I won’t buy a gun from a store that doesn’t have a bandolier-wearing Jesus toting automatic weapons in both hands in its window.
One of my fondest Christmas memories is of when my parents bought me my first gun. It meant that they trusted me, knew I was responsible, recognized I had worked hard in learning hunter safety, and watched as I carefully handled my parent’s guns in a respectful manner. It also meant I could go with my dad and his friends hunting that next fall, and all the bonding and tradition that was involved.
Getting a gun for Christmas is no more disrespectful to the meaning of the holiday than getting a video game, a sweater, or any other item. And for some, it may be a really beautiful and special memory.
And Alesson, I have handled many guns in my life, and have never even considered it’s human killing potential during the purchase or handling.
Love a challenge:
Glocking around,
The Christmas tree,
Have a happy holiday.
Made out of plastic,
Glocks are fantastic,
Can’t see em on x-ray.
Glocking around,
The Christmas tree,
Boy it’s lots of fun.
Oops, shot my daughter,
Maybe you oughta,
Call for 911.
As a wee lad, I learned the traditional carol that begins, “Jingle bells, shotgun shells…”
Everybody has holiday sales. Tire stores, liquor stores, adult lingerie stores, Thai restaurants, so why not gun stores? All those places also have Washington’s Birthday sales, though guns are the only products on the list that George ever used.
I suppose the gun shop had King Herod targets; that’d be festive.
Firearms and Phlox?
Would you believe…
Pistols and Plants?
At least it wasn’t a “Back to School” sale…
I still have, and sometimes shoot a .22 and a 12 gauge that were presents from my parents given me in my early teens. I can’t honestly recall if they were birthday presents or christmass…possibly one of each…
I do recall many other presents, but these are among the few I still have and enjoy 30 odd years later.
Pistols and Pistils
There’s a feature article this month on Guns N’ Roses.
No surprise that Gardens and Guns are compatible. Plants have shoots. Flowers have pistils. They discharge pollen.
The horror. :eek:
I don’t really understand this. I mean, one of the things guns can be used for really is killing people, isn’t it?
Don’t say “can be used for”; almost anything “can be used for” killing people, but nonetheless frying pans, aspirin, and large bodies of water were not expressly developed for the purpose of killing.
Unlike guns; which were certainly developed for the express purpose of killing, and…it would take somebody with more historical knowledge than I to determine if people were what guns were developed to kill.
true, but it seemed like the thrust of John Mace’s statement was something to the effect that guns can be used for things besides killing, therefore… I dunno - they’re not dangerous? - they’re not used for killing - or something - it just seemed to be an incomplete argument that I personally can’t see a way to resolve into anything useful.
No offense dude. I own a handgun and believe in the right to own a gun, but this is senseless. Other than target shooting (which is nothing but practicing at killing people), what exactly are these myriad other uses for a Smith & Wesson?
I have it on good authority He was a Cowboy fan.
I watched that episode last night. After I got over the oooh, look what he did to that barrel, my reaction was: Would you want to be the one who had to clean up all those shell casings?
My uncle was more impressed with the amount of money he blew away in so few seconds. He wants their budget.
On topic: Count me as another in the “meh” camp. Now, if they were using the baby Jesus to advertise…no, still a “meh” from me.
Disclaimer: IANAGun Owner. Guns scare the hell out of me, and my father made damn sure I knew how to handle one safely.
Target shooting is practicing for killing people? Really? It couldn’t be a SPORT? How about Karate? Is that practicing to kill people?
How do you feel about ceremonial swords? Swords were designed to kill people. If you take fencing in college, are you practicing to kill people?
Many, many things we do and own have their origins in warfare or various forms of mayhem. It’s irrelevant what something was originally invented for hundreds of years ago. What matter is what we do with them today. Kendo is a martial art that teaches the use of swords. I think it’s fair to say that there are virtually zero Kendo practitioners who see their art as ‘practice for killing people’.
As for other uses for a gun, I can give you plenty. We had a shotgun on the farm that had the sole purpose of killing gophers that would otherwise dig holes that would break the legs of cows and horses. Biathletes use guns in Olympic competition. People in bear country carry weapons to protect themselves. Some people collect guns, and to them the sole purpose of the gun’s existence is to be kept in pristine condition (preferably never fired) and traded/collected/stored.
Other people like guns for the engineering, just as some people collect watches because they like the designs and engineering of the movements. Other people shoot them because they like the loud bang and destruction of milk cartons and other frangible targets, in the same way that many people like setting off fireworks. It’s just fun. It doesn’t have to have a ‘purpose’.
How do you feel about the bow and arrow? Those were designed to kill people too. Should everyone who owns a bow contemplate its martial origins and imbue it with some kind of special powers because it was originally designed to kill people?
Arguing against guns “because they were originally designed to kill people” is about the shallowest, lame-brained argument you can formulate.
Karate is actually practicing how to beat people up. Killing takes a little extra work generally.
But seriously, handguns are generally designed to be compact defense weapons, right? Would you say the primary use for a handgun is sport shooting?
Actually, if you count rounds expended yearly by gun owners and time spent actually discharging the weapon, the overwhelming majority of that time is spent at the range. So yes, you can reasonably make that argument. Remarkably enough, I have never fired my weapons at a person. That makes “sport shooting” my primary usage by default.
Look up IPCC pistol competition. Or Olympic pistol shooting. Or call your local gun range and ask if they have any fun tournaments coming up. Or check out cowboy action shooting, or fast-draw competitions, or any number of other shooting hobbies/sports involving handguns. For that matter, just taking your gun out and plinking away at the range can be considered a sport/hobby irrespective of any martial ability you gain from it.
Is it the primary activity? Probably not. But it’s certainly a large subset of the gun culture.
… I’m buying my dad shooting stuff for Christmas. Not sure what to get him, actually. Magnetic side-of-car stand, but…
(Trap shooter, gun of choice, 12ga break action Beretta)