Do you own a gun?

[spamlds]

I used to have some guns that I inherited from my father.  I had children in the house and no way to secure them so I felt it best to give them to my father-in-law, who has a big collection of guns.

 

I carried a gun (actually two of them) every day for four years in my first Air Force enlistment.  I had to qualify on them semi-annually for years afterward.  I don't have any moral objection to owning firearms.  However, over the years, a nagging scripture has guided me away from gun ownership.  It's in Revelation chapter 13:

 

9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.

10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

 

Whenever the scriptures say, "he that hath ears to hear, let him hear," it's a way of highlighting something important.  I felt this scripture speaking to me.

 

When I was in the military, the Church used to provide a little booklet with teachings from General Authorities on how we view combat and war.  Essentially, the take-away from it was that, sometimes war is necessary and just.  However, when you take up arms, you forfeit certain guarantees of divine protection.  On the battlefield, things get equalized. When you and your enemy are both calling unto God for victory and protection, there's no guarantee.  You're just as likely to get killed as the other guy.

 

Considering some of the prophecies, like the George Albert Smith prophecy, talk about the government seizing American's personal guns.  If that occurs, it would probably lead to an armed insurrection.  Having seen what our military can do, I imagine that any opposition against it would end up like the Branch Davidians in Waco. 

 

As a practical consideration, pistols are only good for very short range use.  There is what is called the "21-foot rule."  If a perpetrator decides to rush you and you have a pistol in a holster, you don't have time to react, draw the weapon, aim, and fire effectively if he is within a 21-foot radius.  He can cross that distance in just over a second.  Beyond 21 feet, you have a chance.  Inside that range, it's going to go hand-to-hand.

 

That's one of the reasons I practice and teach judo.  It's an incredibly effective form of self-defense that is non-lethal.  You practice it with a fully resisting opponent, so it's very realistic.  If you have to use it, you don't have to make any adjustments. You will be fully accustomed to reacting with sufficient force to throw, choke, or arm-bar an adversary, temporarily disable him, and get away.  It's effective for women as well as men.  

 

If you're not comfortable with having guns in your home, it's a good idea to learn a martial art so you can defend yourself.  If this of interest to you, the web sites of the United States Judo Association, United States Judo Federation, and USA Judo can direct you to a club near you.  Judo is generally affordable for most families and it appeals to all ages. 

[Backroads]

We have a couple of rifles for sport. My husband wants to purchase a handgun but I want a lock box first.

[mrmarklin]

As I write this I'm on a hunting trip in Wyoming.

I own many guns, too many to list.

Here in the US, the primary reason the framers of the constitution provided this right was for the ultimate defense, and potential insurrection of the citizenry against a corrupt and abusive national government.

All other reasons are secondary.

Guns are great sporting tools that can be used for hunting,

Shooting sports, (lots of great fun competitions for those so inclined)

Self defense

And general "plinking"

Many of these uses require specialty guns, there is a large variety of handguns and rifles as well as shotguns to serve these various markets..

[NeuroTypical]

Do you own a gun? If so why?

Yes.  So does my wife.  I have a concealed carry permit, and so does my wife.

 

Several reasons as to why.  

 

1. We once helped put a guy behind bars for 5-life.  He knows where we live, and he has been in our house before.  There was a risk he might want some payback, so a few years before he came up for parole, we started preparing.   We did things to deter and avoid him, to keep him from showing up in the first place.  We thought through and practiced ways to evade him if he did show up.  And if all of that failed, we thought through and practiced ways to stop him if he presented an imminent threat to our health.  That included practicing with firearms and being able to legally carry them around with us.

 

2. We also live in the middle of nowhere.  The authorities are 5-30 minutes further away from us, than from other folks.  Lots of long drives along dirt roads - if one of us ended up in a ditch and had to hoof it somewhere, a firearm could be very useful to scare away bears/coyotes/etc and signal for help.

 

3. I also acknowledge the tiny risk of random danger from my fellow man.  The Aurora theater killing and the New Life Church killing both happened pretty close to home. 

 

4. I acknowledge the tiny-but-growing risk of deadly acts of terrorism on our soil.  The Trolley Square killing and other such events come to mind.  The Sheriff of my county is nationally known for supporting an armed populace as a good response to keeping such things away.

 

Other random reasons include teaching my kids respect for life, safeguarding my liberty, and being ready for the zombie uprising.  

