Many liberals will not admit they'd like to own some guns, which are good things to have and not need.

CDFingers

CDFingers wrote: Fri May 26, 2023 6:28 pm Many liberals will not admit they'd like to own some guns, which are good things to have and not need.

CDFingers

One way I sometimes address this with local friends is to talk about some of the logistics and safety issues of gun ownership:

* Yes, there are gun safes with cables that you can use in your vehicle.

* No, gun stores are not filled with MAGAniacs and NRA boosters, though you will find a few there.

* Same thing at the range-- not that expensive, $23 or so per visit, and no hostile political comments or looking down their noses at you if you can't clear a jam. Friendly and open to talking about whatever, same as any good service provider.

And so on. The major obstacle:

--> I only talk to friends (face-to-face) about guns if I've known them for over 10 years, and really trust them, with the exception of a few friends I've made here.

There are some rabid anti-gun liberal friends I'd never talk to about guns because I know they couldn't keep their mouths shut, which creates a potential theft risk if they run their mouth someplace public, either brick and mortar or online. They would not respect anything resembling confidentiality, and would start 'calling me out' as an enabler of mass murder, arms dealers, or whatever.

Unfortunately, those are generally friends I am not as close to these days.

I received a rifle as a birthday present when I was fourteen, because my idiot father figured I would respect it more than I would a BB gun. Only problem was that he never taught me a thing about gun safety or took me to anyone who would. I learned much of what I knew in high school ROTC the next year or two. Since I didn't have a social circle that did anything with guns, the thing sat unused for another couple decades, and was eventually lost in one or another change of address.

I had mixed feelings about gun ownership for a long time. I had film cameras and was active as a hobby photographer for a couple years circa 1990. I used to say that I did my hunting with a camera instead of a gun because I didn't have to worry about a stray round of film hurting someone if I missed. I knew to avoid certain places during hunting season, of course. I didn't mind that people used guns for hunting or target shooting. I knew that I experienced a certain level of privilege to not feel need (or even desire) to keep guns for self defense.

Until fairly recently, watching the country descend into fascism.

I bought my first pistols in September of 2020, and my spouse and I took a gun safety class as soon as I could arrange one we could both attend. We sat for our CCDW License exam the end of that October, partly because I figured I would have a single source (a book) that had all the relevant statutes for our state in one place for periodic review.

Hiker invited me to join this forum later that year, and here I am, learning from all of you fine folks, including Dr. Yamane.

I have a few friends with whom I discuss guns, and a coworker or two because some of our colleagues are at armed posts (my taxable-income gig is unarmed security). My mother knows I have a couple guns, but she would shudder if she saw the inside of my safe. I have more pistols than my serious needs dictate, but I like each for its own reasons, so I don't want to sell any of them--yet. I can only shoot one or two at a time, but I also have a couple staged should SHTF in the little neighborhood...

BearPaws wrote: Sat May 27, 2023 8:11 pm I received a rifle as a birthday present when I was fourteen, because my idiot father figured I would respect it more than I would a BB gun. Only problem was that he never taught me a thing about gun safety or took me to anyone who would. I learned much of what I knew in high school ROTC the next year or two. Since I didn't have a social circle that did anything with guns, the thing sat unused for another couple decades, and was eventually lost in one or another change of address.

I had mixed feelings about gun ownership for a long time. I had film cameras and was active as a hobby photographer for a couple years circa 1990. I used to say that I did my hunting with a camera instead of a gun because I didn't have to worry about a stray round of film hurting someone if I missed. I knew to avoid certain places during hunting season, of course. I didn't mind that people used guns for hunting or target shooting. I knew that I experienced a certain level of privilege to not feel need (or even desire) to keep guns for self defense.

Until fairly recently, watching the country descend into fascism.

I bought my first pistols in September of 2020, and my spouse and I took a gun safety class as soon as I could arrange one we could both attend. We sat for our CCDW License exam the end of that October, partly because I figured I would have a single source (a book) that had all the relevant statutes for our state in one place for periodic review.

Hiker invited me to join this forum later that year, and here I am, learning from all of you fine folks, including Dr. Yamane.

I have a few friends with whom I discuss guns, and a coworker or two because some of our colleagues are at armed posts (my taxable-income gig is unarmed security). My mother knows I have a couple guns, but she would shudder if she saw the inside of my safe. I have more pistols than my serious needs dictate, but I like each for its own reasons, so I don't want to sell any of them--yet. I can only shoot one or two at a time, but I also have a couple staged should SHTF in the little neighborhood...

My story is similar to yours, BP, with a few twists and turns. I am a survivor of violent crime, so I bought a pistol a few years after I moved to Los Angeles, a Makarov .380, in the early 'i90s. It was a bit of a pig to shoot, so a couple of years later, I got a Mark II. Went to the range a few times, then they stayed locked in a safe for years.

Around Y2K, I picked up a Mossberg shotgun. It has never been fired; I want to take a lesson with it.

In 2010, for an independent project for my psychology MA, the assignment was to go to an unfamiliar community where you felt uncomfortable. I went to a local gun range-- I was stunned that my very liberal, postmodern school approved this-- that is a favorite with law enforcement. Very helpful, I've worked with a few LEOs since getting licensed.

I don't think I went to the range for another 12 years or so, but it was definitely January 6 that motivated me to return-- and to re-evaluate whether two handguns was really enough. I got the Rough Rider in 11/22 because it's great for practice, I liked the mechanical simplicity and th4e WMR option, I can't handle much recoil at all due to arthritis, it's a very capable caliber, and I wanted better long range accuracy for some of the angles on our property-- I could hit an intruder on top of our hill if I had to. I got the 942 this year mostly to stage in places in my home where I'd most likely only a face a short range threat. Since about November, I've also been learning to clean, disassemble/reassemble my guns, and refining my technique (such as it is, i still suck) at the range. Identifying potential safety issues before they happen-- "Argh! Get your finger outside the trigger guard until you're ready to shoot, even if the gun is pointed downrange!" I think I've been to the range four times this year, or four times in the last six months, anyway.

It is very tempting to start collecting guns like (cheap) cameras or guitars. However, one thing I like about this forum is that it encourages me to make careful decisions, weighing risk/benefit vs. tactical advantages and fun factor, etc. I'm not buying anything else until the guns I have are running as well as I'd like them to, and my skills have improved a bit. There may be a few more in my future, we'll see!