Poll: Do You Fear Or Have Misgivings About American Gun Culture?

[Knobgoblin]

1. Just. Keep. Posting.
2. I've been on forums and "definitely-not-a-forum" for longer than I would care to remember. Thread drift is just a fact of life in these kinds of ecosystems.
3. I'm planning on sticking around, so I suppose we'll see how it goes. All I'm saying is that it doesn't inspire confidence.

Anyway, a gun related topic, I'm planning to ramp down my "Team AR" support and instead joining my friends on Team Stribog.

Team whu??

 

[Croat]

That's not at all what I'm saying. I'm not advocating for a litmus test or saying everyone should have to go through some mandatory training. I'm glad we don't have any of that. Just noting quite a few folks I've met who are recent gun owners bought their guns out of fear, and now think they're "ready to protect themselves" without any further steps - no at-home practice, no seeking additional training, no understanding of the law and when / how a firearm can be used lawfully. Yes we have the exact same problem with people who drive cars or use power tools, but nobody's calling for nationwide bans of Ford Fiestas and bandsaws because of the actions of their owners.

I agree with you. Too many newbies think they're done once they buy their first gun. Is that bright on their part? Absolutely not. Is that safe for them, much less anybody else? Absolutely not. That said, it's their 2A right. Period. We can't legislate stupid, but hopefully the newbies will get a hint and become responsible. Not that I'd count on it...

 

[IndyPrepper]

Reality is that the actions of a few gun owners are used to paint the many with the same brush

The 'reality' is that anyone who applies broad stokes to any group of people based on the acts of one or a few..is dumb, stupid, and smooth brained.

Put it this way. There's what..~350 million people in the U.S? The chances of any one person doing any certain random thing on any given day is pretty damn good. Be that a mass shooting, or furbies licking a cat. Extrapolate that to the world..what..7 or 8 billion? People need to really do some math there.

It's the instant on..camera everywhere, internet, world connected, click for money world we live in that's the issue here. Throw the switch.

The best defense against hyperbolic fear based news, is truth.

 

[UnpaidComint]

I have said none of the things you are accusing me of. So here is a little insight for you. I own an ammunition company and sell my ammo to anyone legal to buy it. I teach reloading and marksmanship skills to anyone that asks. I'm a range officer at my local gun range and help out on Hunter sight in days. I participate in site cleanup and have trash no lands hand outs on my gun show table. Which by the way I'll be at one this weekend. Stop by and say howdy, that offer applies to anyone reading this post by the way. That you might wear a Pink tu-tu and shoot a Teal 9mm matters not to me. I make both colors of ammo as well as others with out prejudice.

To be clear, that second paragraph wasn't directed at you specifically, it was just more intended generally (and also tacked on as an edit after I slapped the post button)

 

[UnpaidComint]

The bottom line is, we have a culture problem, and it's NOT a 'gun culture' problem. The masses have been deluded, indoctrinated, and utterly confused as to what's really going on. I suppose your average anti-gun person looks around and sees news reports on mass-shootings and such, and believes that the world isn't fair. Their lives are in danger, how can this happen? Why do bad people exist? That's what they can't grasp..that bad people exist. They believe if guns..and lets be clear..all guns..weren't in the hands of citizens, then bad people would go away.

It's not our job to convince them of the #1 basic fact of life..which is it's your responsibility to defend yourself. It always has been.

That's why I believe the whole argument about 'including' others is the wrong way to think. I don't care about their identity. I think people who feel a need to broadcast their particular beliefs, identities, politics, religion etc...are ultimately selfish and narcissistic. When I meet a stranger, I don't interrogate them about anything the original OP posted the poll about. It's none of my business. And it's not their business to tell me.

When I say "including" I mean that going out of your (again, the general "your") way to say "You can shoot with me, I'm not going to be an bubblegum and I will teach you right."'

But again, yall don't have to do what I say, I'm literally a baby when it comes to guns lmao.

