# Question for "Gun Nuts" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 8, 2010, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-gun-nuts/553042 "2010-09-08T12:55:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2010, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-gun-nuts/553042/61 "2010-09-09T13:35:31Z")
The OP is asking for the opinions of gun owners as to why they feel they are necessary. Currently the posts are drifting toward Great Debate territory. If we continue in this vein, I’ll move the thread. But for now, people are welcome to explain their personal reasons for gun ownership. Debating gun ownership means a move to GD. Thanks, Ellen Cherry IMHO Moderator ---
**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:** [September 9, 2010, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-gun-nuts/553042/62 "2010-09-09T13:40:16Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > The OP is asking for the opinions of gun owners Actually, on rereading the OP, I believe he was asking for the opinions of gun nuts. Is it necessarily true that gun owner = gun nut? ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2010, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-gun-nuts/553042/63 "2010-09-09T13:44:24Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > I need statistics to support the point that an armed, awake, experienced intruder is better prepared than a startled homeowner awakened out of a deep sleep? How would I even cite that? How about cites that the majority of gun uses against intruders are retaliatory or revenge shootings - i.e. that the invader generally is armed, and shoots first. That should be fairly easy - what percentage of burglars who are shot by homeowners shot someone in the home first? > [@](#): > > Man, this is a tough standard you’re setting. Yes, fact-based argumentation is demanding. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2010, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-gun-nuts/553042/64 "2010-09-09T13:45:15Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > > [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > > > The OP is asking for the opinions of gun owners > > Actually, on rereading the OP, I believe he was asking for the opinions of gun nuts. Is it necessarily true that gun owner = gun nut? I am restating his OP, I guess; he admits that “gun nuts” is not the best term and I surmise that what he really wants are the opinions of gun owners. To be clear, I do not think it is fair or true to say “gun nuts = gun owners.” That would be a different debate all together. Carry on, Ellen Mod ---
**Author:** ![FasterThanMeerkats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/278dde/32.png) [@FasterThanMeerkats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FasterThanMeerkats)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2010, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-gun-nuts/553042/65 "2010-09-09T20:23:20Z")
> [@Agent\_Foxtrot](#): > > Is there a psychological emotion associated with owning a gun – a sense of peace, thrill, power, or otherwise which makes gun ownership a very personal value? Respectfully, yes. I grew up on 40 acres and my family regulary hunted deer together in the winter and shot skeet and other targets for fun during the year. The guns I have now are not for personal protection. I keep them locked up and unloaded, and honestly I don’t get to shoot them often. But they’re mine. They’re full of memories of growing up spending quality time with friends and family. When people insinuate that all gun owners are paranoid, they are just demonstrating ignorance (justifiable if they have grown up in an urban environment) of the cultural and personal values involved. When people insinuate that I shouldn’t have guns because guns are evil and destructive, I shrug my shoulders. I understand there are good reasons to limit certain guns, ammo, etc. but to blatantly paint all guns and gun owners as evil, paranoid, or nutty just engenders justifiable outrage from gun owners, with the loudest reactions being from the nuttiest ones, which only engenders more reaction from the anti-gun side. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-gun-nuts/553042/66 "2010-09-10T05:22:34Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > And Oakminster’s assertion that he is a crack-shot badass does _not_ need statistical citations? > > Man, this is a tough standard you’re setting. 5 minutes on a gun range and anyone could accurately group 3 rounds in a human torso at 25 feet. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-gun-nuts/553042/67 "2010-09-10T06:54:30Z")
> [@dmatsch](#): > > > [@Agent\_Foxtrot](#): > > > > I live in Baltimore, one of the most crime-ridden cities in the country, and I don’t own a gun. I don’t lie awake at night worrying if someone’s going to break through the door, hold me hostage, rape my cats, and drink my milk straight from the carton (and I’d wager that the majority of people also don’t). Have you made a lot of enemies and live your life constantly looking over your shoulder? … > > You say that now. Will you still repeat these words when your house is broken into/you’re held hostage, etc? Will you still NOT at least think about owning a firearm? My home has been broken into, while I was there. (trust me, seeing two large men crawling in your living room window is a disconcerting sight!) I would still not consider owning a gun. ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-gun-nuts/553042/68 "2010-09-10T13:41:51Z")
> [@Antinor01](#): > > > [@dmatsch](#): > > > > You say that now. Will you still repeat these words when your house is broken into/you’re held hostage, etc? Will you still NOT at least think about owning a firearm? > > My home has been broken into, while I was there. (trust me, seeing two large men crawling in your living room window is a disconcerting sight!) > > I would still not consider owning a gun. If you could magically and instantly be trained to some arbitrary standard would that change? Could you imagine owning one if you enjoyed shooting as a hobby? ---
