silicosys4
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If Washington's goal was to get guns out of Washington, they sure are bad at it. I personally have imported 5 or 6 in the last year alone.
Too many Guns?
- Thread starter Mark_Mark
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.308 Norma
Member
Probably. I don't mind calling myself a gun "accumulator" though. In fact, I can't think of a single type or style of guns I'd be interested in "collecting." I've always been able to dream up a "use" for a new or different gun that has caught my eye though.
My wife is a little bit the same way. And that's why (as I've said before) we usually sell or trade-in a gun when we're buying a new or different one nowadays. We're out of room in our safes, we're out of room in our house for more safes, and we're not about to go into debt to buy a bigger house and move.
Besides, I'm 75, my wife is not that far behind, and at our respective ages, we really should be "unloading" (no pun intended) a few of the guns we have "accumulated" over the years. Luckily, we have two daughters and four grandsons that all like guns too.
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Capybara
Member
I think it boils down to how practical and pragmatic you are. If you are practical, you only NEED a few guns, perhaps a rifle, a pistol, a shotgun? However, if you are a collector, all of that goes out the window. If you like C&R, all that goes out the window. I agree with the others, you should buy guns within your means. I have a good collection but 2023 was a really bad year for business, I barely scraped by financially so I have zero business buying any guns lately. But if some things that are scheduled happen in 2024, I'll buy more guns and more ammo and some memberships to a local range so I can go shoot them all more often.
Before I was divorced a few years ago, I had a lot more guns and then had to sell most of them off in the lead up to the divorce settlement. Since then, I have refined my tastes and have only replaced the guns I lost that I really liked and actually shot. I had crates of Mosins and SKS, sold those off and did very well on them financially but now I only have one Mosin and one SKS, the rest were collector variants that I liked but many of them were still in cosmoline. As long as you have no consumer debt (I have none, my car is paid off, my credit cards are paid off, no student loans debt, I only have a mortgage on a rental property) and you have good retirement savings and investments, I say buy what bring you joy. Shoot what gives you joy. The amount of guns will be different for everyone. For some people too many might be 3-4, for others, it might be hundreds. That's the great thing about our country, you can own as many as you can afford.
Before I was divorced a few years ago, I had a lot more guns and then had to sell most of them off in the lead up to the divorce settlement. Since then, I have refined my tastes and have only replaced the guns I lost that I really liked and actually shot. I had crates of Mosins and SKS, sold those off and did very well on them financially but now I only have one Mosin and one SKS, the rest were collector variants that I liked but many of them were still in cosmoline. As long as you have no consumer debt (I have none, my car is paid off, my credit cards are paid off, no student loans debt, I only have a mortgage on a rental property) and you have good retirement savings and investments, I say buy what bring you joy. Shoot what gives you joy. The amount of guns will be different for everyone. For some people too many might be 3-4, for others, it might be hundreds. That's the great thing about our country, you can own as many as you can afford.
Cap, everything you say sounds reasonable to me. And unlike some of the postings in this thread, they should not appear unreasonable to the general public, in my humble opinion, nor should it put you at any risk.
I always seem to wind up with around 15 guns plus or minus one or two. I basically have what I need to be able to take game, defend myself & plink with. That doesn't mean I will stop buying. There is still other stuff I would like to have. The purpose may just be to shoot at the range on occasion & enjoy owning but that is enough. I don't need all the guns but there are things that interest me & I always enjoy the experience of learning a new or new to me gun. FWIW everything I own gets shot. I am more of an accumulator than a collector.
Smokin Gator
Member
I have no issue when people owning lots of guns, many that they don't shoot. It's just not what I want to do. I've competed in USPSA, IDPA, ICORE and SASS along with various outlaw type matches. I've got multiple guns and gear for all of them. To non shooters or people with 1 or 2 guns, I've got a bunch.
A guy I've shot with at matches said he was selling some guns. Had a large pistol case that was like a salesmans sample case. One nice approximately $2000 gun he said he had 4 of those, he's keeping 1. Similar with a few of the others. Or I see guys with more 1911s then the total number of guns I have that includes 2 1911s.
A guy I've shot with at matches said he was selling some guns. Had a large pistol case that was like a salesmans sample case. One nice approximately $2000 gun he said he had 4 of those, he's keeping 1. Similar with a few of the others. Or I see guys with more 1911s then the total number of guns I have that includes 2 1911s.
What would be the point of that?
1KPerDay
Member
Oh no….
Nor do I.
earlthegoat2
Member
When after you have enough, you find yourself at a net gain over enough as opposed to a net zero.
Ones definition of enough can vary.
Ones definition of enough can vary.
Old Dog
Member
Arriving late to the thread, as usual. So, you are saying that some of the postings in this thread would appear unreasonable to the general public, and potentially put those posters at risk?
I'm fairly certain that even the most stupid, casual member of the general public perusing this thread would conclude that most here are simply playing along, poking fun at themselves and trying to maintain a spirit of actual humor.
Context.
We can debate until the cows come home whether or not the desire to collect objects constitutes an "addiction," but let's not let the stigma of that term make us take ourselves too seriously. Others have pointed out that if one is being a responsible gun-owner (e.g., storing his/her firearms in a safe), not using the monthly mortgage payment to buy firearms, not taking food off the table from one's family, there's not normally a problem there.
Do we insinuate that Jay Leno has an unhealthy addiction because of his collection of 400 cars and motorcycles?
Do we take issue with people we know who collect art, those silly porcelain figurines, crystal, china, coins, stamps, comic books, sports memorabilia, trading cards, rare books, bottle caps, dolls, Barbies, antiques, silver, wine, vinyl records, jewelry, wine, and oh, here's a good one: watches? Do we caution them when they joke about having an addiction because they are so enthusiastic about collecting?
