Differing reasons for owning a gun

[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.