Magpie0001

As I understand it, America is full of guns. Perhaps this is just the media portraying americans as gun crazy notjobs but it seems to me that America has a little bit of a gun fetish. Coming from a country where only drug dealers have guns It was a little wierd to see police & security people carrying pistols around Madrid (where I live now). Ive seen people in America with guns all over thier houses, loaded, under pillows etc & it seems a bit extreme.
I was wondering how many of you (mostly Americans?) have come into contact with firearms. Have you ever been shot? Ever shot/killed someone? Ever had a gun pointed at you? Have you ever needed to use a gun to protect you or your home? etc. Are people more cautious about who they "fuck with" because they might have a gun? Do you or would you carry a gun? Although I dont agree with violence I think its not my place to tell you or anyone what they can or cant do.
Personally, I have fired guns, I have also had a gun pointed at me once, but thats another story.



Note: I realise the subject of this thread is firearm realated but I figure if I posted in tilted firearms I would only get replies from gun entheusiasts & im looking for the opinions of everyone. If Im wrong in posting here, I ask that mods move the thread.

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cj2112

I've had guns pointed at me, had occasion to use a shotgun to protect my home from an intruder, and yes i carry a handgun. I also hunt, shoot skeet on a regular basis (at least twice a week), and also practice at least monthly with the gun I carry. I am a member of the local gun club, and my children (aged 9 and 11) are also members of the same club http://www.jcsa-shootingsports.org/ . I understand that firearms are not as prevalent in your country as they are in mine, however I also understand that the society you live in is vastly different from the one that I live in. I don't know if people are necessarily more cautious, but I think it's likely. understand that in our society it's not the people like me you have to worry about (truth be told, you would never even know I had a gun on me unless I either told you, or I had reason to believe that my life, or my childrens lives, were in immediate danger.) I went through a nationwide background check which included fingerprints being ran through a national database to insure that I was not a criminal, checking personal references etc. in order to legally carry a handgun, and I go through a background check each and every time I purchase a gun. I don't agree with car crashes, but disagreeing with them doesn't prevent them, so I wear a seatbelt and carry insurance on my vehicle. I don't agree with violence either, however I live in the real world, where violence does occur, so i choose to protect myself and my family.

CSflim

I'm from Ireland, and I've never even held a gun, let alone shot one. I've certainly never been shot at.

Magpie0001

cj2112, what the hell is skeet?
CSflim, Im from Ireland too! "Paddys Ahoy!!"

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Elphaba

It could be true that gun ownership in the US is overstated. No one I know owns a gun. I did have a chance to target shoot once, but otherwise I would never have one in my home.

I was shot at and hit by a BB gun when I was a kid. Does that count?

Gilda

When I was in college, I decided to go to a midnight movie showing of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It was during Winter break, and it was a few days after a cold spell had hit and it was very, very cold and windy. I drove to the city, went to the movie, and proceeded to drive home.

It was a little after 2 am. About 15 miles outside of the city, a hose blew, and I had to pull off the road. I had the choice of sitting in the car, which at least would have kept me out of the wind, and hoping someone would stop and get me, going on foot to find the nearest phone and call for help. I chose the latter. There were houses about every couple hundred yards along the highway, so I figured I would call for help, my dad could come get me in about an hour, and I'd be fine; cold, but fine. I put on my sweatshirt, knit cap, and heavy jacket, the hood pulled tightly around my face, and covered the lower part of my face with a scarf, and proceeded to hoof it back the half mile or so to where the houses started. I walked up to the first house, and rang the doorbell. The door opened a crack, with the chain still on, and I saw a teenage girl, a few years younger than me. I said my car had broken down and asked if I could use their phone. She told me to wait a minute, the door closed, and a couple of minutes later a small man, wearing a robe opened the door. He was standing sideways, one hand back behind his thigh, partly obscuring the gun he was holding there, and asked me what I was doing there at that time of night. I turned and left, not wanting to take any risks. I walked up to the next house up the road, and as I was walking up the driveway, the porchlight came on and a man stepped out onto the porch, this one also displaying a gun.

