4 ms·

"I don't need any more guns." Haha, that's not a phrase you often hear at a dinner table in Dublin :)

madengr 9y ago
Well I didn't say I didn't "want" any more. My grandmother lambasted that I only had 2 hands, and didn't need so many guns. I only need more when some politician is trying to take them.
- tonyedgecombe 9y ago
  I only need more when some politician is trying to take them. That sounds so strange from the other side of the Atlantic.
  - wavefunction 9y ago
    It sounds strange on this side of the Atlantic as well, and I own a few firearms myself.
    - madengr 9y ago
      Well Obama was the best gun salesman ever, so I'm not alone.
  - madengr 9y ago
    I'm sure it does, but there is a gun culture in the USA. You can go to a large gun store on a Friday night and just hang out and discuss guns. There will be 80 and 18 year olds there all chatting. Gun shows are not even about buying guns, it's a cultural gathering. When you attack guns you attack the culture, and there will be pushback. Same can be said for fox hunting, confederate flags, whaling, etc.
    - secfirstmd 9y ago
      Having served and learned to use weapons in the military. With a hell of a lot of training both as a solider then as an instructor, being around civilians and watching how badly/unsafely so many of them use weapons, I always find myself slightly nervous. Though as military I would also same the same about police :)
      - madengr 9y ago
        Totally agree. The two NDs I have seen in classes are cops, but only 10% of cops are probably gun enthusiasts; teh rest just shoot the minimum required per month, which is probably 25 rounds. I had my NRA instructor certs years ago, but won't teach due to insurance costs. Then again, the chances of civilians using weapons defensively in public are pretty low, so it's really not a risk worrying about. Just don't go to public shooting ranges. The number of holes in the ceilings tell it all. I feel perfectly safe doing IDPA, etc. and shooting on private ranges and clubs.
  - losteverything 9y ago
    I strongly recommend, at least once in your life, having a discussion or listening to gun enthusiasts. One on one. Not electronically. As far as an anthropological opportunity there are none better. Rarely does a subject rise to faith and rarely are discussions anything but binary. A rare opportunity i always enjoy with my gun friends.
- roywiggins 9y ago
  How does having more guns make it harder for "them" to take the guns away? We're at the point that every neighborhood could arm a decent-sized militia anyway.
  - madengr 9y ago
    Easy, it makes it a tougher problem for "them" (note I wrote "politicians") since there are simply more guns. It also expands the industrial base. I estimate the AR15 industry alone is probably $1B; shutting down that alone won't go over well. It's also just basic civil disobedience. If they want to ban encryption, you encrypt everything. If they want to ban guns, you buy more guns. If they want to ban pot, you have a smoke out on the capital grounds.

Well I didn't say I didn't "want" any more. My grandmother lambasted that I only had 2 hands, and didn't need so many guns. I only need more when some politician is trying to take them.

tonyedgecombe 9y ago
I only need more when some politician is trying to take them. That sounds so strange from the other side of the Atlantic.
- wavefunction 9y ago
  It sounds strange on this side of the Atlantic as well, and I own a few firearms myself.
  - madengr 9y ago
    Well Obama was the best gun salesman ever, so I'm not alone.
- madengr 9y ago
  I'm sure it does, but there is a gun culture in the USA. You can go to a large gun store on a Friday night and just hang out and discuss guns. There will be 80 and 18 year olds there all chatting. Gun shows are not even about buying guns, it's a cultural gathering. When you attack guns you attack the culture, and there will be pushback. Same can be said for fox hunting, confederate flags, whaling, etc.
  - secfirstmd 9y ago
    Having served and learned to use weapons in the military. With a hell of a lot of training both as a solider then as an instructor, being around civilians and watching how badly/unsafely so many of them use weapons, I always find myself slightly nervous. Though as military I would also same the same about police :)
    - madengr 9y ago
      Totally agree. The two NDs I have seen in classes are cops, but only 10% of cops are probably gun enthusiasts; teh rest just shoot the minimum required per month, which is probably 25 rounds. I had my NRA instructor certs years ago, but won't teach due to insurance costs. Then again, the chances of civilians using weapons defensively in public are pretty low, so it's really not a risk worrying about. Just don't go to public shooting ranges. The number of holes in the ceilings tell it all. I feel perfectly safe doing IDPA, etc. and shooting on private ranges and clubs.
- losteverything 9y ago
  I strongly recommend, at least once in your life, having a discussion or listening to gun enthusiasts. One on one. Not electronically. As far as an anthropological opportunity there are none better. Rarely does a subject rise to faith and rarely are discussions anything but binary. A rare opportunity i always enjoy with my gun friends.
roywiggins 9y ago
How does having more guns make it harder for "them" to take the guns away? We're at the point that every neighborhood could arm a decent-sized militia anyway.
- madengr 9y ago
  Easy, it makes it a tougher problem for "them" (note I wrote "politicians") since there are simply more guns. It also expands the industrial base. I estimate the AR15 industry alone is probably $1B; shutting down that alone won't go over well. It's also just basic civil disobedience. If they want to ban encryption, you encrypt everything. If they want to ban guns, you buy more guns. If they want to ban pot, you have a smoke out on the capital grounds.