Guns...for or against???

[Laker]

Just wanted to ask as I recently decided to pick up a pistol and get my CCW license. It has been very hard to find ammo since Obama was elected. Gun and ammo sales are skyrocketing. His election was the best thing to happen to gun shops and the manufacturers, at least for the moment.

DW is not a fan, but she is a sport about it.

My decisions to buy was 1. a new hobby, 2. love to support my constitutional rights, and 3. defense.

What are your thoughts?

[DCJenn]

In a nutshell-

I think they're absolutely useless and don't see the need.

Since they're never going to go away in this country, I'd just appreciate it if you gun owners would keep them locked in your homes or locked in a case on the way to a range or to hunt.

Please refrain from keeping them anywhere else because I don't trust that the bad guys are not going to steal your gun from you and accidentally kill me with it.

Thanks.

Jenn

[SuzySunshine]

I think basic guns (basic pistols, hunting guns) in responsible gun owners hands are fine. I think assault type weapons and most automatic weapons are TOTALLY pointless and shouldn't be allowed to be sold anywhere but the military and the police.

My father is an avid hunter and while he hunts with bows mostly now he has a gun collection which he keeps in a gun safe in a locked closet. Its always the first door my husband checks when we visit. He is in law enforcement so he does carry a duty gun but the rest of his guns are purely for hunting and therefore are your basic 22 or shotgun.

DH and I will never own a gun we don't see the need. I'm sure my kids will learn to shoot under grandpa's watchful eye someday when they are hunter safety course age which I think is 13 and I'm fine with that.

However I think there is always a risk, even the most careful gun owners can have accidents. A child was killed in my hometown recently after he, his brother and his father had been out target hunting. They came home the older brother was unloading the guns from the truck - one went off and killed the little brother instantly. I would never want one of my children to live with that burden. However there were also several things in that accident that could have been avoided, the guns shouldn't have been loaded in a moving vehicle and the safeties should have been on.

So long answer short for responsible people yes, for idiots and automatic weapons no way.

[Meenah]

I know it isn't realistic, but would love to see them all disappear.

[Momo]

In a nutshell-

I think they're absolutely useless and don't see the need.

Since they're never going to go away in this country, I'd just appreciate it if you gun owners would keep them locked in your homes or locked in a case on the way to a range or to hunt.( FOR FOOD)!

Please refrain from keeping them anywhere else because I don't trust that the bad guys are not going to steal your gun from you and accidentally kill me with it.

Thanks.

Jenn

ITA oh & I added the red.

Support your right and all of your reasons. Bad guys have their own guns. I would not be sad if one of them ran into yours while invading your castle.

Don't have one myself yet.

As I work on controlling my softball bat to place the ball where I want it to land and work on Wii tennis don't trust myself with a firearm.

[GrayMatterWife]

My decisions to buy was . . . 2. love to support my constitutional rights . . .

What are your thoughts?

Well, owning a gun is one way to support your Constitutional right to bear arms under the Second Amendment, and it is certainly the only way to actually assert that right. However, you can support the right without asserting it personally. Myself, I wouldn't buy a gun for the purpose of asserting my right under the Second Amendment. If I purchase a gun, it would be because--for whatever reason--I specifically wanted to own a gun. I guess I see my assertion of my Second Amendment right to be more coincidental, rather than causal.

Enjoy your new hobby! My hubby likes to shoot.

[GrayMatterWife]

I know it isn't realistic, but would love to see them all disappear.

I think of it this way: in an ideal world, the Second Amendment would be mooted. But since guns aren't going to disappear, I don't want the Second Amendment to, either.

[Rapunzel]

I think after all these years I could probably make a list of those on here for and agin' the old gun/Second Ammendment issue.

LOL

And, I think that's all I'm going to say. (shocker )

[TulipsAndSunscreen]

I grew up with shotguns for skeet shooting and hunting (mostly skeet - very few times did we actually kill animals). I think it's fine to teach kids in a safe environment and all of our guns were kept in a locked case at the skeet shooting place where we went. They were never stored in our home. Skeet is a great way to learn gun safety without killing anything.

Where I grew up (Maryland close to the Eastern shore), lots of kids in fact I would say most, are exposed to shotguns in some way. As long as you don't allow it to become an obsession (especially with little boys), I think it's ok.

We never used handguns. Handguns are designed to kill people. You don't kill animals or shoot skeet with handguns. Thus, it was deemed unnecessary for our education to ever handle one.

[Meenah]

I think after all these years I could probably make a list of those on here for and agin' the old gun/Second Ammendment issue.

LOL, I think most of us old timers could!!!! I actually had that same thought before I posted.

[rainbabies]

LOL, I think most of us old timers could!!!! I actually had that same thought before I posted.

LOL.

We have guns. They're locked up with trigger locks. The ammo is hidden away. One shot gun that's antique and doesn't work. One rifle. One hand gun that is the same that dh had in the army.
No hunting here. Target practice only. Our kids aren't allowed to have toy guns. If they're going to learn about guns, it will be the real thing. They don't even know we have them...they're not allowed to make gun signs with their hands or play with sticks in that manner. The schools here are very strict. Any mention of guns, or gun sounds aren't tolerated.

Oh...and what cheri said sums it up for me.

[Chrisada]

My father, a judge in a very scary city has actually been doing a gun program since I was little. Basically, if you get caught with a gun there, you have to go to this class. His issue and my issue, are men carrying guns around for "protection" on the streets. Now, he does own a gun. But it is registered, locked and hidden (hey he is a judge in a very scary city!) My other father also always owned registered guns. But we were never around them. DH also wants a gun so bad, but I've said a big no to that. And yes, we are all Democrats! Personally, guns scare the shit out of me. And my 2.5 year-old is obsessed with them.

[ladymoreta]

I guess I'd fall in the "for" category. We don't own a gun, but that's because neither DH nor I have had any training. I would love to take a class (when we can afford it), and if I felt comfortable enough after that, we might get one. I think I would prefer to get a taser, though. They're only very rarely fatal, so I know I wouldn't hesitate to use it. I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to pull the trigger if there was a chance I would kill someone, even if I was in danger.

I totally agree with not letting kids "play guns" with their fingers, with toys, anything. We had one toy gun when I was little, and it wasn't any fun to play with because we got in so much trouble if we even accidentally dropped it or if any of us was anywhere in front of it. It definitely taught me gun safety, though, without actually being around a real one.

With all that being said, though, I like the idea of there being (well-trained) people out there carrying guns. Just knowing that the good guys are also potentially armed should a nasty situation develop makes me feel better. I really don't like the idea of concealed weapons being illegal because then you're depending on the bad guys following a rule that doesn't benefit them. And no, I don't believe we can prevent the bad guys from obtaining guns.

[Flynn]

In a nutshell-

I think they're absolutely useless and don't see the need.

Since they're never going to go away in this country, I'd just appreciate it if you gun owners would keep them locked in your homes or locked in a case on the way to a range or to hunt.

Please refrain from keeping them anywhere else because I don't trust that the bad guys are not going to steal your gun from you and accidentally kill me with it.

Thanks.

Jenn

What Jenn said.