I decided it would be better to take my chances with the cold and walk back to the 7-11 in the city than take the risk of getting shot; I'd be cold, but nobody would be threatening me with a gun. About three hours later, a highway patrol car passed by and picked me up, and apparently the skin on my face had begun to turn blue, because they insisted on taking me to the emergency room, where it was found that I had a mild case of hypothermia, meaning my body's core temperature had dropped a couple of degrees, but wasn't in any danger. I called home and my dad came to pick me up a couple of hours later.

I wasn't shot at and didn't even have the gun pointed at me, but both men made a point of displaying a gun for my benefit, and I got the point that I wasn't wanted there.

My wife has had guns displayed to her when going on paramedic runs at least a half dozen times. There are certain parts of town where she won't go without a police escort because of this.

cj2112

A form of clay-target shooting where targets are thrown from two traps about 37 metres apart and the shooter moves in an arc to different stations, firing from various angles.

the field looks like this:




the target looks like this they are 4-5/16 inches in diameter (about 110mm) and 1-1/8 inches in height (about 32mm)

guthmund

I'm handy with guns of all kinds. I've never pointed a gun at anyone, even though I've had the opportunity (break-ins and such). I have been shot at once. By a farmer, who thought we were stealing stuff.

I don't think that the notion of a gun scares anyone off from "fucking" with someone. I mean, once they've decided to mess around with a particular person, the line has been crossed. The particulars (if he has a gun, if he's a trained ninja, etc) doesn't seem to matter all that much. In fact, it might even make the situation all that more dangerous because the attacked might have notions of invincibility and take more chances.

My uncle used to run a convenience store in St. Louis. He was robbed, had no gun, and managed to make it out okay. Later that week, across the street, another convenience store is robbed by the same guy. Only this time the clerk tries to pull a shotgun from under the counter and takes one in the face.

I would think carrying a gun around would make anyone feel more....powerful, but I don't think I would want to. Guns seem to be magnets for bad shit because they draw a lot of attention. Attention that I don't want to be the center of, if I can help it.

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superiorrain

What a great thread, so interesting to hear about the gun ho'ism around the world. I'm lucky the nearest guns i've close to is when i stand really close to police who are allowed to carry them, which is not that many here in good old england. I always thought it was funny that police generally don't carry guns here but when they do they always carry some big fucked up ones.

When i lived in germany i had the same strange feeling about seeing every cop with a gun, too wierd for me.

Love, peace, happiness and a AK-47

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CSflim

Ah, I see. I think this is the same thing as Clay Pigeon shooting over here (and possibly other places too).

JStrider

yah thats right CSflim

ive done a good bunch of target shooting with handguns, rifles, assault rifles etc..., a bit of hunting deer and quail, and a little bit of skeet shooting...

i dont own any guns myself right now... i might be getting one pretty soon from a family member... but I plan on getting some, not so much for self defense but just because its something i enjoy

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World's King

I've been shot at.


I was kind of a dipshit in high school and at the start of college and thought it would be cool to deal drugs. Not just weed mind you. Hardcore shit. Right before I quit drugs and dealing all together my partner and I were delivering some shit to... No idea. While I was using the bathroom a fight broke out in the living room... we rushed out to the car as the guy took shots at us from the front door. My partner got hit in the arm. Went all the way through. We both quit after that.

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Magpie0001

Can you elaborate?

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Phage

Well, it is a sport. Target shooting can be as much fun as basketball and other games, and actually has a practical use (when are you going to use basketball skillz to save a life?).


As for myself I don't own anything larger than a pellet gun but that is mostly because I am 20 and still in school. My family has 2 shotguns (1 double barrel, 1 marine combat for home defense), 3 .22 rifles, and one pistol which was a gift to my father who directed the computer automation of the production line that made it. They have been used for varminting and target shooting, and never been fired in self defense (although they have been used as preventatives).

timalkin

Guns are a huge part of my life and my identity. I've never been shot at and I hopefully will never be forced to shoot at anybody. Guns represent the freedom and self-reliance that this country was originally founded on. There's nothing better than hunting all day, bonding with nature, and bringing food home to your family. You also have a tool that protects life and ensures that your family will be able to live in peace and without fear of criminal elements.

