Legit Question to gun owners and non-gun owners

[Pet Social Worker]

Carl and I have been talking one & off for years about gun ownership. More often recently.

Pros/Cons?  I think my stance may be changing but I need some honest opinions from others. 

[Chunk]

A gun is a tool.  Just like a crowbar.  You can bash someone over the head with a tire iron and kill them too.  And in that scenario, one hopes that you would only need to use your tire iron to change your tire, just as a gun should really only want to be used for target practice.

A lot of people keep a bat by the bed "just in case", not because they devlop midnight cravings of wanting to go to the batting cages.

That being said, there are a lot of people on this forum who shoot, and you have a great resource as a friend in Bridger Kimball.

Owning a gun responsibly is not difficult, and with moderate safety precautions can be safely stored in a house with a child.

If you would like to try out a couple of different types of guns, I'm sure we can arrange a shoot sometime just so you can see what it is like.

[Thomasmagnum]

I honestly don't think I can really think of any cons to gun ownership. I say that as unbiased as I can really. I mean sure there are caveats to owning a gun and being responsible, but I don't really see that as a negative. Its just part of the responsibility of it... the same way there are responsibilities to owning/driving a car.

-You need to know how to use it.

-You need to know the safety rules for owning it and shooting it.

- You need to understand when there is a true need to use it(as in self defense), and you need to be prepared to use it if that time ever comes.

- If you own a gun you have responsibility to yourself and your loved ones to pratice with it regularly in order to be able to use it proficiently.

-You need to ensure that any firearm is stored in a manner that NO children will never be able to access it alone.

That said another of my personal beliefs is this:
If there are children in your home I believe there is a responsibility in the parent(s) to have that child be aware of it, understand what is capable of, and understand that the saftey rules for a firearm. EVEN IF THEY WILL NEVER SHOOT IT.
Things like guns when kept secret, or "hidden" become the temptation to explore, the forbidden fruit. If a child sees a gun, knows the rules, understands what guns do, then that forbidden fruit aspect is removed.
My children have been exposed to the guns in my home literally their entire lives, and they would never touch a firearms without me or my wife present. They understand that guns are tools. They understand that those tools can be dangerous, and the only way to ever use/touch/see them is with my or my wife's supervision.


From this weekend
My daughter age 4:


My son age 7:

[Wolfy]

From a womans point of view. I was raised with guns, shot guns, hand guns and they were never locked up. We learnd at a very young age to respect a gun. I shot my first gun at 5ish, and so did my kids. My X always had a gun in the house. Secured with a trigger lock. He keeps guns now and I have no problem with Jr visiting..

I would only ask that when you purchase your gun, take a shooting course.. YOU and Carl. Bring Jr so he can hear the noise it makes and the damage it can do.

[Havikats]

In Canada, you may not own or even touch a firearm unless you have passed a certified provincial course. I took that course with my son when he was 13. It was a tough course and we were even required to cross a fence with a gun and had to identify ammo and guns. I believe the course was about three months long, but well worth the money.
What are the rules regarding firearm ownership and usage here?

[Thomasmagnum]

In America the only federal restriction is that you be of the proper age, and pass a background check.
You must be 21 to purchase a handgun from a dealer, at age 18 you are legally able to purchase a handgun via a personal sale from any legal resident of you own state.
Longguns may be purchased at the age of 18.
States have the individual rights to put further restrictions on the specifics of ownership firearms. However Arizona as a genral rule is not one of those that acts on that.
Its the individuals responsibility to understand and know how to safely use a firearm.


I advocate locking firearms away for two reasons.
1. If its locked and unobtainable to a child you don't have to worry about children that are not yours, but may be in your home.
2. Locked and stored is a deterrent to theft.

[Havikats]

Thanks Thomas. I forgot to mention that gun owners are required to keep their guns and ammo separate and all firearms must be locked away.

