Why are firearms feared?

[Joe13]

It is an object or tool.

People don't talk about gasoline like it will all of a sudden catch fire and blow thier car up.

No ones afraid of kitchen knives, axes, garden tools, machetes etc but they are all equally if not more lethal if not handled properly.

I can understand religious or personal beliefs against violence and guns, maybe even someone who was victimized by someone with a gun, but people that are "afraid" of guns seems extremely unreal to me.

Next person that tells me that they are afraid of guns in person, I will politely offer to get into a boxing ring with them in one corner, a rifle in another and me in a third corner with a wooden baseball bat and ask them which they are actually afraid of more...

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[Spray-n-pray]

Why are firearms feared?

Ignorance.

What is the cure for ignorance?

Education.

 

[Joe13]

 

[Sgt Nambu]

You guys are both correct, however, I think that a no grip on reality, fantasy world lifestyle and indoctrination/brain washing of people with Dependent Personality Disorder's is the biggest problem!
Oh yeah, they have a problem with anthropomorphisizing too!
"That evil, black rifle told me to do it!"

I'm depressed now. I'm going to go and pet my Colt!

 

[chemist]

People fear that which is foreign to them; it doesn't help that we're a "generation of men raised by women," as Tyler Durden said.
If you can get them to a range (preferably outdoors) and get 'em blazing away with a high-cap, low-recoil weapon, they'll change their tune real quick, just about guaranteed.
Their big ole grin is a dead giveaway that you've got yourself a new convert.

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

because people are afraid of what they dont know.

 

[slimmer13]

As larger segments of society get further and further away from a way of life where guns actually are regularly used as a tool, for more people the only exposure to them are movies and msm where they are vilified.

 

[OFADAN]

Concur. I learned a long time ago "People fear what they do not know and/or they cannot control." This is a software problem. The decision makers and those who speak on our behalf (the media and pols) are unconsciously incompetent and are advised by the same. When there is a dramatic event (a shooting) they do not care about the root cause, only the quick fix, i.e. the hardware. So the tool (hardware) not the behavior or culture (software) is to blame.

To compound this situation we're highly urbanized now with the urban community dictating what the rural must do/not do. Most of the last several generations are poorly educated (just read many of the posts on this forum and see the typos which are becoming commonplace and accepted as a norm). So this means the better educated, more articulate and better connected in society are driving the trends.

And we have a vast majority suffering from Nature Deficit Disorder which yields several generations of individuals who cannot start a fire to save their lives, can't change a flat tire without calling Schwab, cannot tie their shoes/boots without them becoming untied, cook a meal on coals, or even know how to dress for the outdoors. This means we're creating a dependent society who are counting on the unconsciously incompetent to fix what ails us.

But even us gun people are not exempt! I observe lots of students at OFA texting and tweeting like crazy but are shivering because their expensive cotton designer clothes have wicked up water to their glutes. And the main drive for most of the students is "comfort and what is in vogue" and not what is effective. Most focus on "hardware" and not "software". Look at the emphasis on this forum "what is the best SD ammo, what are the best sights, what is the best semi-auto, what is best, what this, what is that". Most is focused on hardware/stuff, not on the most important which is learning how to change/adapt/grow one's mindset. For self-defense purposes our mindset shouldn't be on what is the best SD ammo or what is the best sights, or trigger but instead what do I have to do in order to be the most effective with whatever is in my hand - including a rust bucket piece of junk with a terrible trigger. This means generally our society wants hardware changes to correct a software problem. And yes we have a software problem indeed!

This firearm situation is not an easy quick fix situation. We have a lot of work to do to educate and to get people's mindsets changed.

One cannot convince an alcoholic they need a cure until they realize their mindset/philosophy/culture/lifestyle is the problem. They have a software problem! They (we) will have to hit rock bottom unfortunately just like an alcoholic. JMHO

 

[Koda]

things like gasoline, kitchen knives, baseball bats... were not designed to kill. While a gun can empower a good guy to do good, it eaually empowers a bad guy to do harm.

