I'm buying a gun

Mundane Pointless Stuff I Must Share (MPSIMS)
#1

I’ve long been on the fence in the gun issue, leaning slightly to the left. But I received a huge push towards common sense while watching the news yesterday.

Guns are almost demonized in left-leaning culture today. Most everyone I know would feel uncomfortable around them, if not downright afraid, and I wouldn’t be surprised if a good deal of my friends wouldn’t even want to hang around someone who carries or advocates guns. But the sad truth of life is that sometimes shit like this happens. And when we’ve allowed ourselves to become an unarmed society, and we’re confronted with an individual with a gun and a death wish, we have no option but to run and get shot, or look for a place to hide. Essentially choose the place we want to die.

If a single person in one of those classrooms had a gun, 10 or 20 lives might have been saved.

Just thinking about buying a gun, I couldn’t shake their negative reputation, or the negative stereotypes we sometimes assign to people who own guns. Gun nuts. “But wait, I’m not one of those people,” I thought. What? Those people? Has it really gotten that bad in today’s culture? Do we in the urban areas look down upon rural gun-owners because we’re “above that, we’re civilized?”

And so we feel that there should be restrictions on guns. Unfortunately, the only people who would obey these restrictions are law abiding citizens. Then the only ones left with guns are those who have the intent to harm. And they have all the power. And then every couple of years someone loses their mind and walks into an office, or a university, or an apartment, and begins to unload on us. Unarmed, innocent Americans. And all we can do is choose our place to die, and hope our number isn’t really up.

I’ll be buying a gun as soon as possible. I’d rather go down in a fight.

#2

What gun are you planning on buying?

#3

I have to do some research on that. Any suggestions?

#4

Of course this tragedy evokes strong feelings. Here in the UK it’s also relief that we have a handgun ban.

Two points have been made elsewhere, but are worth repeating here.

If lots of people in a school (or anywhere else) have a gun, there will be more shootings.

If nobody in one of those classrooms had a gun, all the lives might have been saved.

#5

Go to a range that lets you rent guns and try out several. And learn all you can about handling and safety.

http://www.thefiringline.com/Misc/safetyrules.html

Those rules should be imprinted on your brain to the point where they’re instinctual.

#6

I’m sorry, but that’s the kind of bullshit that I just can’t get behind anymore. Yes it would be nice if everyone realized that the world was better without guns, but it’s not a realistic viewpoint. There are always going to be hateful or insane people who want to hurt others. And those people will be able to get weapons, either legally or illegally.

Why should we just sit on our asses and pray the bad shit never happens to us?

#7

Well it depends on what you want to use it for.

A 12 gauge semi-automatic is good for everything from fowl hunting to home protection.

A 20 gauge pump is good for skeet shooting and is usually cheaper than a semi.

Unless you are a hunter, for rifles I would suggest a .22 semi. Good for plinking and the ammo is very, very affordable.

If you are planning on taking game, a .270 is a good rifle. The bullet is big enough for a solid knockdown against most animals, and the bullet flies in a flatter trajectory than other guns (like the .30-06, which causes its bullets to fly in more of an arc).

For handguns, the .22 is good again, because of ammo cost and its ease of use with people who are unfamiliar. Revolvers are easier to maintain, but will hold less ammo than a semi-automatic. I wouldn’t recommend a handgun bigger than a .38 or a 9mm until you are further acquainted with firearms and their use.

I don’t know your location, but check around for a gun club or a good sporting goods store. They will be able to tell you exactly what you want. A gun range might even be able to let you try a gun or two, if they have any rentals or demo’s. You could also find a friend with a few guns and see if he/she will let you try them out.

And of course, follow all local rules, regulations and laws concerning handguns. Wear eye and ear protection. Point gun down range at all times and treat all guns as if they were loaded. Void where prohibited, etc.

Good luck!

#8

I’m looking for a handgun so I can get a concealed weapons permit. And thanks for the suggestions.

#9

The last school shooting in the UK was in Dunblane in 1996.

So despite what you say, our British nutters aren’t able to get guns.

As for your ‘Why should we just sit on our asses and pray’ strawman, that’s not what we did here. We banned almost all handguns.

#10

Almost all gun crime in the UK is by criminals, against criminals. And I’m kinda okay with that because you’re right. You can’t get rid of all the guns so this is the best case we can hope for. So glad I live in the UK, no fear of snakes, spiders or guns.

#11

And I’d be all for a universal ban, but there’s no way in hell you’d be able to enforce it in this day and age. Like I said in my OP, the only people who would comply with the bans would be the law abiding citizens. I live near Philly, where we’ve seen over a hundred gun murders so far this year. I highly doubt those killers would be at the front of the line to turn in their guns.

If we issue a ban on handguns, the only people left with guns will be the criminals.

#12

While I absolutely agree that the non-law-abiding citizens with the intent to harm will always still find ways to get them no matter how many regulations there are, I think it would be foolish to have NO regulations. I think that, within reason, we should do what we can.

