Yes, and because I expect conflict to rise significantly due to combinations of global crises.
A firearm? no…
Firearms (plural)? yes.
at least one of them is the unfairly maligned AR platform (M4 pattern, specifically) semiauto (one pull of the trigger, one bullet)
Why do I have them? well aside from the obvious answer of the 2A, and defensive use, they’re intricately detailed, precision tools, and the gadget factor is interesting, fine tolerances, amazing precision, they’re just great examples of human ingenuity, using a small explosion to propel a small aerodynamic projectile at insane speeds towards a target (paper, spinners, dueling tree, clays, etc,…) with as much accuracy as humanly possible (the human is often the limiting factor)
none of my firearms have been raised in anger against another human, and have never been used in any defensive manner, and I hope I never have to
As I live in a rural environment, where I HAVE had to deal with rabid animals, aggressive coyote/dog crossbreeds (coydogs), and destructive/dangerous animals, I need a means of controlling/neutralizing the threat, Animal Control will not deal with these animals, and law enforcement is 20-30 minutes away.
We have lost multiple cats to coydogs, we have lost chickens to raccoons, hawks (we do not bother the hawks, it’s part of the risk of free-range/pasture raised, and they are Federally protected (Hawks, not the chickens 
), and neighbors have had car accidents with the Giant Long Legged Field Rats (White Tailed Deer) that roam the local area (we have at least 15+ deer on our 40 acres of land…)
Firearms are a simple fact of life here.
A perfect example of the precision, is my CZ-75B 9mm handgun, it’s made in the Czech Republic, widely used throughout Europe as a military/police sidearm, and everything about it is utterly amazing…
the ergonomics of the grip are perfect, it feels like it’s molded to perfectly fit your hand, it’s perfectly balanced, the slide fels like it runs on ball bearings, the magazine clicks/ejects into place with a precise snap, there’s no slop in the action, the slide, thumbing the hammer back with a clean click, the single action trigger pull breaks like a glass rod, it simply feels like a finely tuned machine, a Rolex watch, a Mercedes/BMW sports sedan
the most interesting feature is that the slide rides INSIDE the slide rails, most pistol slides ride outside the frame, with the slide on the inside of the rails, it adds an extra bit of precision and accuracy
And it fits the class of firearms that can have a matching motorcycle along with BSA, Ivers Johnson and others. I know of one serious collection on that theme and always enjoyed seeing it used and getting to try both products out.
I inherited two handguns and a shotgun when my father died.
I own no firearms and never have, although I’m thinking about buying some thanks to all of the hype.
I’ve done some target shooting at various ranges with other people a few times in my life, but not in a long time. It was fun; I can see why people enjoy it. There are hunters and competition shooters, both male and female, in my family and also among quite a few people I know. They’ve all managed to get through life without killing anyone or offing themselves.
I am pro Second Amendment.
It’s pretty easy to be a firearm owner and go through life successfully without shooting a loved one or yourself, you simply must live by General Cooper’s Four Laws of firearm safety;
1; ALL guns are ALWAYS loaded! (Often written as “treat every gun like it’s loaded, until you verify it’s status yourself)
2; NEVER point a gun at anything you are unwilling to destroy!
3; know your target, and what lies beyond (know where the bullet can go if you miss or it goes through the target)
4; keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire (colloquially known as “keep your booger hook off the bang switch”), it’s amazing how bad Hollywood/movies/TV are with this, most any time an actor has a firearm, their finger is inside the trigger guard, ON the trigger when they are clearly not aiming at anything, or even just handling the gun, very poor trigger discipline
Nope. Just don’t need one to feel safe. I’m considering getting one while I still can, though. First, the flavored e-juice is gone, so I guess it won’t be much longer before our governess declares a public health emergency over firearms. I probably won’t, though, because, like I said, I don’t really need one. Oh, I don’t judge others’ “need”; I support their Constitutional rights.
I got my first .22 rifle age 12. It was my grandfather’s single shot.
Own 3 pistols now and 2 rifles.
I enjoy target shooting and hunting.
Did he lose you, too? :smack:
I took a rifle class in college and learned the basics of handguns from one of my senseis. Had fun, seemed to do pretty well at it, understand and respect the attraction but have zero interest to own one myself.
