Why do you like guns?

[gym]

In life you find things that make you feel good and those that make you feel either nothing or bad. Guns, Dogs, and cars, were always my happy places. I feel interested and time flies by when I am evolved with any of those 3 things.
I also have a natural affinity for being able to excel in those 3 pastimes, which makes the world a better place for me when I am evolved with them.

 

[dprice3844444]

i like guns because they are cheaper and safer than dealing with women

 

[holdencm9]

Sooooo many reasons...

-Home and Self Defense
-2A Reasons
-The history behind them, whether it be a 1911, AR, Mosin...pretty much every gun design has a story, and sometimes individual guns themselves do.
-The beauty and elegance (and variety) of the mechanisms
-The fact that they are one of the only things anymore withOUT a computer chip inside of them
-Taking them apart, putting them back together
-Challenging myself to shoot better every time out
- The knowledge that if I take care of them, my children and grandchildren will be able to enjoy them as well.

 

[kvtcomdo]

I am 60.

I have ALWAYS been fascinated by guns.

Loved to shoot them (everyone)

Loved learning about them in the Armed Forces.

And still love collecting them as an old fart.

I never grow tired of learning, shooting nor handling them.

I'm sorry, what was the ?.

 

[arspeukinen]

Guns are mechanical marvels. The succesfull designs do the task they are supposed to do with very few parts.

Having guns is a reminder that our society still has hope. As long as the gov lets a citizen own guns, that citizen more probably has some trust in the gov as well. Remember, in most parts of the world guns are not a Right but a priviledge.

And shooting is the second most fun thing to do.

 

[baronthered]

I enjoy things that go boom.

In addition I like the science and challenge of making the shot.

and I like things that go boom.

 

[SilverCat]

They are beautiful works of mechanical art. Not just in the engineering, but in the aesthetics. Some firearms are flat out beautiful; others are beautifully designed.

^^^^
This. I always smile when I see a pretty gun, and It's impossible for me to walk past one of my AR-15s without picking it up and admiring its design. To me, a fine weapon is a work of art, and is one more blessing we have.

Not only that. There's just something about building "weapons of warfare" in my garage, and taking them to the range just for the fun of shooting.

This is what being a gun owner is about. Enjoying yourself. It has nothing to do with what the media and such may make you to to be.

And there's my heartfelt speech for the day.

 

[Ignition Override]

el Godfather:

Capybara explained it better than I can. My first handgun is a WW2 (German) Sauer 38H: acquired two weeks ago. Three middle-aged friends "carry" Polish P-64s. One guy is rumored to own fifty five obsolete milsurp rifles in an armoured vault.

Guns require No nerdy "computer skills", plus the fact that a few of these rifles are endangered by career Senators such as Feinstein, Pelosi, Schumer etc was the inspiration to adopt the first SKS in '08, and now a second SKS (Yugo M59 - No gr. launcher).
No anti-American, leftist (or otherwise) politicians will ever dictate to Me what legal gun I can or can't own, based on their desires to abolish the Second Amendment.
If parole boards Really did their jobs, we would have far fewer handgun sales.

 

[DNS]

Actually guns were my third choice.

My first was a Corvette and the second was a twenty something girlfriend, neither of which my wife will allow me. Truth be told both/either would probably kill me.

Shooting holes in things is pretty good too though.

 

[beatledog7]

My interest was sparked by the requirement to carry a Beretta M9 while I was in Kosovo, and my realization that I really did need it. It was fueled by awareness of the continuing need for personal and home defense.

It has expanded mostly through curiosity regarding the myriad chamberings that are available and the challenge of target shooting and reloading.

I used to collect saxophones. Good saxes are a lot more expensive and much more finicky than good firearms. And they aren't much for SD.

 

[AlexanderA]

I guess in my case it all goes back to the fact that my parents lived through the Nazi Occupation in WWII Europe. I never want to be in that position of helplessness.

 

[Sniper66]

I was born into a family of hunters and having used firearms since early age, I can honestly say I've played with guns for 60+ years. First toy guns and later…well, everything. I have an unquenched thirst for everything gun related. Hunting, target shooting, self/home defense, reloading, the beauty and art of firearm design as well as the immensely creative engineering, all combine to fuel my passion.. Over the years my interest has grown exponentially. Stated simply, I love it.

 

[Capybara]

Grew up on a ranch, there was a shooting area a mile or two up the local mountain. Parents would never let me own a gun, other than a BB gun, I give them props for at least letting me have that. On my 18th birthday, walked over to the local K-Mart and bought my first single shot 20ga shotgun and never looked back.

1. About half of my collection was bought or built because politicians don't want me to have them AR, AK, AR pistol, AOW

2. The other half are C&R military rifles. The history that these guns have is just amazing to me, I own rifles that might have been used to fight the Nazis in the Battle of Stalingrad, might have been used in the Pacific Theater, were used in Korea, etc.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

I live and breath firearms/accessories/handloading. It is now one of my only hobbies. I stopped playing golf because every time I played I would find myself cursing because I could have picked up a couple pounds of powder or 1k primers with that money.

Even though I'm so addicted, I can't really pinpoint why.

