rogerj

I assume you have never shot a gun. I also assume you have never spent any time educating yourself about gun ownership, gun safety, gun laws, etc. That explains your questions and confusions.

Before I continue... a few questions for you. What are your plans if you are awakened in the night by an intruder? I know this will never happen to you, but just in case, what will you do? (scream..., yell..., grab the phone..., grab a bat..., curl up like a bitch and hope for the best...?). I know you will never get car jacked, but what would you do if that happened? I know you will never be in a convenience store or restaurant that gets robbed or shot up, etc. You get my point.

I am 37 yrs old and bought my first gun 4 yrs ago. My condo was burglarized and my fiancee walked in on the burglary. They did not touch her, but she was at their mercy. She got very lucky and has been tormented coming home alone ever since! They could of done whatever they wanted, she was at their mercy. Never Again!! After this I still never considered a gun. I installed an alarm with motion detectors etc. Two months later, my nosy neighbor observes a stranger casing my condo while my fiancee is home alone. She confronts the stranger, he acts funny, she calls the cops, he takes off running. They can't find him.

I do research about self defense, guns, gun safety, marksmanship, rifles, pistols, revolvers, etc etc etc.

My fiancee was very apprehensive about a gun in the house because her half-sister was shot and murdered 7 years ago by an ex-boyfriend. I bought a Ruger .357 revolver. This almost broke us apart but I refused to concede. I dragged her to the range. She shot about 3 shots. She hated it and the noise of the other shooters scared her silly and she walked out.

A few weeks later I convinced her to go again. She was fantastic and had a blast. She asked to rent a 9mm auto in addition to my revolver. She ended up not liking the auto and grew to like the revolver even more. She actually had fun shooting and ended up saving her targets.

When she is home alone now, she takes a pistol out of the safe and puts it on the night stand. She would not be home alone any other way now. I am proud that she now feels empowered and does not feel like a victim in our own home.

I ended up enjoying shooting as a sport, and this prompted the purchase of other guns... not just for sport, but as a challenge for sport AND self-defense at a variety of ranges and a variety of situations.

In addition to all of this. It is a Constitutional Right. I don't have to justify any of this to any of you confused individuals. My Constitution says so. I choose to explain... in the hopes that some of you on the fence will realize the importance of defending the Right of self-preservation.

Any of you that have posted here and have not joined the NRA, should do so NOW.

The suggestion/insinuation that gun owners/collectors/shooters must have a desire to shoot/kill/injure is paramount to suggesting that BMW owners must want to drive 150mph so they can run over people.

Ridiculous opinion promoted by ignorant/uneducated Ford Focus owners

Iceman

I tried... I shot at it and replaced my monitor... but it's still there...

unknown

let me just add that police are there AFTER the crime has been committed...

here's my reliable back up for 14 years!

5_Is_Alive

+1

pgetsch

protection and job requirement seems like a legitimate reason to owns guns. thanx for explaining

pgetsch

a few things on dave grossmans story, do you truely believe that we are all born with our lives planned out for us with no options, in this case a sheeps, wolves or sheepdogs? if that is true then why do we strive for something better if our outcome has already been decided?

although i believe that we need to take responsibilty to protect ourselves, who gives the "sheepdog" the right to step in and impose him or herself in a situation that does not involve them?

finally, i want to let be known that i am not for against gun ownership. i personally do not own one because i do not feel it is necessary to carry one in my line of work or in the area which i live. but i do feel that it is not the job of freelance "sheepdogs" to fight crime and protect the "sheep" from the "wolves" of the world. we employ and train security personel from the most basic to the highest level positons to handle those situations. i believe that sometimes those who think they have the obligation to protect those who are not asking for protection cause more harm than they prevent.

just my .02

pgetsch

by posting a simple question of "why", i knew i would get some backlash and finger pointing from some gun owners even though i specifically stated in my post that i was neither for or against gun ownership.

as i read your post i thought i was going to get an honest opinion without the usual down talking that seems to come from those who carry a weapon. but to no surpise of my own you feel the need to include this..."curl up like a bitch and hope for the best...?" and "i do not have to justify any of this to any of you". why is everyone who carries a gun so defensive about the fact that they carry a gun, ill never understand it.

my question to you is, in response to your story, what would you have done if you were home when the intruder broke in? scream, yell, curl up like a bitch? at that point you didnt have a gun? what would you have done? why are you so sure of gun ownership now but then you didnt see the need for a weapon? why did your "constitutional right" not matter when you were the proverbial "bitch"? your views on gun control are not what bothers me...its the obvious contradictory statements that makes me believe that you are only brave because you have a gun. that, my friend, is a recipe for disater.

in additon, no where in my post did mention that gun owners are looking to shoot and kill people nor do i understand your comparison of bmw owners and ford focus drivers. i know many ford focus owners that are far more educated than bmw owners. so please refrain from grouping people in educational classes according to car they drive, that is ironically is ignorance at its worst.

rogerj

Hardly sounds like a simple question of why? Sounds like a sarcastic commentary.


