April 24, 2013
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Shooting a Gun
I am wondering if most people who are in favor of gun control are simply people who have never shot a gun.
Perhaps they do not want guns because they do not have guns themselves.Have you ever shot a gun?
I am wondering if most people who are in favor of gun control are simply people who have never shot a gun.
Comments (104)
Does the Zapper count as a gun?
Yes, many times – and I used to hunt as well.
Absolutely!!!
Yes. It’s awesome.
yes…not pistols, but rifles and other big arms and I’m not in favor of gun control
I was trained by an NRA sharpshooter, when I was 11, as part of earning a marksmanship merit badge with the Boy Scouts. I learned to fire an M-16 (AR-15) and AK 47, while in the Army. I had a Glock, while we lived in Phoenix, but never had to use it. I believe each state should regulate the registration of firearms, since it is the states which have the orderly and well-trained militias that are mentioned in the Second Amendment.
I shot a 22 rifle as a boy. My dad paid me to shoot rats. I have never owned a firearm and never will. I have not shot a firearm for at least 65 years–probably longer.
Reasonable gun control just makes sense.
yes. Ive shot guns.
I’ve shot a .40, .45, 9 mm, and a .38 snub nose. I’m neither pro- or anti-gun; I’m anti-fucktard and pro-self-accountability.
Once, when I was a kid. We were driving across the Mojave Desert in Arizona and Dad stopped for some target practice with his Colt 45. He let me shoot it and it knocked me on my butt.
I have shot a gun, several different kinds in fact. They are like any other tool, useful and dangerous. I am not in favor of federal control, and not so sure about state control. I would feel better if control were local, where local people took care of the local problems. There are certainly challenges to that. I recognize that the larger the local population, the harder it is to know your neighbors, but my inner idealist thinks the world would be so much better if we would just love and care for each other instead of being selfish, self-centered and greedy. My not-so-naive inner cynic laughs sardonically and a says, ” ‘speak softly and carry a big stick’ — the booming variety if you can get it.”
no, guns are too dangerous..and they are objects of great dislike in the mind of the sane ones..
Good question… I was 48 years old when I fired my first guns. I do not own a gun but most my extended family does as well as every person I work with directly (cops & dispatchers). Not in favor of gun control but rather personal accountability.
no, and i have no desire to. i’m not interested in learning how to kill other people.
Totally, and I love it. And I’m still okay with more gun control.
I’ve shot a couple of guns. I am in favor of gun control, but I will gladly change my mind if they start letting me carry a long sword around.
Yep, I killed those clay pigeons dead.
I’ve shot and killed.
Still don’t trust myself to have a gun in the house, but I wouldn’t hesitate to butcher dangerous trespassers with our decorative swords. I say butcher cause I don’t know how sharp they are.
I own a 9mm Beretta Nano and a .38 S&W and have a license for concealed carry. I’ve shot a variety of rifles and handguns. It’s a fun hobby and I feel secure when my purse is packing. I’m fine with gun registration and background checks; I actually prefer it.
I have shot a bunch. I believe there should be some restrictions, but you can’t stop people from owning guns. So why try?
I know its cliche, but if outlaws will get them anyway, legal or not, why can’t I just get one legally? at least then you can attempt to trace the gun back to the owner.
I am sure many people in favor of gun control have never shot a gun.
Many people against rape have never raped anyone.
Many people against murder have never murdered anyone.
Many people against kidnapping have never kidnapped anyone.
Did you have a point?
I don’t know why so many Christians are against homosexuality. If they loosened up and tried it, they would be a lot more understanding.
yea when i was living in tx
Yes!
Most gun owners including most NRA members are for stricter gun safety laws. It’s a serious no-brainer. Most gun owners are law abiding citizens who went through a simple background check each time they purchased a gun. They are wondering why others shouldn’t have to do the same. 90+% of the American public wants stricter gun safety laws. Far more than 10% of Americans own guns.The thought that only people who have never shot a gun are the only people who want common sense gun safety laws is ludicrous. I’ve shot a rifle. It didn’t make me say……….OOOOOOHHHHH don’t take mey gun rights away OOOOOOHHHHHHH black helicopters OOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHH! I’m immune to corrupt used car salesmen and the NRA.