 

[UnpaidComint]

View attachment 1824793

Team whu??

Team Stribog. Go look up the Grand Power Stribog SP9A3 roller delayed PCC. It's sick as hell and I want one so bad.

 

[Knobgoblin]

Team Stribog. Go look up the Grand Power Stribog SP9A3 roller delayed PCC. It's sick as hell and I want one so bad.

I know what they are. It's lowbrow AK humor. I like that you dig it tho,my brother.

BTW, we can shoot together anytime.
I'll even cook you a meal if the situation permits.

 

[UnpaidComint]

I know what they are. It's lowbrow AK humor. I like that you dig it tho,my brother.

BTW, we can shoot together anytime.
I'll even cook you a meal if the situation permits.

No gun barrel bacon though please. I'm on a lead free diet

 

[IndyPrepper]

When I say "including" I mean that going out of your (again, the general "your") way to say "You can shoot with me, I'm not going to be an bubblegum and I will teach you right."'

But again, yall don't have to do what I say, I'm literally a baby when it comes to guns lmao.

Why would a stranger have to out of their way to say " You can shoot with me, I'm not gonna be a $%^%$" It sounds like maybe you've had some experience with another person at a gun range or store. Can you provide details? Because honestly..I don't get it. People are people. They have biases and may or may not like another person based on many many possible reasons..conscious or unconscious. I've had a couple bad experiences with fudd d-bags at Four Corners gun range. They didn't care for me, and I didn't care for them.

I'll even give you the details. I went there for indoctrination class with another 20 or 30 new members. After the class and tour, I was ready to do some shooting so went out and got my rifle. I had been to a number of gun ranges before. I had never been to a range that required you to bring your own staple gun for targets. I'd only used spring clips. The member packet also didn't mention it. So I didn't have one. Another new guy in front of me asked a 'long time member' to borrow the staple gun sitting on the ledge. He rolled and eyes and handed it over. So..I said "sorry man..could I use it real quick too?". I was overly gracious, friendly, smiling. This guy was an absolute d-bag. Then he made it worse by saying I couldn't use the range lane next to him because he was using two..rudely. Which is against the range rules btw. But I wasn't gonna start a fight with the guy. I stared him down and made sure he knew what I thought of him..he did the same..and that was that.

But here's the thing. I could have gone down the road that soo many sensitive's go nowadays..and thought it was because I'm white and he's mexican. How can you prove that? You can't..it's in your head. The reality was he was just a d!@ck.

I start out friendly with everyone I meet. Maybe someone doesn't like your car, or your cloths..or whatever. You're not in their head.

How bout this. Maybe next time someone treats you poorly, think it's possible that it's not because you're in some pr0tected class or group as the original poster of this thread started. Maybe it's because he's just a d1ck..or you're using your own bias..or both..and move on..

BTW, I had great experiences with dozens of other members from that point on. I'd also lent my own staple gun and plenty of tape and free targets to others. My guess is that the d00d in question was just that way.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Some people don't need any old excuse to be .......
Anything less than excellent...

Judging an individual by whatever group they "belong" to .....
Or...judging a whole group by the actions of an individual ....
Is fraught with danger...as in assuming , stereotyping , "blanket statements" , "panting with broad brush strokes" , etc...

So you , as in a general you , not anyone in particular here... has had a bad experience or three or more with someone or several someones in a group.
A unpleasant commonality here is ....you.

Just something to consider...as in ...are your actions , words or preconceived notions helping or harming here...?
Not sayin' that this is true in every case....just asking to take it into consideration.
Andy

 

[3MTA3]

Sometimes people act like dicks because they had a bad day: A fight with their spouse; Lost a contract; Child is sick, etc.. I always give the first offense a pass and after three like the line goes "three is a trend". The first time I met one of my best friends we had a heated argument. He turned out to be a great guy, but I would never have known it if we hadn't given each other another chance.

