Originally Posted By Mr X er, oh I forgot to mention, that's 70% of LIBERALS on a hard core left winger website! <a href="http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7838938" target="_blank">http://www.democraticundergrou...x7838938</a> I don't know whether to say "yikes" or just "wow America really is totally right wing and just doesn't know it". There was a time when left wingers were the pacifistic ones (I guess there ain't any more of them types around!). <--never owned a gun, never cared to, never felt it was necessary to
Originally Posted By Mr X <a href="http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m154/Rubber_Nose/IMG_0269p.jpg" target="_blank">http://i103.photobucket.com/al...269p.jpg</a>
Originally Posted By RockyMtnMinnie Well, as an adult with Liberal tendencies, I grew up target and skeet shooting with my dad. I haven't shot a gun in well over 20 years (with the exception of the Disneyland shooting gallery), but I have had a desire to take up target shooting again. I don't feel the need to own a gun to protect myself, my home and my family from the scary bad people or the government. It was just a fun recreation.
Originally Posted By Mr X I realize there are plenty of folks out there like you Minnie (I enjoy the occasional target shoot myself, or at least I did when I was a kid). I was just bowled over by the sheer number of card carrying liberals that own guns. I shudder to think what such a poll on a right winger site would reveal. :0
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan Of course, that's a self-selecting online survey. 230 isn't a valid number, statistically speaking. It's really a meaningless poll.
Originally Posted By Mr X Sure. But still, given the fact that it's a left wing site, I thought it was rather shocking (I would imagine SOME portion of the respondents would answer "yes" untruthfully simply for the fact that it's politically incorrect (even for left wingers, apparently) to answer "no"), but still....yikes. I'm with DAR on this one.
Originally Posted By mele This is the lame thing that happened in my city yesterday: <a href="http://www.king5.com/news/No-guns-in-Starbucks-rally-86190562.html" target="_blank">http://www.king5.com/news/No-g...562.html</a> <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100303/ap_on_bi_ge/us_starbucks_guns" target="_blank">http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/201...cks_guns</a> <a href="http://www.bradycampaign.org/legislation/gunlobbybacked/opencarryguns" target="_blank">http://www.bradycampaign.org/l...arryguns</a> It irritates me that people are dedicating so much time and energy on this.
Originally Posted By skinnerbox <<Well, as an adult with Liberal tendencies, I grew up target and skeet shooting with my dad. I haven't shot a gun in well over 20 years (with the exception of the Disneyland shooting gallery), but I have had a desire to take up target shooting again. I don't feel the need to own a gun to protect myself, my home and my family from the scary bad people or the government. It was just a fun recreation.>> Ditto! I did the same thing with my parents, including desert quail hunting in late spring. My Mom had the sweetest Lady Remington shotgun. I was so bummed when she gave it away after my Dad died. Very little recoil, easy to pump. Great for trap/skeet. I wish I still had it, but not for the house. In fact, my Dad refused to keep shells in the home or even the pickup. He always purchased exactly what he needed beforehand, and never came home with any extra ammo. Exactly what I would do as well.
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< Of course, that's a self-selecting online survey. 230 isn't a valid number, statistically speaking. >>> Even if it was 230,000 or 23 million, it would not be valid measure of overall public opinion since it's a self-selecting survey.
Originally Posted By hopemax I wonder what this means, though. Are these handguns? Do they keep them in good working order? I grew up with a gun in my house. It was a hunting rifle that belonged to my great-great uncle. My Grandfather passed away, when I was 7, and my Dad brought it home. They took the ammo to a police station. It stayed wrapped up in its cloth wrappings on the top shelf of my Dad's closet. When my parents moved to FL, we had to take it in the van because it couldn't be transported in the moving truck. It was the second time I had seen it since it was brought home. He said he didn't know why he still had it, didn't really know what to do with it. Someday, I suppose I'll be in the same situation. This old family "heirloom" that hasn't been fired in 100 years, and not really sure what to do with it.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>Even if it was 230,000 or 23 million, it would not be valid measure of overall public opinion since it's a self-selecting survey.<< True. I was trying to get that across, but jumbled it up a bit.
Originally Posted By pecos bill I seem to recall the riots in Los Angeles, where the shop owners who were armed were able to protect their property, while those who were unarmed had no choice but to submit to rampaging looters and arsonists. But then, nothing like that could ever happen in America. Anti gun people stupidly put all gun owners into the same category, when there are two distinct separations, one being law abiding citizen and the other being law breakers. All I am saying is, I would rather have a gun and not need it, than need a gun and not have it. Tell me, do you think every law abiding citizen should be denied the right to gun ownership, knowing that every criminal punk and nutcase out there is going to keep his?
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo it is a difficult one this, because the US is so different and it is so ingrained. I come from a left wing family (did you guess?), but I learnt how to shoot when I was not much older than my own son (he's 6) and we had 4 guns. When we moved to the UK, guns are only available with very strict licensing (farmers, sport venue). Even the police have to radio for permission to use a gun. I love it, I haven't squeezed off a round in 27 years (except video games and paint ball), and it is one of the reasons why I choose to raise the kids here. Sadly there are shootings here, but they are VERY rare. I like it like that.
Originally Posted By Labuda Well, I've never owned a gun, but I plan to buy one someday. I *really* like the Kimber .45 - that gun is SWEET and I have great aim with it. Always come within a couple of inches of where I'm aiming, and I can even do rapid-fire head shots pretty well with that make & caliber. Oh, and I think you'd be hard-pressed to find someone more liberal than me.
Originally Posted By FaMulan My husband is the firearms owner. I have shot, but not in 16 years. That said, I believe in the individual's right to keep and bear arms. Police assistance isn't necessarily seconds away when a life could be on the line. But for open and concealed carry, there needs to be plenty of education and training in all aspects of the care and feeding of firearms.
Originally Posted By Labuda ^^^ One of the reasons I do not yet own a gun - I've only ever loaded one at the range and fired. (Or, when a kid, fired at the targets in the backyard) Never taken one apart or cleaned it, so I know I'm not ready to own one yet. I wonder what the NRA would think of me if I became a member - I'd definitely want to show up in one of my Montrose Beer & Gun Club shirts.
Originally Posted By Mr X ***Tell me, do you think every law abiding citizen should be denied the right to gun ownership, knowing that every criminal punk and nutcase out there is going to keep his?*** Not sure to whom this is addressed, but I suppose maybe me cause I'm the OP? I'm not necessarily anti-gun, I'm certainly NOT in favor of outlawing them entirely. I think there has to be a happy medium though. For example, NEARLY everyone agrees that guns should be kept away from schools. I think there's really no reason why now they suddenly allow firearms into national parks when the ban was perfectly acceptable for such a long time. I think there should be more restrictions, not less. But no, I certainly don't think that a law abiding store owner should be prevented from obtaining a weapon for security purposes (nor a homeowner, although the stories about members of the family accidentally getting shot you so often hear do give pause to the notion of "protection").
Originally Posted By Mr X ***That said, I believe in the individual's right to keep and bear arms. Police assistance isn't necessarily seconds away when a life could be on the line.*** Interestingly though, your right to keep and bear has NOTHING to do with home protection or lack of police or ANY of that. The Constitution says NOTHING about that. It only speaks to forming a well organized militia (I suppose if you and your neighbors organized an ad hoc militia to fight off looters or something, that would count ;p).