Of course.
I love firing all five of my guns especially the ship’s primary firing mechanism.
Yeah, shot quite a few.
No. I wouldn’t want to.
I’ve fired guns, yes.
@TheSutraDude - I’m just curious as to where you are getting your stats from. Can you site,them please.
I have
I have fired .22, .25ACP, .32ACP in a derringer, .38 Special, .357 Magnun, 9mm, .44 Special and .44 Magnun, and .45 ACP. I have also fired rifles and shotguns. Enjoyed the submachine guns most of all.
As for the NRA and the Gun Owners of America, I am a former member of both organizations. Common sense gun control is what we favor. The definition of ‘common sense gun control’ differs greatly between what Liberal Democrats offer and what gun owners support. Never the twain shall meet.
As for myself, I see Liberal gun control policy as favoring criminals and corrupt government officials. Criminals won’t give up their guns. Liberal Democrats won’t give up their guns. They have no right to expect lawful citizens to give up their rights and their guns.
Yes, and my shoulder hurt for days afterwards.
is the Pope Catholic?
Most law abiding gun owners prefer backround checks as it helps keep firearms out of the hands of mentally unstable. Sane criminals don’t get their firearms legally, and the vast majority don’t get them at gun shows. Most are bought through fences, or stolen directly. Many that are used in a criminal act are stolen from a family member or someone they know. More rules and regulations will not stop criminals intent on misusing a gun. Criminals don’t follow laws, that’s why we call them “criminal”… You can hate on the NRA, but that is the one unified voice that represents most law abiding firearms enthusiast. You can debate whether they are in the pocket of firearms manufacturers; to some extent I am sure that is true, as it is with any large organization that gets funding from those it protects and represents. I have been a member for many years, then a Life Member, now an Endowment Member. I am an NRA Certified Instructor in Basic Pistol and Firearms Safety in the Home. I also teach Hunter’s Safety for our State Game and Parks. Contrary to some opinions, guns are not used only to kill people or animals, although they can do both. So can a car. All three of my kids are Sharpshooters via the NRA Shooting Sports programs. They shot BB Gun and Precision Air Rifle, and Smallbore Rifle competitively from 6 yrs through adult. We enjoy hunting, especially whitetail deer with muzzleloader. Quite a challenge when you get one shot. And yes, I have a concealed carry permit. I probably will never CC, but I got it as a political statement. If you don’t use and exercise your rights, you’ll lose them. And it is the Second Amendment that gives teeth to all the others.
@twosidedme - ummmm do you live in a cave Afghanistan? Sorry for asking but you’d much have to ask such a question at this point in time.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-34222_162-57564386-10391739/9-in-10-back-universal-gun-background-checks/
“Ninety-two percent of Americans favor background checks for all potential gun buyers, according to a new CBS News/New York Times poll.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/04/03/90-percent-of-americans-want-expanded-background-checks-on-guns-why-isnt-this-a-political-slam-dunk/
Nine in 10 Americans support expanding background checks on gun purchases in a recentWashington Post-ABC News poll, an extraordinary level of agreement on a political issue and a finding that’s been duplicated innearly every major public poll.
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2013/apr/18/gabrielle-giffords/gabby-giffords-says-americans-overwhelmingly-suppo/
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/07/us-usa-guns-poll-idUSBRE9160LW20130207
“Over 90 percent of Americans support gun background checks: poll”
http://www.quinnipiac.edu/institutes–centers/polling-institute/national/release-detail?ReleaseID=1871
A few days ago someone told me that according to a Gallup Poll only 4% of Americans care about gun control. It’s actually 6% in their latest poll but no matter. The Gallup poll was a comparative poll which also showed only 2% of Americans are concerned about taxes, only 2% are concerned about poverty, only 2% about welfare, only 4% are concerned about education of their children, only 18% are concerned about jobs and in fact according to the Gallup Poll There are no more than 24% of Americans concerned about anything. According to the Gallup poll that 24% is concerned about the economy. Taken at face value as many have done to support an argument against universal background checks 76% of us don’t care about anything.
yes I have, and I’m an excellent shot, I even own a gun. but I don’t enjoy firing them, it’s such a violent and final action. I think gun control should be left up to the individual states also, the need for guns in Maine would not be the same as the needs in south Texas. I’m also pretty good with a sling shot, think David and Goliath
Danny boy trolling, as usual. Or maybe he’s really that dumb. It’s hard to say. LOL!