I too, have been the victim of racial discrimination even though I am white. Dating outside your own race can bring a lot of unwanted attention. All discrimination based on superficial things like that is ignorance. I simply treated everyone consistently with respect while maintaining my masculine status.

Since the girl I dated for several years was Hispanic I eventually had to participate in some "friendly" drinking contests that my Scandinavian ("you guys realize that we invented freezing alcohol to remove all the water, right?" and "OK, we will start with your girl drink Tequila. Do you use the little umbrellas?") genes are mostly immune to. Then came hot foods where I introduced them to wasabi. They finally gave up and decided I was a good guy, but I still had to go through the test every time a new family contingent showed up.

I've also run into cultural bias based on where I live. For many years I worked for an offshoot of Idaho National Lavatories based in Idaho Falls. Many of my customers were in east coast states like New York, Massachusetts, Virginia,Maryland and of course DC. I ran into more pure ignorance and snobbery more times than I can remember and had to endure jokes about potatoes, white supremacy, marrying your cousin, etc.. I mostly just ignored the ignorance unless it interfered with my work, but did have to take yet one more entitled and frankly unqualified idiot aside and explain the world to him a few times, once at NRC headquarters.

Just a couple among dozens of examples the point being that you run into stupid chit everywhere for a variety of reasons. How you handle it determines the outcome and whether of not you are a victim or simply pity the people who subject themselves to ignorance.

 

[Mikej]

I get your point, and was not my intention to set anyone off. Reality is that the actions of a few gun owners are used to paint the many with the same brush. That is a problem. I don't know how to solve it, or even if it can be solved, but ignoring it and pretending it doesn't exist isn't the right answer.

No worries friend. I just used your post to throw out some of MY issues/thoughts.

I agree with you. Too many newbies think they're done once they buy their first gun. Is that bright on their part? Absolutely not. Is that safe for them, much less anybody else? Absolutely not. That said, it's their 2A right. Period. We can't legislate stupid, but hopefully the newbies will get a hint and become responsible. Not that I'd count on it...

If you believe that everyone is a dumb-bubblegum then your correct. But everyone isn't a dumb-bubblegum. I like to think that there are more people that take buying a gun as a serious thing and will do the diligence to think and learn ,rather than everyoneis a dumb-bubblegum unless they spend a bunch of money to get "formal" training

So you , as in a general you , not anyone in particular here... has had a bad experience or three or more with someone or several someones in a group.
A unpleasant commonality here is ....you.

That's pretty much what I was getting at. But it's good to repeat it and hope it soaks in.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

wife supremacy,

Wow...bad enough to encounter unpleasantness outside of your home life...
Andy

 

[3MTA3]

Wow...bad enough to encounter unpleasantness outside of your home life...
Andy

Can't even blame a spellchecker on that so I will resort to claiming insufficient caffeination.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Can't even blame a spellchecker on that so I will resort to claiming insufficient caffeination.

Having fallen victim to "pre-coffee typing" myself...I totally understand....
Andy

 

[Koda]

The bottom line is, we have a culture problem, and it's NOT a 'gun culture' problem. The masses have been deluded, indoctrinated, and utterly confused as to what's really going on. I suppose your average anti-gun person looks around and sees news reports on mass-shootings and such, and believes that the world isn't fair. Their lives are in danger, how can this happen? Why do bad people exist? That's what they can't grasp..that bad people exist. They believe if guns..and lets be clear..all guns..weren't in the hands of citizens, then bad people would go away.

It's not our job to convince them of the #1 basic fact of life..which is it's your responsibility to defend yourself. It always has been.

That's why I believe the whole argument about 'including' others is the wrong way to think. I don't care about their identity. I think people who feel a need to broadcast their particular beliefs, identities, politics, religion etc...are ultimately selfish and narcissistic. When I meet a stranger, I don't interrogate them about anything the original OP posted the poll about. It's none of my business. And it's not their business to tell me.