Most importantly, owning guns is so important to me because I've seen how the Old World conducts business. They disarm their citizens in the name of public safety, yet these citizens are just sitting ducks for criminals and corrupt political leaders. American colonists made a huge leap in human evolution by coming to North America and recognizing that all human beings are gifted with the right to defend their lives against anything seeking to do them harm. This concept is merely given lip-service in the Old World.

I simply wish to live in peace. Any person or organization that tries to take away my guns because of ignorance or criminal misuse of these tools will find that I'm not as peaceful as I once seemed. Take away my guns and take away my freedom and self-reliance.

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MSD

I am 11 days from gun ownership (there's a 14-day waiting period for long guns in CT) and I have never needed to use a gun for anything other than target shooting. The only time I technically pointed a gun at someone was at the insistence of the trap shooting instructor. He had me mount the shotgun the way I would while shooting, and he looked down the top of the barrel to make sure I was sighting properly. I was not happy with this, and the only thing I could do was put my finger into the chamber (obviously, the action was open) and over the firing pin to make myself a bit mroe comfortable about the fact that someone had his face right up to the barrel of a gun that I was holding.

If I need to use a gun to protect myself/others, I will do so, but I hope that I'm never in a situation that escalates that far.

I think he means target shooting

Magpie0001

tamalkin, Wow! ok, first question is what is the Old World?

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stingc

I've never held a real gun or had one pointed at me, although I did some target shooting with a BB gun when I was a kid (are those legal in Europe?). I've also never felt that I've needed a gun in any situation.

I think people are more cautious about who they piss off here. It is, for example, commonly thought that you could get shot at by wandering onto a farmer's property. Some people are also scared that angering someone on the road could lead to them drawing a gun. It is likely that these conceptions are exaggerated, but there are a significant number of people who consider them before acting.

There is also some (real?) danger even when the shooter doesn't intend any harm. It's generally not a good idea to go hiking during hunting season, for example. I know someone who got several rounds fired at him while he was hiking. Luckily, the hunter who thought he was a deer was too drunk to aim properly.

Lasereth

I've never been shot at. I've shot handguns and a rifle before. I wouldn't hesitate to shoot someone who was truly endangering my life if I had a gun...only if it were the last resort and if my life were truly in danger, however. I know a lot of people who own guns but not many that actually carry a handgun with a permit. My dad carries a handgun everywhere he goes with his concealed permit.

The way I see it...the "bad guys" here use guns to kill people and break into homes, so why shouldn't "good guys" be able to use them back?

-Lasereth

telekinetic

My roommate has an AK-47 and a shotgun, my father has a shotgun and a couple pistols. I don't have any yet (haven't had the money for a nice gun since I turned 21, and don't want to waste money on a cheap one) but am saving for a nice concealable semiautomatic pistol.

I have never had a gun pointed at me or shot at anyone, but guns do not scare me...in fact, they barely raise an eyebrow here (Arizona). It's still the wild west--anyone can carry anything legally unless it is concealed, and then you need a permit. Now, that doesn't mean you might not attract attention to yourself by walking down the street witha shotgun accross your back, but it isn't illegal, and I've seen guys on motorcycles and just random people walking around with hip holsters.

When I get my pistol, I will be doing a concealed carry course to get my permit, and then I will carry it.

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passthru

I've been aimed at before, but never shot at. My dad has 2 guns in his house, one is a very old family heirloom (that probably doesn't even work properly) and the other is a .22 he's had since he was 20 or so.

I'm a firm believer in the right to bear arms. I don't think guns kill people, people with guns kill people. I don't think there is any reason to take guns away from people. Idiots, yeah definately, but you can't just take them from everybody.
However, I think that regular hunting with guns is silly. This is just my personal take on hunting and providing yourself and your family with food.. The reason you have a job is so you can use money to provide things. If you want to hunt using firearms purchased with your money, you're still mostly providing with your money. If you really want to oldschool it and earn your nourishment, you should make your own weapon(s) and really hunt your prey.

