Uh oh- Wife wants to know how many guns I own?

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I used to date a girl that owned over 200 pairs of shoes and over 50 handbags. She never said anything about the guns or asked how many I owned :).

Just my .02,
LeonCarr
 
I'd say the best thing to do is, lie to her so that when she finds out later on that you have more than you said, you both can have a nice healthy fight about it.


IF YOU LOVE HER AND SHE WANTS TO KNOW..... TELL HER.
 
You guys who keep your wives in the dark about the extent and value of your collection will be the ones whose widows will get ripped off when they sell your guns once you're dead.
 
As Derek said, finances are a big deal.

I have looked back, and honestly, there have been quite a few times, if true freedom was my ultimate goal, when I have purchased firearms or gear, when the funds would have more profitably been allocated elsewhere. More than once, I have found myself without adequate choices, and cursed myself for having been a damn fool, and having been over-fixated on a single, false, solution.

And I'm sure that's true of many of you. I know someone who has a weapons collection that's probably (or, at least, was) worth around $40,000. But he hasn't had central AC in years, has a gaping hole in the floor of his kitchen, and has plants growing into his damn house. Instead of trying to achieve multiples of individual firearms (3 1911s, 4 N frames, etc), the man should have been taking care of his other business. And he hasn't been.

Look, firearms are not the single answer to independence. If you don't have transportation, your firearms won't be nearly as useful. If you don't have adequate housing, your firearms won't be very useful. If you don't have any financial resources, you will eventually have to SELL your firearms...etc.

Just think about it, guys.

John
 
Wow, we are getting into a lot of philosophy here, which is good. But not all philosophies of life apply to others. In a truly free society, my neighbor doesn't tell me how to live, how clean my house should be, or how many guns I might want to have. It goes both ways. Some peple hold their guns so dear they would die before you take them, because they feel with that last gun goes their freedom. They FEEL free when they own a gun. Others would quickly sell their last gun to keep the wife quiet about the fact they are out of work (albeit even TEMPORARILY out of work). My neighbor sold many nice guns for about half of what he paid for them. I felt sorry for him. He could have taken a lower paying job in the interim, but that's the way it goes. To each their own. As far as the wife and the guns, I guess it's just fine to tell her. I would tell her to shut up if she then made a stink about them to me. I also know one high school mate who's mother made the big demand of her husband (my friend's father), either the guns go or she goes (the two boys and the dad were great hunters). The father said he would sure miss her, but the guns were staying. She never said a word about the guns again.
 
Now you're getting into relational dynamics, which is actually a bit different than philosophy. :) Every couple has to work those out. I was personally just addressing a false mindset some immature (being honest: I've often had it, too) gunowners have.

Really, if need is the issue, a battery of no more than 4 or 5 guns* will cover almost anyone's needs. I'm not talking about what people "should" have, I'm just saying that people shouldn't overfocus on just one aspect of preparation.

minimum:
*battle/disaster rifle
*concealed carry piece

nice, and still fairly important:
*deeper CCW
*hunting rifle or shotgun

*rimfire

John
 
Trust me on this one...be honest about the numbers. Lying about it will only make things much, much worse. I went through this and it developed into my own personal little hell.

Now that Im on the up and up regarding my weapons, my wife isnt so bothered when I inform her that Im saving up for the next one.

Should I encounter the "why do you need so many weapons" argument, then I would bring up the "why do you need so many shoes, purses and outfits" argument. Then, she would probably say, "Its a woman thing, you wouldnt understand"; to which I would respond, "Well, its a guy thing, you probably wouldnt understand." If this didnt work, I would use my old standby: "Well, look at Jay Leno...I mean, does he really need all of those cars?" ;)

Seriously though, the more honest I am, the further I get. Plus, as long as I develop a reasonable plan of saving for another weapon, Im usually golden.
 