The other day I read an article on how "mass shootings" are changing parents decisions on attending large events. The article showed how people are becoming aware of danger and some parents even now start looking for exits and escape routes at events they take their families to. It was an interesting article because its good to have situational awareness, and to take responsibility for your own safety... yet the article was of course just using these examples as a type of fearmongering over guns and literally only cited guns as the cause of this danger. They did not talk about the idea of being able to defend yourself, or why most violent criminals are still on the streets. There is definitely an indoctrination agenda and it wont go away if we ignore it.
Part of me feels like it is our job to counter anti-gun propaganda, if they have a right to spread lies about guns and gun rights we have a right to say its not true. That said, I agree there is a fine line about broadcasting ones particular beliefs. Its a balance that each person has to figure out.


As far as the subject of this thread, You could take a poll asking how well any other social group treats minorities and get the same results. Since the 2A applies to all people regardless of status or group its hard to say what gun culture is. I know people who own guns but also vote for gun control, they are part of gun culture. I suppose, the only requirement to be a part of gun culture is owning one?

https://www.npr.org/2024/02/17/1231866948/kansas-city-mass-shooting-parents-children-events

 

[ilikegunspdx]

The other day I read an article on how "mass shootings" are changing parents decisions on attending large events. The article showed how people are becoming aware of danger and some parents even now start looking for exits and escape routes at events they take their families to. It was an interesting article because its good to have situational awareness, and to take responsibility for your own safety... yet the article was of course just using these examples as a type of fearmongering over guns and literally only cited guns as the cause of this danger. They did not talk about the idea of being able to defend yourself, or why most violent criminals are still on the streets. There is definitely an indoctrination agenda and it wont go away if we ignore it.
Part of me feels like it is our job to counter anti-gun propaganda, if they have a right to spread lies about guns and gun rights we have a right to say its not true. That said, I agree there is a fine line about broadcasting ones particular beliefs. Its a balance that each person has to figure out.


As far as the subject of this thread, You could take a poll asking how well any other social group treats minorities and get the same results. Since the 2A applies to all people regardless of status or group its hard to say what gun culture is. I know people who own guns but also vote for gun control, they are part of gun culture. I suppose, the only requirement to be a part of gun culture is owning one?

https://www.npr.org/2024/02/17/1231866948/kansas-city-mass-shooting-parents-children-events

I bubbleguming hate big crowds. When I travel I go to the sites as soon as they are open and go to the deserted country sites when the tourists start to come in.

 

[IndyPrepper]

I bubbleguming hate big crowds. When I travel I go to the sites as soon as they are open and go to the deserted country sites when the tourists start to come in.

I do the grocery store runs at 2am. The wife does costco runs alone. And I always take the stairs.

Four years aboard a carrier has ruined my affinity towards crowds.

 

[Koda]

I dont hate crowds or large events. I want to enjoy those the same as any other person. I just dont want to be forced to go unarmed if I feel I need to carry, especially to and from the event.
The 2A applies to outside the home, there should be a wy for lawful citizens to attend events that prohibit weapons.

 

[Croat]

The problem with crowds is their inherent danger. It is a rare event when an individual with a gun acts stupidly dangerous, either on purpose (vermin who trash the wilderness, poachers, murderers, and that ilk) or accidentally (stupidly shooting themselves, for example). Crowds are another animal altogether. Crowds which have a semblance of control ("control" is always an illusion, but we'll let that pass), as we see at concerts, sporting events, and similar can be more or less benign. But then there are the non-organized or even spontaneous crowds, usually forming on streets. A normally intelligent person who gets caught up in a street crowd can regress several strata on the scale of civilization, even to the point where that normally intelligent person aggressively vandalizes property or even hurts/kills other people. But even "controlled" crowds at sporting events (think Cleveland Browns fans) or concerts (think Travis Scott's Astroworld Festival in Houston) can go out of control in a hurry. ALL crowds have inherently dangerous and anti-social potential, thus not for me.