# Do you own a gun? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 19, 2009, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-gun/518111 "2009-11-19T02:46:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-gun/518111/81 "2009-11-20T03:19:58Z")
I own a couple each of rifles, handguns, and shotguns. They’re useful to repel boarders. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-gun/518111/82 "2009-11-20T03:22:15Z")
No problem, just doing my part to fight ignorance 🙂 admittedly, a APHP round _would_ be pretty cool though It’s probably just a standard hollowpoint round with a cool “Tactical” sounding name, similar to the infamous Winchester “Black Talon” hollowpoint rounds, a standard HP round with a black Teflon coating over a “spiky” copper hollowpoint jacket, they got bad press as “Cop Killer” bullets and Winchester pulled them from the civilian market… they then slightly rounded off the “pointy” bits of the hollowpoint jacket, changed to a copper jacket, and named the new bullets the “SXT” bullets (short for Same eXact Thing), the only real difference between a Black Talon and an SXT is the color of the jacket material… ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-gun/518111/83 "2009-11-20T06:13:39Z")
> [@MacTech](#): > > No problem, just doing my part to fight ignorance 🙂 admittedly, a APHP round _would_ be pretty cool though Aren’t Sabot rounds pretty close (sort of) to an APHP round? ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-gun/518111/84 "2009-11-20T08:53:49Z")
I voted no, only because I do not own one… yet. I plan to start a collection of them as soon as I get the funds to do so. Pity all of them will accidentally fall into a seafaring iron smelter soon after purchase. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-gun/518111/85 "2009-11-20T14:39:10Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > Fingerprinted and paperworked CCW permit holder. I have a cc permit, but have never been fingerprinted. Do many states require fingerprinting? What is the rationale? ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Hen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@Small\_Hen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Hen)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-gun/518111/86 "2009-11-20T15:16:30Z")
I don’t own one myself, but my father does, so there’s one in the house. When I move out (soon, soon…) it’s not a top priority buy or anything, but I may get one eventually. I’ve nothing against it, at any rate. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-gun/518111/87 "2009-11-20T17:38:15Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > Aren’t Sabot rounds pretty close (sort of) to an APHP round? An armor-piercing hollowpoint is possible, but would kind of defeat the purpose of having a hollowpoint i.e. a slug that mushrooms to larger diameter. A hardened steel projectile with a hollowpoint would be armor-piercing but the hollow would be superfluous. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-gun/518111/88 "2009-11-20T18:04:56Z")
I had to answer yes, but it’s nearly a no. When my aunt died I inherited a little one-shot 22 rifle. It’s one step up from a bb gun. I also inherited one bullet. I put it somewhere safe, which means that I’ll probably never see it again. On the possibility that my Dad once owned it, one of my sons is interested in having it. The next time I visit him, I’ll take it along. So it’s temporarily mine and it’s barely a gun. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-gun/518111/89 "2009-11-20T18:13:05Z")
My wife can be goofy enough without arming her. We were left a gun by her father and we gave it away. ---
**Author:** ![Todderbob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@Todderbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Todderbob)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-gun/518111/90 "2009-11-20T18:19:09Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > My wife can be goofy enough without arming her. > We were left a gun by her father and we gave it away. You did check with local law enforcement and make sure that you followed proper safety procedures, didn’t you? You check to make sure the individual had a valid, same-state issued identification or better yet went to a licensed FFL dealer and had them to a firearms transfer for a nominal fee? ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-gun/518111/91 "2009-11-20T18:26:51Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > I had to answer yes, but it’s nearly a no. When my aunt died I inherited a little one-shot 22 rifle. It’s one step up from a bb gun. Not really. A .22 is a real gun, and can kill somebody. In theory, a .22 round could travel a mile downrange–there used to be a warning to that effect on cartridge boxes (may still be, I haven’t bought any .22 ammo in a long time). Not busting your chops here, but language like “one step up from a bb gun” and “barely a gun” conveys a dangerous attitude towards this weapon. If you’re handling it, a .22 deserves all the respect and safety considerations of any other gun. For that matter, I handle a bb gun the same as I handle other guns as far as safety is concerned. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-gun/518111/92 "2009-11-20T18:31:10Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > A .22 is a real gun, and can kill somebody. Unless the gobs of crime fiction I’ve been exposed to over my lifetime has been lying to me, the .22 is the choice of the professional hitman for execution-style double-taps to the head. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-gun/518111/93 "2009-11-20T18:32:58Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Unless the gobs of crime fiction I’ve been exposed to over my lifetime has been lying to me, the .22 is the choice of the professional hitman for execution-style double-taps to the head. IANAPH, but I have heard that too. I think Reagan got shot with a .22, or maybe a .25 ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-gun/518111/94 "2009-11-20T18:36:41Z")
No guns here, except for MrWhatsit’s Nerf arsenal and the kids’ water pistols. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-gun/518111/95 "2009-11-20T18:49:02Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Not really. A .22 is a real gun, and can kill somebody. In theory, a .22 round could travel a mile downrange–there used to be a warning to that effect on cartridge boxes (may still be, I haven’t bought any .22 ammo in a long time). Not busting your chops here, but language like “one step up from a bb gun” and “barely a gun” conveys a dangerous attitude towards this weapon. If you’re handling it, a .22 deserves all the respect and safety considerations of any other gun. For that matter, I handle a bb gun the same as I handle other guns as far as safety is concerned. A Cop teaching a self-defense class once told my wife that he feared a .22 hit just as much as a .357, because the smaller/lower-power bullet is more likely to ricochet off of bones, doing lesser but more widespread damage. I don’t know if he was right. Just saying. . ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-gun/518111/96 "2009-11-20T18:57:35Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > IANAPH, but I have heard that too. I think Reagan got shot with a .22, or maybe a .25 It was enough gun to take down Bobby Kennedy. Will it stop a rampaging meth-head in the midst of a psychotic rage? Doubtful. Will it kill? Most definitely. Remember, more deer are poached with a .22 than with any other caliber. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-gun/518111/97 "2009-11-20T19:02:43Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I have a cc permit, but have never been fingerprinted. Do many states require fingerprinting? What is the rationale? Don’t know how many states require fingerprinting, but Texas and Arkansas do. Rationale? Probably none that are rational. ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-gun/518111/98 "2009-11-20T19:23:37Z")
I grew up in the stereotypical Massachusetts, liberal, no gun family, but walked a different path. I met my New Hampshire, conservative, lots of gun family, and she came with a boat containing a Savage Bolt action .30-30. I now have another .30-30 ('94 Trapper), two 12ga shotguns, and a Ruger 10-22 .22… Or I did, until the boat sank at the bottom of the pond. No LTC yet, but I don’t own a pistol, so haven’t really had much need… yet… ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-gun/518111/99 "2009-11-20T19:43:09Z")
[Ruger Vaquero .45 Long Colt](http://pics.gunbroker.com/GB/139230000/139230678/pix827370531.jpg) with a birds head grip which is a snorting thing of beauty which I love, love love and a [Berretta Cheetah 85F](http://www.berettahq.com/DisplayPic.aspx?PIC=6201) .380 (single stack). ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-gun/518111/100 "2009-11-20T19:54:09Z")
Thank you for the information on the 22. Please be assured that I would never handle it lightly and wouldn’t handle a bb gun lightly either. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-gun/518111.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-own-a-gun/518111.md?page=6)