I don’t wish to deprive a responsible individual from owning a gun who wishes to do so. But I don’t want to. I don’t like them. They scare me and they make me nervous. Now, I absolutely understand that chances are if an intruder is in my house/office/school a gun is my best bet at surviving if s/he intends to kill. But I’m not sure I can bring myself to own one. And if that comes down to me taking my life in my own hands, then I’m ready to accept that.

That said, I’ve never been strongly pro- or anti- gun. I think about it sometimes and I can’t decide which way I’d rather have it. But lately the only thing I can’t help but think is that it would be awfully hard to beat thirty people to death before the police got to you.

#13

Ok, if you feel like you need a Concealed Carry permit, you definitely need to get to know how different models and calibers affect you. A 9mm is what will probably be best, other than a .22. Law enforcement uses 9mm because they won;t travel through a target and continue to wound others. A .38 would also not over-penetrate.

Sig Arms has a nice semi-auto .38.

The .22 that was used in the VA Tech shootings was a Walther. Very nice firearm. Don’t let the incident stigmatize the weapon. It is a quality gun.

But my personal suggestion for a concealed carry firearm would be this.

It’s a Smith and Wesson .38 revolver.
It’s short barrel reduces accuracy, but that’s how it is with all guns. The shorter the barrel, the less accurate it is. Also the short barrel increases the loudness of the gun. Hence the stress on ear protection; these things are LOUD!

When you practice, practice at the range at which your target would be engaged. No use practicing at 40 feet when the furthest you would ever be from an assailant is 15.

Hope I didn’t leave anything out.

#14

Just an off-topic question: do you know of any schools, colleges or universities that allow guns in classrooms?

#15

I pretty much felt exactly like you until yesterday. The biggest problem is that we’re not safe. Police officers give the illusion of safety, but its a farce. Their protocol still doesn’t seem to have changed after Columbine. Cops set up a perimeter and then wait for the specialists (SWAT) to come in.

The only problem is that we live in a time where people no longer take hostages or have demands. We have people who’s only desire is to kill as many people as possible, and then themselves. Meanwhile the cops just stand outside during the slaughter. The current system doesn’t work, and our police forces really need to evolve to meet our modern day threats.

And until they do, the only people we can rely on for our safety is ourselves.

#16

Please read Whom Do You Shoot?

#17

No, and I know for a fact mine doesn’t. Being caught with one on campus could be grounds for expulsion, but at the same time it’s perfectly legal for me to buy and own one.

Could someone sue for their second amendment rights in such a case? Bricker? Any other lawyers on the forum?

#18

First suggestion is to go get some qualified training in safe firearm handling and operation. Second is to sit down with the penal code and understand what your obligations, responsiblities, and liabilities are should you ever have to use a firearm in self defense. Third is to have a good think about how prepared you really are for the responsibility of owning, carrying, and having to use a firearm.

If, after that, you elect to procure a handgun and CCW, get the appropriate training, maintain your skill regularly, and act with due dilligence, i.e. staying away from physical confrontations, making sure that your concealed firearm is actually concealed, et cetera. Don’t believe that you are going to be some kind of hero, or that a firearm makes you eight feet tall and bulletproof. If you have to use it, be prepared for serious legal and financial consequences.

Handguns: Sig Sauer, Heckler & Koch, Kahr, and Springfield Armory (among others) all make excellent compact firearms. I would stick with an autoloader for concealment (magazine capacity and speed of reloading are unlikely to be an issue at the typical defensive range of 7-15 feet, but they are superior in this capacity), and dispense with unnecessary gadgetry (laser sights, flashlight mounts, et cetera) in favor of concealable form, ease of operation under pressure, and as few snag points as possible. A good holster is mandatory, and regular practice (draw and dry fire at home) is strongly recommended. The seletion of caliber matters less than your ability to place the rounds where they need to go, and despite media claims of how evil and deadly they are, quality jacketed hollowpoint rounds are recommended to reduce overpenetration concerns and stop a potential attacker with as few shots as possible. This is why police use them, and so should you.

But, again, the first thing you should do is get some basic knowledge and understanding of the responsiblity before you go out and purchase anything. Your statement (“I’ll be buying a gun as soon as possible. I’d rather go down in a fight”) concerns me a little; not that you’re looking for a confrontation a la Travis Bickle, but that you may have an exaggerated view of the relative danger of an attack and of the effectiveness versus risk and responsibility of carrying a firearm.

Stranger

#19

Wow, there are a number of possible scenarios! Who’da thunk it? You’ve convinced me. I’ll just continue to be a member of this unarmed society, hoping and praying the day doesn’t come where I’m powerless and staring down the barrel of a gun.

#20

That’s the reason I do most of my shooting at the 3 yd. and 7 yd. target ranges. I’ll occasionally send the target out to 15 yds, just for fun, but I like the majority of my shooting to be at the ranges I’m most likely to engage in. I’ve only bothered with the 25 yd. range once, for my own amusement. I’m not a competition shooter, and I’m never going to be shooting anyone at 25 yds. At that range, I’m going to be running the other direction.