How to explain the appeal of this hobby of ours?!?

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The golfing analogy is vey good. Folks get very involved in golf. It is not just taking a stick and hitting a little ball into the hole on the green. As a non-golfer, but as someone who has played golf, I can attest to a compulsion to play golf and keep improving if you allow it to take a hold of you (and you can afford it). The same goes with shooting in whatever form of shooting you participate in. Collecting is an extension of being interesting in firearms and the shooting sports.
 
Why explain?

I am not sure that I could explain shooting, hunting, reloading, or firearm collecting; it has always been a part of my life. Shooting and rifle maintenance were the first skills taught to me by my father and had to be mastered before I was allowed to hunt with the rest of the family. Twenty seven years of military service engrained the utility of firearms and need for sustained weapons training. And of course economics and accuracy required reloading and gunsmithing. What some call a "hobby" is just an integral part of my daily life. Weapons safety, responsible firearm ownership, and positive stewardship of 2nd amendment rights are just elements of my career, family life, and recreation. No need to explain it, just live and enjoy it.
 
One way to explain gun ownership and carry is NOT to refer to is as a "hobby." Way of life, right, etc. but not a hobby.
 
First off, it's a gadget, something mechanical. I like smartphones, computers, cars, etc. and marvel at the technology and am a hands on person. It's cool, I like shooting the gun, learning how to field strip it, clean it, it's fun for me.
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To this I'll add that gun is one of the very few devices I own where I can understand exactly how it works. I use electronics, computers, cars, and the internet every day but how they work is a mystery to me. Anything with circuits, microchips, or touchscreens might as well be black magic. But even the most advanced modern guns have their roots in the Industrial Era, not the Information Age. There's just something appealing intuitive about the straightforward mechanical operation of firing a gun that is missing in other devices I regularly use.

Another thing is that most guns - especially the older ones - seem to be manufactured without the idea of "planned obsolescence" which has infected our over-consumptive society. You can't design a gun to fall apart after X number of rounds if people's lives may depend on it. When I hold a S&W revolver it feels like it was made to last, to pass down to the next generation like an heirloom sword. When I hold a plastic Ipad I know it's going straight into the trash when the Ipad2 comes out next year.
 
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One way to explain gun ownership and carry is NOT to refer to is as a "hobby." Way of life, right, etc. but not a hobby.
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Totally, 100% disagree. The basic right to have and carry a firearm is not a hobby. However, what most of us do with collecting, shooting, reloading IS a hobby. It is a hobby no different than golfing, tennis, bowling, fishing, knitting, boating or any number of past times. To get a non-gun person to understand the passion in the sport you just need to find their own passion and relate it to that. "I find my gun hobby to be just like your tennis passion."

Funny how golf is mentioned a lot, as it should be. I used to love chasing the little white ball around for "fun". When my interests moved to getting better at shooting, I had to let the golf hobby wane because I couldn't afford to do both. I can't remember the last round of golf I played or the last time I went to the golf range for practice but every time I go to the range now, it's to shoot lead, not balls. As a lad, I loved the game of golf. As an adult, I love the shooting sports a lot more.
 
I very rarely get asked that question. I don't go out and advertise my enthusiasm for guns, especially now that I carry concealed. :scrutiny:

For me, guns are tools to be mastered. I don't think of them any differently than my compound miter saw. You will never use them to their full potential unless you practice with them.

When I do get asked "Why", I explain that, to me, it's relaxing. I know they won't really understand that because it's hard to equate a loud explosion and the violence associated with guns as relaxing. I just try and explain that you can't shoot well unless you are relaxed. If I know the person, I might offer to take them shooting and let them experience it first hand.
 
Not all gun enthusiasts are shooters. There are the collectors and the investors. Personally, I haven't fired a gun in years, although I own many, many guns. As far as shooting goes, "been there, done that." Doesn't do anything for me anymore. All I care about is that the guns work. Once that's established, I see no need to put extra wear and tear on them.
 