@Celestial_Teapot - No, they wouldn’t.
@TheSutraDude - No one in the US is weeping and gnashing their teeth like Obama, Feinstein, and other pro-crime politicians. They need to stop whining, grow up, and start fixing everything they have broken in the last five years.
http://news.yahoo.com/obamas-dismay-america-not-outraged-gun-control-fail-200050065.html
I’ve shot a number of guns, and I’m in favor of at least extended mandatory background checks and waiting periods of 10-21 days before purchasing any gun.
It’s clear that the more guns a society owns, the higher all types of gun-related violence rates are.
Yes. At the police department’s shooting range.
does Knots Berry Farms count and the little clay targets?
This topic is boring. You should ask instead, who would win in a fight. A guerrilla or a lion?
A family member was “cleaning” my bedroom while I was gone to work one day (a ruse for rifling through all my belongings and passive-aggresively attempting to control and manipulate me, she’d already been through the entire house) and “came across” my gun (leaned against the wall next to my bed in plain sight) and said she had to stop “cleaning” because she was “so afraid of my gun.” I told her that gun would stay leaned up against the wall until the end of time unless a human moved it. It isn’t any more dangerous than the lamp on the desk or the shoes in the closet. But she was “too terrified” to go on. Absurd. I think the real reason she was “too terrified” was because she “came across” the little pink penis I keep in my sock drawer. Either way, it’s a self-correcting problem.
People are afraid of what they don’t know. So yes, of course these people have never shot a gun.
@Lithium98 - What color is the lion?
I have never shot a gun but am NOT for gun control and want to learn to shoot soon!
I have been shooting sense I was 6 years old. I have shot 22 long rifles, AR-15′s, a M1A, M1 Carbine, 10 12 20 gauge shotguns, Colt 1911, Smith and Wesson M&P 40, .50 cal mussel loaders, just to name a few. My favorite has to be the M1 Garand, a fantastic firearm, a little tricky to load though, my friend suffered from a case of M1 thumb first time we took it out.
I actually take part in several educational programs that teach Kids not only how to shoot, but also how to safely handle firearms, as well as safe and ethical hunting practices.
I digress, to answer the original question, yes I have shot a gun before.
@blonde_apocalypse - I had a friend who was complaining about guns, and how guns where dangerous. She said she didn’t see why people would want to own one let alone carry one. She said she couldn’t understand why people would want something so dangerous in their home. Well when we got back from getting dinner, I removed my CCW firearm from my pocket and placed it down on the table, she shouted at me “what the heck are you doing”
I told her “I am waiting for the gun to shoot someone.” when it didn’t, I unloaded the firearm and put it away, then said, “That gun would have sat there until the end of time and never hurt a soul. Its not the gun that is dangerous, it is the person behind it.”
We have so many laws right now on gun control. We need to just enforce the laws we have. I do not own a gun and never will but I support individual’s right to own a gun.
@obamawatch - As I’ve said many many times, the “discussion” on gun control has not one tiny thing to do with facts. It’s 100% about irrational fear. If these same people could outlaw spiders they would, and that would actually make a lot more sense, since a spider actually might trot over and bite someone on its own. I’d like to outlaw fire ants myself. They’ve destroyed a whole lot more around my house than any of the guns in my house ever did or ever will.
I shot 22s at camp as a kid. I have been to the range and shot 357′s and 44 magnums. It is fun for a little bit then it gets boring after a little while.
I have shot off fireworks too but not sure we should be selling Hand Grenades at the 7-11.
No and I personally believe that anyone who has shot a gun should be in jail unless they are a law enforcement official.
@blonde_apocalypse - The Boston Bombers shoulda had access to Anthrax and Hand Grenades (Walmart should sell it) and anyone who thinks otherwise is 100% irrational.
