I’m curious how a poll of folks on Qt3 would break down, and especially how it compares to the national average in the US (between 30-40%, according to a quick internet search).
The poll is anonymous, of course, but I’d love to hear the rationales from folks who do and don’t own guns. I imagine this might veer into a discussion of gun control laws and whatnot, and there’s a ten-year-old topic, still going strong, if folks are interested in the discussion that already exists:
But otherwise, I’d love to hear why anyone here does or doesn’t own a gun. I’ll go first and just say I don’t own one simply because it’s not something I anticipate ever needing.
Oh gosh, don’t point that thing at me. I mean, I think I made a reasonable post years ago to frame the discussion, but I kinda hate having my name/avatar attached to it at this point. And I would also not be at all surprised to find posts from myself that I would no longer support or even say “what I dumbass I was.”
No reason not to have one except that I don’t hunt and thus never purchased any since my bb/pellet guns days as a kid. Home protection is a thing, but not something I particularly worry about. I was supposed to get a couple of old shotguns from my father (one of them from his father) but that was back before covid and they never made the trip out here to bring them. It’s a bummer because one is a gorgeous little over/under 20gauge. If I had the money I wouldn’t mind collecting old guns. Like 1800s and earlier. But I’m not made of money and don’t have the place to store something like that.
I voted no, but note that I’m in Brazil and even with Bolsonaro’s attempts at arming the population, it still isn’t exactly easy to own a firearm, and it’s a lot harder even to be able to carry it. So there’s that.
Oops, I screwed up the poll and included a third answer when I posted it. It’s fixed now, but I had to wipe the 11 votes we had. :( I hope you 11 people revote!
We all know about your gun, JMJ. This poll is about your firearm!
I don’t, because I figure it’s far more likely that I would injure myself with it than any potential home invaders. I do have a very sharp sword passed to me by a grandparent on hand for home defense.
When my father passed away I had my choice of several but I didn’t take any. I would never use it. I have shot a pistol and so I understand the fun one could get shooting at a paper target, but shooting at a live object, man or beast would be impossible for me.
I don’t, I just don’t see the need. I’m not nervous around them or anything, my father was a gun fetishist. I just have never felt like I needed one. I’m not interested in them for sport and despite a childhood spent hunting, I couldn’t bring myself to ever shoot an animal.
If I ever feel the need to have one for self defense, I should probably move to a different area.
My wife was my father in law’s only surviving child so we inherited a lot of random stuff including a pistol, a shotgun, and an M1 carbine. The carbine seemed to be the real WW2 era deal so it was sort of neat historically. We sold it quickly. The pistol and shotgun are still stored away in the house with no ammo because they are too generic to be worth much so I haven’t been bothered to sell them.
I can see the fun in target or skeet shooting or even hunting if you use the meat but I have no desire to do any of it.
Bought one in 1983 (?) at age 23 because one of girlfriend’s brothers was after me, and I was literally in fear of my life. The guy had just got out prison (for picking a guy up and jamming his head through a ceiling) and swore he’d kill me. He had spent the previous 5 years in prison cultivating a Hulk Hogan physique, and this guy was big to begin with. And yeah, it’s a very long story.
tl;dr It made me feel better. And it was fun to shoot. It’s a .357 Magnum.
So much better that I bought two more in the next 10 years, and became a card-carrying member of the NRA. Bought their whole spiel.
Years later, I somehow came to realize that some (most?) of these folks are just paranoid and/or insane. As was I.
The guy I was scared of went back to prison in 1985 for another assault. I believe he was released one more time, and then went back permanently. He’s still inside to this day.
My handguns? I know where one of them is. The other two I lost track of years ago. I’ve actually looked for them and cannot find them. Probably buried in one of my junk rooms, lost forever.
It’s honestly never even seriously occurred to me. I’m not sure I know anyone in person who does own a gun (I’m told there was a gun in my grandpa’s house but I never once saw it). I’ve never found them interesting or exciting. And I’ve never felt like I needed one for any reason - I have no intention of hunting, have never been convinced of them as a self-defense tool but haven’t ever felt like I needed self-defense gear anyway, have certainly never seriously desired to kill anyone, etc.
I don’t begrudge people them if they feel they have the need, take them appropriately seriously (training, safety precautions, etc) and ideally never bring them into my presence. Their potential involvement never makes me feel safer, though.
I have a pistol. I bought it years ago when I was in the military. Mainly just to go out shooting with friends, which was fun. I haven’t even opened its box in years. I should probably try to sell it.
I loved plinking stuff when I was a kid, but I lived on a farm. I think I would still enjoy going to a shooting range even today but I have no urge to actually own a weapon, especially now that I have two kids in my house.
Several pistols and a couple of shotguns, mostly for me and my son to go plinking around when we’re on vacation, and for skeet shooting which we both enjoy. We’re not serious about it or anything. Just for fun.
I grew up around guns and was in the military, so I don’t fear them…and you never know when something goes down and a gun comes in handy, even if it’s unlikely.
I don’t but I would if my wife didn’t object to them. Grew up with them, hunted small game as a kid in northern Michigan. Guns are fun to shoot. One of my neighbors is way into guns, she makes her own ammo and owns at least 20 handguns. She is extremely responsible and very progressive. It is fun going to the range with her so that provides my fix.
I highly recommend Dan Baum’s Gun Guys: A Road Trip.
