Gun Owners and Non-Gun Owners should come to a Meeting of the Minds

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

I hear ya Burbs!

 

[underground chickenman]

Yes, as silly as it may sound, the 'I have a gun for personal protection' does come off as, hmm, overly aggressive and uneducated to many non-gun types.

No offense, but, yeah, it does sound pretty silly. If that is the reasoning behind the anti-gun movement, then it's the anti-gun group that's uneducated. Ignorance breeds fear and fear breeds contempt and that's what you've got with the anti-gun crowd: mindless, ignorant contempt for something they fear.

What would you say to, "I not only have a gun for personal protection, but I have one in my pocket right now and most of the time, including when I am at work, at the store, dining out and just about every other place I go where I can legally carry one."? Well, that's me.

As for being overly aggressive and uneducated, I happen to be an emotionally stable, even-tempered lawyer; a partner, no less, with a large multi-state law firm.

I have no desire to shoot anybody and the odds are that I will never have to, but if I need to protect myself or my family, I definitely will. They can have the DVD player, but I will not rely on anybody else, including the police, to protect my family. If the police get there in time, great, but what if they don't?

Interestingly, this is tangentially related to raising chickens. I don't need to raise chickens to survive, but I like the self-reliant nature of it. That's the same reason I grow a garden. I am not a doomsayer. I am not Chicken Little (pun intended), thinking that the worlds is going to end. I just like the feeling of independence and self-reliance. That's my motivation for owning guns for protection. Rather have them and not need them, than need them and not have them. Same with chickens.

UGCM​

 

[redhen]

My question is..Why DO people even care if people with legal permits have guns for hunting/ personal protection or even target practice?

What the anti-gun people REALLY need to worry about is CRIMINALS having guns! All any gun law will do is make it harder for normal citizens to have legal guns...the criminals will STILL have ALL illegal the guns they want! WHAT is SO hard to understand about this!?!

rant over...

 

[underground chickenman]

Quote:
Wow! I must really be wacked. Not only do I own 16 guns, but I have about 20 rod and reel combos. They all serve different purposes and are fun to use, each in its own unique way. I also have a dozen knives of different styles and purposes, most of which I don't even use. I just like them, which is [gasp] my right. My wife, an avid tennis player, has more than one racket and hundreds of balls. Now, that's really wacko.

Wait a minute, I just realized that I am freakin' certifiable. I also have 8 chickens. Any reasonable person ought to be able to supply eggs for a family of four with fewer than 8 hens. We need a chicken control law! No more owning multiple chickens just because you like they way they look, or that they are entertaining, or lay blue eggs.

UGCM

 

[Alicia]

Quote:
Chickenmava,

Just so you don't feel alone in a potentially hostile environment (though amazingly non-hostile considering the touchy topic), I wholly agree with you!! Guns are not banned in Canada, but they are more regulated than they are in the U.S. and their annual gun death rate is MUCH lower than it is in the U.S., yet there are many, many gun owners in Canada. (a number of Canada's gun-related fatalities are related to guns that cross the boarder from the U.S.)

It's not the people who are proud of and respect their rights and HUGE responsibilities as gun owners that worry me. It's the mentally unstable people who steal their father's/neighbor's guns and shoot up their local school or shopping mall that scare me. (Note; I said the people and not the guns themselves scare me!)

I personally will not own a gun, but I will make sure my kids take gun safety classes because I strongly feel that guns require a hefty amount of respect.

 

[Heelers&Chickens_OhMy]

Quote:
I would go 'Eeek!'....just like I just said to myself. I want to keep stating that I am pro responsible gun ownership, but I wasn't raised with them.

It makes me very nervous to think you carry a gun with you everywhere. Why do you need to do that? Out to lunch!? Really!? I feel like this takes 'better over prepared than under' to a new level.

Is the gun on you loaded? I would hope not....that I would find very stupid. I just feel like it's so easy for accidents to happen. Take cars for instance - we take them everywhere and they are generally deemed safe by the people who own them, but no one is perfect and even the best drivers end up in accidents (the one I was in was the fault of the tire, not the driver). Seeing as it's not essential to carry a gun everywhere, why do you risk such an accident? (Read: brainless football player Plaxico Burress).

I am NOT ok with the recent passing of concealed weapons allowed in bars (with permits). I do not think that EVERYONE with a CCW would not drink with their gun on them. Alcohol + anything that has high chance of hurting some one should NOT mix.

However, if you would like to carry your gun on you late at night, out hunting, while banking, or in the 'bad' part of town, I can understand that. Are my thoughts unreasonable? If we really want to come to 'a meeting of the minds' I really need to understand why you need to take your concealed weapon everywhere.

 

[Rooster Cogburn Jr.]

Quote:
Momma animals can be pretty nasty

 

[redhen]

Umm..why take your gun everywhere? Because they can?

Because the world today is scary..because there are more criminals than decent people today..or it seems so. Because a guy just got car jacked ..because a lady was just raped in a parking lot last night while stopping for groceries after work.. because there are gangs and you cant even wear the color red or blue in certain parts of towns or you will be jumped and knifed. Enough reasons?

Also...i dont have a gun...but i have no problem with good people having them.. really..its the criminals you NEED to be worrying about..not the average joe citizen carrying his pistol..
UNLESS your a criminal?

 

[tnlorprazer]

Quote:
Me too!!! DH got a kick out of it...

DH and I do own a gun and have our conceal carry license.

 

[MandyH]

I am in the process of obtaining a concealed carry permit as well, so I too will be able to carry my weapon on me at all times (where allowed), and yes it will be loaded. For someone to ask "why do you carry a gun", or "is it loaded" just shows a non education for guns. Why would you carry an unloaded gun? I can tell you from being a responsible gun owner, that you DO NOT pull or show a gun unless you are ready to pull the trigger, no matter what the situation may be. You can't take a bullet back, or make something undead, so you dang well better be able to live with whatever decision you make when carrying that gun. Think of it this way, how many times is a robber/murderer gonna come in and give you the heads up that they are about to kill you or commit a crime? Odds are, ZERO. Being armed could be the difference between your life or theirs, and if I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die trying.