What if everyone was required to own a gun?

[Member 5605]

In talking with a gal whom I've known for the last 10 months or so (wife of a friend).....

Info: she turns 30 Sunday. From England. Beyond pregnant, like due any day and have a 2 year old at home.

I'm driving her to her car the other day (dealership recall) and she starts talking about how a mutual friend had a peeping tom recently and how that freaks her out. We talk about peepers and then burglars.... Rather quick progression.

So I start chuckling and mention about if anybody wants the valuable stuff at our house it's locked and bolted to the concrete floor in a safe. We talk about TV's, and how there is really nothing of material value in our houses.

I chuckle and tell her they should just go get some NRA stickers and put them in the window. That could help a little. Some false advertising.

Then the ball dropped.

She is afraid of guns. Being the type of person explained how I could understand that based on where she grew up because it's not part of their culture. I learned that to her they were only really ever seen as pheasant and bird hunting guns. She told me how her husband enjoys shooting, would do shotguns when they lived in Wisconsin but it wasn't anything major.

Jokingly I said "then you probably don't ever want to see my Instagram posts..."



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Do I want somebody who has a fear of them for no reason other than lack of exposure to be mandated to have one in the house? Nah.

Though I am looking forward to at some point sitting down with her and listening (not giving my opinion) to her thoughts and basis/background.

Do I hope to convert? Maybe, but it all starts with listening and offering ideas and suggestions in question form.

Hoping that one day, the person like this can become a person to whom I would trust to be somebody ok with a firearm in 'almost' every home. Until that day we have a lot of people to educate.

Sadly, the current society reminds me of Idiocracy where right now the antis are reproducing at a faster rate (and the thugs are reproducing at an even higher rate like bunnies). Meanwhile the pro firearm people are spitting out 1-2 when the others are 3-9 depending on what urban slum you are in.


Sidetracked a little....

 

[etrain16]

In talking with a gal whom I've known for the last 10 months or so (wife of a friend).....

Info: she turns 30 Sunday. From England. Beyond pregnant, like due any day and have a 2 year old at home.

I'm driving her to her car the other day (dealership recall) and she starts talking about how a mutual friend had a peeping tom recently and how that freaks her out. We talk about peepers and then burglars.... Rather quick progression.

So I start chuckling and mention about if anybody wants the valuable stuff at our house it's locked and bolted to the concrete floor in a safe. We talk about TV's, and how there is really nothing of material value in our houses.

I chuckle and tell her they should just go get some NRA stickers and put them in the window. That could help a little. Some false advertising.

Then the ball dropped.

She is afraid of guns. Being the type of person explained how I could understand that based on where she grew up because it's not part of their culture. I learned that to her they were only really ever seen as pheasant and bird hunting guns. She told me how her husband enjoys shooting, would do shotguns when they lived in Wisconsin but it wasn't anything major.

Jokingly I said "then you probably don't ever want to see my Instagram posts..."



*******************************
Do I want somebody who has a fear of them for no reason other than lack of exposure to be mandated to have one in the house? Nah.

Though I am looking forward to at some point sitting down with her and listening (not giving my opinion) to her thoughts and basis/background.

Do I hope to convert? Maybe, but it all starts with listening and offering ideas and suggestions in question form.

Hoping that one day, the person like this can become a person to whom I would trust to be somebody ok with a firearm in 'almost' every home. Until that day we have a lot of people to educate.

Sadly, the current society reminds me of Idiocracy where right now the antis are reproducing at a faster rate (and the thugs are reproducing at an even higher rate like bunnies). Meanwhile the pro firearm people are spitting out 1-2 when the others are 3-9 depending on what urban slum you are in.


Sidetracked a little....

I'm all for converts myself - and I'm happy to help them along the way in any way I can. I will be happy to answer questions, share information, even let them shoot my guns and my ammo. But the real sticking point for me is that they do so because they want to. Fear, apprehension, misunderstand, misinformation, all of that can be dealt with - if they are open to it.

 

[Sgt Nambu]

I'm all for converts myself - and I'm happy to help them along the way in any way I can. I will be happy to answer questions, share information, even let them shoot my guns and my ammo. But the real sticking point for me is that they do so because they want to. Fear, apprehension, misunderstand, misinformation, all of that can be dealt with - if they are open to it.

Converting isn't necessary, if you simply allay the fears, etc, that has enormous value! Once they've shot and realize that firearms are just machines and not evil magic, they need never shoot again. They will, hopefully and probably, become informed voters! That would be the goal for me.

