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

[wombat]

that's why we have police to protect us

The police are all well and good, but ...

We live about four miles from one of our county's police barracks. A long time ago, shortly after our German Shepherd Dog had died of old age, our house was broken into. Rather than go in and risk finding an intruder, my wife drove to the police station and reported the problem. They dispatched immediately ... and she drove home and waited in her car at the end of the road ... for 45 minutes, watching police cars drive up and down nearby roads with lights flashing at about 80 mph, unable to find our house, while she flashed her headlights repeatedly, and got out of the car and waved and jumped up and down. She eventually flagged them down ... and they made a big show of warning her about how dangerous the house could be, and taking out their K9 to do a sweep, lest the intruder still be there ... after 45 mins of sirens wailing around the neighborhood. She told them "he's not still in there unless he drank all the scotch and passed out."

We got two German Shepherd pups. Have not had a problem since ... but yes, we have guns in case we need them while we wait 45 mins for the police to show up.

We live on the edge of the 'burbs, too! Imagine living out in farm country with the nearest neighbor 5 miles up the road, and the nearest police a half hour away before you judge people for wanting to protect themselves.

At least our police are 5 mins away, if they don't get lost.​

 

[tulie13]

Heelers&Chickens_OhMy :

I think this is in the wrong section...but...

I was raised in a liberal house. My parents fear guns and think that no one needs a gun for any reason - that's why we have police to protect us.

That being said, I am now dating and want to marry a man who hunts and owns quite a few guns. He has shown me that, for the most part, gun owners are fairly responsible and don't own guns just to shoot people with.

I think what gun owners need to realize is that when you say 'you have a right to a gun and I own it to protect myself', you sound like a redneck who wants to shoot things for no reason (no offense intended). This is true in some ways (because I love skeet shooting and there's really no point to it...well, maybe one day when my man takes me hunting, so this *could* be considered practice

) - many people own guns for pleasure- packing their own ammo, calibrating their own guns, etc.

What I'm trying to say is...most people are afraid of guns because we've lost sight of their use and - unless your parents owned one - we have never been taught how to safely be around firearms. Since we're afraid of them, we want to get rid of them...of course, this would only get them out of the hands of people who LEGALLY want to own them, which is the problem.

It's a tough line to walk.

You know, there was a time in the 50's and 60's here in the US that you could leave your door unlocked at night. Sure, "the police can protect you" if there is no crime. We are a LONG WAY from the way things were in our "kinder, gentler days". Crime is up, violent crime is up, and there aren't enough police to go around. In the 5-10 minutes that it would take for a cop to get to your house after a 911 call, you could already be dead. That's assuming you could actually make the call in the 4 seconds you have to react to someone busting down your door... ('scuse me Mr. Axe Murderer while I make a quick phone call...)

Google "Billings Murder" in Florida - the cops could do nothing until AFTER the nice couple raising several adopted disabled kids were dead. Great, they seem to have caught the perps, but that doesn't bring the Billings back to life.

You need to get ahold of some American Rifleman magazines - it's the NRA's monthly publication. There is a section in there called "Armed Citizen". They are all stories about people protecting themselves with a firearm. In many cases, they didn't even have to shoot anyone. But in pretty much all of the cases, "calling the cops" was not an option.

I'd rather have the choice to have a gun if I want one. If your parents don't want one, fine, just tell them not to try to take MINE away!!! I'm a law-abiding citizen, and although I live in a "nice neighborhood" so did the Billings...

And as you said, making more laws against guns only serves to take them out of the hands of LAW-ABIDING CITIZENS! It does nothing to keep them from the criminals.

Glad to hear that you are exploring the world of firearms with your beau... will it be a shotgun wedding?

 

[sundance]

my oldest son bought me my first gun, a 22. Before he would give it to me I had to learn how to clean, handle and the feel of the gun(this is before he put the bullets in for me to practice) .Now I have a 9m I love but I still believe that you should know how to handle a gun BEFORE you buy one.We have a permit to carry, but we also keep all guns up in case a child come in.i agree with the saying Its not the gun that kills, it's the person that pulls the trigger.I respec guns, I also respect the damage they can do, but I will keep my guns as is my 2nd amendent right. marrie

 

[chicks4kids]

I came from a family that did not believe in gun ownership. I married into a family that has strong beliefs in gun ownership (due to my FIL's house getting broke into in broad daylight, the whole family tied up and assaulted for hours). Before my husband I was in a very abusive relationship with no way to protect myself. It took 3 years and 3 protective orders for the ex-boyfriend to still not understand to leave me alone...it only took a few rounds into the air to make it perfectly clear to him that he no longer could threaten me-nor should he ever come anywhere near me.