@tendollar4ways - Because not having a gun sure did slow down Timothy McVeigh, Ted Kaczynski, Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, Daniel Camargo…Man, I sure am glad the gun control laws are keeping us safe from murderers.
@blonde_apocalypse - Think of what Ted Kaczynski coulda done with a pile of Anthrax. Bringing up Kaczynski and Bundy seems a bit irrational on your part.
However, I am willing to bet the Boston Bombers woulda loved to have had some C-4 instead of that Paki bomb they made. How dare we not allow them to buy C-4 …..WITHOUT a background check.
We are soooooo irrational.
LOL….
@tendollar4ways - Think of what Ted Kacynski coulda done with Ricin or cyanide if he’d had access to the tools to make those. Oh, wait…OH MY GOD!! WE NEED TO OUTLAW BEANS AND ALMONDS IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!!!
@blonde_apocalypse - Ah yes….the highly rational argument that since people will murder even though there is a law forbiding it we would make murder legal!
@babyxxxo - How do you feel about the nano? I’m thinking of getting one. I have a subcompact Beretta Storm, but I’d like something a bit smaller to (hopefully) be able to carry on my body.
@wordwarrior39 - The yahoo story does nothing more than take a few stabs at answering why a couple of after-polls didn’t add up. Former Congressman from Florida and republican Chuck Scarborough also took a stab when he said most people who want stricter gun safety laws are busy working and creating jobs and don’t have time to call Congress while most against stricter gun laws are sitting at home, playing militia and watching for black helicopters.
Regardless, I think you’re the one who needs to stop whining. Nobody you’re talking about is pro-crime.
I shot a real gun once. I was not a big fan… I was wearing earplugs but the noise STILL hurt my ears, and I only shot a .22, but the kickback was way more than I expected it to be. I’m not really pro or anti-gun control…
I tried shooting one because I was considering going through the process
to get one, but in NYS, it’s a hassle that makes it not so worth it…
and also, I am really forgetful, so I would constantly be worrying if I
remembered to put the safety on, if I’d remembered to lock the case, if
I’d left it loaded or not…
So many warped ideas about guns in these comments… Wow.
I have lived around guns for years but can count on one hand the number of times I have shot one. I think it would be very useful for me to take a gun training class simply so I have a more informed opinion about how they operate and their use. What mystifies me is the lack of development in less-than-lethal weapons. It seems we should have more options in weapons which can disable without killing. There is on-going study and development of weapons which could only be shot by their owners. These are the ones I am waiting for. They would put an major dent in gun thefts. It will be very interesting to hear the verbiage out of the NRA when user-id weapons hit the manrket.
@tendollar4ways - And I appreciate you making my argument for me so succinctly.
@blonde_apocalypse - I am restating your argument reductio ad absurdum and as a rationalist I am sure you already know this.
I don’t think it is simply the people who have not fired guns who think there should be tighter controls on firearms in the USA. It’s the people who are not retarded.
@tendollar4ways - It’s nice to see you making arguments that actually make sense for a change, regardless of how you got to them.
I never shot a gun but i wish to shot a gun for experience. How really it is? I guess I will do shooting to sky. Free Love Things
what Alexander implied I am shocked that any body can make $4034 in one month on the computer. did you look at this site link http://www.wow83.com
I was trained by my dad to shoot skeet, then birds, at age 13. I also took the required hunter safety course at 13. I did rifle marksmanship in boy scouts, and again in college through the ROTC department. Since then I’ve kept in practice whenever possible, ammo costs have risen ever since the Clinton administration and the first weapons ban. I’m also a Civil War reenactor and have shot targets with my musket. I consistently win every marksmanship drill (shooting at a candle flame with just a percussion cap, no powder).
Shooting is a rush and I’m proud to be very good at it. Before ammo got expensive, I used to be able to shoot the primer out of shotgun shells at 100 yards; a target no larger than the bullet. As the saying goes, I really can drive nails with a rifle.