US Army trained me well. Then I accumulated firearms for some years but I matured. We’ve none around now. We don’t need schizo swings from paranoia to arrogance.
IMHO we in USA, civilians and law enforcement alike, MUST assume everyone we encounter is carrying and crazy. Aggression is merely prudent. Someone looks at you wrong; twitches wrong; smells wrong: they’re a possible deadly threat. You must shoot first to avoid being murdered. Delay is suicidal.
That’s the nation we inhabit. I don’t expect changes soon.
I voted “no” — no working firearm — but I do own three Civil War era firearms that could be refurbished into working condition, I suppose — but I have no plans to do so.
I learned to shoot with one of those! It was my grandfather’s. After he passed my uncle took all his firearms and sold them to a pawn shop to put money down kn a damn pickup, that needed up getting repo’d anyway. Jerk. To this day I wish I could shoot one again, but I’ve never came across one local for sale. Pity. Wonderful gun to teach a kid how to shoot, or keep in a pickup, or… or… or… Just a damn good gun. Grandpa used it to shoot gophers, which would damage his wheat fields.
I have owned a Mossberg 12 gauge, a Marlin 30-30, and a Marlin .17 HMR. We lived on a ranch (different from Grandpa’s) and they were tools: raccoons, beavers, skunks, and weasels were constant pests that caused significant damage and we had a USFWS permit to shoot any of the above if found on the property. I never did, and when we moved I sold them. I dont miss the shotgun but wish I still had the 30-30 and the .17.
Now I really miss grandpa’s Savage, too. 
Have you checked them to see if they are possibly loaded? Take a longer dowel rod and put it down the barrel and mark where the muzzle is. Now lay it along the side of the barrel. It should come all the way back to the drum/nipple area. If it falls short by half an inch or more you could have anything down there from mud or an old rag to a live load. If you suspect a load get someone trained or experienced to foul it out and remove it. The chances of it going off are a million to one but with millions of antique guns out there ---- how lucky do you feel?
I used to run checks at a shop that dealt only in antique muzzleloaders; roughly one in 6 measured short and at least half of those turned out to be a live round of one kind or another.
I dunno… Can private property owners restrict other constitutional rights? Can they turn away black tenants? Or make it a condition of your rent that you never speak ill of a Republican or associate with known radicals or because you are a Catholic or an Atheist? Can they kick you out of your home for those reasons or refuse to rent to you?
I’m honestly not clear on what the limits are here, never having rented a place in the U.S., but since owning a gun is as much a constitutionally protected activity as freedom of association, I would expect the law to treat them the same.
As mentioned earlier, I don’t want to hijack this thread but if you want to open a GQ thread I’ll respond.
Actually there is a body of Fair Housing/Equal Opportunity laws that explicitly describe what are the protected categories you cannot discriminate against, and what they cover is the usual set thereof: race, sex, religion, national origin, disability, familial status (state and local statutes may add other categories). A lawful rental contract may otherwise still be restrictive about what else the tenants may or may not do with or in the property once they occupy it.
I can’t imagine anyone not owning at least one gun, I sleep better at night knowing it is about two seconds away. Guess I’ve seen one too many tru-life crime stories on home invasions. Plus my business is known for carrying a bit of cash.
And after seeing the movie Deliverance, there is no way I’d go into the woods without a gun, and I do spend a lot of time outdoors in CO and in TX.
I’m just the opposite. Can’t imagine the need for a gun. Never had one, so I answered “no” to the poll.
Plus, I don’t make lifestyle choices based on Hollywood male-eroticism rape fantasies. 
That is your privilege and I respect it. I would never demand that you carry a firearm in the wild. (Though there are special cases like Svalbard, and the polar bear threat. I submit there are places in the Continental United States where there are animals as dangerous to one’s health as those bears, only they are two legged…)
What I object to is a situation like Velocity’s, where one’s rights are being imposed upon for specious reasons. In Libertopia, I agree that a landlord should be allowed to restrict their right to enter into contract with whomever they choose. We are not in Libertopia. I was curious about where you drew the line for freedom to contract to become a tenant.
Not a big deal. I enjoy reading your contributions to these forums.