Oh, btw, I saw a billboard a few weeks back that said "30% of homes have a bicycle. 42% of homes have a gun." which should give you something to relate your statement "As I understand it, America is full of guns." to. Assuming those percentages are correct.

edit: just read the post before mine.. "It's still the wild west--anyone can carry anything legally unless it is concealed, and then you need a permit." Well of course it is.. Arizona is in the US, where it's legal everywhere =)

gremlinx8

My family and I were cliff jumping in the Lake of the Ozarks this year and apparently we were tresspassing on this man's property (there were no signs though). He came out and told us the police said he had to give three warnings and then he counted them off. We left, but my family came back the next day to see if he was around. He was and he assumed we were jumping again so he took his gun and shot at us. Maybe it wasn't so much us as the water around us. We called the cops and watched him get arrested-- great vacation.

Sage

(woman here... FYI)

My grandfather was a gunsmith, my dad has always owned guns, my house actually got set on fire because someone was creating a diversion to go and steal some guns from a neighbor. My In-Laws shoot trap and skeet, as do all their friends. My father-in-law has been duck hunting in mexico about a bajillion times. My (crazy) Uncle Wayne deer hunts every season, with a bow, with a muzzle loader, with a gun. The only "bad" thing that ever happened to anyone in the previous listing was my grandfather died in a hunting accident, and that was because his buddy was walking with the saftey off, tripped, dropped the gun, and it shot my grandfather in the back.

In my 10th grade health and fitness class in high school we took Hunter's Saftey Training, which included the sheriff of my county coming to the practice football field so we could shoot skeet off the back of the sherrif's car. On school property (mind you, this was seven years ago).

I was scared to damn death of even being near a gun until last thanksgiving, when my father in law took me and Martel and some of the family friends out skeet shooting. I had never shot a gun (other than the three or so times in the health and fitness class) before then. After I got used to it, and understood how it worked and how to aim and fire, it was really really fun. Like I say for every other thing in the world, knowledge is power. The more you understand guns, past the "stay behind the barrel" advice, the better off the world is if you have a gun.

Guns are a part of America, and I'm all for more manditory gun education- I think if all 9th graders learned about the proper way to respect firearms, guns wouldn't be such a "big deal" (ie- everyone afraid of them)

ON the flipside, it seems like all the countries that don't allow private citizens to have guns also have a lower homicde rate... but I don't know the stats off the top of my head to back that up.

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cellophanedeity

This thread is kind of scary. I'm from Canada, and the only guns I have ever seen are those on police (which is kind of frightning as it is, though I completely respect them having guns) and those which are in museum cases, showing antique weaponry.

I understand the need for guns, but even the thought of them is kind of scary.

No guns for me.

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Phage

I don't understand why everyone is so afraid of guns. They are just machines that throw little bits of metal out very quickly. Guns do not jump out and get people; I would be more afraid of a bobcat.

Think of all the things out there that can cause devastating, lethal wounds. Cars are an obvious example, a comparatively slow moving car holds much more destructive power than an entire magazine of bullets. I would bet fire kills more people than guns but nobody even bats an eye when someone lights a cigarette in front of them. Chainsaws, hatchets... heck, even a properly thrown rock can kill, and I bet most people have thrown a ball before.

Frankly, I think there are much scarier things out there than guns.

Zeraph

USA, Arizona here. I've had an incident where there was a gang fight at a place I was eating at and they pulled guns. Luckily they didn't kill each other, dont know what would have happened as the scrambled when they heard police sirens. A word to the wise, somehow I knew something bad was going to happen, lucky for me it turned out OK (though not for some of the gang members) but always trust your gut, and get out of there if possible. Though I actually did trust my gut, but my family wouldn't leave with me. So I had to stay.

No, I don't think the fact that a lot of people own guns deters anything from happening. People arnt too logical when they get angry.

I plan on owning a gun semi soon when I can aford it, and get a CCW (concealed carry weapon permit.) Though I will probably rarely take it out except for target shooting, in most situations I believe having a gun only makes things worse (well assuming you have some other means to defend yourself, like MA or mace).

mokle

I live in Canada.