[Pa Pa]

Do you own a gun? If so why? If not why not? I live in a non gun oriented country although hunting is big business here. Most people do not own guns but if they do,it is a rifle for hunting rather than a handgun. Unless your job requires a gun, it is difficult to get a permit for a handgun. At one time, we had a gun registry program in which if you owned a gun, you needed to register with the police but no longer. I believe that if you own a gun in the uk that you need to register it with the police, store it in a special case separate from the ammo, and the police can inspect this storeage arrangement at will. Any Brits who can confirm?

Former military, and retired police officer..so yes I many. I am also a collector.

[Guest]

 

As a practical consideration, pistols are only good for very short range use.  There is what is called the "21-foot rule."  If a perpetrator decides to rush you and you have a pistol in a holster, you don't have time to react, draw the weapon, aim, and fire effectively if he is within a 21-foot radius.  He can cross that distance in just over a second.  Beyond 21 feet, you have a chance.  Inside that range, it's going to go hand-to-hand.

 

 

You sure about that?

 

 

 

That's one of the reasons I practice and teach judo.  It's an incredibly effective form of self-defense that is non-lethal.  You practice it with a fully resisting opponent, so it's very realistic.  If you have to use it, you don't have to make any adjustments. You will be fully accustomed to reacting with sufficient force to throw, choke, or arm-bar an adversary, temporarily disable him, and get away.  It's effective for women as well as men.  

 

I don't like Rhonda Rousey but yeah, she's an amazing fighter.  :)

[paulsifer42]

You sure about that?

 

Haha, I doubt the OP really wants to put in the time to be this fast.  Not to mention, in a home defense situation it's high adrenaline; no one is going to be that fast or that accurate.  Home-defenders will need space or surprise. :)

[Urstadt]

We have a couple of rifles for sport. My husband wants to purchase a handgun but I want a lock box first.

Would you be ok with the cable lock that comes with the gun? It completely disables it. :)

Edited October 10, 2014 by Urstadt

[paulsifer42]

Would you be ok with the cable lock that comes with then gun? It completely disables it. :)

 

That's what I use, and I keep the key far, far away from it.

[notquiteperfect]

No, we don't own a gun.  We have both shot them before and I grew up around hunting rifles but I'm leaning more towards learning some self-defense moves and getting a taser and/or pepper spray.

[bytor2112]

That's what I use, and I keep the key far, far away from it

 

 

Locked gun is a useless gun......

[kapikui]

No, we don't own a gun.  We have both shot them before and I grew up around hunting rifles but I'm leaning more towards learning some self-defense moves and getting a taser and/or pepper spray.

Watch out with the pepper spray, it's prone to aerosolization, meaning you zap people in the general vicinity.  If it's windy, you might get yourself.  If it's indoors, you get everyone in the room. Asthmatics can be killed by this form of contact. Also not that some people are basically immune.  Finding out your assailant is immune to your pepper spray can spoil your whole day.  

[notquiteperfect]

Thanks kapikui - good to know!

[annewandering]

Yes I own a shotgun. It is at my mother's house because there is someone in the house that has ptsd. I will not allow a gun in the house at the moment. Probably will get rid of it. It is too difficult to use anyway. Ken could use it but I cant. Maybe sometime in the future I might get a 9 mm. Maybe. I doubt it but it is possible. Not fond of the owner safety issues with them although I am comfortable with guns. Just dont like the stats on the safety.    

[rustedwithlove]

I don't, but I'd like to own one. I've always thought it'd be kind of cool to get a revolver, although I'm not certain if they can fit in most holsters.

 

For a long gun, I'd want a Remington rifle, probably a Remington 150 .22.

[Urstadt]

Where I live, there is a gang I learned about in my gang awareness training put on by the Sherriff's department. They have a reputation that they pride themselves on maintaining.

They attack in 4-man teams with shotguns, baseball bats, rope, and condoms. Their plan is the same everytime. Kill whoever opens the door with the shotgun: no time to respond to respond to that. (If no one answers the door, they shhot their way in with the shotgun.) Then, they storm in, tie up both the men and the women. They beat the men with the bats, to maintain their brutality reputation among the gang community, and rape the women. A four-man team with a shotgun, a baseball bat, and rope, high on uppers that take away pain, is not something any human being will ever defend against with martial arts, pepper spray, or a tazer. Especially because everyone who is sprayed or tazed always has 1-3 seconds to get a shot off before they hit the ground and are incapacitated. Even if you incapacitate one of them, the other 3 will get you. No, the only way you defend aganist that is a tactical shotgun or a pistol with extended magazines, and a planned out emergency response plan that your family practices during some family home evenings.