Side note. The funniest news story I ever heard went like this: ”There was a drive-by shooting last night. Over 300 rounds were fired. No one was injured.” <laughing even now>
@TheyCallHerEcho88 - That’s called basic gun safety. Every single time I handle a gun, I check the safety, magazine and chamber without having to think about it; it’s a good habit.
I have very little experience with guns. I have also never thrown a hand grenade or fired a rocket launcher, but I am pretty comfortable with controlling access to those as well.
@TheSutraDude - Nobody here is whining. I am glad that the bad ideas failed. It was in bad taste that Bab-bam blamed the NRA for the failure of his legislation. All the guy has done since taking office is blame others for his own failures. For that matter, no one here is hiding behind friendslock. To be anti-gun is to be pro-crime. As for your sources, they are suspect and lack credibility. If gun control mattered to people, they would have contacted their representatives demanding its passage and not the other way around. The gun control that was offered was mot the gun control the American people were willing to support.
@raymondovichinstumptown - Non-lethal weapons are available on the market, but CA anf NY don’t like them much. Pepper spray, stun guns, flexible spring batons, modified key chains, and a few other things designed for personal self-defense are out there. The only problem is that to use them, bad guys are still able to get too close to the victim.
@wordwarrior39 - You’re not worth the time.
Yes, I’ve shot several guns. Yes, I’m still for gun control.
@TheSutraDude - You still trolling?
@wordwarrior39 - Nothing you’ve said is of any substance. I don’t troll. Everyone who knows me on Xanga knows that including Dan. Trolling would be your m.o.
Have a good night.
@Celestial_Teapot - I think even you would admit that inserting the pristine, magnificent male ganglion into another man’s shit hole (aka stinky, feces encrusted anus) for a great session of fudge packing simply doesn’t compare to banging away with one’s firearm of choice.
@TheSutraDude - Not my M. O., dude. I’ve read your writings elsewhere. Sometimes you got cred. On the gun issue, you have nothing to offer, just like Obama, Feinstein, and every other fear-mongeting pro-crime politician out there.
No…never had the need too and never felt the need too.
@wordwarrior39 - I’m afraid you are the one with no cred on the gun issue. Let’s review. In the short back and forth we’ve had on the gun issue you’ve called people who support stronger gun safety laws “pro-crime”. That’s 90% of Americans you are calling pro-crime. You posted a link to a yahoo story to support your claim that most Americans don’t want stronger gun safety laws but the story only proposes possible reasons for the poll you cite and says the poll is confusing when compared to other polls. Meanwhile you called well-respected polls “questionable”. You called me a troll which is not only untrue but has nothing to do with the issue. You also insinuated I’m “hiding behind friends lock”. Also untrue. I went on friends lock because two trolls continued stalking, taunting and trashing a friend of mine on my site, creating new accounts after I blocked them. So again you’re wrong. Instead of having a civil conversation you have made up derogatory names for the President of the United States as if that somehow gives your argument any validity.
Again, have a good night. I have things to do.
@SKANLYN - What would the point of that be?
@Lordv16 - I don’t argue with right wing nut jobs so all I ‘ll say is those who enable gun violence (i.e., the NRA and Republican voters) are just as guilty as the person who pulled the trigger and should be sentenced accordingly.
@SKANLYN - I’m not a right wing nut job, so don’t worry. Just a guy who has been to a shooting range before. I’m for stricter rules, though I see no real reason to put me in jail because of it.
@Lordv16 - You’ve practiced kiling people and animals. If that don’t make you a right wing nut job I don’t know what does.
Shot many different types of guns. Own a gun. Still think there’s no reason any civilian needs an assault rifle. Still in favor of the strictest gun control.
@SKANLYN - I’ve practiced hitting a bullseye for points. I think you’re reaching a bit.
Only a BB gun.
@Lordv16 - The snipers in that gang of war criminals known as the U.S. military all start off shooting at targets before moving on to the skulls of men, women, and children whose only crime is being Muslim.
Well… I’m in favor of gun control and I shoot guns on a regular basis. I also exercise my privilege to carry firearms.
My idea of gun control is keeping guns away from criminals and the criminally ill, while the rest of us mentally sane, law-abiding citizens enjoy laws that protect our Second Amendment rights.
