Im someone who likes to shoot a gun at targets at the range. I find it SO creepy and unnerving when it becomes clear that someone would like to shoot at a person. They don’t usually outright say it, but some make it clear in other ways.
Right? Like in my ideal world, guns would be a hobby for weird nerds in the same way fencing is today. The one or two times I have felt like there’s even a small chance I may need to use a gun in self defense were terrifying and stressful.
There’s quite a few hobbies where the other people who meet up to participate as a group as a group are a huge turnoff.
Guns are one of those hobbies for me.
I would love to talk about the amazing mechanics and different approaches guns have to firing an exploding charge to move a mass of metal at supersonic speeds just like I love talking about the mechanical parts of trains and cars. But the gun crowd tends to have too high of a proportion of very vocal terrible people.
If you like guns as a technology Open Source Defense is a good newsletter imo. They don’t delve into politics thankfully but look at how laws are implemented, improving safety at scale etc
I would love to talk about the amazing mechanics and different approaches guns have to firing an exploding charge to move a mass of metal at supersonic speeds
You need to hang out with gunsmiths. Those are the folks having those kinds of conversations.
See if you can find yourself a group with operation blazing sword. Whatever you do, LGS usually have just FUDDs who want to talk how turnip daddy is going to make everything like it was back in the 50s again…most of the sane ass people who are into owning and shooting are online now (there are still a shit ton of magats but just avoid those places). It also helps if you can find a group that has a private range, it’ll make it a lot easier to setup times to go enjoy shooting.
A couple years ago I joined a private shooting club. They have a range with targets from 10-300 yards. It was so cool to shoot there, and all the other members were total marksmanship nerds. Seeing all the great equipment, and ridiculous scopes was always fun, and the other members were nice to talk to. There were no soldier LARPers there. We operated as our own range masters, and everyone took safety very seriously. It was a refreshing change from the public range. Unfortunately I moved a couple hours away from that range, so it didn’t make sense to continue paying the membership anymore. Now I just go to the mountains to shoot.
The “Go ahead and make my day” crowd.
Ew what a horrible, gross thing to say
Heard it a buncha times without ever really hearing it
It’s a reference to the movie Dirty Harry
That does make it better!
Actually Sudden Impact same actor tho https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xy-eMIXT4LM
There’s a severe epidemic of “I wish a motherfucker would” going around.
These days it’s FAFO. I used to work with someone and he would shoehorn that into conversations completely unprovoked…like he itching to find any excuse to shoot someone
Can’t find it now, but there was an image of a police target floating around that had the outline of a person holding up a cell phone camera.
Dystopian AF.
They don’t usually outright say it, but some make it clear in other ways.
Like showing up at the range in full combat gear. Dude, simma downa!
I don’t think this is an actual case of that. I have a few friends that get kitted out with plate carriers and night vision for the range and it’s just LARPing. No different than ren faire people showing up to the faire in steel plate when obviously there isn’t some sword fight that’s about to break out at the fairgrounds.
It’s dorky but generally not malicious.
As a former soldier, soldier LARPers make me very uncomfortable.
Totally fair. Most of these people haven’t experienced combat in any way. I’m just saying the motivation is mostly fun instead of some demented desire to kill.
Sounds like my former coworker showing off his new gun on Facebook a few years back, with the post “I can’t wait to use this to defend my family.”
That’s the sort of person who shouldn’t own a firearm. That should actually be added as a question for the background check form.
As someone seriously considering their first firearm purchase, my main thought is “I hope this is a gigantic waste of time and money”.
Well, good news, a firearm would achieve the exact opposite of protecting you and your loved one from harm.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25910555/
In fact it’s the opposite. A firearm is far more likely to be involved in an accidental injury or death of someone in the household than it is going to be used in any form of self defense.
If you want to effectively protect yourself, invest in actual home security measures.
So rest assured that any firearm you purchase for self defense is always going to be a huge waste of money.
If you want to effectively protect yourself, invest in actual home security measures.
I already have cameras up around my home, and locks on doors and windows (plus CO and Smoke detectors, because that shit probably kills too). I’m more worried about idealogical/theological fanatics in the near future than I am about a potential robber or serial killer.
No …no it doesn’t. These studies are stupid levels of flawed. Not all crimes are reported to the police where nothing happened. Most DGUs no shot is fired, but they don’t get counted because they’re not reported.
The studies that try and show that a gun in the home is more dangerous use suicide statistics as well, which is like saying you’re more likely to drown in a pool if you own one…which the answer is “no shit”.
