Just looking for some discussion in a very general way...A little background...I'm 80...have been a shooter and reloader since the late 50's/early 60's. Have hunted much of my earlier life and target shot as hunting became too much of an issue with my health as I got older...I have never had any sort of issue with loading, shooting, handling guns, teaching some friends and family to shoot, etc...In short I have been a careful, respectful, competent and safe hobbyist and sportsman with handguns, rifles and shotguns.
I have no interest what so ever in military style weapons...no interest in clothing and accessories that "speak" to agression and being a warrior...I am a gun enthusiast with a love for quality guns and a special place for beautiful wood combined with excellent "mechanicals". I enjoy (or have over the years) working with wild cat loads.
I have no offenses...minor or serious concerning firearms, family troubles, etc and have no reason to not be able to own and shoot anything that is legal...I have no interest in modifying guns to "skirt" laws nor to build my own weapons to avoid serial numbering, etc.
Now for the "rub"...Since the Las Vegas mess and now with the Texas shootings, along with the Fresno church shooting the other day, etc...I laid awake last night wondering if it might be time to just sell off the guns and equipment I have and move along with other hobbies I enjoy and not hear and see the daily turmoil involved in the gun sports.....No, I'm not letting anyone "scare me out" and yes I do understand the Second Amendment and what goes with it...I'm at the point that shooting is difficult at my age what with eyes going worse, difficulty walking the range to set targets, no interest in hunting any more, potential for accidents due to aging issues, etc....I guess I'm wondering if it's all still worth it?
I find myself getting up in the morning, having coffee and heading right for the gun boards to see what the latest is and often what I see is not what I want to spend time on...everytime there is a shooting it seems the "monday morning quarterbacks" are way off in left field discussing "what if's", and all sort of conversations about how the gun owner is being abused...rather than just letting things play out and see what really happened?
It often looks like the "gun boards" have become "excuse boards" and amateur legal boards....I see rumors being sworn to be fact and when found o be rumor, excuses are made and "it's still people out to get the gun owners" conversations..even if the particular thing has no bearing on confiscation or restriction.
I simply don't undertand the immediate need to find some defense for things that may or may not need a defense in reality. I've watched time after time when a particular firearm or class of firearm get's restricted (I'm in California so that happens a lot)...example would be a 45 "clone" of a 1911. It's expensive to have hand guns "make the list" in California so many manufacturers may skip adding similar guns if they already have an example or two listed for legal sale. Up until a year or so ago there were a numbe of gun shops out of state that would "convert" he banned gun to a "single shot" with a longer barrel" in order to now call it a "single shot" and use an old single shot (not single action) exemption...it cost a bunch of money and when it was run through the dealer as it came into the state...all the Parts" came in a bag and it could be put back together in a few minutes and voila..the "banned" firearm had been "legally imported"...sort of.
I guess that there is nothing wrong with that kind of thing except for the loud mouth bragging about beating the Government and the libs...One board might have as many as 5 or 10 postings going all the time about how to "beat the system"....the lawmakers have folks that read these threads all the time and as expected...the law was changed and the single shot exemption is now illegal and the practice is stopped..
No reason for any of it except too many hot shots that are hell bent on just skirting the laws...it's not about shooting...it's about beating the system.
I was a street racer as a kid...we had a drag strip where I lived but the thrill of beating the cops was what we lived for...we did anything to bet the cops at their own game and lots of folks got hurt or killed and lots of laws got changed..I guess it's a bit like that with what I see on the gun boards except the "opponent" is the whole more liberal side of the political and media environment..we holler about losing rights and then we go slap the bull on the nose and dare it to act...
My enjoyment of a couple of days at the range is becoming more and more difficult...Because the media is full of all the horror stories that revolve around the tragedies and there is a ready bunch of folks wanting to stand up and vocally defend our rights...the general public is pulled into the discussion...I used to reload in the garage...door open for fresh air..just enjoying a nice day...now with some new laws (yes, California....but probably headed your way as well) that anyone...neighbor, delivery man, someone visiting, etc...that sees you loading or messing with your guns can call the Sheriff or police and have them come investigate and possibly restrict your activities...it's one hell of a mess when I fear the UPS or FED EX guy delivering components to my house and 'reading the boxes"....I don't want to be on guard for things all the time.
Guess I'm just venting my frustrations a bit...I see where some guy or woman get noted as "having an arsenal" consisting of 5 or 6 guns and several hundred rounds of ammo....anyone here consider that an arsenal?? It's probably one shelf in a decent safe...one of several that most shooters have.
Getting old is a beeeetch...I see lots of things on the horizon and while I'm "still in the fight" I do have major concerns about how long I can enjoy holding out...I can't legally carry here so other than protection within my home a gun is of little help in protection...I have to lock it down just to go to the range...my neighbor can complain that I'm a risk...we have new laws starting January first that restrict ammo purchases and now the keyboard commandos are starting the drone about "how long before they restrict handloading?"...all the chatter will probably get the attention of the political folk and I'd not be surprised to see reloading restricted as well.....
Don't yell too hard...it's an old man that has had decades of freedoms and has fought for decades to keep the freedoms...feeling a bit overwhelmed.