Guns and marriage

I found this Newsweek article interesting.

GUNS: DIFFERENT STATES OF MIND

Brightnorm

At least she appears to see both sides. Seems like most people can't see anything beyond themselves, or what the voices from the tv tell them to.
Rather than rant about liberals, and their demonization (is that a word?) of inanimate objects, I'll just commend her for trying to be objective...

Good for her for having an opinion. She is aware of the differences and is willing to try to see the other end of the spectrum.

I like guns. I have more in my house than I do lamps /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
My wife hates (hated) guns...but she's had to learn to live with them. An experience we had in Georgia made her realize the importance of firearms, but she still doesn't like them.

If it's any consolation to her, she has some hobbies that I don't much care for either /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

-Jason

That was pretty interesting. I too like guns and don't understand people who are afraid of them. Imagine being afraid of an inanimate object!

It seems pretty silly, but if you watch too many movies and tv shows you will get the impression that only "bad" people can actually handle guns without killing themselves, then you will see the steriotypical woman who "has a gun and knows how to use it" being attacked by an unarmed baddie and somehow the she always gets her weapon taken away from her and ends up worse off than before, of course then the angry boyfreind/husband jumps in and beats the crap out of the perp and everybody lives happily ever after (except the bad guy of course). Life isn't like that. In real life, the gun is the great equaliser, it allows the slightest woman to take on the biggest brute and come out alive! I see the gun as a tool to be used responisibly, and like most tools, if you misuse it, you will get hurt!

Just my $0.02

Being bestowed with the responsibility of firearms ownership at a young age was probably the most character building episode in my life and it helped to form my high regard for civil responsibility. They were and are not toys and are good sport but more importantly they are still, the "teeth" of liberty.

My wife shows no real interest in shooting, she shot with her family growing up but never really took to it, I think the noise bothers her, I keep telling her the hearing protection has changed and she might enjoy it now that she's much older. One of my Sisters and my Mom shoot. Alot of my friends shoot with their wives and one friend who is on the fence about guns was rather visibly disturbed when during a group conversation on the subject his wife said "I'd like to learn to shoot!" She has a doctorate in forensic psychology and works with FBI agents on occasion and was impressed by the nonchalant way a rather petit female agent wore her weapon, piqued her interest and made her think "If she can handle a firearm, I can too!"

I read an article recently about a woman who's 11 year old boy was begining to show an interest in owning a gun. Rather than dismiss it and enforce the standard liberal parental "No guns in my house" (a lousy way to prepare your kids for the day they may wind up in the same room as a loaded weapon if you ask me) policy she agreed to get the boy a .22 as long as everyone in the household attended firearms training together (girls included) suprise, suprise they all found it interesting and exciting and I believe a new household of shooters was born.

One problem with the article though, what states allow machine guns without a extremely difficult to get and expensive federal class III license again? last time I checked it was oh, I don't know, 0, nada, the big goose egg, zilch!

Oh and don't forget what Frued said about the fear of weapons! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

TSG /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I showed my guns to my GF before she became my wife. She was hesitant at first. Honestly she thought "What am I getting into with this guy, is he a gun nut?!?!?" I taught her and her son and daughters and mine how to (and how not to) shoot. As it happens my wife is a natural. She first touched a gun 4 years ago. Now, she loves to plink with my .45. I like to plink with my .22! She kicks *** with the .45 though, always ends up tearing out the center of the target.

Then we walk over to the rifle range and she punches out 3-5 shot 1 hole groups with my .308 for the rest of the afternoon. ;-) The guys at the range love her. They all come over and show her their new guns, "Here try this", etc. I wish I had her talent. She's had no formal training and yet she gives me a run for the money every time we compete.

She had no idea what she was missing for the first half of her life. Now, I can tell, she feels stronger. She knows she can take care of herself, the house, the kids...

It's a good thing.

Amen and pass the ammo!

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tkl said:
Amen and pass the ammo!

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/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinser2.gif

Part of the original article says "he keeps a few weapons for use on burglars and squirrels". I like squirrels, I keep feeding them apples ans nuts in the winter to get them to climb a christmas tree in our garden. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

I was curious about the machine guns part too...maybe the guy's an NFA dealer, with rentals available at his range. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Kristof, I think she means he uses them on squirrels that get into his house and build nests there, I doubt he goes around gleefully blowing away random squirrels. Friend of mine had a squirrel get into his room by way of the eaves and a small hole in the wall, thing went berserk and scared the crap outta him until he trapped it and put it outside again, he had to mesh up the open eaves to keep them from getting in there and making nests, got noisy when they did.

I do get tired of the "stupid redneck" references, it could be argued that any cultural phenomenon has it's detractors that are usually in the minority and the MM picture was a blatant misrepresentation of the NRA with trick editing and emphasis on the negitive end of the gunowner spectrum. If anyone were to attend the Convention, they would see the organization is about as honest a crossection of the American people as I've ever seen, people from every race, sex, age, profession and background and all of them about as laid back and nice as can be. I think knowing that your personal defense is firmly rooted within your own grasp breeds a confidence, a cheer, and civic mindedness that I've rarely seen in those who place their ultimate defense (wrongly, IMHO) in the hands of others. I personally think it is a very mature attitude that can comfortably assume responsibility for one's self and family's protection and their training and preparedness. I am glad she acknowleges the positive attitudes of gunowners even if she can't seem to figure out where it comes from and how it manifests itself. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

TSG /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

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tsg68 said:
One problem with the article though, what states allow machine guns without a extremely difficult to get and expensive federal class III license again? last time I checked it was oh, I don't know, 0, nada, the big goose egg, zilch!