I own 1 hunting rifle. I regularly shoot all types of guns. I've shot everything from a Glock 9mm to a Beretta .40 to a Desert Eagle .50

I also have a US green card, and if I ever move down to the US, I'll be getting a concealed weapon permit.

Never been shot at that I can remember, only in paintball

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Mokle
"Your hands can't hit what your eyes can't see" -Ali

Zeraph

I think what he or she is saying is that what guns can bring about is scary. A gun is just a representation of that fear. Also, a bobcat can't wipe out a group of people yards away.

Phage

Maybe not, but it can want to, and any yokel with a car could do the same.

World's King

I expected at lease one person to quote me and ask for more info...

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mokle

I guess drug dealers don't have the schock value the once did

Did your friend have any serious damage to his arm?

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Mokle
"Your hands can't hit what your eyes can't see" -Ali

analog

I don't understand the fear of guns, and every time someone anti-gun tells me they're dangerous and can kill people, I inform them that I know of at least 12 different ways to kill a person in under 5 seconds using only 2 fingers- and i'm really good with a knife. Or a baseball bat. That usually shuts them up.

superiorrain

Interesting, care to tell more, just so i can watch out for these sly tacits.

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Daoust

Indeed I have both been shot at, and shot at another person. I've been hit, and I've hit another person. As it turns out, its one of my fondest childhood memories...

We were all about 14, maybe 16 years old. There was my brother, my cousin and me. It was a typical, boring summer day. So, we went to the shed, each put on a bright orange life jacket over our t-shirts. Then we put on scuba masks. And then we each grabbed pellet guns and shot at each other until somebody cried. We each took pellets to the back, legs and knuckles. At certain points we had to stop to dig the pellet out of somebody's flesh.

Ahhh, the memories. Good times...

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Stick

I was woken up one morning by police waving their guns at me. They were looking for someone who was committing armed robberies.
Wrong address. The house they wanted was next door. Maybe they should have looked at the house number.
Idiots.

I've had to flash a shotgun at someone to convince them to go away, but never shot anyone. I had to stab someone once, though.

I own pistols and rifles and shoot very regularily. In fact I've just returned from a two day 'City V Country' pistol match.

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DJ Happy

Guns are designed to do nothing but kill. That is what is scary about them.

fulltiltgonzo

I've had pistols and shotguns pointed at me by both police and "the bad guys". None of the incidents were the result of anything I did, but were the result of being in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people...

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MSD

I seriously doubt that. He probably has a semi-automatic AK clone
No, it isn't. Not every state lets you buy and open carry wtihout a permit. I am, however, reminded of the old saying, "In 25 of 50 states, you can walk into a gun store, buy a pistol, and walk out wearing it on your hip wihtout any kind of permit. 75% of murders happen in the other 25."
If I hadn't heard this from so many people who honestly believe it, I'd warn you for trolling. This is not true. A gun is a tool designed to accurately, precisely, and repeatedly fire a cartridge and guide the projectile contained within that cartridge into a predictable trajectory. The effect of that prohectile is determined entirely by what is in its path, and there are a large number of target, trap, and skeet shooters who would be very upset if you asserted toward them that "Guns are designed to do nothign but kill."

DJ Happy

Skeet, clay pigeons and the like are substitutes for live targets. The fact that they are not alive themselves does not change the fact that guns are designed to kill.

I can't see how you can think I am trolling by stating this.

raeanna74

I haven't been shot at. My brother has while I was nearby. His friend next door flipped out. Got his Dad's 22 and brought it out to threaten my brother with. The kid was only about 11 at the time.

I really see the value in gun locks and teaching children to respect firearms. That's the biggest risk to have guns around - ignorant, playful use.

I have fired so many different kinds: Blackpowder, police issue handguns, revolvers, Jap assult rifles of many kinds, then of course the standard hunting rifles and shotguns. I started hunting whitetail by the time I was 12. I sold guns at local sport shop when I was 18 and 19. I've reloaded ammo. I've taken guns apart and cleaned them. There's very little that I haven't done with them besides harm another human being.

Gun's may be designed to kill but the human pulling the trigger does the killing. As for killing animals. I only kill animals for food or protection.

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