Guns and Knives make anyone else feel out of place or uneasy?

radellaf · Feb 3, 2011

Just wondering if any other flashlight / battery hobbyists find all the weapon stuff connected with flashlights kind of... uncomfortable?

I have similar issues with Photography groups and Geocaching groups, in that I have no interest in the artistic competitiveness of the former, or the enthusiasm for outdoor exercise of the latter. I just like cool gadgets like cameras and GPS receivers (at least when they were less common). How to take good pics or find caches was important, but just to the extent of being able to make expert use of the electronics. Side note, I was interested in math at a young age mostly to learn what all the keys on my TI-30 calculator were good for.

Anyway, similar thing on these forums except that the whole weapon thing is more emotionally charged. I grew up with anti-Vietnam parents and went to a Quaker high school (Quakers are pacifists). I fired some guns about 10 years ago at a range and frankly, they left me feeling very uncomfortable. Just the sound of the Ruger Redhawk magnum sounded like death to me. It was clear that these were absolutely not toys. And, they don't make me think of winning wars or defending myself; they just make me think that they are made to kill things, plain and simple.

FWIW, doesn't help me fit in with my friends generally, but I'm totally against gun control, or even limits on clip sizes. Maybe better control of who gets what kind how fast, but to me it's tech and if you want it, you should be able to buy it. No amendment required for me, even.

Anyway, I'm just into lights and electronics, and the whole gun enthusiasm (and survivalist conservative/libertarian vibe that sometimes comes with) sits badly with me.

Just curious if anyone else feels similarly. No offense to gun fans, but just wondering I I'm the only one here kinda uncomfortable with it.

Dustykicks · Mar 16, 2011

I would certainly be considered pro-gun... but also share your concerns for the who, and the how fast...

o0o · Mar 16, 2011

No...

I'm a life NRA member, and to me tactical flashlights and firearms are complementary tools...

But I respect all viewpoints. As long as people don't want to enforce their views on others.

It is one thing to have an opinion, it is another to try to make others live by it via laws and regulations.

Imon · Mar 17, 2011

I can sympathize radellaf. I consider myself a bit of a hippie and definitely left-leaning yet I own about a dozen guns. I don't hunt or belong to the NRA or think I need to use it to secure my freedoms from an oppressive government (I'm not that paranoid

). I just like to shoot paper. It's a fun, but very expensive, hobby. And I'm not a fudd - I love so called "tactical" guns (my apologies to those who think this is a pejorative term).

Yet the past few years have been tremendously exciting for gun owners both old and new. There have been many new gun owners who have discovered the joys of shooting and I think they've become fairly well integrated. :sigh: I remember when a box of 9mm was $5.

I think the key really is to not only become familiarized with guns but also with other gun owners. I think if most non-gun owners discovered that many of their everyday coworkers and friends were also gun owners, regardless of politics, it would bring some perspective to what a typical gun owner is like. And not just some drunk country bumpkin sitting on his porch shooting empty beer cans off his fence.

angelofwar · Mar 17, 2011

Imon said:
And not just some drunk country bumpkin sitting on his porch shooting empty beer cans off his fence.

What's wrong with that???

JK!

Only in the hands of untrained individuals (including friends and family), as well as unstable individuals. Beligerant people with alcohol make me more nervous than people with guns. I'm a gun guy, but it's not necessarily out of paranoia...1) I hunt 2) Protection (from "whatever")

"There is no safety for honest men except by believing all possible evil of evil men"~Edmund Burke

Don't be fooled...there's bad people out there...in your town even...just hope that a "sheep-dog" is around...

I understand it's not for every-one. My wife's granpa killed himself with a gun, and I was surprised she let me keep the guns I have and even buy more...but, they give her a sense aof security because 1) I'm one of the good-guys, and 2) I'm pretty stable (most people think anyways...)

Linger · Mar 17, 2011

radellaf,
Yes.
Sometimes cpf'ers post glamorizing/porn pics of weapons that can make any simple flashlight thread nsfw. Can't have a manager walk by and see a softly lit tactical vest with a handgun and some suggetive rounds layed about. (it seems most people won't recognize the flashlight in a 'flashlight and gun' picture')

mvyrmnd · Mar 17, 2011

Didn't this topic get closed before the crash?

angelofwar · Mar 17, 2011

mvyrmnd said:
Didn't this topic get closed before the crash?

Almost

KC_451 · Mar 17, 2011

radellaf said:
Just wondering if any other flashlight / battery hobbyists find all the weapon stuff connected with flashlights kind of... uncomfortable?

I have similar issues with Photography groups and Geocaching groups, in that I have no interest in the artistic competitiveness of the former, or the enthusiasm for outdoor exercise of the latter. I just like cool gadgets like cameras and GPS receivers (at least when they were less common). How to take good pics or find caches was important, but just to the extent of being able to make expert use of the electronics. Side note, I was interested in math at a young age mostly to learn what all the keys on my TI-30 calculator were good for.

Anyway, similar thing on these forums except that the whole weapon thing is more emotionally charged. I grew up with anti-Vietnam parents and went to a Quaker high school (Quakers are pacifists). I fired some guns about 10 years ago at a range and frankly, they left me feeling very uncomfortable. Just the sound of the Ruger Redhawk magnum sounded like death to me. It was clear that these were absolutely not toys. And, they don't make me think of winning wars or defending myself; they just make me think that they are made to kill things, plain and simple.

FWIW, doesn't help me fit in with my friends generally, but I'm totally against gun control, or even limits on clip sizes. Maybe better control of who gets what kind how fast, but to me it's tech and if you want it, you should be able to buy it. No amendment required for me, even.