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It said they were legal. And with a license, they are (in over 40 states).
Kind of like driving a car is legal...with a license /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
And it's just a one-time transfer fee, though the paperwork is probably more of a pain than the fee.

If you want to be particular about what's legal when and where and what's not, you only need a license to drive a car on public roads. ;-) Ownership and operation of any kind of vehicle that I know of on private property requires nothing from the government.

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tsg68 said:
I personally think it is a very mature attitude that can comfortably assume responsibility for one's self and family's protection and their training and preparedness. I am glad she acknowleges the positive attitudes of gunowners even if she can't seem to figure out where it comes from and how it manifests itself. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

TSG /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

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As the Supreme court ruled that no leagal entity can be held liable for failing to protect you, this is a necessity. You must be prepared to protect yourself, and your family. The resposiblity lies with each of us, no one else.

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Kristofg said:
Part of the original article says "he keeps a few weapons for use on burglars and squirrels". I like squirrels, I keep feeding them apples ans nuts in the winter to get them to climb a christmas tree in our garden. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif



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I like squirrels too - BOTH in the garden, and on top of my stove - they fry up or stew up nice

I have absolutely no qualms whatsoever with a law-abiding citizen being armed. As a matter of fact I feel more afraid going to social functions when nobody is "packing". This gives bad guys "free-rein" to do whatever they want, knowing that no one else is armed. I think back to the Luby Texas killings where I read an article from a young woman who watched her parents being killed in front of her while she had to dive under tables to stay alive. She said she will forever be tortured by the fact that she NORMALLY carried a fire-arm in her purse, but on that particular day, she left it in the car... This is not to say that she would have stopped all the killings, but that at least she would have had a chance AT ALL to save her parents and others lives had she been carrying her weapon that day... Benjamin Franklin:
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759.......... Sir Walter Raleigh:
the cunning tyrant plans "To unarm his people, and store up their weapons, under pretense of keeping them safe..." 8 W. Raleigh, The Works of Sir Walter Raleigh, Kt., Now Collected 22, Oxford, 1829................. Mike Royko:
"It pains me to say this, but the NRA seems to be right: The cities and states that have the toughest gun laws have the most murder and mayhem." Washington Times, September 13, 1993

"Germans who wish to use firearms should join the SS or the SA -- ordinary citizens don't need guns, as their having guns doesn't serve the state." - Heinrich Himmler ............................................. "Both the oligarch and Tyrant mistrust the people, and therefore deprive them of arms."—Aristotle

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tsg68 said:
...I think knowing that your personal defense is firmly rooted within your own grasp breeds a confidence, a cheer, and civic mindedness that I've rarely seen in those who place their ultimate defense (wrongly, IMHO) in the hands of others. I personally think it is a very mature attitude that can comfortably assume responsibility for one's self and family's protection and their training and preparedness...TSG /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

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TSG,

A beautifully succinct quotable statement! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Brightnorm

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Owen said:
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tsg68 said:
One problem with the article though, what states allow machine guns without a extremely difficult to get and expensive federal class III license again? last time I checked it was oh, I don't know, 0, nada, the big goose egg, zilch!

[/ QUOTE ]
It said they were legal. And with a license, they are (in over 40 states).
Kind of like driving a car is legal...with a license /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
And it's just a one-time transfer fee, though the paperwork is probably more of a pain than the fee.


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They are legal in technicality only. It is more an exception than a rule. Since the approval of the application ($200 per weapon, application submitted upon purchase of arms and possession only upon approval) lies with your local felony jurisdiction (usually your local PD), unless you can prove you are an investment grade collector of historic military arms, a noted historian of arms, are a dealer, property master or exhibitor of collectible class III arms, are involved in manufacture of components for class III arms or practice private training with such arms or are simply military or LEO your chances of approval are extremely thin as denial seems as easy as them saying "you don't need one". You don't simply take a test and pass or fail, you are background checked time and again, evaluated time and again, and deemed worthy or not worthy. Not to mention if you are granted a license you end up with the FBI the Secret Service and the ATF as your new buddies for as long as you possess the weapon. The permit is required to remain with the weapon and you are subject to routine and some random inspections to determine the maintained existence and conditions of storage of the firearm(s) accessories and ammunition, your personal fitness to remain licensed, etc. The only way around the local jurisdiction approval is to incorporate and declare the purchase of the weapons as investment assets of the corporate entity (which some high end collectors do). Also you can only purchase Automatic weapons manufactured before 1986, current and post '86 manufactured fully automatic arms are completely illegal for possession by citizens. Since there are a finite number of guns in the class III market their is a high demand and a high premium paid, due to collectibility, that would place them outside most peoples budgets anyhow. So it is really much more than the fact that they are technically legal. Basically they are illegal with exception, I always try not to let the "facts" obscure the truth.

Thanks for the compliment, Brightnorm!

TSG /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

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tsg68 said:
Kristof, I think she means he uses them on squirrels that get into his house and build nests there, I doubt he goes around gleefully blowing away random squirrels.
TSG /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

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I think grabbing it by it's neck and putting it outside would be a lot kinder. Seems to be a bit overkill to use a gun against a furry little rodent. It's hardly self-defence is it? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif Unless he'd be suffocated by the fluffy tail /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif Squirrels are protected animals where I live by the way.