derision for those that needed an elephant gun to hunt rabbits. I was taught respect for handling, and in shooting, I'd better learn to drop a buck in its tracks with one shot with a 22, and I never encountered buck-shot or any other bloody damaged meat in rabbit or squirrel until I was grown and gone from home and began to encounter macho sorts of idiots.
Guns were a tool. Not an extention of one's identity and social image, demonstration of how mean and tough you were, or a political statement. I still feel that way personally. Just like those spurs laying in there on my dresser....they ain't for decorative effect. I accept the restriction on keeping guns as a condition of having foster care children in my home, because its a restriction that makes good sense. Even children raised in their own family's homes, supposedly taught proper gun handling, do, as children will, stupid things, often enough we hear of that resulting in a tragedy involving children that got their hands on a gun. We had a near tragedy in our own home many years ago, with one of my own children, who we would have swore knew better. To a kid, the distinction between being bullied by a neighboring kid and responding to a real immediate threat to life isn't yet clear and well developed....thank God that gun jammed when my kid tried to chamber a bullet. It was a good size caliber automatic we'd hated for it's very tendency to do that, thank God it did it that day! We wouldn't have even know that incident had happened, had it not jammed, for the kid put it back afterward exactly where it had been kept. That's just reality with kids.

Guns have come down off the rear windows of pick up trucks here in Texas not because of any liberal politcal correctness, but because on top of being out your guns and what they cost you are out the cost of replacing the glass in the window busted out when someone steals them. It is still legal to carry guns up on those pick-up truck rear windows here, as such they are not concealed weapons. But nobdoy does, because its stupid. Guns and window glass cost too much to be replacing all the time.

The main difference, as I observe it, between the 'conservative' and 'liberal' rednecks down here in Texas as it relates to gun ownership, is that everybody knows what guns the conservative redneck has....you don't know what the liberal redneck has (nope, not even a NRA bumper sticker to tip you off) until he or she has already pulled it out and done the job at hand with it.