**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:** [September 10, 2010, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-gun-nuts/553042/69 "2010-09-10T14:14:56Z")
> [@Zeriel](#): > > > [@Antinor01](#): > > > > My home has been broken into, while I was there. (trust me, seeing two large men crawling in your living room window is a disconcerting sight!) > > > > I would still not consider owning a gun. > > If you could magically and instantly be trained to some arbitrary standard would that change? > > Could you imagine owning one if you enjoyed shooting as a hobby? And if my aunt had balls she’d be my uncle. Some people just don’t like guns, period. Arguing with them over it is a waste of time. It’s like trying to convince somebody to watch _Buffy_. There is a point when you just have to let people be on the subject. ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-gun-nuts/553042/70 "2010-09-10T19:30:19Z")
> [@Agent\_Foxtrot](#): > > My question is, what are “gun nuts” so afraid of? Is there a psychological emotion associated with owning a gun – a sense of peace, thrill, power, or otherwise which makes gun ownership a very personal value?. Ive always wondered the same thing about people who buy insurance on their houses. I mean…the odds of any particular house being burned down or destroyed by a tornado are so remote, that buying home insurance is a total waste of money for 99.9 % of the people. Of course, even more ridiculous, is that I know some people who buy lottery tickets and not a single one of them have ever won the lottery jackpot. Putting gun ownership into perspective, owning a gun makes MUCH more sense, and the average citizen is FAR!!! more likely to need or use a gun than he is to win the lottery or have his house burn down. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-gun-nuts/553042/71 "2010-09-10T19:35:02Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > > [@Zeriel](#): > > > > If you could magically and instantly be trained to some arbitrary standard would that change? > > > > Could you imagine owning one if you enjoyed shooting as a hobby? > > And if my aunt had balls she’d be my uncle. Some people just don’t like guns, period. Arguing with them over it is a waste of time. It’s like trying to convince somebody to watch _Buffy_. There is a point when you just have to let people be on the subject. I disagree. It’s always worthwhile to attempt to convince someone to watch Buffy. 😉 I have used guns before and am/was a good shot. I just don’t care to do it anymore. Not trying to hijack here, just wanted to point out that the ‘what if you went through X experience’ question didn’t necessarily carry any weight. ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-gun-nuts/553042/72 "2010-09-10T19:43:48Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > And if my aunt had balls she’d be my uncle. Some people just don’t like guns, period. Arguing with them over it is a waste of time. It’s like trying to convince somebody to watch _Buffy_. There is a point when you just have to let people be on the subject. I’m not trying to convince him to own a gun, I just like hearing reasons because it gives me an idea of what I can do, as a gun owner, to make it more comfortable for non-gun-owners to be in my presence. In a fair number of cases I’ve found that the idea that I’ve had some legitimate training and practice tends to make people more comfortable with my gun ownership. > [@Antinor01](#): > > I have used guns before and am/was a good shot. I just don’t care to do it anymore. Not trying to hijack here, just wanted to point out that the ‘what if you went through X experience’ question didn’t necessarily carry any weight. Yeah it was totally personal curiosity on my part. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-gun-nuts/553042/73 "2010-09-10T19:54:10Z")
> [@Zeriel](#): > > > [@silenus](#): > > > > And if my aunt had balls she’d be my uncle. Some people just don’t like guns, period. Arguing with them over it is a waste of time. It’s like trying to convince somebody to watch _Buffy_. There is a point when you just have to let people be on the subject. > > I’m not trying to convince him to own a gun, I just like hearing reasons because it gives me an idea of what I can do, as a gun owner, to make it more comfortable for non-gun-owners to be in my presence. In a fair number of cases I’ve found that the idea that I’ve had some legitimate training and practice tends to make people more comfortable with my gun ownership. I would have no problems being around a gun owner, I may not be totally on board with you carrying around me but I’m not going to say anything to you (unless you’re in my home) and it wouldn’t change anything. I grew up in the country, so I was raised around guns and hunters, I don’t have any fear that a gun is going to magically levitate off the table and shoot someone or any of that nonsense. I’m not going to pretend that I like them (I also don’t like sports cars or little yappy dogs) but you owning weapons won’t change my opinion of you. Unlike owners of the little yappy dogs, there’s clearly something wrong with them. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-gun-nuts/553042/74 "2010-09-10T20:39:19Z")
You know what my insurance against home invaders is? Home insurance. Someone breaks into my house, I’m going to lie on the floor with my hands up and tell them to take whatever the hell they want. If I give the home invaders what they want, they’ll take it and leave. I take out a weapon, I piss them off. I personally feel my odds of surviving are higher if I do what a person wants as opposed to trying to kill them. Take my stuff, the insurance will replace it. Now for situations that don’t involve robberies? I’m also willing to bet on the fact that most murders and murder-suicides out of high-crime areas are by people acquainted with each other. I personally don’t hang out with people who tend to be the type of people who get murdered where I live. ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-gun-nuts/553042/75 "2010-09-10T21:42:28Z")