[Thomasmagnum]

Thanks Thomas. I forgot to mention that gun owners are required to keep their guns and ammo separate and all firearms must be locked away.

That sure doesn't do much for one's self defense does it....

[Macrojamin]

I agree with Tom on this. My defensive gun is in a push button bedside safe with the full magazine removed and  by the pistol's side.

[Macrojamin]

I think gun owners should take any and all necessary steps to properly educated on gun safety, handing, shooting, etc. Whether through paid classes, reading, videos, web search, learning with friends, etc. I recommend you find a free family firearm safety class before making any decisions. For instance Scottsdale gun club, where I am a member, has a free class http://www.scottsdalegunclub.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11&Itemid=27
Firearms to me are not something that can simply be handles in terms of pros and cons.
Whatever you do, be safe, have fun, and make an educated decision.

[Desert Dweller]

In Mexico, citizens are not allowed to posses firearms or ammunition.  Mexico has a higher murder rate per capita than the United States and Canada combined.

[Chunk]

In Mexico, citizens are not allowed to posses firearms or ammunition.  Mexico has a higher murder rate per capita than the United States and Canada combined.

That's because we don't give them enough welfare

[Tigg]

I was raised being told that there is no good reason for an honest person, who is not law enforcement, to ever shoot a gun, let alone own one, except hunters, maybe, sometimes, if they really have to.  I never agreed with that line of thought, but, since I was never around guns, I was not comfortable with them simply because I knew that I had no clue how to handle them safely.

After moving to Arizona and going shooting with friends a few times, and just generally having guns around, I became far more comfortable with them and made a point of learning how to properly handle and shoot them.  I did *NOT* go out and just buy a gun as soon as I decided I wanted a gun.  I went out with those who I knew were excellent, reliable, sources of accurate information, and who could help make sure that I was making the right choices (there are countless different guns available and there is no 1 right choice for what to get - there are too many factors involved).  

I also went out shooting very regularly, both at indoor and outdoor ranges, shooting friends guns, to make sure that I was comfortable with the types of guns I was considering buying and was able to aim well enough to meet the expectations that I had for myself.  Then and only then did I start looking at what to buy.  Once I bought my gun, I again went out quite a bit to make sure that I was very comfortable with it and knew exactly how it handles.

As Chris and Tom said, a gun is a tool.  For any tool, you need to know how to use it safely and you need to practice to make sure you do know how to use it safely.  There are several knowledgable, trustworthy people on this forum who have excellent gun collections who can help you narrow down what you want and Caswells (Bridger's store) is great in that (among other things) they have gun rentals for the indoor range and you can change out the gun as often as you like while you're there.  

Try going out shooting (make sure it's with someone who is very well versed in the proper ways to do things so you arne't getting bad info) and see what you think when you're actually out there and seeing/participating in responsible gun handling & use and you'll see that it's really not as frightening a concept as you had convinced yourself it was.

And, as a side note, I've seen Tom taking his kids out shooting - his kids KNOW safe gun practices.  He has taught them well and I would take advice on how to have kids and guns in the same house any day - he's doing it right.  When I was out at the range with them, I was not at all concerned about the fact that there was a 3 year old out there with us - because that 3 year old knew exactly what was expected when there were firearms around.

[skas]

In Mexico, citizens are not allowed to posses firearms or ammunition.  Mexico has a higher murder rate per capita than the United States and Canada combined.

This isn't entirely true. It is just extremely limited. "military caliber"weapons and ammo are forbidden, but that leaves a number of options. I don't know all of the hoops required, but it can be done.

Kim, as has been noted here by others,a gun is simply another tool. Proper safety is a must, but if everyone residing within is on the same page for safety it shouldn't be an issue.

I agree with others that you should go shooting with others before you purchase a gun. Mayhaps joining the Maricopa gun club on one if our eventual outings would be beneficial to you all.

[Chunk]

So... who wants to go shooting with the Diedrichs for their first time?