[QUOTE=Antinor01]
It’s hard for me to say if I agree or disagree with that statement as I won’t allow guns in my house anyway.
[/quote]
Because they’re all possessed by Asmodeus?
[QUOTE=Skald the Rhymer]
Because they’re all possessed by Asmodeus?
[/QUOTE]
I simply do not like them and choose not to have them in my home.
[QUOTE=Algher]
If you have guns in your home, it is your obligation (as a responsible gun owner) to provide the basics of safe handling to all members of the household (age appropriate).
[/QUOTE]
This. Anything further might be being a bit pushy, but at the very least anyone who might have to handle them at some point should know how to do so safely.
[QUOTE=Antinor01]
I simply do not like them and choose not to have them in my home.
[/QUOTE]
Why? What is your specific reason for disliking them?
[QUOTE=Bobotheoptimist]
Thanks Skald, glad I hadn’t posted this in the other thread yet.
There’s no reason to fear firearms if you have a basic understanding of their operation and safety. Guns don’t just go off, they don’t randomly shoot people. People do not accidentally animate firearms, they sometime negligently do, but that should result in a fear of people and not steel & polymer.
Fear of a secured inert object is irrational, in my opinion.
To paraphrase myself (paraphrasing someone else) -
Guns don’t just “go off”, they go off because someone couldn’t keep their damn booger hook off the bang switch.
ETA - to address the purpose of this thread, I don’t think it’s any more inappropriate than it is to encourage someone to learn to operate a fire extinguisher or kitchen knife, except that it’s far more likely that the neophyte will discover the joy of shooting than the joy of extinguishing kitchen fires.
[/QUOTE]
Ok, this is the argument that has just grown so tiresome. Guns don’t kill people…people kill people :rolleyes: I don’t know of anyone who is afraid of metal and mother-of-pearl. That’s hardly the point.
A person pointing his finger at me won’t kill me. A person pointing a gun at me just might kill me. Someone else’s carelessness with a gun might kill me. It has nothing to do with my knowledge of guns. It has everything to do with me getting shot due to someone else’s carelessness or anger or stupidity. That’s why I prefer that people leave their firearms locked up when they’re around me. I guarantee that if I never pick up that gun, my ignorance of it’s operation will never harm me. I cannot say the same for the person who is informed on how to operate it. Or who chooses to pick it up. Or the guy who swears it wasn’t loaded.
I think if a person feels so threatened by their environment that they feel gun ownership and training are the answer to their problems, they’ll pursue that remedy on their own. If you’re asking someone to do it so YOU’LL feel better, well…I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree on the effectiveness of that approach.
[QUOTE=Magiver]
IMO, if guns are in a household then both adults should go through safety training and learn how to shoot.
[/QUOTE]
Why? Why do I have to learn gun safety or shooting technique?
[QUOTE=Kalhoun]
Why? Why do I have to learn gun safety or shooting technique?
[/QUOTE]
Because you’ll be living around a potentially lethal device and should there ever come a day where you need to move or touch or even operate it, wouldn’t you rather be informed and confident rather than terrified and ignorant?
I’m not saying everyone should be forced to pick up shooting as a hobby, but knowing the elementary basics and safe operation should be the very least someone living in a home with firearms should commit to.
[QUOTE=Algher]
If you have guns in your home, it is your obligation (as a responsible gun owner) to provide the basics of safe handling to all members of the household (age appropriate).
[/QUOTE]
There’s no obligation to anyone but the people who will be using them. If you don’t want to learn, there’s no reason to learn.
[QUOTE=BrandonR]
Why? What is your specific reason for disliking them?
[/QUOTE]
What is your specific reason for liking them? Why does Antinor01 have to defend his position? He doesn’t like guns and doesn’t want them in his house which is his right. Just like it is your right to keep them in your house.
[QUOTE=BrandonR]
Because you’ll be living around a potentially lethal device and should there ever come a day where you need to move or touch or even operate it, wouldn’t you rather be informed and confident rather than terrified and ignorant?
I’m not saying everyone should be forced to pick up shooting as a hobby, but knowing the elementary basics and safe operation should be the very least someone living in a home with firearms should commit to.
[/QUOTE]
Those guns should be under lock and key. They are in my house. I have no reason to ever pick up one of our guns, nor does my husband, unless he’s going to the range.
[QUOTE=Amp]
What is your specific reason for liking them? Why does Antinor01 have to defend his position? He doesn’t like guns and doesn’t want them in his house which is his right. Just like it is your right to keep them in your house.