Yes it does, there’s many studies across all the USA. It’s one of the most studied thing ever.
No it is not. Even the one you linked is from a poll. The CDC pulled the original numbers for DGUs because they’re basically impossible to obtain properly and the CDC didn’t like that it didn’t paint guns in a bad light
Here is the study that was requested by the cdc and by Obama…
https://nap.nationalacademies.org/read/18319/chapter/3#15
Defensive use of guns by crime victims is a common occurrence, although the exact number remains disputed (Cook and Ludwig, 1996; Kleck, 2001a). Almost all national survey estimates indicate that defensive gun uses by victims are at least as common as offensive uses by criminals, with estimates of annual uses ranging from about 500,000 to more than 3 million (Kleck, 2001a), in the context of about 300,000 violent crimes involving firearms in 2008 (BJS, 2010). National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2013. Priorities for Research to Reduce the Threat of Firearm-Related Violence. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/18319.
This part talks about the study you directly linked, which states that respondents were not ansed specifically about defensive gun use.
On the other hand, some scholars point to a radically lower estimate of only 108,000 annual defensive uses based on the National Crime Victimization Survey (Cook et al., 1997). The variation in these numbers remains a controversy in the field. The estimate of 3 million defensive uses per year is based on an extrapolation from a small number of responses taken from more than 19 national surveys. The former estimate of 108,000 is difficult to interpret because respondents were not asked specifically about defensive gun use. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2013. Priorities for Research to Reduce the Threat of Firearm-Related Violence. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/18319.
So no, it’s not, it’s also lacking heavily in studies…and as I said why one of reasons the CDC pulled the numbers.
TL;DR
Ammosexuals will write down novels trying to justify their urge to gun down people.
Way to ignore the data kid.
When the average right winger treats guns like toys it’s a good sign for every leftist to also own guns.
I can’t fathom how people saw police beating protesters to death in 2020, are decrying the new Trump presidency as the rise of fascism in America, and still believe that the government should be the only ones with firepower in their hands.
Now is exactly the time when the left should be rallying behind the second amendment.
Ah yes. The true red blooded American solution; the only way to solve a serious problem is to escalate it out of proportion.
Why is arming yourself in self defense escalating it out of proption when leftists do it?
*When anyone does it.
The solution to there being too many guns is to remove the guns. Not add more.
Cool, well that’s definitely not an option now that we voted in a right wing fascist.
Maybe once leftists get in charge again we can try passing reasonable gun laws again
I dont see a problem with owning guns. Its just taken too lightly in the states. To get a gun where im at, you need to get certified - theoretical, physical and psychological tests are done. And no one starts pissing about personal freedoms if they fail these tests. I think you also need to be member of a shooting club. Point is, you need to demonstrate your ability to handle a weapon responsibly. Im not one to confuse correlation with causation but… you dont see many stories of shootings here.
Aren’t shooting clubs and the licensing prohibitively expensive? This is just to disarm the working class. If the poor can’t afford equal protection they are slaves.
I wouldn’t look at it from that perspective. Similar situation with driving licenses, which require first aid training, 20+ hours of driving lessons with an instructor, theory lessons, testing, and costly things of that nature. If you want a gun and are fit to own one, you will not have a problem doing so, no matter your class.
And that is where the difference between privileges and rights is. Privileges exist by definition for the privileged.
At the same time, sometimes driving license requirements feel like they are too high and a racket.
I got my scooter license by answering 48/50 questions right and doing a 4 hour practical course at the driving center to get it on the same day. I paid $50 to do it.
This license allows me to drive a 50cc bike like an Aprilia RS50, which can hit the speed limit when I drive it on the same roads as everyone else.
First aid is fair enough, but why do I have to pay $1500 to attend a driving school and answer 100 questions or pay $80 to take the 2% chance of passing it at the license test center (because the test is graded by cops and one of the cushy jobs for them before retirement is as advisors at driving schools) to be able to ride something that is marginally faster and heavier?
Cool, if the dumb as shit fascist down the street owns a gun and wants you to die for being different then you need to protect yourself.
Every time I see someone say that even the most lenient of gun regulations shouldn’t be passed in the U.S., all I can do is picture them at home calling their guns “precious” like Gollum.
That’s really what it comes down to.
These people want an “excuse” to murder someone.