I think back and cannot remember a time when firearms wasn't a huge part of my life. I used to get mad when libs talked about the "gun culture" in the southern U.S. but now, I don't mind it. It is accurate. There is a gun culture, and its a good thing.

As far as my interest in them, I would say I'm a hunter first but the need for HD/SD is the main purpose they serve.
Other than that, there is nothing that makes me happier than feeling the recoil slam against my shoulder and smelling the smoke in the air. And of course the target disintegrating/falling. And then you get to go back home and reload the brass. It's never ending fun.

 

[tarosean]

Spent my childhood dragging a mod. 60 all over Southern CO/Northern NM. Haven't ever stopped.

 

[theotherwaldo]

My interest was originally based on keeping the ability to feed and protect my family. Dad couldn't legally own a gun (technically, neither could I when I lived in the same house), and we were often in positions and situations where hunting and home defense were literally life or death matters.
Since Dad's passing, my interest has moderated and I'm now more likely to gather intriguing mechanisms rather than cling desperately to survival tools.
Mind you, the survival items are still there. The others are just in addition to the necessary equipment.

 

[bannockburn]

I don't know for sure but probably started with all those toy guns (cap guns mostly), we had when we were kids. All those westerns and war movies on TV no doubt attributed to my desire to learn more abojt guns as well. As I got older I was becoming more interested in how they worked and why certain designs were better than others. My first "real" gun was a Hawes Deputy Marshall in .22LR with an extra .22 Magnum cylinder. Always have had a hankering for single action revolvers that has carried through to this day. That and anything M1911 related.

 

[mokin]

I saw this thread an thought, "That's kind of like asking me why I like women" ie, I just do. Then I thought, I grew up around firearms, they are amazing devices, both aesthetically pleasing and mechanically intriguing, and when in use a fun mental and physical challenge.

 

[cologuy]

As a younger guy, I liked the noise and the thrill of blasting as many holes in a pop can as fast as I could, seeing if I could make it move to the far end of the range before I emptied the magazine. Now I like to concentrate and do more slow fire, trying to beat my own records every time I go out. I like shooting with family and friends, especially young folks (my latest "convert" is 5 yrs old next week). I like shooting the guns I've inherited from my father and my father-in-law, it's a way of connecting with them even though both are gone now.

 

[Ranger Roberts]

Actually guns were my third choice.

My first was a Corvette and the second was a twenty something girlfriend, neither of which my wife will allow me. Truth be told both/either would probably kill me.

Hahaha! You and me both my friend!

As for why I love guns? I was born into a military family. If you weren't in the military, you were a fireman or a policeman. Many of my relatives hunted but ALL of them shoot. I can't remember a time in my life when guns weren't present. I was a soldier and now I'm a LEO. I'm a hunter and an avid target shooter. I reload. I collect Milsurp as well as everything else with a trigger. When my wife and I purchased our current house, the real estate agent asked what exactly we were looking for, our reply "property we can shoot on."

I have other hobbies. I love motorcycles and cars. I spend more time in my wood/metal shop than most carpenters or welders. I love my dirt bikes and 4 wheelers. The funny thing about all my other hobbies is, I'm wearing my gun while I do them.

 

[Constrictor]

really, I don't understand questions like this.

 

[Njal Thorgeirsson]

1) I've always had a historical interest in WWII, especially armored vehicles and firearms.

2) I find their mechanisms very interesting, and their aesthetic qualities are often intriguing to me.

3) Shooting, restoring, handloading and bullet casting are just some aspects of firearm-related hobbies that I really enjoy. There's always ways to improve and learn, and all of these aspects are fun and relaxing.

4) I don't like the idea of not being able to adequately defend myself if my life is threatened.

EDIT: 5) They're something the government doesn't want me to have.

 

[GBExpat]

Why do you like guns?

Because I'm a Guy ... and I grew up in the '50s & '60s before the US started its seemingly inexorable slide towards the majority of the voting population being, um, not sure how to directly express the thought in this forum without earning chastisement.

After I clearly expressed the thought to my sister last week, following her laughter, she said that she had heard someone on TV(?) express the exact same thought by referring to the fact that the US would soon be exclusively populated by "girls".

 

[Gun Master]

Why I Like Guns ?

(1) Because they go "Boom" (2) Got started hunting with "Granddaddy" (3) As a teenager I became obsessed with the "undeniable" truth that the communists would attack the USA (4) Liked "plinking" and fun shooting (5) Enjoy shooter/collecting (6) Want to protect myself and family .

 

[Officers'Wife]

Dear THR:
Why do you like guns? What is your primary interest in weapons and what sparked it, in case you picked up this lobby recently?


My main interest is SD/HD and collection. Target/competition are not valid concerns for me to to own the gun. They are, however, secondary in nature.

Thank you

Hi Godfather,

Most of my firearms are "hand me downs" from my father or my late uncle. A few belonged to my great grandfather. Using those weapons is a link to the past and a reminded of people that have done so much for me that died before I was even born.

Three of my firearms were built by my uncle, using those weapons are a reminder of a man who selflessly and unconditionally loved me.

Firearms, like the farmland I now own are a link to the past and represent a secure future. Which in my mind is a very big package for a few pounds of steel and wood.