Anyway, I'm just into lights and electronics, and the whole gun enthusiasm (and survivalist conservative/libertarian vibe that sometimes comes with) sits badly with me.

Just curious if anyone else feels similarly. No offense to gun fans, but just wondering I I'm the only one here kinda uncomfortable with it.

o0o said:
No...

I'm a life NRA member, and to me tactical flashlights and firearms are complementary tools...

But I respect all viewpoints. As long as people don't want to enforce their views on others.

It is one thing to have an opinion, it is another to try to make others live by it via laws and regulations.

Just as triple o stated, "tactical flashlights and firearms are complementary tools..."

When properly employed the light allows the firearm to be a much safer tool.

redaudi · Mar 17, 2011

Firearms are tools. Flashlights are tools. Knives are tools.

To me, it's the person behind the tool that causes the problem, not the tool itself. The argument I've used in the past is that blaming guns for violence is like blaming the spoon for making one overweight. "If it weren't for that spoon, I wouldn't have been able to eat all of that ice cream"... etc.

In reality, you take the guns and knives away, and violence will still be done. They'll just use something like a bat, or a 2x4, or something else.

Guns themselves are not inherently bad, it takes a human to use it for bad purposes. Left alone, a gun will just sit there and not do anything.

That all being said,I think people need to behave smarter around firearms. The stories you hear of a round ''accidentally'' going off while the weapon was being cleaned, ''not knowing'' it was loaded, anything like that, drives me absolutely insane. It makes me so freaking mad it's ridiculous. People are so STUPID sometimes when it comes to handling these things, and the use of these things, that they get cast in a bad light. Granted, i've got 6.5 years in the military (my entire adult life, joined at 17), and I've had it pounded into my skull that there is a very specific way you treat firearms.

When it really comes down to it, that's where I sit on the issue. But, the above is all my opinion, and nobody has to agree with any or all of it.

angelofwar · Mar 17, 2011

Well said redaudi...especially about the gun being left alone and doing nothing.

FroggyTaco · Mar 17, 2011

I was at a firearms training course(Front Sight) about 3 years ago and halfway through the course when all of us came together to eat lunch(about 400 of us) I have never felt "safer" in my whole life. So no the guns n flashlight stuff doesn't make me feel uncomfortable.

Diesel_Bomber · Mar 17, 2011

I am quite the opposite from the OP. Firearms comfort me greatly, and I am a staunch Libertarian. Firearms and knives being mixed in with flashlights doesn't bother me in the slightest.

I have solid reasons for my opinion, but the OP has asked for our opinion only, not our reasoning behind our opinions.

300winmag · Mar 17, 2011

I remember it being closed....

jtr1962 · Mar 17, 2011

Nope, don't make me uncomfortable in the least, although I'm probably a minority given my location.

Illum · Mar 18, 2011

Guns and knives possess intimidation in its very existance, therefore it requires the user to possess respect for them rather than flaunting them about. Their power to take life is as real as a car is, and cars intimidated me until I was about 20, which mom told dad to tell me I have to learn how to drive instead of riding on a bicycle across 3 high ways combining almost 9 miles of distance traveled daily. There lies tremendous responsibility in driving a car, the momentum and kinetic energy are just as incredible as bullets. But after while you'll get used to it and feel the car to be an extension of your body. I have not been able to say the same about lights or knives, but I can now say the same thing about guns. Do I like to shoot them? No, but I like cleaning them. Do I like driving? its more of a necessity than liking. In some professions, gun handling is a necessity, in those circumstances to be proficient in your job personal/emotional uneasiness must be resolved.

blasterman · Mar 18, 2011

I live in West Michigan, which unlike the East side of the State has a very pro-gun culture. Even though we have pretty liberal CCW regulations I know of very few people who are packing.

Friends who visit from Chicago, or Detroit or New York tend to have a more 'populist' and anti-fire arm stance. It's otherwise not an issue around here. A conversation that starts with debating gun ownership almost always ends up discussing what's the best way to cook venison or duck - as it should be - I guess.

So, the degree you feel uneasy about it seems to have a lot to do with where you live and the surrounding culture.

jforbush · Mar 18, 2011

I carry "tools" every day.....flashlight, knife and a gun. :wave:

357mag1 · Mar 18, 2011

They are simply tools and if a gun or knife makes you feel uneasy then you shouldn't use it without some training. Much like learning how to use a lathe in shop class or Dad teaching me proper use of a chainsaw (now there is a intimidating piece of gear). That being said I've been around people who use guns, knives and other tools that make me uncomfortable. Best solution is to quickly get away from such people.

I'm glad our forefathers were experienced enough to use these tools properly and secure our freedom.

smokelaw1 · Mar 18, 2011

Guns don't scare me in the least....but BULLETS...man, bullets give me the creeps!

JK. I have been a competitve shooter, a recreational shooter, and a knife hobbyist for most of my adult life. The VAST majority of people I have met through these hobbies are the most stable, well adjusted people I've ever met.

Now, situationally, sure, they can make me uncomfortable. If I saw someone treating either in a way I didn't think gave the tool the proper respect, which is indicative of them not appreciating the catastrophic damage they can cause...yes, I'm uncomfortable. but that's the person PLUS the item...not the item by itself. Not jsut the person by themself either....I must admit. Just a weirdo...I'm confident in my abilities to handle the situation. A weirdo with a gun or knife....yeah, we've got some issues.

If I see someone carrying in a not-too-concealed manner, this makes me uncomfortable....to me it shows a lack of respect for the strict concealed-carry laws in my state. With rights, come the responsibiltiy to be nearly obsessive in following the rules, both written and unwritten.

Guns and Knives make anyone else feel out of place or uneasy?

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