That's all it took. A few rounds vs. years of police protection, work changing my hours for my protection, money, court dates, lawyers, etc.

My husband is also out of town alot for work. I feel much safer knowing I can (and will) protect my children if need be. I feel much safer knowing that I am capable of that now.

Owning/not owning is a personal preference, but I am one of those that doesn't want to look back and say "If only I would have had a gun"

By the way, where I live, the police are only capable of helping "if" they see something happen. Now how in the heck are you gonna stop a perp., call the police, and let the perp. continue until the police come to "witness" and protect?

 

[fowltemptress]

Okay, now I wish my neighbor opposed guns so I could have an excuse to put up that sign . . .

 

[Guinea Goonie]

All my pistols are locked up in a store in town. I do not have them in my house except for the ONE I carry occasionally.

I have ONLY a rifle and a shotgun for the protection of my livestock.

Every one on the farm knows these weapons and how to keep themselve and others safe from them.

I respect those of us that do not want a weapon around them.

But, please do not throw me under the bus because I have them.

It is with great sadness that I see those on the side of this current administration attacking anything that may oppose them.

Please, the kool-aide has no sugar.

 

[warmfuzzies]

Heelers&Chickens_OhMy :

I think this is in the wrong section...but...



I think what gun owners need to realize is that when you say 'you have a right to a gun and I own it to protect myself', you sound like a redneck who wants to shoot things for no reason (no offense intended).

"You have a right to a gun and I own it to protect myself" Sounds like someone who want to shoot for no reason?

At the risk of starting an argument, (which I really dont want to do...) This is very funny to me. Maybe I am farther off in the boondocks then I thought, but this sounds like a very normal thing to say to me!

I guess maybe if stating the truth in simple terms makes one sound like a redneck, I cannot fathom a better thing to be!

And there is never 'no reason' to shoot things... like you said, skeet shooting is fun. It is also a legitimate sport, develops coordination, increases efficiency and accuracy, and everytime you pick up a gun to practice shooting, you become safer with it, more competent, and better equiped to use it in the event you really do need to defend yourself someday.

And exacly the same thing goes for every other type of shooting, whether you are varmint hunting, deer hunting, target shooting on a range somewhere, or shooting old beer bottles off a log.​

 

[ducks4you]

Quote:
The police are all well and good, but ...

We got two German Shepherd pups. Have not had a problem since ... but yes, we have guns in case we need them while we wait 45 mins for the police to show up.

...
At least our police are 5 mins away, if they don't get lost.

So about losing your GS.

So glad to hear about your new GS "fuzzy friends."

Perhaps the police couldn't find you because they were busy on BYC, and didn't know where you lived, 'cause you haven't posted it...yet. And, NOW, they are REALLY embarassed, and REALLY glad that they all have handles to maintain their anonimities on this site. Maybe you should give the local police department Garmins or Tom Toms to share, so that they can find their way around your county.

THE POINT???????? If the police can't stop everybody who speeds, because they can't be everywhere, NO WAY can we depend upon to be "Supermen" and show up every time we are burgled or harrassed.

 

[Heelers&Chickens_OhMy]

Quote:
hahaha - I think I would still consider myself too liberal to subscribe to NRA publications, but I have heard of the 'Armed Citizen' and do think that just the sight of the gun is enough to scare most folks off. Isn't there a movie where the guy says "You know why they wait until the last second to cock the gun? Because that sound is very scary".

I too feel like the police are powerless - but how do you explain this to some one who's never felt like they need a gun for protection? My parents have always been 'in the nice part of town', so this adds to it. It seems to me that people who don't like guns don't undestand that gun laws aren't going to stop people who have guns illegally anyway. Trust me...my boyfriend and I had a LOT of arguments about this at the beginning of our relationship.

We talk about having kids and I am still nervous to have guns around our children. It goes back to how I wasn't raised with them, but he was. I want guns in a safe in one part of the house, ammo on the other side in another safe...I'll get there eventually, but not yet!

 

[Ladyhawke1]

I myself refuse to live in fear of everything in this world or the next.

Having said that, if the “wack-a-doodles” out there wish to shoot me, then they had better shoot straight…because there is nothing more dangerous than a wounded animal.