Not all gun enthusiasts are shooters. There are the collectors and the investors. Personally, I haven't fired a gun in years, although I own many, many guns. As far as shooting goes, "been there, done that." Doesn't do anything for me anymore. All I care about is that the guns work. Once that's established, I see no need to put extra wear and tear on them.
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I find that interesting, I view the 1911 as a work of art but enjoying shooting it as much as admiring.;)

I'm amazed at how times have changed grew up in the 40's, 50's taught gun handling via a ww1 grandfather and a ww2 father, firearms were tools much like a hammer, saw, etc, we were taught to use and care for all tools, everyone I knew owned a gun I suppose I was in my late forties before I seen my firearms,shooting, reloading as a hobby. I never feel the need to explain somewhat sad to hear that some do.
 
jeepguy said:
I work with alot of golfers & they play alot of golf. So i also tell them that i like shooting for some of the same reasons. In the summer i mostly rifle shoot outside in beautiful wather so i get to be outside all day get some sun & often times it is with a good friend. Then i tell them that like them when they golf they are trying to get better & i like to shoot for the same reason. After that i also point out to them that they have several clubs as well as several sets of clubs i also need more then one. Then we usually smile or laugh & just enjoy the moment. Most of the guys i work with though are avid hunters, ex military or grew up in more rural ares with firearms. If there are anti's there they must not say anything becuse i have never heard anything negative about firearms.
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This is funny. I've been in the position of trying to explain why I like golf to a firearms enthusiast (my Dad). He couldn't understand why people would waste their time chasing a white ball around.

I just asked him: "Dad, when we are out shooting, aren't you just trying to hit what you are aiming at? The closer you get, the better you feel?"

He agreed. Then I said, that is all golf is, hitting what you are aiming at, just with a far more complicated method. He didn't want to take up golf but understood exactly what I meant. Ding!

Dan
 
As a lifelong motorcycle enthusiast, expert sport parachutist and pilot I am used to not being understood.

It took me awhile to understand something that I think is very important. Sometimes people are genuinely curious and really want to know. They may come off as being somewhat confrontational but a patient explanation can really help them understand.

I was at work years ago in my engineering cubie looking over some gun accessory or reloading catalog when the manager of engineering services came in to talk to me.

She saw what I was reading and immendiately said, "Oh, you're one of those." I could have taken this incorrectly and reacted defensively.

Instead I described that my Dad, my brother and I have been lifelong shooting enthusiasts and hunters. Mostly just recreational shooting. I described how my Dad taught us, how much fun we had (and still have). I did this in gentle terms with some enthusiasm. She listened and then said "You know, I shot a .22 when I was a kid and it really was fun." Bingo, we were on the same page and we had fun with the rest of our conversation.

I could have taken it further and asked her to go shooting with me but I didn't. I do this now, though, and have taken many brand new shooters out as well as reconnected those that have had fun in the past.

It can be difficult for those that were not raised in a gun friendly household to get started in the shooting sports. I just trained a good friend and his 12 year old son on the fine points of gun safety (4 hour seminar in my house). The father had been curious for years and really didn't know where to turn to get started. Next up: a basic understanding of California gun laws and looking at potential guns to purchase. They are both ecstatic and feel much more comfortable in pursuing the shooting sports.

Dan
 
Interesting that golf is brought up a couple times. When people question me about shooting they inevitably ask me if I hunt. When I tell them I used to, but not any more I'll get strange looks and then the "If you don't hunt, why do you shoot so much" question.

Golf is the first thing I think someone might be familiar with that is similar. Golf, Shooting, Formula One are all similar. Each one requires an individual to deliver consistently repeatable mechanical movement and high levels of concentration to do well. Not necessarily an easy task for a human.

That's how I explain it anyway.
 
First of all never let yourself be led into a defensive position. It will make you appear to be making excuses for the way of life you chose to live. Some anti gun people enjoy putting people on the spot in group situations. I would divert the question to another subject, or just tell them, I do what I choose to do, just as you do.If you would like to find out more about it, I can suggest some literature or websites that could explain it when you have more time.
It's just something that I enjoy like any other sport or activety, nascar, archery etc.It is also a means of protecting myself and my family in these days of police cutbacks and higher crime on a day to day basis. Perhaps you should look into it yourself, again I would be happy to spend some time with you at another time and place after you have read some of the literature which explains more than I can right now.
 
