Does your wife know?

[Harry Callahan]

I guess I would consider myself a gun enthusiast and own a number of them (15). I have to admit, however, that my wife does not know about 3 or 4 of them. Don't get me wrong, the kids aren't starving and all the bills are getting paid, but there have been some, shall we say, clandestine firearm purchases. I figure I have a job, pay cash for all said purchases so as not to incur finance charges, and buy my wife some nice things also now and then. Maybe some will think I'm a sneak, but I was wondering if anyone else(BE HONEST!)is in the same boat.

 

[Musketeer]

Did it ONCE and am paying for it still....

Firestar M93, used for $175+Tax. Not even a big purchase. I am in a similar postion to you, bills are paid, food on the table, and I did it all with money I saved on the side from things like my work trips where I ate powerbars and pocketed the per diem money we are given. I put $40 down on it three days after my wife got a brand new $22k Saturn Vue.

Moron at the shop calls two weeks before Christmas, just two weeks after I put the money down and told him I would pick up the gun before Chirstmas. Wife confronts me the next morning about "a gun on lay-a-way?!?!" Sure she would have said yes eventually if I had discussed it but frankly I was sick and tired of hearing her complain, didn't want to put up with the yapping and thought "why bother?"

My advice is:

1. Don't Do It!
2. If you do do it use cash and leave your CELL NUMBER, not your HOME NUMBER!!!!

 

[Harry Callahan]

I hear ya,Musketeer! You and I are like peas in a pod. You think the same way I do except for one thing. I NEVER leave my home phone for exactly that reason. I can only imagine the things she bought for herself on the sly, and that's OK as long as there is heat in the house, clothes on our backs, and food on the table.

 

[Wildcard]

Yep, in the same boat. I have 2, that the wife does not know about. The wife is not crazy about guns, its not her thing, but she does not care that I carry, or that there are guns in the house. That being said, convincing her of needing, wanting a new gun is like pulling a tigers tooth while the cat is awake. So......, I save, purchase, Sneak the weapon in the house, put it in the safe. Wait about a month, pull the gun out and clean it. If the wife asks, I tell her it been in the safe, I have had it for a while.

 

[progunner1957]

Maybe some will think I'm a sneak, but I was wondering if anyone else(BE HONEST!)is in the same boat.

Are there any married men who are not in the same boat??

Don't get me wrong, the kids aren't starving and all the bills are getting paid, and buy my wife some nice things also now and then.

Sounds like you are meeting your responsibilities as a husband and father - I see no problem!

there have been some, shall we say, clandestine firearm purchases. I figure I have a job, pay cash for all said purchases so as not to incur finance charges

I don't recall Moses bringing down from the mountain a tablet of stone which was etched with: "Thou shalt account to thy wife for the spending of each and every dollar and submit to her dominance over thee all the days of thy life."

I'm sure many wives would disagree...

 

[FirstFreedom]

The obvious solution is to acquire so many that your wives cannot keep track of them all, and thus you can claim 'no way, I've had that one a long time'. Thank goodness I'm single.

 

[progunner1957]

The obvious solution is to acquire so many that your wives cannot keep track of them all, and thus you can claim 'no way, I've had that one a long time'.

I like the way you think!!!

 

[SGHOTH]

I am very fortunate. The Mrs. doesn't care how many I get. I have never had to sneek one.

A couple of times when I brought a bunch home in one week She said something but She always smiles when She does. What a great lady!

 

[tlm225]

I've never understood this. If you are fulfilling your responsibilities why hide it? If your not fulfilling your primary responsibilities you shouldn't do it.

 

[springmom]

yeah, that's being a sneak

Sorry, but it is. I would fall over in a dead faint if the hubster ever did such a thing, and it has nothing to do with dominance, it has to do with partnership. He earns almost every penny that goes into our bank account, but it would be unthinkable for either of us to "sneak" something. If I buy something (and yes, it would more likely be me than him to spend money we didn't really need to have spent right then, LOL) I tell him and he would do the same. Yes, we're both "gun nuts" and I'm sure that helps, too.