 

[P7M13]

I used to hate firearms, not fear them. I hated them because two friends' family members were murdered.
Came to accept it as a tool, nothing more, nothing less. Realized that it was a more useful tool when in my hand than in the hand of someone with nefarious intent. When people ask me why, I tell them that very thing, and also tell them, shooting them well is a meditative exercise - you have to focus and be present.

@chemist, I know that smile very well. I converted four girlfriends, and each one was anti-gun prior to visits to the range. Talk about something that lights them on fire!

 

[Joe13]

People fear that which is foreign to them; it doesn't help that we're a "generation of men raised by women," as Tyler Durden said.
If you can get them to a range (preferably outdoors) and get 'em blazing away with a high-cap, low-recoil weapon, they'll change their tune real quick, just about guaranteed.
Their big ole grin is a dead giveaway that you've got yourself a new convert.

I'm 100% for education and taking people out to share the experience - some people dig it others could take it or leave it but enjoyed it while it was happening (my wife shoots but only once a year maybe for me - she is a good shot and not afraid of the guns, it's just not her thing <she isn't a huge fireworks fan either>).

I have a lack of access to newbies and as most of us know, we are (or I am lol) rarely truly compensated for the amount of ammo you run thru with beginners - especially the ones who want to try a bunch of different caliber's and have no idea each trigger pull is 30¢-$1.00+ for us not yet reloaders.

I suppose required high school classes would be a better alternative. Or at least a better start.

 

[edslhead]

I had to put a light in my safe cause they scare the begebies out of me. When I open it up I get way back so one wont jump out and get me.

 

[Joe13]

 

[nammac]

Yea, I used to let one of those homeless black rifles live under the bed...

Had to put a stop to that, kept panhandling me for M855's... Every time I walked by the bed, got tiring...

 

[Boboclown]

Hey, I used to be afraid of knives... Nearly got stabbed in my right lung when some idiot held the knife wrong.

That aside, really its hoplophobia caused by ignorance due to social media. When your only exposure is some idiot on the t.v saying they're evil, what else are they gonna think?

 

[Mark W.]

I'll bet you if for 10 years there were as many movies and TV shows that featured people being killed with rolling pins as there are now with firearms. The general public would have almost as much fear of Rolling pins as firearms. We react to what we experience and see.

 

[TM-Salem]

They are afraid because they have been taught in school that guns are evil and will kill people indiscriminately without the aid of a human. If a human is touching it, it will go off and kill the person holding it.

My son is a liberal but he likes firearms, I am glad he is no longer seeing his ex who was more anti gun then anyone I have ever met.

 

[PaulB47]

Worldviews often don't make a lot of sense, and the subject of firearms and their use are certainly a prominent part of worldviews.

See also this:
http://jpfo.org/filegen-n-z/ragingagainstselfdefense.htm

 

[Larrytpdx]

Why are firearms feared?

Ignorance.

What is the cure for ignorance?

Education.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

I suppose it depends on where you live.
Out here near me , it seems because of people just not knowing any better.
Folks often ask me about guns and I do my best to answer .
I am always amazed about what they know or think they know .

Coming from a violent or high crime area , being a victim , or knowing a victim of violence might cause fear.
A misplace case of fear , as a gun by itself cannot do violence , it takes a person to do that.

Doing some deployments in Somalia and Bosnia and seeing and "interacting" with people there has me thinking that they might fear a man with a firearm.
Again misplaced fear. Fear of who he is , what his intent is , makes sense ,but not fear of a gun.

As a rule for most Americans I think it is foolish to fear a gun or any other tool.
Respect and understand how a gun works or how to use gun yes , but never fear.
A gun by itself should not scare anyone. What a person does with it may or may not give you cause for fear.
The gun doesn't care what you feel.
It just does what it was built to do.
The same could be said of any other tool.
Andy