Come out, Come out, wherever you are.

[N8]

Hey guys. There has been lots of communication lately regarding Gun ownership and what it means to our friends, co-workers, spouses, family and girlfriends... This got me thinking(what a concept)about my own dealings with the 'antis'...

Become a positive statistic! Most people who have negative ideas about us don't know anything they didn't hear on the news. I've got a couple friends from Long Island who think that guns are 'bad'. But even they will now admit 'We know one guy who likes to shoot, and he's not a psychopath..' (I take my compliments any way I can)

I don't wave my collection at people whom I have just met (liability, theft, etc.) and for obvious reasons you don't want people to know when you're carrying.

Anyone who knows me for a short period of time knows I like to shoot, and I am safe.

You might be suprised. If you're 'in the closet' about your status as a gun owner, you may not even realize how many people around you are also gun owners who have been scared into not talking about it.

 

[Spectre]

Interesting. Every person that spends some time with me, if an "anti", when we discuss gun control, will say that "people" can't be trusted with guns. "Not you..." they say. While I am flattered that they realize I am not a criminal or sociopath, why would they assume the rest of the gunowning populace will be different?

 

[James K]

I have encountered similar situations. Liberal friends will talk about banning guns then:

Anti: "We don't mean you."
Me: "Oh, whom do you mean?"
Anti: "Um..hum..some people...well you
know, THEM."
Me: "I don't understand, whom do you
mean?"
Anti: "Well, THEM, you know, in the cities."
Me: "Do you mean black people?"
Anti: "Wellll, no... sorta...you can't say
that... but you know, THEM."
Me: "Do you mean blacks should not have
the same rights anyone else does?"
Anti: "Well, of course, but if you took away
all the guns, then there wouldn't be
any discrimination..."
Me: "So you want to take away everybody's
rights so it won't be discrimination
when you take away black people's
rights?"
Anti: "We gotta be going; anyone want
another drink?"

Think the KKK is racist? You ain't seen nothing until you meet a gun control advocate.

 

[Grayfox]

Anybody who has spent much time around me knows where I stand. Those who favor gun control have had the good sense not to mention it.
There was one time when a relative newcomer to the group I was sitting with made a pro gun control statement. His arguememnt died a swift, but painful death at the hands of the crowd. It wasn't pretty.

 

[Bob C]

Interesting reactions some time. Today at dinner with several church friends, one attendee who I have traded with referenced our previous trade, and we chatted about his plans to customize the gun. Two of the attendees weren't aware of my interests in firearms, and looked at me in a strange way for a few minutes, and then chilled out. ( They didn't look strange at him as he is a LEO.). maybe next time their reaction will be less!

 

[spoonslayer]

Well, in my situation, I think it has been quite advantageous to myself and the whole shooting world for me to NOT be in the closet about my gun ownership.

I am a student at Mississippi State University. One of the many gripes I have about college is the fact that it is filled with people who are extremely liberal, immature, out of touch with reality, and just plain lacking in common sense. Therefore the anti-gun sentiment is a quite common one on campus.

In my dorm and anywhere else I get the chance, I am quite outspoken about my gun and knife ownership(I dont see how anyone who loves them as much as I do could be any different!) and voice my opions as much as possible.

While I may have only reinforced the beliefs of the few extreme and unreasonable anti-gunners that we are all a bunch of gun-crazed maniacs, it doesn't really bother me because I know the extremists will think that of us no matter what.

On the other hand, There are at least five people in my dorm who were mildly or semi-anti gun, who I have convinced of their blindness and brought over to our side of the fence. Heck,I even proudly overheard one of my "converts" arguing our side with another anti-gunner!

This is why you definately shouldn't be a "closet" gun owner-- If I wasn't extremely outspoken about my beliefs, I probably would never have even talked to these people. Without guidance from me, they could easily have been drawn in by the extreme anti-gunners(who by the way are definately vocal about their beliefs) and convinced to take the anti-gun stance.

We have to make ourselves be heard by our country and the world if we want to preserve our rights, and this is a difficult task to carry out if you're hiding in a closet!

 

[chink]

its odd I have a feminist prof this quarter who thinks guns are good. she said "... nothing equalize people like technology... aginst a 250 lb man, a women by herself is no match. Give her a gun and its a different story." It was odd

 

[Byron Quick]

It was odd to have a professor who is capable of rational logic? Strange world we live in, isn't it?

 

[Rew]

It is good to see some of you yougin's know how to speck the truth, now can you ride and shoot stright? I have never been in that closent, and never will, everyone who know's me know's I own gun's and most are quite polite about it.

Rew

 

[Gwinnydapooh]

Funny you should mention this. First, about college campuses, all I can say is, ain't it a shame? We were discussing whether children really ever attacked GI's in Vietnam (my prof's stance was that it was probably awfully rare if not an "urban legend" although there's a photo in one of our texts of three pre-adolescent NVA regulars who were captured with a rifle and two grenade launchers. When I pointed out the picture, she said "Well, OK, but let's be honest. When you all were, say, 11 or 12, and you saw a gun, could you resist playing with it? I mean, what if these kids just picked these things up and then got captured?"

Well, I should have just said "That's too stupid to survive Occam's Razor." Failing that, I should have noted that the kids in the picture were ID'd as NVA regulars, not VC. But stupid me, I said "I could! In my house, you didn't play with dad's guns or else, because you could get hurt! Of course, we had a house full of guns, and these Vietnamese probably couldn't afford--"
I stopped when I noticed everyone was staring at me. I had become the class wierdo and I still am, but oh well. As I told them, "This ain't Chicago or some suburb, this is Illinois. It's not my fault they live in that oppressive, murderous, foul cesspool of crime, hatred, and concrete--I just live with its laws and pay its budget.