# Why do gunowners own guns only because "they have the right to"? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 24, 2012, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-gunowners-own-guns-only-because-they-have-the-right-to/613825 "2012-02-24T11:04:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-gunowners-own-guns-only-because-they-have-the-right-to/613825/41 "2012-02-24T16:05:09Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > In my experience (and no gun-owners I’ve talked to have seemed to suspect me of being hostile in my questions, so whatever I’m doing seems to be working), if you are genuinely interested in somebody’s interest in guns (or anything else for that matter), ask about the subject, not about the interest. > > Asking “Why do you own guns?”, like asking “Why do you ride horses?” or “Why are you interested in math?”, seems to imply that the interest or preference is intrinsically somewhat weird or suspect or requires justification for some reason. That’s not complimentary to anybody’s hobby. > > If somebody mentions being a gun owner, say “what kind of gun is it?” or “do you do a lot of target shooting?” or anything that lets the other person give you information that interests them instead of feeling put on the spot about why on earth they would find this interesting. Then from the information you get, you can piece together your own deductions about what makes gun ownership appealing to this particular person. But I _don’t_ find this paranoia(for want of a better word) when I ask people why they hang glide, or like lasagna, or jog at night, or any other interest they have. You might find this hard to believe, but some people ask questions because they are interested in the answers-the term for that is _curiosity_, and the last time i checked curiosity was a healthy human endevour. Referring back to **Oakminster’s** straightforward response to the question, please note that no attack followed. In fact, his response was appreciated by those you think are out to trap gun owners. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-gunowners-own-guns-only-because-they-have-the-right-to/613825/42 "2012-02-24T16:14:05Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > You might find this hard to believe, but some people ask questions because they are interested in the answers-the term for that is _curiosity_, and the last time i checked curiosity was a healthy human endevour. Re the OP: You might ask out of ‘just curiosity’, but Michael Moore doesn’t. Context is everything. I have had many enjoyable conversations with curious non-gun owners. As much as you might not wish it to be true, there are many aggressive non-gun owners out there who love to challenge gun owners. . ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-gunowners-own-guns-only-because-they-have-the-right-to/613825/43 "2012-02-24T16:16:20Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > But I _don’t_ find this paranoia(for want of a better word) when I ask people why they hang glide, or like lasagna, or jog at night, or any other interest they have. I can certainly believe that people who like lasagna or hang-gliding are seldom subjected to much hostility or disapproval about it. As a result, I’d expect them to be significantly less (ha ha) gun-shy about the “why do you even do this in the first place?” sort of question than gun owners are. That said, if you really do routinely open conversations about other people’s hobbies with this “why do you even do this in the first place?” sort of questions, then I think maybe you could stand to work a bit harder on your conversational charm. I mean, “why do you like lasagna?”? Really? Doesn’t that seem to imply that liking lasagna is something that needs to be justified, a preference that lasagna aficionados ought to be prepared to defend in the face of potential criticism? I think it’s much more gracious to just implicitly take it for granted that lasagna enjoyment is a natural human trait, and jump right into the lasagna-liker’s world with more empathetic questions like “what’s your favorite kind of lasagna?” or “do you parboil the noodles first?”. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-gunowners-own-guns-only-because-they-have-the-right-to/613825/44 "2012-02-24T16:17:43Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Would “what are the serial numbers” be considered out-of-bounds? \ 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-gunowners-own-guns-only-because-they-have-the-right-to/613825/45 "2012-02-24T16:20:47Z")
> [@PlainJain](#): > > Re the OP: You might ask out of ‘just curiosity’, but Michael Moore doesn’t. Context is everything. I have had many enjoyable conversations with curious non-gun owners. > > As much as you might not wish it to be true, there are many aggressive non-gun owners out there who love to challenge gun owners. And there are many that are not. How healthy is it to take **Scumpup’s** approach that _all_ should be met with suspicion? I think such an approach actually reinforces certain ideas that non-gun owners may already have about the “Us vs Them” outlook that gun owners supposedly embrace. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-gunowners-own-guns-only-because-they-have-the-right-to/613825/46 "2012-02-24T16:28:57Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > This is why I favor both legal gun ownership and repealing the Second Amendment. > > I think owning guns is fine for (most of) the people who want to own them, and I see no merit in draconian gun bans for law-abiding people. But I think treating gun ownership as an inalienable right just clouds the issue. > > It may have been different back in colonial times, but at this point there’s no more intrinsic sense in a constitutional right to own a gun than in a constitutional right to own an axe or a car. Keep the guns but lose the Second Amendment, sez I. > > However, I do recognize that this is an issue on which reasonable people can disagree, and many gun owners do hold a different opinion. I prefer to debate with you, though, because you recognize both that reasonable people may disagree and that to impose any kind of severe restrictions it would be necessary to remove the right from its Constitutional secure harbor. My response to your argument would be: what recourse would people have against a future government that wished to ban them? ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-gunowners-own-guns-only-because-they-have-the-right-to/613825/47 "2012-02-24T16:29:23Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Would it be o.k. if a non-gun owner looks in your direction, or would that also raise your suspicions that they intend to strip you of your 2nd Amendment rights? Clearly, all you want is to show off what you fondly believe to be your rapier wit. Have a nice day. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-gunowners-own-guns-only-because-they-have-the-right-to/613825/48 "2012-02-24T16:32:33Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > [aside] > Egads, that’s some badly cocked up statute writing then. Some firearms are not firearms:smack:? > [/aside] Not really. The article makes the officer’s mistake seem almost reasonable. Here’s the actual text of the law: > [@](#): > > § 18.2-287.4. Carrying loaded firearms in public areas prohibited; penalty. > > It shall be unlawful for any person to carry a loaded (a) semi-automatic center-fire rifle or pistol that expels single or multiple projectiles by action of an explosion of a combustible material and is equipped at the time of the offense with a magazine that will hold more than 20 rounds of ammunition or designed by the manufacturer to accommodate a silencer or equipped with a folding stock or (b) shotgun with a magazine that will hold more than seven rounds of the longest ammunition for which it is chambered on or about his person on any public street, road, alley, sidewalk, public right-of-way, or in any public park or any other place of whatever nature that is open to the public in the Cities of Alexandria, Chesapeake, Fairfax, Falls Church, Newport News, Norfolk, Richmond, or Virginia Beach or in the Counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Henrico, Loudoun, or Prince William. It’s only the title of the section that uses ‘firearms’ without detail, and titles are not part of the law itself, but merely a convenient way to identify the law in question. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-gunowners-own-guns-only-because-they-have-the-right-to/613825/49 "2012-02-24T16:36:17Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > At least the officer recognized that he made a mistake and corrected it. That’s more than you get from a lot of cops, especially in more gun-paranoid jurisdictions. Actually, the officer didn’t recognize anything until the deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney told him he couldn’t charge anyone under that section unless they had a high-capacity magazine or folding stock. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-gunowners-own-guns-only-because-they-have-the-right-to/613825/50 "2012-02-24T16:36:38Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > I prefer to debate with you, though, because you recognize both that reasonable people may disagree and that to impose any kind of severe restrictions it would be necessary to remove the right from its Constitutional secure harbor. > > My response to your argument would be: what recourse would people have against a future government that wished to ban them? If you mean through a change in the Constitution, making sure that the people you elect show no interest in such an event taking place. If you mean _without_ a change in the Constitution, the same vigilance in electing the proper people and a willingness to take it all the way up the Supreme Court if need be. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-gunowners-own-guns-only-because-they-have-the-right-to/613825/51 "2012-02-24T16:39:56Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > [Honest inquiry, not trap or attack]For example?[/Honest inquiry, not trap or attack] Funny you [should ask](http://blog.vcdl.org/index.php?/archives/152-VA-ALERT-Picnic-and-Fairfax-police-make-false-arrest!.html)! > [@](#): > > We haven’t had any issues with the Fairfax County police in quite a while now. I have found them to be one of the best run police agencies in Virginia. > > However, three officers tarnished that image last week when they unlawfully arrested a North Carolina resident who was legally carrying a handgun and had a North Carolina CHP. > > Hold on tight - this is a weird story. > > The gun owner was pulled over for running through a red light, a charge which the gun owner disputes. > > The gun owner, believing that he had to disclose he was lawfully armed as they do in North Carolina, dutifully told the officer he had a NC CHP and was indeed armed. > > The officer seemed to ignore the statement, but very shortly two more patrol units pulled up. The next thing the gun owner knew he is in a “felony stop” mode. He was asked to walk backwards towards the officers, who then disarmed and handcuffed him. > > While trying to unloaded his gun, THEY DROPPED IT ONTO THE ROAD! > > The two officers and a SERGEANT then proceeded to tell him that he was under arrested for: > > 1. Having hollow point bullets, which they claimed were illegal in Virginia (!) > 2. Taking a loaded gun across the state line, which the gun owner was told was a FELONY (!) > 3. Having a concealed gun that the police said he couldn’t have since he was from North Carolina (!!) > > His car and gun were impounded and he was taken off to a magistrate. > > The magistrate looked at the charges and told the police officers that they had just made a false arrest. > > The officers pointed out the possession of hollow point bullets. The magistrate asked, “are they teflon coated?” > > “No,” replied on of the officers. > > “Then they are legal.” > > Trying to find something that would stick and justify the false arrest, one of the officers said, “We couldn’t verify that his North Carolina permit is valid.” > > The magistrate looked at the permit, noticed the phone number on the back where one can call to verify the permit, called the number, and within a few minutes found out the permit was indeed valid. > > The gun owner was ordered to be released. > > After being released from custody, the gun owner was given a hard time by another officer about getting his gun back, but he did finally get it back. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-gunowners-own-guns-only-because-they-have-the-right-to/613825/52 "2012-02-24T16:40:27Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Clearly, all you want is to show off what you fondly believe to be your rapier wit. Have a nice day. Some people own guns because they’re insecure about their masculinity. You can’t tell until they go totally dickish just for asking why they a gun. