Differing reasons for owning a gun

[fatelk]

I expect that this has been before, but I am curious. I don't recall that I've ever set up a poll before so I hope I've got this right.

After reading many, many threads over the years it's clear that there is quite a wide variety of disciplines here, lots of differing reasons to own a gun, shoot, and reload. Some of us are dedicated hunters, some are hard-core competitors, some are very serious about self defense, and some of us just plain enjoy tinkering with old guns.

What describes you, primarily? Do you live for the hunt? Are you a thousand-round-a-week competitor? Or do you just like to fiddle with guns and occasionally go to the range for some informal shooting (that's me). It seems that there's quite the diversity here, from the pros who live at the range and burn ammo by the ton, to the young guy starting out.

Poll will be up in a minute, as soon as I figure it out.

[Bzcraig]

I really enjoy shooting and plan to start hunting again this year. But while shooting paper it challenges me to make better ammo and refine my skills.

[fatelk]

I just realized that I should have made it multiple choice, as most people typically have more than one interest. Looks like you can't change a poll once it's up?

I'll get it started. I'm the bottom one, without reservation. I haven't hunted in a couple decades; nothing against it, just not my thing.
I have no interest in competitive shooting. I'm just not very competitive. Again, nothing against it at all.
I lack the resources to be a true collector. I have a lot of different guns I've picked up over the years, but nothing really valuable or collectible. A true collector would laugh at my "collection"
Self defense is important but it's not my primary thing. I have had a CHL for decades but for various reasons rarely carry.

So that leaves me with my variety of old guns, from flintlock to Garand to AR, from cap-and-ball to Glock, and all my old reloading and tinkering and plinking tin cans at the range with my son. To each their own. :)

[abunaitoo]

I enjoy tinkering with things.
Mostly old stuff.
Appliances, auto, motors, almost anything mechanical.
Like reloading with different cast boolets and different powders.
Like firing something just to feel how it was back then.
Also, living on an island, knowing that if, and when, a natural disaster hits here, I will be responsible for my own protection.
We don't have the option of moving to another state for relief.
Also since all goods are brought in, we will be on our own for a while.

[OS OK]

Differing reasons for owning a gun...Because I can.

[6bg6ga]

Another reason.."Because I can" Sorry, not opting for the poll. Someone is always watching and doesn't need to know if someone hunts or target shoots or if someone is a collector.

[Wayne Smith]

Just plain fun, of many varieties.

[Hickory]

Most of the choices could apply to me, but none stand out as the reason.

As I think about it, if I were to choose a reason it would because I like to shoot guns for much of the same reason some people like to golf, fish or play sports.

I like doing it, it's fun. And I'm fairly good at it.

[Morgan61]

I like the challenge of trying to make a particular rifle shoot as well as it possibly can - developing loads, accurizing if needed or refining my shooting, it's all part of the game and it's fun to do.
Once I think I've got a gun to shoot as well as I think I can, it's time to buy a new rifle and start all over again.

I like to hunt but when it comes to hunting it's not about the guns but more about being outside, the camaraderie of the hunt & putting up game for the family for the winter.

[GhostHawk]

I like to punch holes in paper.
Self defence is a reason, but I would not say it is primary, or any bigger than any of the others.

I voted tinker informal shooting, and that is a good answer. Covers a wide range.
With a grand total of some 30 things that spit lead out the far end I would have to say I am edging into collector territory. I guess I would consider myself a closet collector.

My taste in everything are wide and varying, and vary widely. Guns are the same.

From Mosin's to Hipoint carbines. Blowguns and crossbows and slingshots to single shot Handi rifles. And a lot of stuff in between. And I am not the deadly one. My wife can out shoot me 9 days out of 10 without really trying. Like 10 into the same dead fly spatter hole from her Ruger Mk III 22/45. I tell her, pick an eyeball, and make it go away, and the threat is no longer a threat.

Alive, dead, does not matter. He has bigger issues. I guess we make a good team.

[bob208]

all of the above.

[Shawlerbrook]

Like bob208 all the above apply. To me civilian gun ownership is a large part of what made America. On a personal level, guns are the best of precision machinery and fine art merged into the most useful tool every devised.