@pixie696 - What’s your idea of the “strictest” gun control?
I think people are getting too wrapped around the axle with banning “assault” weapons. As the Virginia Tech and Ft. Hood shootings showed, you can inflict massive casualties with handguns just as well. I think that targeting assault weapons, which is merely the tool used to commit some of the mass murders (which can also be replaced with another tool, like handguns) is a misdirection of focus, since it doesn’t address the underlying problems of gun violence.
I have shot a gun or five. I am in favor of stricter gun laws amounting to more extensive background checks. I want to be sure that guns are in educated and capable hands.
My friend Eoin has an even more restrictive stance on gun control than I do, and he not only has fired a variety of guns, but his father (who agrees with him) is a former federal agent.
No, I haven’t.
@SKANLYN - I didn’t know bullseyes were a gateway drug to murder. Not gonna stop me from going to the range, but at least I know it’s bad right? That absolves me of any wrong doing.
I was a pacifist. I was in favor of the 2nd amendment even though I had never shot a gun. I didn’t like the idea of the government deciding WHO should get a gun. However, when I started thinking that the current administration was thinking about messing with those rights, I figured I’d better learn to shoot, get licensed and get a gun before that right was taken from me. I don’t really think they can change the constitution, as it is to protect the people from the government, not the other way around. I’m no longer a pacifist, at least when it comes to self-preservation.
@WaitingToShrug - I actually just got that last week and just started to break it in. I have yet to formulate a full opinion on it. I haven’t bought a holster yet, but I am looking at a bra one. So far I like it and I’m sure it’s something I can carry on my body with ease. I’m likely to carry it in my purse more, though. One thing I’m not yet accustomed to is that the longer trigger of a double action. I encountered 2 FTEs within 50 rounds. Reviews of the nano say that there have been FTE issues. Unfortunately, I read that AFTER I bought it. It could be the ammo I used. There are some really good reviews on blogs and forums!
@babyxxxo - Ooh, I might get one then. I’m already used to double action and FTEs, and I hate carrying in my purse- I always feel like I won’t be able to draw quickly enough, fumbling with a zipper and so on. Thank you!
I used to be in favor of gun control, until I met a group of good friends that were very into target shooting and collecting. I shot a gun for the first time and saw how careful they kept them, handled them and stored them. Unfortunately, it’s the people who don’t store them and handle them properly that kill the hobby for the rest of us. If everyone goes through the background checks, obtains them legally, uses them legally, and applies for “Conceal and Carry Permits” to carry the weapon on them, I don’t have a problem with it.
Every gun-related incident recently has been an illegal use or illegally obtained weapon. For instance, Sandy Hook suspect stole the weapons from his mother and even if they were his, he didn’t have a permit to carry them legally (he’s underage for a carry permit), Holmes (Batman movie guy) had an extensive mental health history which never showed on his background check (he would have been denied weapons otherwise), he also obtained chemicals illegally through his job, Loughner (Giffords shooting) also had schizophrenia, Virginia Tech guy was deemed a danger to himself in 2005 by a court and was sold the guns without a background check online.
Unfortunately, I know criminals don’t care about obtaining weapons illegally, as evidenced above, so there will be people who abuse this, but I’d rather have guns in the hands of law abiding citizens than ONLY in the hands of criminals. It saves lives. There have been several stories where someone with a conceal and carry permit shoots a criminal and saves lives. Why do you think so many people choose schools and public buildings for shootings? Because they’re gun free zones…conceal and carry permit holders aren’t allowed to carry there.
All in all, guns can make a great hobby if education and consistent enforcement of gun laws is occurring, but the reality is that they can be dangerous as well. But many things are dangerous, such as the recent pressure cooker made bombs, which injured many people, but should we make pressure cookers illegal as well?
i shoot every weekend. i own guns. i am licensed to carry (and i do). i’m NOT in favor of registration, and i will never register my guns, even if it becomes law. i AM in favor of enforcing our current laws and more extensive background checks.
tomorrow is 2nd amendment day at my range. damn right i’ll be out there exercisin’ my right.
Outstanding efforts for making this blog!! Your writers and your work are really appreciative.
Tony