Views on private gun ownership (4 categories)

Politics & Elections
41

I grew up in rural East Texas, and not even that long ago. I don’t think I am old yet - 36?

Anyway, when we were growing up, guns were a tool. They weren’t toys. As part of our high school curriculum there were two paths: Home Ec and Ag. In ag, which I took, we all had to get a hunting license and demonstrate that we could be responsible with some sort of fire arm. If I remember, it was a bolt action 3030. Nobody tolerated a jackass with a gun. We never thought about guns much, and when we wanted to go pig hunting or something, we went and borrowed the appropriate gun. I still have my 12 gauge Savage from the 50s that I inherited. The savage 12 gauge is the perfect tool for destroying a 5 gallon bucket, I think that is the thing I used it for last in 1999.

Now guns seem to be something different. They seem to be a replacement for Jesus or a penis or self confidence or something. They now seem to be a status symbol of some sort. They are now an item to build your identity around, which is mildly disturbing. Us rednecks used to build our identity around things like old Chevy pickups and Clint Black tapes.

I always thought of a gun like a Snap-On Digital Torque Wrench. They seem to now be substitutes for testicular supremacy, or a pacifier for people feeling “under attack”. I was taught that you never ride a motorcycle angry, you never talk to anyone you love on the phone angry, and you certainly never held a gun or a chainsaw or any other dangerous tool when you were angry. Is there a category for that? I picked other.

42

And they are manufactured consumer products, which means that money changes hands at some point in the manufacture and distribution. To me, the fact that our constitution enshrines a manufactured consumer product is a hurdle. The money making aspect, and subsequent marketing (the NRA is at it’s foundation about marketing - attitudes about gun ownership have been marketed to the public), distorts any discussion about ownership and usage.

43

Pretty much this.

The fact that people are collecting into groups at either extreme is making the situation worse.

Banning guns isn’t going to make a difference if the culture doesn’t support it. And if the culture changes to support it, it wouldn’t be necessary.

On the other hand, it’s incredibly naive and self destructive to ignore that many essential aspects of gun culture are toxic and dangerous , and something needs to be done about it.

Government overreach isn’t ideal, but neither is there being no standards. Ideally, gun enthusiasts should take the issue seriously and police their own, like media did during a certain period.