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Big difference between being put on the defensive by a leftist idealogue (who won't be convinced anyway) and finding a 'teachable moment' with someone genuinely curious.
Last person i explained this to was a German schoolteacher. She associated guns (and even pocket knives) only with crime and violence, and could NOT see why an otherwise nice person would want to own them.
I started by explaining that as a military man, i had committed acts of violence- that i deplore it and regret it, but understand there are people in the world who DO NOT; some people use violence to get what they want. I told her about my first experience with home invasion, when my kids were 6 and 1. She was horrified that a random criminal would endanger women and children for drug money and the like in their own home (apparently she was a bit sheltered).
I explained the difference between a RIGHT and a GOVERNMENT-GRANTED PRIVILEDGE. (a priviledge is something the government controls and can give or take, fair or not.) I compared this to her new pet peeve- the German government denies tenure to teachers who cannot meet body composition/ BMI requirements. A teacher who is overweight has NO legal right or recourse to be evaluated on their merits, education, or ability. Imagine then, a government telling people thay aren't ALLOWED to own the means to protect themselves from violent criminals? (I know Germany allows firearms ownership- self-defense is NOT recognized as a 'reasonable necessity' for purposes of obtaining a license).
Then I explained the good side in terms she understood. Patience and self discipline, personal resposibility, meticulous care for finely-made tools and precision instruments, study and appreciation of nature. She came to see HUNTING as something other than the senseless destruction of animals, but responsible, almost chivalrous, a relationship of sorts between the hunter and the animals in his care. The thing that finally drove it all home was FOOD. how can you have Jaegerschnitzel if it's FARM-RAISED? it's just not right!
She still (so far as I know) doesn't own guns, or want to... but i think she understands that the average American gun owner is not some squirrely-eyed psycho... the average American gun owner is just another average American.
I guess it's up to us to see that remains true in our kids' and grandkids' generation, as well.
 
And yes, a lot of the appeal is emotional... raising, in the last case, fond memories and feelings of nostalgia... her Opa, carefully sharpening and oiling a good knife; childhood holidays in southern Bavaria, in the countryside, eating fresh and wild-caught game, when houses were made of brick and wood, and steel and glass were for dinnerware, not apartment buildings... fond memories of times gone by, fairness, chivalry, and all those things that made the world better when we were younger (because EVERYTHING was better when we were younger, right?) For her, the rural lifestyle, including guns, could be seen as part of a simpler, freer life in a simpler, freer time.
(Guns in the city are bad, not because guns are bad, but because the CITY is getting bad, right? "I remember when children could play outside without worry", etc. etc.)

Last word: if you're going to explain guns to someone, it pays to 'know your target, and what's behind it.' :rolleyes:
 
Simple, I find gratification in launching a projectile or pattern of shot at targets and seeing the result. I am a target shooter, not a hunter, although I see the appeal of the hunt as well.

My firearms are also living history, my 1911, M1 Garand, Uzi, Mosin, were all, at some point, either in history changing battles or are clones of the same.

I also have tremendous respect for the mechanical aspect of firearms, the designers were tremendously talented geniuses who took a conglomeration of parts and created reliable, functional works of engineering art. I also find that guns are my connection to my forefathers who fought to create and establish our great country, guns are part of every American's heritage, although few Americans are smart or reverent enough to realize that their cushy lifestyle is a result of that sacrifice that our forefathers made.

So guns mean many different things to me and I like them for a whole list of reasons. Long explanation to a short question but some things are like that.
 
^^^ Very good points, Capybara. In addition to the valuable perspectives you bring up, I am amazed that firearms designed 75, 100, 125 years ago (along with the calibers associated) are truly and completely viable today as excellent, functional, prized firearms. Lever actions from the late 1800s. Semi-automatics (Garand) from the mid 1930's. Son of Garand (M14/M1A) still being produced or are operational in the military today. The multitude of 1911 models and clones that are being manufactured today at unprecedented numbers.