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Well, if we're talking about need I think you could narrow that down to two: one pistol/revolver in a suitable caliber for defensive use, and a rifle in .308/30-06/30-30/7.62xwhatever/7mm/etc.

If you can defend yourself and kill reasonably sized mammals then you're covered. Need to get food? Covered. Range work? Covered. Civilization falls apart temporarily? Covered.

Now, most of us would like more, and you can argue for the role of the shotgun/carbine/.22 for practice/etc, but in the end I believe those two will do it.

Personally I'd be happy with just those two, provided they were each "perfect" in my mind. The 1911 is close (I'm a bigot, sorry) but not there as I'd miss revolvers, and I can't come up with a single rifle that I trust for everything.

You know, ignore me. This thread isn't about "how far can you strip your gun collection and still have "enough," it's "should you be honest with your wife about your hobby and its financial impact on the household. Or at least it seems that way to me.
 
No, don't ignore you. We're saying exactly the same things, and we're right.
 
Yes...one could argue for one handgun and one shotgun (I have). Simple enough, in terms of need. But, in terms of want, well...a bit more complex.

Honesty is the best policy here, plain and simple. Speaking from experience, if the OP wants to keep his collection and add to it, best to be honest about it and make the wife a part of the decision making process.
 
You don't live in Georgia, yeti....look where John and Derek are located.
Click to expand...

I know, but it was just too good an opportunity to use :what:&:eek: to just pass up. I knew it was the Southern equivalent to having decent snow tires, or a full wood shed before the end of August. I just couldn't help myself.:evil:
 
My wife generally supports my purchases, and I have pushed that notion this year, squeezing every penny of purchasing power out of the political wind. We do pretty good financially, so her main source of spousal gun frustration is based on the amount of time I spend in this site. I could easily leverage another purchase if I just promised to give her this laptop back. If I go dark for a month, then you can assume I got the Silver Pigeon.
 
Did you ever consider she might be asking to see if there was room enough so SHE could get one too?

My wife bought the last three guns in our collection. The last one - her favorite for now - is a Mares Leg in 44-40. I pitty the fool who tries to break in. She can put 2 of 5 into the center of a silouette with the other 3 in the "9" ring, from the hip, at 5 yards in real short order.

Too bad she can't CCW with it. It's a pistol, but too long according to Oklahoma statute.

Woody
 
Somewhere in there is the assumption that the firearm spending is reckless. :uhoh:

Mine is discretionary spending........ The bills are paid......:cool:

I think a lot of wives (Not all) don't understand or care about guns. Therefore, one dollar spent is to much if its on guns, but many more dollars get spent on LOTS of other things so sometimes you just have to get in line. It's a matter of interests. I'll concede that once the basic 2nd amendment / home defense bases are covered a mans additional collection firearms could be considered frivolous if his family is living in need.

Dont forget, guns usually maintain their value and can be sold if required (That wouldn't be my first choice:eek:)
 
Ha! How i've avoided this dilemma:

There were a set of Pumas that she couldn't live without and had been coveting for weeks at one of the local malls, and she didn't have the money to get them. About $86.

"Sweetie, If I buy you these shoes, can I get the Ruger i've been eyeing?"

her eyes lit up. Best 86 bucks ive EVER spent :D
 
The honest answer is....I don't know. Somewhere over 20 but I haven't checked in a few years. I was making CCW holsters for a couple of new revolvers last year when she came home early. We watched movies for a couple of hours and she never even commented on the guns, which resembled nothing else I own. She's a good woman, 18 year anniversary tomorrow!
 
I have to agree with the other posters who said to just tell the truth. There is also a huge difference in registration and keeping a good record for insurance purposes. You might actually benefit from a 'rider' on your homeowners/renters insurance. (I have one for electronics, and probably aught to think about one for the guns.)

But lying to your spouse is just wrong. Hell guys, I think I would have to feel a bit ashamed if I had to lie to my wife about something.
 
Aww hell, tell her the truth. I lost count around 100. That way you can have as many as you can get.
 
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