 

[Blastin]

Years ago I thought that would be the solution...
I've since changed my mind for reasons mostly already given.

As opposed as I am to firearms being banned, I'd have to say I'm nearly as opposed to them being mandatory nationally. I don't want the government to say I can't buy and carry one; I think it's fair to not force them upon others as well.
Can't think of many people I literally don't trust with a squirt gun (but there are a couple). Figuratively, the number skyrockets.
Obviously with this idea, convicts and mentally ill aren't included in the must have. Them aside, there are still people who probably shouldn't carry a gun.
Some of them do anyway.
We hear about them periodically on the news. (A guy left a pistol in theater under seat I think right before a boy scout troop watches a movie, most of the mass shootings of recent years were committed by someone who had neither a felony conviction or documentation of being mentally ill (I know many were mentally ill, but if it isn't documented, (s)he's gonna end up with a gun).
And a few other reasons might play into my decision not to support this.

That all said, I would love having a firearm card or license endorsement that allowed unlimited purchasing and possession of firearms. Be cheaper and easier than doing BG for every purchase and keeping up with CCW's. I'd even support it if there was a mandatory class, BG (obviously), and (likely) a psych test to obtain.

A drivers license isn't specific to usage in a state or with a single vehicle...
They verify you can safely drive an automobile (whether they choose to or not is another story), and then give you a card that lets you drive any vehicle anywhere. If you can drive on Portland streets, here's a good chance you can drive in Idaho, on someone else's private property, in the dark, with other vehicles around you, etc...
Wouldn't that be nice?

 

[bbbass]

I do agree with National Service.
If not the military , then some form of service , Ameri- Corps , maybe bring back the C.C.C , heck even the Peace- Corps etc ...
Andy

YES! I am passionate about a life of service to others, to my community, and to my nation! I continue to think the refocusing of our youth to something besides themselves is not only beneficial, but necessary.

 

[CoastRange57]

YES! I continue to think the refocusing of our youth to something besides themselves is not only beneficial, but necessary.

I pissed off some people on Facebook when they posted pictures of their kids on college spring break partying away to "get away from the stress of college.' I posted a picture of some young military people patrolling in Afghanistan. Along with a smart azz comment about while their kids were drinking beer and taking bong hits to relax, there were others who made sure they would still do that and the military was going to pay for their college after they did their four year enlistments.

They "unfriended " me, boo, fing hoo, did not like them that much anyway.

 

[ZA_Survivalist]

Sadly I think we are too large of a nation to accomplish something like that.
More people means higher mental illness percentages within its society. Something that unless you could identify at birth means we'd have ticking time bombs.. Sure there are signs.. And then again sometimes there arent.

I think only small towns and small contained societies could make it work, ones that make military service a requirement where firearm safety and respect is taught along with a 4 year college education and other work skills.

 

[Mildot]

What if the last thing we Americans need is another government requirement to do or be prohibited from doing anything? The one and only exception is that I agree completely with bolus. Bring back the draft and make serving your country be something more than cheerleading wars with bumper stickers instead of putting on a uniform and participating. When one percent of the population carries the entire load, something gets lost. Maybe we'd get along better as a nation if we all shared in its defense. You have to wonder if there's any coincidence that we seemed to start going downhill at just about the time that universal service was ended. I looked forward to getting out of the Army but looking back I'm proud to have served. I'm proud of my son for his service as an infantryman in both Iraq and Afghanistan. I'd vote for a return of the draft without hesitation. No deferments.

 

[OutlawHoss]

I would expand on my original thought to say I agree that another 'mandate' by the guv-mint could be encroaching on the Bill o' Rights and Constitution, just as those who work to limit those rights from the other side of the coin. I imagine a default, and inalienable opportunity/right to enlist in a service, and a default right/opportunity to be a lifetime rifleman (er, rifleperson) that would be open to any citizen, say like voting (gee, sounds like the 2nd Amendment). And like other rights, the basic choice to participate or not is protected, whether by inherent incapacity or for any other reason, as it should be in a 'free and open society.' Of course having a free and open society is already more than a few shades away from our current reality. For example, tangentially, in what reality do we now exist in where the options for president are likely to be Hillary and Trump . . . ?!?!?
It would explain why it's so hot here and why we're sitting in this basket . . . .

 

[PaulB47]

Kennesaw has 30,000 people.

Everybody should have and know how to use a gun. Nobody should be required to. The draft is a form of slavery, so I don't have much use for it.