Why not set up in your budget a category for "toys".... yours (guns) and hers (whatever). Money that goes into the toys category is yours to spend as you see fit. At least that sets up an agreed-upon system where you can buy what you want and it just isn't open to "veto" or whatever you were afraid of when you snuck the ones you did.

Springmom

 

[Harry Callahan]

Thanks for a woman's point of view. Problem is you're a gun nut too and understand my passion. My wife is far from it. She's not anti gun but doesn't understand the whole idea behind our hobby. You may say I'm rationalizing, and maybe you're right, but I could be out chasing women, gambling away my paycheck, getting in to nose candy, etc, so it could be alot worse and I could/would never do that to her.

 

[Kaboom]

My wife knows every firearm I purchase. The better question is do I know about all of her purchases.

 

[Mike Irwin]

What wife?

I traded her in on several older Smith & Wessons and a Remington 81.

 

[Steve499]

I have a life-long friend who, in a former marriage (that may be instructive) used to buy every gun he bought clandestinely. When his wife would notice the new gun and question him about it, he would tell her it was MY gun and he was borrowing it from me. When his wife would talk to my then-wife (also a message in here somewhere), I would catch it for not being up front with her. I would tell her the truth and be in trouble then for being a liar as well as a sneak. He and I are still friends. We both have marriages now where he doesn't buy guns on the sly and my wife knows I tell her the truth, which I always do. In 2005, I bought 7 new guns and my wife is just fine with it. Full disclosure works for me but I've got a fabulous partner!

Steve

 

[Browning_Girl]

Luckily most of our guns were inherited......almost all 42 of them. My grandfather somewhat collected them but then again, he shot a lot of times too. But my dad's almost sold one of MY guns to buy himself a gun. lol. Of course I said no unless I get to pick it out and it better be mine. But we don't have to buy any guns really. I'd love to have a Benelli M1 Super 90 20 ga.

 

[JohnBrowning]

My dad tells me that he does that with golf clubs. I think being dishonest that way is stupid and unnessasary. But then again my girlfriend likes guns almost as much as I do, so I guess my opinion is pretty well meaningless to you guys that feel you must lie like that.

 

[Cryptoboy]

Funny to hear springmom say it, but that's pretty much exactly what my wife and I have! When we first got married, we thought it would be smart to open up a joint account. Well that account led to us almost getting divorced! I'm more of a saver, she's definately a spender! So we opened up another checking account for her (we both work and make about the same salary), split the bills up (mortgage, she pays certain bills, I pay certain ones), and we put some money into a joint savings (any withdrawals are done with both of our knowledge and consent!). Whatever is left over is money to do what we want with! If I buy a gun every month, as long as my bills are paid, she might be able to roll her eyes, but that's about it. Same in her case. She found out I had saved up quite a chunk and couldn't believe it, considering I had bought an AR and a Kimber in the past few months.......

We did that two years ago (been married almost 3, living together almost 4), and instead of getting into a fight about money basically every payday, we have had just a few since.

 

[BIGJACK]

Hey man, when you get my age you just do it and don;t say anything about it to the "ole lady" she don;t give a crap anyhow. Only time she might notice it is when an additional new gun case or safe shows up and gets in the way of her cleaning. I see these folks posting what they have and I counted mine up the other day and could account for exactly 20 and that don't count a couple that one of my sons has "borrowed."

 

[High Planes Drifter]

How do you think the poor fishermen feel ? Ever try hiding a new boat from your wife ? "Honey, whats that new boat doing in our driveway? And why do you have all of that fishing tackle spread out on the kitchen table ?"

 

[XDoctor]

Skydivers have the same problem... "Honey, wasn't your parachute red before?"

I once used a half sly way I read on a forum, possibly this one. I bought a new gun, I did it with cash and disposed of the recipt immediately. Then I went about 'dirtying up' the weapon. Made it look good and nasty, then took it home and showed it to her. I told her I gave a guy at work $20 for it and I'm going to restore it. It'll be a great investment. Then slowly, over the period of a couple weeks, I cleaned it back up and added it to the collection.