Yes those people do
And then there’s a ton of people that have guns, train when they can and hope they never have to use their skills outside of the range or competitions. We never ever hear about them because they are normal people
The reality is that most of the imagined scenarios which cause a person to want a gun for self defense are rooted in some form of these same delusions. They really are just not as useful in as many situations as people think they are, and these people almost never take far simpler measures to deal with their real threat profile.
Yes. Thankfully not everyone who owns a gun is like these weirdos though.
Lol I have several guns. Some I don’t know if I even have ammo for them at all.
I can’t imagine the mindset these types of owners have. They are afraid and they want to murder someone. I can’t imagine
Hell, the few rifles I have are stored with the firing bolts removed and locked up separately.
If I had to kill somebody, I’d be scarred for life. Even if it was clearly in self defense.
Yet I’ve talked to gun owners who fantasize about getting the drop on a burglar and shooting them dead or something like that. I don’t know if they’re actually that bloodthirsty or just delusional, but either way it’s pretty disturbing.
It’s both.
Our systems have taught them that criminals are worthless disgusting inhuman animals who deserve death, and they’ve never considered the trauma associated with killing someone.
Plenty of veterans lives are ruined by shit like that, and they signed up for it. A little basement dwelling incel couldn’t even comprehend the trauma.
And let’s not forget the statistics of the people who break into your house. It’s likely someone you know. Are you prepared to shoot your friend?
I think it’s the marketing. Everything has to me monetized or giggified and it’s hard for us to just do stuff for no good reason (like collect and/or shoot guns). We’ve got to justify by protecting ou family from the zombie apocalypse or crime waves or something.
I think a lot of it is whistling in the dark as well. Our powerlessness coupled with hyper individualism and lack of social support makes for some pretty uncomfortable truths.
Plus the grab bag of racism and misdirected class fear.
Oh same. I’ve talked with friends about conceal carry. We all agree it would be the scariest thing possible to actually need to use it. We’ll pretty much want to exhaust all other options including running the fuck away first.
We couldn’t imagine the idea of actually living with having murdered someone. I know I’d pretty much immediately end up in therapy to help process it.
I do get what you are saying, and may offer some pov. I do not perceive anyone who breaks into my house as human, simply because I am aware of how weak I am. Not a gun owner, but if I am in kitchen, trust me I am grabbing a knife - anything to level the playing field - and setting myself on fight rather than flight.
But it’s mostly fear and adrenaline. If something happened, I have no doubt I would go for it to secure mine and my partner security. How much of a wreck I’d be later remains to be seen, though for sure it would hit me hard.
Honestly, not much difference between that and chihuahua. Fight to kill out of fear.
Honestly, not much difference between that and chihuahua. Fight to kill out of fear.
Yeah. Everyone has a right to pursue a safe place to be.
If someone or something puts me in an unsafe enough position, I might have to go through them instead of around them to get to safety.
There’s no shame in that. It’s also nothing to be proud of. It just is.
I’ve had two different very realistic dreams (years ago) where I shot someone and both of them were terrifying. It’s not something I’d look forward to. It’d definitely ruin my week if not my entire month.
Yeah. Absolutely. Even having been robbed a few times really messed with my head. I would hate to have to live with worse.
But I still figure people have a right to seek a safe place to be, and cornered people have a right to use violence, to reach a safe place.
I’ll allow there might even be other times when violence might be moral, since life can get pretty complex, but I hope to live my life without having to make that call.
But I believe that when cornered is the only time a human can use violence with a totally free conscience.
It’s why Sun Tzu advised we always give even our worst enemy an escape route. It’s much better to not have to fight at all, than to have to win a fight with a desperate enemy.
I wouldn’t mind having to kill anyone. It would definitely give me joy and excitement although I don’t actively hope I’ll get to use my gun.
You sound like a responsible gun owner and not a gun nut.
Ammosexual
Every Republican ever be like
Anyways, that’s how i killed my daughter.
Thanks for reminding me of Cyanide and Happiness’ Guns short.
Murica.
opens closet
finds box with “Retirement Policy” written on it
yep, safe and sound
After not being able to find a job with a 401(k), and knowing that the incoming administration is gonna gut social security… Yup.
Tons of jobs with joke-ass 401ks they wear in their sleeve that they don’t match or give any incentive whatsoever for, and hope you’ll forget about when you leave.
When my company told us they didn’t match, I asked why bother, then found out $25 was mandatory. Hell.
Untill then there’s lots of schools.
Sounds like you have an obsession with guns
That is the joke