The run of the 1911 in the military is astonishing by any measure of technology, especially in times like these where obsolescence occurs almost at the time of introduction for many high-tech items.

Dan
 
I had a huge thing typed out but my phone screwed everything up somehow. Basically i think of firearms as functional works of art. I like function over form and to me firearms are a perfect example of that. I know there are some that are the opposite but none of mine are.

I also like how versatile firearms can be. Theyre a hunting tool, a defense tool, if your in the military theyre an offensive tool, theyre a form of entertainment and for some people even a profession. That kind of thing appeals to me for some reason.
 
Wow! This thread opened back up nicely :)

It took me awhile to understand something that I think is very important. Sometimes people are genuinely curious and really want to know. They may come off as being somewhat confrontational but a patient explanation can really help them understand.
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Exactly. I have had lots of friends ask me about it, just because they haven't had any experience. I mean, if their parents were not hunters, or veterans, or high-roaders :) chances are they will have had no real-life exposure to firearms. In my experience, women often find guns interesting especially from a self defense perspective, but intimidating, and men find them cool, but also find them intimidating (although they'd never admit it) and when you tell them about it, how much fun it is, the passion you have for it and why, and maybe even take them to the range, you can help create more responsible gun-owners. I know because at least 4 people I have taken to the range have guns of their own now.

Regarding "defending" our hobby or way of life, or whatever you want to call it, that was not the intention of me starting this thread. I meant more of how to explain it to friends, acquaintances, spouses, etc. Obviously some people are very anti-gun and will attack you for it, and never change their mind, but in that case I STILL think it is better to eloquently and calmly explain why you enjoy it, don't get sucked into a middle school argument, but explain yourself. If they see one gun owner as a nice, rational guy, it is one small step against their perception of all gun owners as "gun nuts."
 
A session at the plate rack with the Beretta Neos .22lr and red dot sight (easy to shoot, looks like a sci-fi movie prop gun) generally is all it takes to explain it :)
 
Hello, my name is Chad, and I am an addict. I am addicted to buying, shooting, and working on firearms.....lol. Seriously though, I love collecting all types of firearms and weaponry. I like most everyone else, have guns for protection, for shooting, and even a few just to collect. It is my right and my duty to have these guns. I would hate to see this country if there were no private firearms. This is the only way I can describe my hobby, and why I chose it.
 
Don't let people know your hobby and you wont have to explain crap to them.
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For me, and I would wager most of us here, if you know me AT ALL, you know about my firearms obsession. It's that big a part of me. If you come to my house, you see gun and hunting related items without even looking for them. I have a really nice little man cave that I handload in that everyone who comes over to the house for the first time asks about, to which I always reply, "Come on. I'll show you."

Now as far as meeting people out and about, no, they don't know and I don't volunteer. However if you know me in the slightest, you know.

Also, in Arkansas, I've never had anyone to ask about why I enjoy guns. Around here gun owners ask non gun people why they don't. :)
 
How do you explain fishing or hunting? You generally need a fishing rod to sport fish and you need firearms to hunt. Owning guns is not a hobby. Collecting guns could be called a hobby. It might be called a personal investment. Those that own a firearm or three geared toward self defense or home defense are not doing it as a hobby. You are taking precautions to protect the things that are most important to you including your own person, family, and perhaps those close to you while exercising your right to own firearms for whatever purpose be it a hobby or for defense.

Shooting recreationally is a sport same as playing football, baseball, or golf. But owning the firearm is not a hobby. Guns are tools.
 
This is an interesting thread. When my wife questions why I "need" another gun, I point to her closet full of shoes or her 10th purse.
I have ceased to feel defensive about my sport, hobby, life style, etc. unless really attacked, which really never happens. Recently got the "Do you eat what you shoot?" question, to which I responded, "Why do you ask?" The woman then said something like, "Well then it's OK.", to which I responded, "I don't recall asking your permission." She left in a huff which suited me just fine. Fortunately this exchange was rare, most of my friends and acquaintances are totally supportive of my way of living.
Being a psychologist, I could write a lengthy paper on the psychology of hunting and shooting, but I prefer to say, it's just a boatload of FUN!!!
 
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