[10 ga]

Should have had a button for all of the above and polls with this many choices should allow multiple choices. I live to hunt but that aint all I live for. 10

[44man]

Because I live and breath guns all day. Love of the machine and hunting with them. Just making each perform is why. But freedom to do it has a place and also knowing a great bunch of people all over the world.
I was born a nut, threw hatchets, knives, stones, slingshots, spears, bows, BB guns and on and on. Just something about mastering all.
Kids today want fingers to fit a keyboard on a phone.
We made armor and swords from wood to play the 3 musketeers. Had cap guns that looked real and chased each other all over. Took the shotguns to school so we could hunt after. And that was the city, Cleveland. Could buy a .44 through the mail, no age restrictions, Just a check in the mail.
Your start in life is where you are now. We as kids, ran the city all day and night for fun, nothing ever to worry about and our parents never worried about us. No PC junk at all. I would go out and stay out until after dark as a kid before I had to go to school. Go and eat and meet other kids again. No restrictions at all. Walk a few miles to the swamp to catch leopard frogs, snakes and lizards. Jumping frog legs in the pan was life. Fish Lake Erie all day and night, eat perch and all until you bust.
Some of you were born too late and have to face the liberals. You don't know real freedom.
A poll does not mean much since you did not live and have threats we did not have. I could walk the city of Cleveland when 5 years old every day. And I did.

[runfiverun]

I don't know.
really.
I have always been fascinated by them.
it's boom and a hole is there in the paper, or boom and a duck falls or that clay turns into a puff of smoke.
I guess it is as close to waving a magic wand as it gets.

[sparky45]

I'm 71 and have had a firearm since 10 and I'd feel neck-ed without one.

[44man]

I was young during WWII and we made victory gardens to eat. So much food was needed for our troops there was nothing to buy. It was hard and we ate poor food, oxtail soup, kidney and chicken feet. My mother was a wonder to turn cheap into what we lived on.
My Grandmother was a whiz with the best you ever ate.
I would not give up a second of my life. But Mom an Pop gave me bows and BB guns when so young they were heavy so I learned to be safe without any instruction at all.
Now a video on the net will make you a sniper in seconds. Some here grew up with an X box.

[David2011]

If allowed to choose this way, I would select all plus "because I can."

[Ithaca Gunner]

I feel it a duty for every American to own guns and become proficient with them. Besides, they're fun!

[country gent]

I competed for 20 years in various disciplines shooting IPSC, Bowling pins, a short time of NRA Bullseye pistol, NRA High power rifle service rifle match rifle across the coarse and long range, and am currently dabbling in BPCR Shilouettes. I had to give up most of them when the Multiple Schlrocis got to bad. I still am shooting BPCR with help. I enjoy a lot things with firearms that are unique to them. The history and background mostly. Also the mechanics of them. I started NRA high power with a tuned up Garand went to the M1A then was starting on the AR series when I had to stop. I enjoy working with and on them. Seeing what I can get them to perform.

[Greg G.]

I have always liked to shoot. My Grandfather was a mechanic and hunter, so am I. I have five sons, 3 in the army and all 5 like to shoot. One is a collector of military weapons so he keeps me busy with new projects just to be able to shoot them, the last was a Martini-Henry. Self defense and just plain target shooting with my sons figures in strongly. Besides all of my Grandfathers guns had to go to someone that would take care of them for the next generation.

[fecmech]

I've been gun crazy since I was a boy. Like 44man we had cap guns, slingshots, BB guns etc. I lived in the city then and my Dad had no interest in guns. I found an article in one of the sporting mags that said a boy should get his 1st gun at 12. Badgered the daylights out of my parents with it and my Dad brought home a Mossberg .22 one day. He joined a sportsmans club so that they could teach me to shoot and learn gun safety. Every weekend he'd take me there and sit upstairs and read the paper while I got my training. After about a year of that he would take me out in the country to a patch of woods and turn me loose with a box of ammo and wait in the car reading the New York Times till I came back. A year or so later we moved to the country I got my small game license and the rest is history. I don't hunt anymore as there are no more pheasants around here but at 74 I'm still shooting a bunch!

[robg]

They fascinate me and most of all for fun.

[44man]

I've been gun crazy since I was a boy. Like 44man we had cap guns, slingshots, BB guns etc. I lived in the city then and my Dad had no interest in guns. I found an article in one of the sporting mags that said a boy should get his 1st gun at 12. Badgered the daylights out of my parents with it and my Dad brought home a Mossberg .22 one day. He joined a sportsmans club so that they could teach me to shoot and learn gun safety. Every weekend he'd take me there and sit upstairs and read the paper while I got my training. After about a year of that he would take me out in the country to a patch of woods and turn me loose with a box of ammo and wait in the car reading the New York Times till I came back. A year or so later we moved to the country I got my small game license and the rest is history. I don't hunt anymore as there are no more pheasants around here but at 74 I'm still shooting a bunch!
Love it my friend, we are alike. It was a wonderful life. It was true freedom. Today my folks would be in jail for letting me out.
My fear when young was to not listen and do what I was told to do so I stayed out longer till mom cooled down. Hated to clean my room or such. Dad made me work, tear off the garage roof and put a new one on, etc. I raked the drive once, went to get something and left the rake on the drive, dad came home early and ran the rake over. Two tires but I never got punished for it. He understood I was working. Dad never hunted or fished and it is a loss hard to take but he was a good man I will miss forever.
I don't know how I got into hunting and fishing without him but he approved. The thing is I was free and not by word alone, I was FREE.
A neighbor fished a lot and I would tie a string to my toe and hang it out the window so he would pull it to wake me up early to go fish. A bullhead was a prize. A farm pond was Heaven and swamps. Acres of elderberries to pick for pies.
You ask why or when, can't explain. Like meeting my girl to become my wife. Why do I love my dogs?
I feel so sorry for kids today, no memories at all. Sit across a table and text. Why not hold hands?