Yes, among certain segments of our society, the word "guns" comes with a stigma, and there are many (primarily the politically liberal, the "left wing" as such, and the "progressives") who believe that the mere fact that someone owns a real gun renders them a potential militant violent extremist, perpetrator of domestic violence or school/mass shooter. Yet, still most of the practical members of society, even if they don't approve of firearms in general, don't necessarily believe that owning firearms is inherently unhealthy while the majority probably don't have much of an opinion at all.
And if we can't have light-hearted threads, poke fun at ourselves and each other, and use words (i.e., "addiction" and "soul") somewhere in our posts to maybe characterize a concept, without using that word in the most negative literal sense, it won't be much fun participating in this forum, or others.
Yep. A statement that is innocent in context can, and will, should the opportunity arise, be taken out of context.
We do not debate addiction or phobias here.
Yes, and it is among those that silliness and frivioity can work against our objeciives at THR. Someone with an unfavorable purpose can quote them out of context, and it won't matter a bit how "most of the practical members of society" may have taken the comments, or that the majority of the paricular internet community may not feel the same way..
More serious, I think, is the potential for personal risk. Should it become known to a head-hunter, to an admissions board, to plaintiff in a divorce case, to members of a juvenile authority in a custody case--I could go on and on--that a personn under evaluation has publicly described hieself as have in an "addiction "--his words--regarding guns or knives, that person will have dealt himself a bad card.
I'm sure that everyone who had ever put up a sign saying "protected by Smith an Wesson" or "trespassers will be shot" had in mind something light hearted.
Since you brought it up, and just out of curiosity, do we know of any documented cases where a sign like that was a factor in a court case? I agree that such signs aren't a great idea but I've never heard of a real case if it being a problem.
Old Dog
Member
As with any aspect of our lives in this society at this present time.
Yes, you've made that eminently clear; I was speaking figuratively.
Of course, but in any legal proceeding, one may have the remainder of the conversation or documentation brought forth in order to provide context.
Perhaps so. Presumably the responsible adult will acknowledge the risk in a statement made on social media and would own it.
Only the most literal thinkers would take that stuff seriously. On my rural road, half the driveways are posted like this -- and even with all the King County and Microsoft millionaires buying up all the property around here, I've not heard a whimper about this.
Rather than cater to those that would cancel others, prosecute others, persecute others, deny those others opportunities or inclusion, due to them speaking freely, sometimes we just have to presume that all engaged in discourse will actually be possessed of a sense of humor.
Sorry, but I will err on the side of having to be held accountable for my words rather than bowing to the lords of political correctness, the woke and prejudiced vocal minority.
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RetiredUSNChief
Member
"Hey, man...are you sure you have enough?"
"You can never have enough."
Seriously, I understand both sides. There are those sure are exceptionally practical. Those who are just interested in family heirlooms. The "I just want a gun for defense".
And then there are the collectors...
bihj
Member
Ha ha ha ha ha........
Scooter22
Member
When you look into back corners of your safes and find guns you don't remember having. New gun for free!
Smokin Gator
Member
Jay Leno for example. First, obviously, he can afford whatever he wants. His collection includes remarkable, rare automobiles, a huge variety. Now if he had over 400 common, well used, plain jane commuter cars worth maybe a thousand or two each or less, I would think that was a bit nutty, but it's his choice and that's fine.
InTheSwamp
Member
It's a very subjective thing. Each of us has a different idea of too many. I'm good with what I own, but there's always room for another one.
Btw, I don't care for IV8888.
Btw, I don't care for IV8888.
OP
OP
Mark_Mark
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a decade ago, they worked at Moss Gun & Pawn, they had all the classics characters! I do miss Berry! he’s very mich like the old timmers here! full of revolver knowledge and 80’s funk
Ignition Override
Member
MikInOr: Wow.
A gun buddy is a Fedex jet mechanic. He knows a Fedex widebody pilot (very nice salary) in his neighborhood who is so "Tight$ " that he won't spend the $500 to join the private gun club, and the club is huge.
Maybe your wife should be glad that you're not so tight, and have fun.
Laci's Youtube nickname is "Hot Brass & Bullets". She barely has enough.
Note that she mentions "...Some of my guns..." at the beginning. I wouldn't mind 'getting to Know her'....
Does the start remind you a little of any scene in Terminator 2 ?
www.youtube.com
A gun buddy is a Fedex jet mechanic. He knows a Fedex widebody pilot (very nice salary) in his neighborhood who is so "Tight$ " that he won't spend the $500 to join the private gun club, and the club is huge.
Maybe your wife should be glad that you're not so tight, and have fun.
Laci's Youtube nickname is "Hot Brass & Bullets". She barely has enough.
Note that she mentions "...Some of my guns..." at the beginning. I wouldn't mind 'getting to Know her'...
.Does the start remind you a little of any scene in Terminator 2 ?
Woman's Cave
help support our channel by clicking the link belowhttps://www.patreon.com/HotBrassandBulletsKeeping guns secure and out of reach of robbersT Shirts Here htt...
www.youtube.com
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Old Dog
Member
Yeah, she's definitely the woman my wife worries about me ever meeting...
bangswitch
Member
I resemble that remark.
I've always strived for quality over quantity, not single plastic gun in the safe.I know a guy, used to work with him, who also only has one safe. It's about 25x20 feet, actually has a cipher pad steel door to enter. Air conditioned and heated, full wet bar; it's almost more a museum than a vault. He's a big American Civil War collector, not just firearms. He has several complete Union and Confederate officers' uniforms, sabers from both sides and a surgeon's field medical instruments set. And then there's the guns.
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