[/QUOTE]
I’m just curious as to why someone dislikes a simple machine to the point of not allowing them in the house. But if someone wants to completely delegate the responsibility of self defense to a third party, that’s their choice. I was just curious; perhaps they had a negative experience with a firearm which would be the reason for the ban.
[QUOTE=Kalhoun]
Those guns should be under lock and key. They are in my house. I have no reason to ever pick up one of our guns, nor does my husband, unless he’s going to the range.
[/QUOTE]
Your home is intruder-proof? Color me amazed.
[QUOTE=Kalhoun]
Why? Why do I have to learn gun safety or shooting technique?
[/QUOTE]
I realise that you would probably not allow your spouse to own a gun, but let’s say the order was ignored once. You come home to find a handgun laying on the kitchen table, and the kids playing in the next room. Your spouse is not around. (Let’s say at work.)
Are you going to leave the gun laying on the table, or do you shut/lock the kitchen up until your spouse gets home?
I realise that you do not trust me with a gun. Do you trust yourself? Do you think you could learn how to properly check the safety catch, and unload a gun? I assume that in such an unusual situation (for you), that you would absolutely “pay attention” to what you were doing, and not shoot the kids through “carelessness”.
EDIT: Whoops! Sorry, Kalhoun. I assumed from the apparent strength of your convictions in your posts, your home would be declared a gun free zone. But I think my general questions are still good ones…
[QUOTE=Amp]
What is your specific reason for liking them? Why does Antinor01 have to defend his position? He doesn’t like guns and doesn’t want them in his house which is his right. Just like it is your right to keep them in your house.
[/QUOTE]
I didn’t ask the question, but I was about to before the hamsters rebelled on me, so I’ll respond. I don’t think anyone is asking Antinor01 to defend or justify his/her position on guns. We’d just like to understand it.
I used to be terrified of dogs. Simply terrified. Their size didn’t matter; their temperament didn’t matter. Simple proximity to a canine was enough to make me quake with fear inside. This was not a rational response, or a healthy one; it was an illogical extrapoloation of the dangers presented by SOME dogs to ALL dogs. As such, asking me the provenance and specifics of the anxiety (why did a small dog bother me, when a cat of similar size did no such thing?) was reasonable. Similarly, many gun owners perceive the antipathy towards and anxiety about guns evinced by persons like Antinor01 to be based on irrational impulses and a lack of knowledge.
[QUOTE=BrandonR]
Your home is intruder-proof? Color me amazed.
[/QUOTE]
A tank might roll through the woods and take us out, too. But that doesn’t mean I have an anti-tank missile ready to fire should the opportunity present itself.
[QUOTE=BrandonR]
Because you’ll be living around a potentially lethal device and should there ever come a day where you need to move or touch or even operate it, wouldn’t you rather be informed and confident rather than terrified and ignorant?
I’m not saying everyone should be forced to pick up shooting as a hobby, but knowing the elementary basics and safe operation should be the very least someone living in a home with firearms should commit to.
[/QUOTE]
Myself, if I was in an environment with guns present, if I ever had to move or touch someone’s gun I’d do it very delicately, staying away from the business end, and then have a little chat with the owner about their blatant irresponsibility leaving their deadly weapon lying around unattended. If that happened repeatedly, either they or the gun they can’t manage to keep track of would have to go.
I will never have to operate a gun.
It’s not innapropriate in the slightest to encourage them - they might find out they like it, and then you’ve introduced them to a new sport/hobby. I wouldn’t badger them about it, though.
Fear of guns is silly. Fear of people with guns, that can be very healthy, in certain situations. In others, just a little OTT. And in others, downright silly too.
[QUOTE=BrandonR]
Why? What is your specific reason for disliking them?
[/QUOTE]
I would rather not hijack the thread by getting into all that. This thread isn’t about my liking or not liking guns. That is why I answered Skald’s previous question with a simple statement rather than an explanation.
[QUOTE=Kalhoun]
I have an anti-tank missile ready to fire should the opportunity present itself.
[/QUOTE]
But if you had an anti-tank missile. . .um, that’d be kinda cool. And imagine the look of surprise on the tank dude’s face!
[QUOTE=MrDibble]
It’s not innapropriate in the slightest to encourage them - they might find out they like it, and then you’ve introduced them to a new sport/hobby.
[/quote]
And why in the name of Zeus son of Kronos son of Uranus would that be a bad thing? Once Kim learns how to shoot a rifle and the basics of hunting safety, she will be more capable of providing for herself than she is now. Once she knows the basics of handgun use, she will be more capable of defending herself than she is now. Those are good things.