[gwpercle]

None of your poll choices included my main reason:

I just enjoy shooting. A trip to the range and a few hours shooting, punching small clover leaf groups , making empty cases so I can reload them . It puts a smile on my face and gives me a sense of satisfaction . This is the second best thing I enjoy doing. The first best thing involves a willing wife , but that's an NC-17 rated pastime .
Gary

[44man]

You can't define why. It is like some love cars or coins. It is a hobby better then work.

[flyingrhino]

Because I'm too old to take an a$$ woopin and too young to die.

[Walkingwolf]

Differing reasons for owning a gun...

Because I can.

Yup, my thoughts also.

[rl69]

A number of the choses fit me but the last one fits best. It's also why I love casting and reloading.

[DerekP Houston]

Because I'm too old to take an a$$ woopin and too young to die.

haha

I say it similar "too fat to run, too stubborn to yield"

I picked the last option too, closest one that fits my situation.

[Walkingwolf]

Most of my problem is apathy, why I own a gun is my business, as far as others I just don't care. And yes I am also a card carrying member of the AH club.

[NoAngel]

I enjoy shooting and really enjoy reloading and casting but at the end of the day the only REAL reason is because I refuse to live in fear of wicked men.
Many years ago I was robbed at gun point and got the distinct privilege of staring down and chopped off shotgun while they cleaned out my house. The bore diameter is a LOT bigger than you might think when looking from that particular angle.
Next time, it won't play out that way. It might be me in a plastic bag, I can't say but it's going to be somebody. I'll never feel that helpless again. Never.

[MT Gianni]

None of the above. Shooting is fun and relaxing while being as demanding as you wish it to be.

[Leadmelter]

I like things that go boom ever since I was 15. How many people can take a dab of lead and add some lube. Reload in a proper case, put it a firearm, pull a trigger and the bullet goes down the barrel going about MachI. It hits a target where I was aiming. I smile and do it again and again.
Leadmelter
MI

[GhostHawk]

NoAngel I hear you brother.

Maybe him, maybe me, maybe both, but live in fear? Never again.

[birch]

It reminds me of where I came from.

[Bazoo]

I've always been fascinated with guns. I started buying and trading at 18. It wasnt until I about 4 or 5 years ago I got bit by the reloading bug. I really like the history of cartridge firearms, and of cartridges themselves. I dont care much for precision shooting or competition, but I really like the history of cartridge guns in exploration and hunting. And by using and owning firearms, I feel a connection to those that preceded before in exploration and hunting.

[Josh Smith]

Self-defense, and it's a living.

I do enjoy hunting, but these days rimfire, muzzleloaders, and archery get used for that. (I'm window shopping for a .32 caplock to replace the roomie rimfire in the field.)

Milsurp is mostly for the living I speak of, though I do just really enjoy them, too.

The 1911 on my side is for defense. I need to eventually build a basic AR. Good utility rifle for defense, but I can't see myself getting overenthusiastic about that platform.

Regards,

Josh

[fatelk]

A lot of people have commented on enjoying the history and mechanical ingenuity of firearms. I'm glad to know that I'm far from alone in that regard.

I have a friend whose sole purpose of owning any firearm is hunting. If it's not a good hunting arm, it's just scrap metal to him. For me, the more odd-ball, old and obsolete, or unique, the better.

I've always wondered why we as human beings are fascinated by the various things that we are. Some people like cars, some collect butterflies or stamps, some people live and breathe horses. Just the way we're made I guess.

For some it's clearly an interest passed down from one generation to another. For me it wasn't. My dad doesn't like guns, never has. He owns guns for practical reasons, being a farmer, but when he sees a gun he only sees a tool for killing. My perspective is very different, of course, but I've learned over the years to not talk about my hobby around him at all. It's kind of frustrating.

[greenwart]

Because my mommy wouldn't let me have one when I was a kid. I always loved to shoot but she was terrified of guns. Not even a bb gun. So I am making up for all those years. I was able to have hunting bows and broadtip arrows though, which were just as lethal.

[Plate plinker]

All of the above? Primarily self defense and competition.