> [@kushiel](#): > > Someone breaks into my house, I’m going to lie on the floor with my hands up and tell them to take whatever the hell they want. If I give the home invaders what they want, they’ll take it and leave. personally feel my odds of surviving are higher if I do what a person wants as opposed to trying to kill them. In other words, you are trusting, i.e. you are putting your life, your wife’s life, and your childrens life completely into the hands of someone who just threatened to kill you. The last person in the world I would trust is someone who just threatened me. Putting oneself totally at the mercy of somebody like Charlie Manson and his girls just sounds like a dumb idea to me. Bottom line: Begging for mercy from a home invader did not work for Sharon Tate. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-gun-nuts/553042/76 "2010-09-10T22:08:01Z")
Guns are great for home defense. You can be a 90 pound pencil neck geek but with a gun you can repel a group of psychopathic killers who want to rape your wife and turn you into giblets. ISTM most men have a strong instinct to protect their families from other men, but maybe not. With shootings this also applies though – anyone with a little training, even a punk teenager, can kill en masse, with ease. “A gun is no more dangerous than any other tool.” Good joke. But the reality is our society is already saturated with guns. This isn’t Japan or the UK. So get a gun to protect yourself from the crazies. As far as guerrilla warfare against a conventional army, small arms fire is next to useless. What does the real damage are explosives, like IEDs, mortars, or RPGs. Like someone said before, you’d have to raid an armory to get the good stuff. But it’s certainly doable. Small arms is for spraying down the soldiers as they climb out the smoking wreckage that used to be their convoy. It’s also OK for house to house, but the problem is if you stay there your house is going to be blown up. ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-gun-nuts/553042/77 "2010-09-10T23:14:26Z")
> [@marshmallow](#): > > As far as guerrilla warfare against a conventional army, small arms fire is next to useless. What does the real damage are explosives, like IEDs, mortars, or RPGs. Like someone said before, you’d have to raid an armory to get the good stuff. But it’s certainly doable. Small arms is for spraying down the soldiers as they climb out the smoking wreckage that used to be their convoy. It’s also OK for house to house, but the problem is if you stay there your house is going to be blown up. That is 1 perspective. Another persective is from the viewpoint of an occupying soldier. Any soldier will tell you that the most dangerous duty and the last thing that a soldier wants to do is to occupy a country full of hostile AND ARMED civilians that keep shooting at you no matter where you go. While it is true that guerrilla warfare is almost useless against a conventional army, it is also true that it is virtually impossible for a conventional army to successfully occupy a country full of armed guerrillas. The French and Americans eventually got tired of being in Vietnam, and even the Soviets got tired of Afghanistan. Armed guerrillas may or may not win, but they will wear you down and make you miserable. Frankly, the last thing I would ever want to do would to be an occupying soldier in a land where the native peoples all hate and dispise me, they all want to kill me, and they all are armed. I cant think of any country, or leader of any country, in the last 100 years that would have wanted to have its troops occupy the lands of the United States. ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-gun-nuts/553042/78 "2010-09-11T00:19:00Z")
> [@Agent\_Foxtrot](#): > > Nearly every argument I’ve heard for the protection of gun ownership rights is, “It protects me and my family.” > what are “gun nuts” so afraid of? > I ask these questions earnestly. Some people buy home insurance. Some people buy lottery tickets. Some people own guns. (some people do all 3 but that is besides the point) Which of the above 3 do you think is the **most** rational and logical action? I\*\* ask you…What is MORE likely to happen to the average common everyday person? 1. have your house burn down, 2. win the lottery 3. be the intended victim of a violent criminal \*\* ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-gun-nuts/553042/79 "2010-09-11T20:26:34Z")
> [@Susanann](#): > > > [@kushiel](#): > > > > Someone breaks into my house, I’m going to lie on the floor with my hands up and tell them to take whatever the hell they want. If I give the home invaders what they want, they’ll take it and leave. personally feel my odds of surviving are higher if I do what a person wants as opposed to trying to kill them. > > In other words, you are trusting, i.e. you are putting your life, your wife’s life, and your childrens life completely into the hands of someone who just threatened to kill you. > > The last person in the world I would trust is someone who just threatened me. > > Putting oneself totally at the mercy of somebody like Charlie Manson and his girls just sounds like a dumb idea to me. > > Bottom line: Begging for mercy from a home invader did not work for Sharon Tate. Whoa whoa whoa. We’ve gone from home robberies to Charles Manson. Even if I had guns in my home and some training on the range, nothing short of Marine training would make me think I could take down multiple people. That’s something out of a Hollywood movie! A lot of this thread can also be influenced by where one lives. Here, it’s drugs and gang activity that get you killed. Random killings don’t happen. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-gun-nuts/553042/80 "2010-09-11T21:12:37Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > 5 minutes on a gun range and anyone could accurately group 3 rounds in a human torso at 25 feet. I’m going to have to call bullshit here. I’ve taken plenty of people (more than 10) for their first time shooting a handgun. This definitely has not been my experience. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-gun-nuts/553042.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-gun-nuts/553042.md?page=5)