If you can READ... I clearly stated this burglary was the initial incident that prompted my journey to becoming a gun owner. So to answer your question, if I had been home when this occurred, yes, my options would have been very limited, (especially if they were armed), as yours are now. These incidents were enlightening and made me realize that I was not as prepared as I should be, to protect myself, my family, or for them to protect themselves if I am not around.

Nothing about any of that is contradictory! It is about learning and growing from experience and being open to change.

And who said anything about bravery? Recipe for disaster? You obviously do not know what you are talking about. I hope I never have to find out, but I would imagine that a life and death situation that required deadly force would be a traumatic, horrifying situation. Anyone who claims differently is lying. Ever heard of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome?


I never suggested that YOU mentioned that gun owners are looking to shoot/kill people, but if you have read any of the other firearm related threads here, those comments are always made by a handful of ignorant, anti-gun posters. I didn't suggest that Ford Focus owners were ignorant. I suggested that misguided opinions about gun owners by uninformed non-gun owners, is comparable to misguided opinions about BWM owners by uninformed non-BMW owners. I simply used Ford Focus as an example. Whew!


And lastly. Here is the OP's original post.
This makes your post here and your motives questionable. You are obviously not an enthusiast, but you felt the need to read the thread, and post "an honest question" as you say, but included your own sarcastic commentary about grenade launchers, 30 round clips, etc.

pgetsch

This makes your post here and your motives questionable. You are obviously not an enthusiast, but you felt the need to read the thread, and post "an honest question" as you say, but included your own sarcastic commentary about grenade launchers, 30 round clips, etc.


i will admit my grenade launcher comment was unnecessary but it was not susposed be sarcastic, it was a failed attempt at a joke. this did start off as a "honest question" but its seems as though it turned into a war of words. thats not what i wanted. i apologize if i bothered anyone by my original post but i am interested in some peoples views on gun ownership so those who want to reply please do. thanx

Krozi

A common misconception is that gun owners are blood thirsty killers who are just waiting for someone to rob them so they can finally shoot someone. (Not saying you are one of those people). The main reason to carry guns is obviously protection. In order to be prepared for every situation, different guns are needed for different environments. 12g Shotguns are good for home defense because they are extremely efficient in close quarters and have a lower penetration ability when compared to a 9mm or a .45. This is very important so you do not shoot your own family in the room behind the criminal. (Also there is proof that the sound of a shotgun being racked is enough to scare away potential criminals). For the car, you want a gun that is relatively compact but still retains a good ammo capacity. The 40 or 45 bullets are perfect in this situation because you want high stopping power since things can happen very quickly. For concealed carry, you want an extremely small gun with adequate stopping power. A small 5 shot J-frame revolver is very good choice, since revolvers are the most reliable type of handgun. You definitely want a J-frame that has the ability to shoot .357 Magnum Hollowpoints. (It is very tough practicing to shoot .357 out of such a small gun because after 5 rounds, your hand feels like it's going to snap off. It is seriously painful to target shoot with .357). Another alternative (but a very expensive one) is to buy a really small 9mm. Bigger 9mm guns will still suffice, but if you want a REALLY small gun that still has a decent sized bullet you need to buy a RohrBaugh. RohrBaugh currently manufactures the smallest 9mm to date. Now, for the boat. We often drive to the Caribbean and there is a risk of pirate attacks if you are not in a big group. This is what a AR-15 comes in quite handy. It is dead accurate, extremely reliable, and the .223 (556) round has very little recoil. The 7.62 has more stopping power but the .223 will still do A WHOLE LOT OF DAMAGE. The .223 is heavier in the back so once it enters a medium, the bullet starts tumbling, thus ripping everything to shreds. 20 gauge shotguns usually used for sport shooting and bird hunting. Clay pigeon shooting is one of the most fun shooting "sports" out there. .22 rounds are tiny little rounds that are mostly used for target shooting, and it is very difficult to kill someone with a .22 since they are more like BB pellets. The reason these rounds are used for target practice is because they are EXTREMELY cheap, as are the guns that shoot them.

The reason why a lot of gun owners have many guns that they really normally wouldn't need is because they are SO damn fun to shoot!!
It's like the mod bug!! Strictly, you only need one for the house, one for the car, and one for personal carry. But they are so much fun to shoot and you always want the latest guns and want to try out different guns and calibers. If you went to a shooting range and just rented a gun, I am sure you would get hooked. I have never once met any A**holes at shooting ranges. There people there are usually very nice and are always in a good mood. The shooting ranges are all very safe and people generally know what they are doing.


Hope this clears things up