Where do you stand?

by **Cool Hand Linc** » Mon 31 Oct 2005, 03:24:34

I just wanted to see a cross section of folks veiws on guns.

I just had to ask?

Try to stick to topic.

What are your views on gun control? Why?

I think the penalties for violent crimes involving guns or knives or any other weapon should be severe. But don't mess with law abiding citizens.

by **jesus_of_suburbia_old** » Mon 31 Oct 2005, 03:50:01

I went shooting for the first with an a Marine, two Army guys and someone from Ireland down in Bloomington, IN this past August. I shot a variety of guns, big and small; couldn't tell you the specifics.

I didn't like guns prior to the experience, and I don't like them anymore now. My right shoulder hurt the next day, and the force of the recoil fucked up my favorite pair of shoes. The rubber sole was split straight across. I loved those shoes!

To borrow a line from some random third grader's "How I Stop Violence" essay: I would take all the guns in the world and blast them into space.

I would, of course, like to see guns banned outright. That's horribly unrealistic of course. You can't ban guns because bad people have guns too. If you give up your guns they have the advantage.

duh

I have a problem with people who obsess over there guns.

I know. They are a tool.

Sure, but a tool with only one purpose: killing. Hunting? How unfair is that? If you were a real hunter you would jump on the bear and choke him/her out.

I'd say do away with them all, but it is simply to late for that.

by **UIUCstudent01** » Mon 31 Oct 2005, 04:06:24

I'm a pro-gun liberal-esque guy...

I don't own any guns though...

by **seldom_seen** » Mon 31 Oct 2005, 04:18:17

People who want to "ban guns" don't really want to ban guns. They want to ban that dangerous, deadly and unpredictable element of human nature.

If they were really concerned about personal safety they would be dead set on banning the mass killing machine itself: the automobile.

It's like those anti-smoking nazis that live in Los Angeles. They don't want anybody to smoke anywhere, but they have no problem at all sitting for hours on the freeway sucking up the exhaust fumes from tailpipes which contain many of the same compounds as cigarettes.

This fact makes me a hard core doomer, not guns or cigarettes, but the radical fundamentalist cult of the automobile. Take away the fuel for peoples automobiles and it's like burning a koran in pakistan. It's going to get ugly! (sorry to sway off topic a bit).

by **elroy** » Mon 31 Oct 2005, 09:38:56

I don't hate guns but I don't own one. So what am I supposed to vote ?

by **ritter** » Mon 31 Oct 2005, 12:07:10

Liberal gun owner (but not hoarder/collector).

by **DerelictOverlord** » Mon 31 Oct 2005, 12:41:55

The Canadians say "from my cold dead fingers"

http://www.canadianlawsite.com/in-the-news.htm

by **emersonbiggins** » Mon 31 Oct 2005, 13:01:48

Liberal, gun-respecter (esp. the potato kind...)

by **PhilBiker** » Mon 31 Oct 2005, 13:28:34

I don't own a gun but I don't hate them either.

by **crow** » Mon 31 Oct 2005, 13:59:44

Conservative and will be purchasing a gun soon enough.

by **duke3522** » Mon 31 Oct 2005, 16:53:53

I have never lived in a home without an assortment of firearms. Dad had a 20 gauge side by side, a 12 gauge pump, a lever action 22, a bolt action 22, and the pistols his granddad used on the police department. The long guns hung on the wall of the back bed room the whole time we were growing up and they were never a problem.

I just can't imagine living in a house without a good shot gun and a good dog.

by **bobaloo** » Mon 31 Oct 2005, 17:03:21

Wish I could remember who said "a civilized man's home includes a library and an armory," but it fits my philosophy pretty well.

Have more books than the local library, but not a lot of guns. Currently have about 6 rifles, 1 shotgun and 4 pistols (for a family of 4). Most of the rifles are of the "evil" type, AR15, AK47, AK74, etc. I like building them and shooting them.

I've had to use guns to protect my life (against animals that wanted to eat me, not people) and to defend my property many times against wild dogs that wanted to eat my stock. For me, they're a necessary tool, I can understand how people in the city could feel differently.

I shoot pistols a lot (at targets, not people), shot about 700 rounds last Sunday. Someday I'll be able to hit that little hole in the middle of the target, but I'm a slow learner.

I have a great range just 4 miles from home that's only $48 a year for membership, the family and I go shooting there a lot and have fun doing so. For her 19th birthday my daughter got her own AR15, a beretta 92F, a level 3A vest and a nice load bearing vest with 12 mags for the AR, oh and a 1000 rounds of 223 to practice with (I had a really great month on Ebay). So, from one perspective, I could definitely be classed as a survivalist wacko, but my politics don't fit in well with most of them.