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-gunowners-own-guns-only-because-they-have-the-right-to/613825/53 "2012-02-24T16:41:38Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > In my experience (and no gun-owners I’ve talked to have seemed to suspect me of being hostile in my questions, so whatever I’m doing seems to be working), if you are genuinely interested in somebody’s interest in guns (or anything else for that matter), ask about the subject, not about the interest. > > Asking “Why do you own guns?”, like asking “Why do you ride horses?” or “Why are you interested in math?”, seems to imply that the interest or preference is intrinsically somewhat weird or suspect or requires justification for some reason. That’s not complimentary to anybody’s hobby. > > If somebody mentions being a gun owner, say “what kind of gun is it?” or “do you do a lot of target shooting?” or anything that lets the other person give you information that interests them instead of feeling put on the spot about why on earth they would find this interesting. Then from the information you get, you can piece together your own deductions about what makes gun ownership appealing to this particular person. Excellent answer on all points. If I may, I’d like to illustrate it with a personal experience. During my marriage to my second wife, I returned from a trip to the shooting range to find my wife and couple who were friends of hers drinking beer in the basement rec room which was also where my guns were stored. As I was putting away my stuff, the husband from the couple was eyeballing one of my AR-15s. Instead of asking what it was, or whether it was fun to shoot, or whether I could shoot it well, he wanted to know “Why do you need something like that?” Any time justification of ownership, especially when the word “need” is used, comes up, you can be sure that person is an anti. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-gunowners-own-guns-only-because-they-have-the-right-to/613825/54 "2012-02-24T16:43:01Z")
> [@bup](#): > > Some people own guns because they’re insecure about their masculinity. You can’t tell until they go totally dickish just for asking why they a gun. Any time guns are linked to masculinity, you can be sure that the person making the link is an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-gunowners-own-guns-only-because-they-have-the-right-to/613825/55 "2012-02-24T16:44:39Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Funny you [should ask](http://blog.vcdl.org/index.php?/archives/152-VA-ALERT-Picnic-and-Fairfax-police-make-false-arrest!.html)! Damn good example-thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-gunowners-own-guns-only-because-they-have-the-right-to/613825/56 "2012-02-24T16:50:07Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Excellent answer on all points. If I may, I’d like to illustrate it with a personal experience. During my marriage to my second wife, I returned from a trip to the shooting range to find my wife and couple who were friends of hers drinking beer in the basement rec room which was also where my guns were stored. As I was putting away my stuff, the husband from the couple was eyeballing one of my AR-15s. Instead of asking what it was, or whether it was fun to shoot, or whether I could shoot it well, he wanted to know “Why do you need something like that?” Any time justification of ownership, especially when the word “need” is used, comes up, you can be sure that person is an anti. And did this person indicate verbally that the ownership of any guns was a bad thing, or did you “just know” that he thought that because he asked the question? Might he not have been referring to that particular weapon and not to guns in general? ---
**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:** [February 24, 2012, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-gunowners-own-guns-only-because-they-have-the-right-to/613825/57 "2012-02-24T16:58:15Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Any time guns are linked to masculinity, you can be sure that the person making the link is an idiot. In this case we knew it long before. ---
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-gunowners-own-guns-only-because-they-have-the-right-to/613825/58 "2012-02-24T16:59:19Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Am I given to understand that, for at least some of you, the only reason you collect guns is to broaden the right, and that if this right didn’t need defending you wouldn’t go near the things? How do you feel about [nurse-ins](https://www.google.com/search?q=nurse-in&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&safe=active)? Do you see a parallel between them and conspicuous gun ownership? Why, or why not? Enjoy, Steven ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-gunowners-own-guns-only-because-they-have-the-right-to/613825/59 "2012-02-24T17:04:39Z")
> [@Mtgman](#): > > How do you feel about [nurse-ins](https://www.google.com/search?q=nurse-in&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&safe=active)? Do you see a parallel between them and conspicuous gun ownership? Why, or why not? > > Enjoy, > Steven I haven’t thought about it much, but if this thread was about that subject(which it apparently isn’t, btw), I would as them why they are doing what they are doing. Do you think I would be chastised by them for daring to ask such a question, or would it be more likely that they provide information about their cause? ---
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-gunowners-own-guns-only-because-they-have-the-right-to/613825/60 "2012-02-24T17:10:16Z")
Going off of the nurse-ins that I’ve attended and been a part of, you’d get both answers. Some would politely mention they’re nursing in public to show a solidarity with those whose rights to do so were infringed, some would tell you to mind your own business. In any case, there would be many people there who were doing something they might not normally do, just because they can. It’s another case of people doing something to demonstrate their rights. It’s something they wouldn’t normally do if the right didn’t need defending. Enjoy, Steven [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-gunowners-own-guns-only-because-they-have-the-right-to/613825.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-gunowners-own-guns-only-because-they-have-the-right-to/613825.md?page=4)