That gang, that I learned about, is located < 10 miles from my house.

[Guest]

I want this...

[paulsifer42]

Locked gun is a useless gun......

 

An irresponsable gun owner is a danger...

Edited October 13, 2014 by paulsifer42

[kapikui]

An irresponsable gun owner is a danger...

You choose what's best for YOU under YOUR circumstances, and I'll do the same. I'll evaluate the relative risk of a child finding my gun, loading it and firing it, vs the risk of not having it ready, given the number of children with access, their ages, responsibility, strength, the crime in my area, etc, and you can do the same.   When someone who has no concept of my exact circumstances decides to legislate what's best for me in my house, it's moving on toward time to play Lexington and Concorde all over again.

[mirkwood]

An irresponsable gun owner is a danger...

 

I think you need to clarify what you are saying.  I agree with your statement.  I don't agree that someone who leaves their gun unlocked is automatically irresponsible. 

Edited October 13, 2014 by mirkwood

[Silhouette]

Where I live, there is a gang I learned about in my gang awareness training put on by the Sherriff's department. They have a reputation that they pride themselves on maintaining.

They attack in 4-man teams with shotguns, baseball bats, rope, and condoms. Their plan is the same everytime. Kill whoever opens the door with the shotgun: no time to respond to respond to that. (If no one answers the door, they shhot their way in with the shotgun.) Then, they storm in, tie up both the men and the women. They beat the men with the bats, to maintain their brutality reputation among the gang community, and rape the women. A four-man team with a shotgun, a baseball bat, and rope, high on uppers that take away pain, is not something any human being will ever defend against with martial arts, pepper spray, or a tazer. Especially because everyone who is sprayed or tazed always has 1-3 seconds to get a shot off before they hit the ground and are incapacitated. Even if you incapacitate one of them, the other 3 will get you. No, the only way you defend aganist that is a tactical shotgun or a pistol with extended magazines, and a planned out emergency response plan that your family practices during some family home evenings.

That gang, that I learned about, is located < 10 miles from my house.

The very thought of that is absolutely terrifying. And less than 10 miles from your house? I'd be constantly worried and afraid.

[NeuroTypical]

If you're gonna own a firearm, it's important to be responsible.  I think we all agree on that.  Nobody wants accidents with kids.  I'm of the opinion that there is no such thing as a gun accident, only gun negligence.

 

That said, here's my setup.  My guns are only in one of three places.  

1. In the gun safe (combination lock, and the combo is not written down anywhere.)

2. In my physical posession (either strapped to me in a holster, or in my hands, or being cleaned, etc.)

3. Locked in my car (I like this one the least.  It's necessary because of the gun-free zones out there.)

 

Kids are safe. 

[Guest]

If you're gonna own a firearm, it's important to be responsible.  I think we all agree on that.  Nobody wants accidents with kids.  I'm of the opinion that there is no such thing as a gun accident, only gun negligence.

 

That said, here's my setup.  My guns are only in one of three places.  

1. In the gun safe (combination lock, and the combo is not written down anywhere.)

2. In my physical posession (either strapped to me in a holster, or in my hands, or being cleaned, etc.)

3. Locked in my car (I like this one the least.  It's necessary because of the gun-free zones out there.)

 

Kids are safe. 

 

 

My husband has been teaching my kids about firearms since they were old enough to shoot a super soaker.  They got their cub scouting lessons for their belt loops and pins, their paint ball arenas, their bb gun target practice, etc. etc, before they finally got their own firearm.  We feel its as important to teach the kids as it is to lock the firearms.  The locking is really just for me (long story) and the many many friends (young and old) who come over who might get it into their heads to snoop around in my house.  It's not just the kids who get it into their heads to play with these things - there are adults who are just as stupid.  Some friend of my father's shot himself in the leg trying to twirl a revolver like some gunslinger...

Edited October 13, 2014 by anatess

[Guest MormonGator]

I own several but all they do is collect dust upstairs in my gun case. I guess I'd rather have them and not need them then need them and not have them. 

[mirkwood]

My gun safes are to protect other people's kids.  My kids have been handling firearms from a very young age.  No curiosity to lead to disasters when they get to look at, handle and/or shoot guns simply for the asking.  My kids were the only ones running around indexing the frame of their Nerf guns!

 

Some fun we had this summer.