People not trusting themselves with guns, etc.

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Sheslinger

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So a couple of days ago I am talking to my 22-year-old cousin who lives in Baltimore (both mine and Cslinger's parents live there also), and she asks why we would not move back. I list a bunch of reason one of them being, "There is pretty much no way for us to get CCW permits". She goes, "I would never want a gun, especially when we start having kids". I know, I know, we have to try and convert them, but trust me, you could tell by the tone it would not happen, especially because we were on the phone and not face to face.

So, I got two distinct feelings from this. First, "Why in God's name would anyone want a gun?". Second, " I don't trust myself to be around guns" (which is probably well-founded as she is a pretty careless person in general).

My thought process is this, "Why would you trust yourself to drive and be able to handle, let's say, hydroplaning (sp?) or a tire blowout at 70 mph?" But then again, my Mom did not start driving until she was 50 or 51 and she was always told by others that if she ever had to handle a potential traffic accident, she would let go off the wheel and scream. She's been driving fine for 3 or 4 years now.

So why do you think that is that a 22-year-old is completely not confident enough in their ability to handle a simple tool such as a gun? Movies and media portrayed violence? 15 years of living in Soviet Union where there is no gun culture and the only exposure you have to guns is watching "Rambo" and listening to the propaganda about trigger-happy american cowboys?

She is not science-stupid, has a Comp Sci/Math degree but I don't see an "awakening" coming on anytime soon or ever.

Sorry about the long post, just wanted to get others' perspective.
Sheslinger
 
You call THAT a long post?

Anyways, there are two possibilities, as I see them.

Number one, is that we are human. We all get angry, sometimes very angry, and we all have very base, very primitive, oftentimes very violent impulses. It's how we survived for the eons before we invented this nice comfy society we live in now.

Some people (and I've met them) seem to assume that since a gun makes it so easy to kill somebody, having one around would completely nullify their ability to control those impulses.

Of course, I believe this to be a misguided sentiment. Having the ability to do something horrible certainly doesn't make you anymore inclined to do it than you were before. Moreover, if you're the type of person who seriously believes you would, in a fit of anger, kill someone because you had access to a gun and could do so easily, you should seek psychological counselling immediately.

Another theory is one you see a lot from people who are patently unfamilliar with guns. They assume that they're dangerous to handle, and the media has a lot to do with this. They think that if you hold a gun wrong, or drop it, or sometimes for no reason at all it'll just "go off" and kill somebody. This is a less frustrating (if equally misguided) sentiment as it can be corrected with a small amount of education and range time (assuming ther person in question has any semblance of an open mind).

Just my opinion, of course.
 
There is only one way to get comfortable with handling weapons, and that is to actually handle them. That goes even for those who already know objectively that a firearm is just another kind of tool. We are bombarded from childhood onward with stories of guns “just going off,†so it takes a little time to unlearn that fallacy.

~G. Fink
 
We have been transformed from a nation of individualists who believe we can do anything we set out to do, to a cooperative of people who cannot do anything unless the schools, social workers, and government officials say it is Ok.
 
I can't trust anyone who can't trust themself. If they can't handle themselves who the heck can they handle bringing children into the world? :banghead:

I've had people tell me guns are bad because they don't trust themselves with guns. So that should make it illegal, huh? :cuss:

What a crappy thought to start the day. Gotta find me an HK tactical poser thread :neener:
 
Fear of the Unknown, perhaps? Too much TV/Movie input?

Probably the easiest to dispell as well. Take them out plinking with a .22. Show them what responsible firearm ownership is all about.

She could have had a bad personal experience with firearms as a youngster and that could deeply affect her logic process. (Imagine watching your Dad commit suicide with a shotgun as a kid... happened to a friend of mine, he's been weird ever since).

Then again, you could always try the old, "I agree with you 100% and if a bad guy ever did (insert mayhem of choice here) to your kids, I know you'd never want to be in the position to stop it personally (Reverse psych. mother bear imagry here) cause that would be dangerous and you don't want to face THAT responsibility... thats why we have police, right?"

Then... move on.

However, when you do have a 2nd cousin (neice or nephew type), ask if you can take them out when they're old enough and teach them some gun-safety, personal responsibility and a history lesson or two.

Someone in the family might benefit.

Adios
 
As far as I'm concerned, people who don't trust themselves with firearms are doing the right thing by not owning firearms.

People who don't trust me with firearms are attempting to project their irrational fears on me. I don't care whether they trust me, distrust me, or want to squat down in a corner and write a little poem about me—as long as they don't try to disarm me to ease their irrational fears.
 
Ive had those types around me for the longest of time. One thing that usualy turns those people around is a big scare. My stepmom was mostly anti gun for the longest of time. Her and dad both started getting up in years and one night they were walking back to the truck when some youngins started walking behind them making some comments. She didnt know what dad was capable of so she got scared. Dad in the mean time was ready with his hand in his pocket going for his knife. He is trained in a few martial arts, but also knows how to pick his fights. He is overweight so he has to, plus has some advantages that go along with that as well.

Stepmom started thinking a gun would be a good idea. Dad didnt mind to make her happy. Went got his permit to carry, got a Bersa .380 that he now carrys most all the time. She has shot it a little but is still dependant on dad to protect her. She isnt anti gun now....and was glad to hear I got one after I was broken into.

I guess you could say I am a convert as well. As I do still think a little that a gun isnt a good form of personal protection. My head is the best form... I used to argue that having a gun will usualy do you no good, go ask dad we got in many heated conversations. And I guess i converted....for the better. I still dont think they are a perfect form of personal protection, but I do want to keep my right to keep and bare arms. more than anything else. So maybe its a scare that is needed. It did it for me.
 
