Traits of someone that shouldn't own or operate a firearm.

v0lcom13sn0w · Dec 5, 2020

Medic! said:
Look.

I don't think your cut out for this ''Teaching'' thing.

v0lcom13sn0w · Dec 5, 2020

the best thing you can do for spousal firearms training is let someone else do it.

bbbass · Dec 5, 2020

tac said:
let's for the moment you assume it to be the UK, since I often post from there, I doubt very much that any husband would have gone on a wide-open forum like this one and given such a damning image of his wife to the rest of us.

I knew there was something I like about you!!!

Wombat of Doom · Dec 5, 2020

kevinv said:
I'm getting back into shooting and my wife wants to shoot also. But I don't think she has what's needed to be a gun owner. It's a difficult thing to describe. She isn't detail oriented, doesn't care to know how things work, she just wants to use things, doesn't want to put any effort into anything unless it's the fun parts, if she does put in any effort, it's as little as possible, she doesn't read instructions or follow directions well. She has a hard time assembling anything or fixing something that comes apart. Almost like a lack of spatial awareness, I sometimes think if you gave her one of those tests of putting different shaped blocks into the proper holes, she would fail at it. A couple of specifics, we saw a gun on youtube and she wanted that one because she liked the color of it. Also I've been trying to do 5 minute training sessions in the evenings to get her familiar with a gun I have, how to load a magazine with ammo, put the magazine in the gun, work the slide, hold it, use the sights, just general familiarity and repetition on the 4 safety rules. She hasn't wanted to do any of that and recently said that she needs to just go shoot it.

All this has made me think there are more people, other than the usual and obvious set, that should not own guns. I know there are some obvious traits of those that shouldn't own guns, but I'm thinking there may be other less obvious traits, either by themselves or combined, that also mean someone shouldn't own a gun. I'm just having a hard time summing that up into a cohesive description. Any thoughts?

I have a brother who is not mechanically inclined who wants his guns to just work. He is actually quite a safe individual with a firearm, he just needs help with repairs and if anything goes amiss. Honestly, without having the experience of firing a gun, the rest is boring trivia. It is once you feel the fire, the flash, the recoil that the rest of it starts to make sense. Would you consider yourself unready to begin training behind the wheel, because you do not know the inner workings of an internal combustion engine? Some safety rules are important, and I would focus on the big 4 and take said person with me. If they are not 5, and they have the general idea that say a .22 is capable of killing a grizzly with the perfect shot (Most newbies I have met regard .22s as a joke, and I tell the Bella Twin story. I emphasize that the odds are astronomical that nobody should ever attempt to hunt a bear with a .22 but emphasize that human skulls are thinner, and worst case scenarios happen, and if an expert markswoman was capable of taking the largest grizzly on record at the time, they are capable of carelessly killing a loved one with carelessness) and that they fly up to a mile and a half then I would go for it

My little brother is a good shot as well. I have a mind that is vastly more mechanical. It does not help a whit in gun safety except when I troubleshoot mechanical failures. A big possibility is the problem is you being the teacher. Your post is not very respectful, and if someone feels talked down to at all, right or wrong, they will generally resist.And if this has occurred, perhaps a couple lessons at a training place might go a long way. Because if you have broached the subject as a know it all at any time, or if your wife feels intimidated to be a beginner at something you are not a beginner at, then either of these might be valid reasons for a 3rd party to be the instructor. My wife has no desire to shoot. She is just uninterested and I know why, and it has to do with an incident where another party is to blame.

TNThomas · Dec 5, 2020

Dinglenutz said:
On the other hand Danica Patrick eagerly admits she has little idea how the cars work and she seems to operate them OK.

That totally makes sense. But you cant just jump on an old bike and go like you can a car, depending on wha type of carb setup you have, you can easily flood your carb and waste hours trying to kick it over if you let it flood. If you dont understand how to clear it and your dead in the water. Thats not including the choke or fuel petcock either. Even then some bikes have a very specific order to kick start, and decompression levers that have to be pulled at specific points on your "priming" kicks. I have an old 80s Honda that will actually have a partial ignition and kick you back if you do it wrong, i have some scars on my chins from that bad boy. Heck lets say you get it going and you forgot to flip the petcock on, there was enough gas to get it started. It will start to die after about 1-2 minutes, just long enough to get you in a dangerous spot. Bikes, especially old ones, require patience, a cool head, and a willingness to understand them, much different than a car. She wanted the vintage look, but didnt want to learn what that bike needed to work right.

SUPER X · Dec 6, 2020

She must be very pretty.

revjen45 · Dec 6, 2020

1) Pink and masculinity: I will never wear or drive pink because I think it's an ugly color, not because I think guys will be asking me out. Salmon is just plain putrid!!!

2) Agree that OP would be well advised to take his wife for professional instruction. We all know how to read, but we leave teaching literacy our kids to professionals. (Sign spotted in Montana: "Illiterate? For help call ...")

3) Not sure how important it is for her to comprehend the inner workings of guns beyond what's needed to operate them. How many people you see driving could explain how a 4-stroke engine works, let alone do anything more technical than checking the oil?

4) #184 above: The lady in question is probably capable of using that .22 auto effectively enough to persuade most people to leave. I recall an incident from many moons ago in which a man shot 3 bozos who attacked his home and shot his pregnant wife. The rifle was Marlin/Glenfield Model 60. They all died and the luckiest almost made it out of the yard.