[dverna]

This was a tough one. My most expensive guns are those I have used for competitive shooting but that is not all I do/did. Most of my guns are for pinking, target shooting and hunting.

As I get older, more of my shooting is informal and hunting. Competitive shooting is expensive...every clay bird costs over $1 a shot. And that does not include the cost of practice rounds.

[44man]

Houses have been broken into here in our little town. But never at my home. I shoot so much they fear me. I can leave the cars open and the doors in my house. Everyone knows how and what I shoot. I don't have a single carry gun. Yes there are druggies in town but they know not to come here.
City folks need a gun. The creep down the street does not know if you have one or are a crack shot, he expects to rob you or worse. One thing, kill the creep or you will lose money. I worry about damage after I blow brains all over. Clean up and holes and maybe my car in the drive. Shotgun best. Even no. 6 shot at close range, Don't fool with slugs.

[Bazoo]

My dad died when I was little, and moms only boyfriend got me into shooting 22 occasionally. He had some guns, for hunting, and occasional plinking. And then I got a BB gun.. And i made it hard on cans and dirt clods. I wanted a 22 rifle, and mom wouldnt allow it... so when I turnt 18... i was off. I've owned and traded bout a 100 different guns so far. Now i've settled down, and just have what I like, with no plans to get rid of. And im getting more into the history of guns, cartridges, and especially, exploration and settlement of, and hunting in AK.

[rintinglen]

I like shooting, but I like all aspects of the hobby... I am a passable shade-tree gunsmith, I cast, reload and have altered brass to make new calibers. I make my own gun leather. I like guns, like hanging around with them. I hunt, I shoot the occasional match. I don't do anything a lot, but I do some of pretty much everything.

[JWT]

Tough question.

- Because I can.
- To hold and maybe use a piece of history.
- Hunting
- Target shooting
- Competition
- A link to older, better (?) times
- A link with my Dad
- The pursuit of precision in creation (reloading) and execution (shooting).
- You meet a good class of people in the gun world. There are idiots of course, but the percentage of diamonds are higher than in the general population.
- Self sufficiency
- An expression of being free
- A well made tool is not only beautiful but honors the craftsmen that make and use them.

There are probably a dozen more reasons...

[petroid]

I would have to say many options apply but not all. I love to hunt. I love to tinker and shoot informally. I like having a variety of guns but I wouldn't say I'm a collector. I do practice self defense but not hardcore. I don't compete, except with myself. I do like to punch holes in paper, in so much as it is the tinkering aspect of making a gun shoot well.

[Brasso]

All of the above, but mostly because I can.

[popper]

Because I want to have them.

[Texas by God]

44 man nailed it. I could be one of the brothers on "Second Hand Lions". I have explained the word Tresspassing to salesmen and JWs and LDS pamphlet distributors politely with shotgun in hand. My house is a half mile down a gravel road from pavement. Mostly I target shoot but I love to hunt!
Best, Thomas.

[fatelk]

"Because I can" definitely should have been a choice.

I was surprised that there weren't more "Live for the hunt" people here. I have a couple different life-long friends who are that way. On the other hand though, neither one is interested in stuff like reloading or tinkering around much, too busy hunting.

[tygar]

Like others, most or all apply to me but first & foremost is "Self defense", of myself, my family, friends & country from any & all enemies foreign or domestic! I'm one that grew up with a family of patriots, war veterans, hunters, shooters who all stressed the need to become expert with all weapons. Do your military service, learning all you can about weapons & war fighting, etc.

On top of all that, I just plain love guns, shooting, hunting etc. & was begging for my first gun from the first time I saw them fired at around 4 or 5. Had to wait until about 7-8 for a BBgun, 10 for rifle, 12 for pistol, but was shoot theirs all that time. After that, was buying & shooting them every time I could.

[hotbrew]

I would echo the "all of the above" as well as "because I can" theme. My hobbies and my firearm preferences have changed over the decades but I still count them as important parts of my life.

hotbrew

[FISH4BUGS]

I am beginning to enjoy the casting and reloading more than the shooting. I will invite my son (shoots a 45 auto) or friends to go to the range with me. I usually supply the ammo and mostly guns also.
We take hundreds of rounds for each gun and burn them up.
There is nothing worse that having to skimp on the shooting because of ammo. I see guys come to the range with ONE BOX of ammo and that's it. I simply can't imagine having to skimp on the shooting.
When we shoot full auto, taking a thousand rounds is not unusual.
The rule is you pick up your brass. That's why I love to shoot revolvers.

[Ken in Iowa]

I did all of the choices at one time or another.

my dad says that men change hobbies every 5 years. Perhaps that just means shooting disciplines every 5 years... yeah, that's it.