"...she is a pretty careless person in general..." But it's ok for her to breed. Must be one of those things that makes you think, "Hmmmm". Just as well she doesn't have a firearm.
 
If someone doesn't trust themselves with firearms then that's probably for the best. "Man's got to know his limitations."

When they want to take away MINE because they are too incompetant to defend themself but they still want to feel safe, that's when it becomes a problem.
 
I had a female Mgr. quip, " I don't like guns, and I don't trust myself to have one". Along with some other sheep dip.

Me, " I don't trust YOU either, but don't call me when your being raped or you wake up dead some morning".

That went over well.:D

Owner/Boss ( whom she went to tattle to )agreed with me.
For some reason she was in a hissy fit for a few days...

diplomacy and patience...not my strong points I guess.
 
Some people don't trust themselves with guns because:

--Everyone has a temper. I don't care how big, small, delayed, etc. Everyone at times will exhibit a temper.

--Those outside the gun community are fully trained in firearms by TV, movies, video games. This training is 99% wrong and dangerous. It is not uncommon for gun users to be portrayed marginally sane or worse using implements of destruction that are capable of going off by itself.

--Those same trainees have never, never, never been exposed to proper safety procedures.

Yeah, I can see how some people wouldn't trust themselves with guns. I have to doff my hat to our media propagandists on their success.
 
Took me a long time to feel responsible enough to own a firearm.

1. I have a bad temper.
2. I can be apathetic, somedays I would get a bad case of the f*&k its.
3. I used to drink alot.

Put all of these things together and imagine...

Now that I do own firearms and I've taken the time to address these issues, I have become a better person.
 
The tool that they don't know how to control is their brain!

Had a fellow tell me that he was a red headed Irishman and therefore he wouldn't own a gun. He said that he had a genetic inability to control his temper.:confused:
 
Your cousin lives in Baltimore, right?

Crap! Where to start!???

30 years of liberal leadership has left Maryland (and ESPECIALLY Baltimore City) with some of the harshest gun laws and vigorous anti-gun campaigns in the country.

There are some other threads that discuss the issues in Maryland, so I'll try not to be redundant....BUT....in Maryland, gun owners are often portayed as "gun nuts" and treated like substandard citizens or criminals. There have been HUGE media campaigns and anti-gun demonstrations in Maryland. I suspect a large part of this has to do with the high number of murders in Baltimore City and most recently, the hype about the "Beltway Snipers" (who incidentally had virtually no ties to Md., and got their firearms from the complete opposite side of the country)

My wife is completely anti-gun, but will go with me to the range, and allows me to keep my guns in the house (in a safe, of course). But when I question her about her beliefs, she doesn't really know why she is so anti-gun, so I think it's just her fear of the unknown, and what she DOES know (or thinks she knows) is a lot if misinformation that's been crammed down her throat all her life.

Oh well....I'm off to buy my new CZ now.
 
When I was 22, I didn't keep any guns in my house. I often had friends over and we quite often drank, listened to loud music and got rowdy and stupid. I don't think we needed a gun around for that.

When someone tells me they don't want a gun in the house because they have children, it becomes apperant to me that as a child they were not taught how to handle and respect firearms. A person can't teach what he/she has never been taught, so not having a gun around children ignorant of proper safety is probably a good idea.

I think maybe the reason why she trusts herself to drive is because she was taught to.
 
Most of the folks that don't want to carry guns really shouldn't. They don't have adequate training and knowledge to do so safely. They may be prone to forgetfulnes so they don't want to carry. Good for them. Thanks for making a wise decision. If you don't think you're capable of carrying a gun, then don't. I'm not forcing you and I respect your reasoning and your decision. I won't cause my weaker brother to stumble as the Apostle Paul once wrote. But don't project those fears on me.

That said I think its a good idea for everyone to have a basic knowledge of firearms (4 rules etc.) because guns are out there. Just because you don't want to come in contact with them doesn't mean you won't. I think the same thing about CPR and the heimlich maneuver.

P.S. I work in MD but live in DE. I understand your sentiments about that state entirely. The scariest time in my day is when I come home to my apartment at night because I am totally at someones mercy and they're closer to any of my weapons than I am.
 
I too live in MD and deal with this stuff. The best we can do is carry a small knife and pepper spray (though I fear that the consequences of using them on an attacker would be the same as shooting a BG in a CCW state - LAWSUIT !) I do get some satisfaction in that I convinced my GF to keep a 20 gauge (a gift to me by her father!) at her house with the terrorism alert relating to the Iraq war. She was of the "ewww, guns" mindset but at least got the training to use them. So now she is more of the "guns, will use em if I have to but no gun nut" stripe. Stay safe!
 
Sheslinger, if your family members don't trust themselves with guns, then they should not trust themselves with motor vehicles either. My guess is that they feel fine about motor vehicles even though they stand a substantially greater risk of harming or killing someone with their car, inclusive of themselves or people riding with them, along with the people they might strike.

Sure, guns are dangerous. That is what makes them useful. Cars are very dangerous as well and for the most part, that is not what makes them useful. Because their primary use isn't associated with being dangerous, many people forget just how dangerous cars can be.

Then again if your relatives drive like most people, I would suspect that they might fair no better with guns and so maybe it is best they don't have one.
 
I believe that gunownership has called me higher in many ways. The reality of a gun is sobering. I have walked away from many arguments with family members, eating it, in order to halt tensions from escalating. Pride sacrificed. Discipline learned. The trust in myself came after the right was excersised AND REALIZED.
 
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