BBC: America’s Least Likely Gun Owners

[HuckleberryFun]

Must of been a slow news week. The washington post also had a article, the heavily armed millennials of instagram, a couple of days ago. While definitely slanted, I did find it interesting, probably because I'm not a millennial and I try to avoid social media.

I read that story too. The story was flawed and a little lame, but still kind of interesting for the "changing face of gun culture" aspect.

 

[WoodsPlinker]

Politics ruin everything. Guns shouldn't be a political issue.

And I know more young conservative white girls then old conservative white guys. I know an old liberal white women that loves guns. And I've sat next to many different ethnicities and backgrounds at the range and my only thought was envy for the guns they were firing.

I know, envy is an evil thing.

 

[Boboclown]

Nah, most don't know anything about guns.

I can say the same about people who sell guns. A local shop was selling East German AK74 bakelite magazines, and labeled them as Russian and sold them at the same price as the Russian ones.

 

[Boboclown]

I don't like what that transgender person says about the right. What have we been doing for decades? Nothing, I've done nothing. If that's how some people view it, it concerns me as their reasons for owning a gun is against another ideology.

My reasons have nothing to do with opposing a person based on ideology. Instead its about preservation of self, loved ones, and if it gets to it the rights.

 

[CLT65]

I agree that constitutional rights are for everyone, regardless of ideology; at least that's the way it should be. There was a time in this country where the ideal was that you stood up for and defended your ideological opponent's rights. It's a little scary that relatively few people seem to understand that nowadays.

I have a couple coworkers who are fairly liberal, but like guns and shooting. I know each of them bought at least one gun last year (semi-autos even!) and have been to the range. They still voted for Brown.

Owning guns and learning marksmanship may help take away the irrational fear of firearms, but it won't change a deep-seated statist mentality or voting habits. It's still a good step.

It is encouraging to hear that some of our more liberal members may be able to have some slight influence on their representatives in Salem, but will it make any difference as compared to sugar-daddy Bloomberg's billions? I hate to be pessimistic, so I will wish them luck and hope for the best.

 

[nwslopoke]

I just watched the BBC video. Unsurprisingly people uneducated about the topic get to explain to even more uneducated people so in the end everyone ends up even less educated.

I learned nothing outside of the fringes of society in gun ownship. No one in that group represented me. Like myself, a gun owning black veteran the example here, his views are not like mine. Or most people like me I know. The people in the BBC piece come off as "victimish". Maybe thats why they don't resonate with me.

People of earth outside of the US fail to acknowledge how big the US is. The fable of the blind men describing an elephant is a good example. You can't take one tiny region of the US and claim to describe it. St Louis is not Minot.

 

[Boboclown]

Like myself, a gun owning black veteran the example here, his views are not like mine.

I'm just glad they didn't have some Asian person saying similar things as them. Because then people might assume they were speaking for me or that my views are similar. For the same reason you just mentioned.

I own guns because its right, given by nature of us having two hands with opposable thumbs and the brain capacity to use weapons, that is necessary for the preservation of self and rights. The 2nd Amendment, to me, is supposed to be a reflection of that. Its not about hate crimes, its not about opposing people of differing ideology.

This group of people, while I appreciate they are seeing the value of gun ownership, are doing so out of perception of hate crimes or to oppose an ideology under the claim we've been doing it for decades.

 

[KTM530XCW]

Fantastic to see a pro-firearm news story on BBC. I'm all for arming as many good guys as we can, even if we're political opposites. I's a God granted right for all Americans.

America's least likely gun owners?

 

[slimmer13]

It lost me when the LGC lady said the 2A is a right "the government gives us".

Speaks volumes as to our philosophical differences.

 

[Lazyfaire]

OK. A decent report, except for the line that our rights are granted by the government. How about that it can just be fun to go out and target shoot? Hate really doesn't enter into it, at least for me it doesn't.

 

[Stomper]

I hate having fun... and it's fun to hate.

 

[CLT65]

It lost me when the LGC lady said the 2A is a right "the government gives us".

Speaks volumes as to our philosophical differences.

Very true, and this thread proves that we are not what they think we are. They think we are hate-filled monsters out to oppress them. If that were true, why would we celebrate the arming of our "enemies"?

 

[Eeyore]

Very true, and this thread proves that we are not what they think we are. They think we are hate-filled monsters out to oppress them. If that were true, why would we celebrate the arming of our "enemies"?

Ah, but we are not your enemies, nor you ours; we're fellow Americans, patriots, defenders of The Constitution and our mutual civil liberties. The way I see it, we're merely competitors of ideals, but still brothers in arms.

 

[DB is Here]

Ah, but we are not your enemies, nor you ours; we're fellow Americans, patriots, defenders of The Constitution and our mutual civil liberties. The way I see it, we're merely competitors of ideals, but still brothers in arms.

Nicely stated. What we need now more than ever before are Statesmen from both both parties to tell the children in DC to hush...the adults are speaking.

 

[2A2Dend]

DB, you're stuttering

 

[DB is Here]

DB, you're stuttering

I get nervous around "The Beautiful People"...

 

[2A2Dend]

thumbish — Postimage.org
*edit, well that worked!. LOL

 

[Eeyore]

Ha!

I get nervous around "The Beautiful People"...

 

[CLT65]

Ah, but we are not your enemies, nor you ours; we're fellow Americans, patriots, defenders of The Constitution and our mutual civil liberties. The way I see it, we're merely competitors of ideals, but still brothers in arms.

I'm very much of the "live and let live" mindset. As long as we're not trying to forcibly convert each other, I'm completely fine with different perspectives on life.

A friend of mine who spent time in the Middle East once told me why he thought Western-style democracy wouldn't take hold over there (his opinion). He said there's this tribal mindset. The oppressed people want freedom. They work and fight for it. When they have their freedom what do they do? Do they magnanimously extend freedom to their enemies and develop a system of checks and balances so they can all have freedom? What a silly thought! No, they use their new-found freedom to oppress their enemies.

It seems like there is more of that tribal perspective here now as well. People seem less inclined to "live and let live", and instead want to destroy their political enemies. I have no problem with a peace-loving, law-abiding liberal being armed, and I welcome to shoot with me at the range any liberal who has no problem with me being armed.

It does make me sad, though, when most of them go home and vote for the most extreme enemies of the 2nd Amendment, but such is life.

 

[nwslopoke]

Most media stories about guns do put the gun owners in a specific light before they ask loaded questions. I am sure the interviewies are hand picked to arrive at a certain narrative. Heaven forbid an alternative response be blurted out.

I would love to see an honest report on the gun industry that doesn't include the NRA. How many Americans does the gun industry employ? How many small or family business are related to the gun industry. I personally have ordered a bunch of parts from small vet owned companies from targets, to sights, to apparel to rifles. I never see these success stories.

These stories usually contain some aspect of fear. I would never think of fear as why I own guns anymore than I would think of why I drive a car to work in stead of riding a horse. I drive a car because it is the best option. Same reason I have realized guns are the option for me. Others have not come to that conclusion. Good for them.