I'm probably too far left, or at least "out there" to be called a liberal, but definitely not what passes for conservative these days, so voted liberal and gun owner. My normal inclination is more of a rational anarchist, or syndico-anarchist. In other words, leave me alone and I'll leave you alone, but if you're in need I'll give you the shirt off my back if you need it.

I really think a lot of the problem we have today is this whole false liberal/conservative dichotomy which in my opinion has been intentionally created to keep the herds fighting amongst themselves rather than fighting the true enemies. We need to get beyond that.

One of the great philosphers of our time (tongue firmly in cheek) Jello Biafra, once said "nothing's going to change in this country until the white folks figure out they've got a hell of a lot more in common with the black folks than they do with the rich folks." I believe that to be true, and I can trace a real change in the US back to the early 80's and Reagan, whose pitch was that we were all going to get rich, and we need to do what's best for the wealthy because someday we're going to be wealthy too. Lots of folks bought that lie and jumped into line behind him, and we've had 25 years of those policies under both parties, and an increasing polarity in the country with the amount of hate between groups who identify with different political parties increasing constantly. Imagine all that energy going into change instead of hate.

Oh well, it keeps the masses distracted from the coming end of industrial civilization, so maybe it has a use.

</rant>

by **PrairieMule** » Mon 31 Oct 2005, 20:12:51

Pro gun and Texan. I do however believe as a gun owners we should hold each other to a tougher personal standards as a whole and we should self regulate better. If I see or hear of reckless gun behavior, I have no problem tearing a new asshole into that individual. We get enough bad press from those who are reckless.

On another note, since the sunset of the 1994 ban. I picked up a 9mm with two 15 round clips. Very Nifty!

by **rogerhb** » Mon 31 Oct 2005, 20:26:47

Alas despite all the options we still have a black and white poll. Either hate guns or have them, hmm.

You can not have a gun but not hate them, you could be 'between guns'. Alternatively you might borrow a gun once in a while, or simply not allowed one due to various reasons. Or you have one but don't want to admit it. You could also have been given one but you hate it.

by **Tyler_JC** » Mon 31 Oct 2005, 22:16:55

I find it very ironic that some of the people who think we will see a hardish crash consider themselves "anti-gun".

It's the anti-gun people who are quite likely to find themselves staring at the business end of another man's rifle.

I don't own any guns but I consider myself strongly pro-gun ownership. And I call myself a Conservative.

I dislike the poll however because no option showed my position. (pro-gun but not an owner...yet)

by **Windmills** » Mon 31 Oct 2005, 22:40:35

In a civilized society, I think guns have no place. If the current global systems were stable, I'd be for banning all guns. A previous poster made an excellent point about people actually wanting to ban the nastier side of humanity when they think about banning guns. However, making it more difficult for people to kill each other will drastically reduce murder rates. I've never worried about eliminating problems. Reducing rates has always been good enough for me. I'm all for banning pollution and and bad drivers, too, so don't think I'm just irrationally focused on one aspect of mortality in the country.

However...we are not facing a civilized society in the future, near or distant. Humans may very well be stripped down to their most basic instincts. Furthermore, the global systems that are going to replace what we now have will not be stable for who knows how long. Peak Oil has changed my thinking. I'll be purchasing firearms and ammunition as part of my survival package, and shelving my letter to ban the Second Amendment and saving it for some other century.

by **Tyler_JC** » Mon 31 Oct 2005, 23:00:24

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Windmills', 'I')'ll be purchasing firearms and ammunition as part of my survival package, and shelving my letter to ban the Second Amendment and saving it for some other century.

by **The_Toecutter** » Mon 31 Oct 2005, 23:44:57

Libertarian and pro gun, myself.

by **PenultimateManStanding** » Tue 01 Nov 2005, 00:27:42

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('rogerhb', 'y')ou could be 'between guns'.

by **basil_hayden** » Thu 03 Nov 2005, 14:20:16

I'm with seldom_seen's approach. I don't believe in guns because the nature of human anger is that it flips like a switch before logic kicks in.

On the other hand, to prepare for TSHTF, I picked up paintball about five years ago. I figured this would teach the basics of aim, stealth and tactics that could be needed in the future. My snap shot is dead on now - SO BRING ON THe REAPERS!

Nothing beats non-lethal aggression for recreation. Think about it, take the death and dismemberment out of combat and it's a blast!