5) "I think that it is NORMAL to like pretty things in guns, sail boats, power boats, trucks, cars, furniture, china, flatware, glasses, clothing, plan for building a house, tractor, etc.
I don't BUY ugly guns - past, present or in the future."
Roger that, Cate and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I bought my Steyr S9 at least in part because I liked it aesthetically, and have never regretted it. Oddly enough I think Glocks (which don't look much different) are as ugly as a mud fence.
That said I bought an ugly car because I don't have to look at it while driving or riding in it and I really like the performance.

6) Motorcycles: One of the few things that will punish stupidity as quickly or as finally as a gun.
For several years my everyday transportation was a '41 Indian Chief. Riding a bike with marginal brakes requires perception of spatial relationships and realizing that everybody but you is a psychopath bent on killing you before you get to your destination.

jleavy1977 · Dec 6, 2020

kevinv said:
I'm getting back into shooting and my wife wants to shoot also. But I don't think she has what's needed to be a gun owner. It's a difficult thing to describe. She isn't detail oriented, doesn't care to know how things work, she just wants to use things, doesn't want to put any effort into anything unless it's the fun parts, if she does put in any effort, it's as little as possible, she doesn't read instructions or follow directions well. She has a hard time assembling anything or fixing something that comes apart. Almost like a lack of spatial awareness, I sometimes think if you gave her one of those tests of putting different shaped blocks into the proper holes, she would fail at it. A couple of specifics, we saw a gun on youtube and she wanted that one because she liked the color of it. Also I've been trying to do 5 minute training sessions in the evenings to get her familiar with a gun I have, how to load a magazine with ammo, put the magazine in the gun, work the slide, hold it, use the sights, just general familiarity and repetition on the 4 safety rules. She hasn't wanted to do any of that and recently said that she needs to just go shoot it.

All this has made me think there are more people, other than the usual and obvious set, that should not own guns. I know there are some obvious traits of those that shouldn't own guns, but I'm thinking there may be other less obvious traits, either by themselves or combined, that also mean someone shouldn't own a gun. I'm just having a hard time summing that up into a cohesive description. Any thoughts?

Have you read, "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance?" The book details two types of personalities: those who are interested mostly in form over function (romantic viewpoints focused on being "in the moment", and not on rational analysis), and those who seek to know details, understand inner workings, and master mechanics (classic viewpoints with application of rational analysis, vis-a-vis motorcycle maintenance).

Your wife sounds like she falls in the 'romantic' category, meaning how she views things and assigns value to them is likely based on appearance or fashion. Not a bad thing, but vastly different from the criteria that a 'classical' person would view s as important. If you can find a way to frame the discussion using an approach that makes sense to her values you'll probably have better luck. She doesn't have to be detail oriented to or know how a gun works to enjoy shooting. The trick will be learning to present the material in a way that she will be interested and retain the information. A good place to start would be to accept your differences rather than lamenting them.

bbbass · Dec 6, 2020

jleavy1977 said:
Have you read, "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance?" The book details two types of personalities: those who are interested mostly in form over function (romantic viewpoints focused on being "in the moment", and not on rational analysis), and those who seek to know details, understand inner workings, and master mechanics (classic viewpoints with application of rational analysis, vis-a-vis motorcycle maintenance).

Your wife sounds like she falls in the 'romantic' category, meaning how she views things and assigns value to them is likely based on appearance or fashion. Not a bad thing, but vastly different from the criteria that a 'classical' person would view s as important. If you can find a way to frame the discussion using an approach that makes sense to her values you'll probably have better luck. She doesn't have to be detail oriented to or know how a gun works to enjoy shooting. The trick will be learning to present the material in a way that she will be interested and retain the information. A good place to start would be to accept your differences rather than lamenting them.

Now THERE'S a rational post!!!

I might have to read that book. Not for learning how to deal with my wife of 33yrs (actually I need to join an Alzheimer's support group... because my wife is not who she was anymore, and there is a lot of adapting I need to do), but because I enjoy learning about diff personality types. I once had a class re: How to deal with difficult people, that explained 4 personality types, Analyst, Synthesist, Promoter, Supporter. THAT was interesting. Then there's a whole discussion about introvert vs extrovert... fun stuff!

Dinglenutz · Dec 6, 2020

TNThomas said:
Thats not including the choke or fuel petcock either. Even then some bikes have a very specific order to kick start, and decompression levers that have to be pulled at specific points on your "priming" kicks.

I understand about old bikes. I could explain how I know but that's not relevant. Let's just say that among the things I've torn completely down and put back together was a TT600 mill with a bent shift fork. Put a new top end in it while it was torn down. The guy who rode it had no idea how to fix it but he rode better than I could.

The point being, one doesn't need to be able to rebuild one to operate one. One doesn't need to understand how a carb works to make one work. One doesn't need to be a gunsmith to safely enjoy shooting.

bbbass · Dec 6, 2020

Dinglenutz said:
was a TT600 mill

Durn, when I did a googoo search, I had hoped I would be looking at one of these:

Back in 1969, the longhaired son of my bozz at a fast food place had one... he was a god to a shy 17yr old boy.

Dinglenutz · Dec 6, 2020

bbbass said:
Durn, when I did a googoo search, I had hoped I would be looking at one of these:

View attachment 787839

Back in 1969, the longhaired son of my bozz at a fast food place had one... he was a god to a shy 17yr old boy.