Why is it that so many gun owners dream about an excuse to use their guns?

[Whovian]

To dream of being a hero? To save the innocent?

I had these dreams when I was 14.

Then reality set in.

I feel we have a bunch of gun owners stuck at 14 who haven't realized reality yet.

[msongs]

1. more likely stuck at 4 - flashes, bangs, wreck stuff, jus the kind of things 4 year olds love nt

[Warren Stupidity]

33. I bid 6, but I was 4 when my mom broke down and bought me hop along Cassidy six shooters.

[Moses2SandyKoufax]

2. What good's a toy if you can't play with it? n/t

[yardwork]

75. That's it. The corollary is "why is anybody surprised that people shoot their guns?"

[The Magistrate]

3. Why is Unclear, Sir, But It Is Cold fact That They Do

There is a certain low amusement in watching them deny it when pressed, of course, as many do when they find themselves out among people who do not share their rich fantasy lives....

[Mojorabbit]

52. I don't know anyone who wants to use their guns

except at the range or for defense. I don't know anyone who fantasizes about shooting anyone. The discourse here is getting ridiculous. There might be a subset of freepers who do so but I would bet good money that out of the millions of gun owners out there the majority do not. Almost all the gun owners I know are liberal Dems and most are professional people to boot.

[The Magistrate]

53. Do Not Try And Pretend You Are An Exception To Human Nature, Sir: It Does Not Become You

Far too much of discourse on this ( and many other fraught subjects ) is based on expecting people to pretend they do not know what every adult actually does know of people and the world we are in.

If you want to keep that style of discussion up, you will have to find someone else to do it with. I am too old and too tired to put up with games of 'let's pretend', let alone participate in them.

[obamanut2012]

58. I have NEVER done this

And doubt sincerely the gun owners I know have, either. Gun owners does not equate to "gun nuts."

[Mojorabbit]

59. I am old too and I am a woman

and what I say is true in my neck of the woods. The hyperbole here is like watching people from another planet. I thought better of you than stooping to stereotyping a swath of people.

[The Magistrate]

61. Denial, As They Say, Ain't Just a River In Egypt

The gaudy displays of it when gun owners deny they give a fair bit of mental energy to the idea of shooting people are entertaining, but are neither a basis for fruitful discussion nor a sound ground for public policy and social attitudes.

[Mojorabbit]

69. As I said in my last post

my disappointment in your stereotyping a huge swath of people is great. As a woman and retired critical care nurse I can assure you are wrong in my case and in the people I know, a good portion of who are also in the medical field. Shrug.
I knew I just should have trashed this thread like all the others to keep my blood pressure down. I will remedy this oversight now. Good day.

[JI7]

4. like that youtube guy who was killed hoping for another "batman" when he

was at the movies

[frylock]

46. just like that dumbass..

who cares how many people are killed or injured, as long as he gets to live out his little wet dream.

[Fumesucker]

5. I dunno, maybe we could ask the ghost of James Thurber n/t

[Whovian]

6. :)

[Paladin]

37. +10 For The Nice "Walter Mitty" Reference. Very Apropos.... (nt)

[ManiacJoe]

7. Define "so many".

Yes, there are a few, relatively speaking. All groups of size have some bad members....

[Whovian]

8. 4,936

[ManiacJoe]

10. And that number represents what?

[Whovian]

19. 4,942. Figure it out.

[ManiacJoe]

20. Assuming the number is actually relevant to the conversation,

and I am not sure that is a safe assumption, my google-fu must be weak cuz I am finding nothing relevant.

Feel free to enlighten us.

[Whovian]

21. You now have 4,943 posts as of the time of this posting.

[ManiacJoe]

23. Hence the "and I am not sure that is a safe assumption".

Do you want to go back and actually add to the conversation, or just keep upping your post count?

[Whovian]

25. Go away. You bore me.

[baldguy]

29. Some people are REALLY clueless, aren't they?

[Elron Aven]

9. Pretty broad brush there...

...all I ever shot was targets.

Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. Fewer surprises that way. I did use a pistol to thwart a carjack maybe 20 years ago though, but just pulling it was enough to convince the perps they had the wrong victim and they fled. Criminals want an easy score, not a hard time.

[The Magistrate]

16. Damn, Sir: Joined Up An Hour Back, And You Waved a Gun At Some Bad Guys, Personally....

What are the odds, eh?

Any thoughts on the filibuster, or who should be appointed Senator from Massachusetts, or what is the best way to wring savings from Medicare?

[rustydog]

68. I had a guy threaten me with a knife... didn't need a gun

I have had gang members threaten me and drug dealers threaten me...never felt the need to brandsh a gun to say "Look at me, be afraid of me!"
In Texas and other states one can kill a car thief. i'd just bail out and call my insurance agent and police. You go ahead and keep brandishing...
Everyone knows that if a "good guy" has a gun he will always, by default, be the winner!

[The Straight Story]

11. Why is it you troll GD with these things to get your post count up?

Oh, maybe because it works most the time and you can post time and again without ever adding anything intelligent to the whole conversation.

Ask questions, don't offer answers, and get some people to like your posts.....

You are doing a good job so far. Keep it up.

Meanwhile, old timers get called trolls, gun nuts, etc....congrats, you got the web site you wanted.

And people like me post less and less here each day.

Have fun, you are the new face of this website.

[darkangel218]

12. +1.

[Fumesucker]

13. For the same reason you post what you do..

You feel like it.

I'm starting to think everyone feels like all of DU is against them, there are certainly days I feel that way.

Put up a thread where you're trying to bring people together and it falls like a stone.

Post something divisive and stand the fuck back lest you be trampled.

As to the OP, yeah there's plenty of gun owners that have that little thought tucked back in their mind, carrying a gun is a big enough pain in the ass that people don't do it for nothing.

[Whovian]

15. I apologize that my opinions are different than yours in this subject.

Some questions offer answers. Or opinions.

If they are different from yours, so be it.

[The Magistrate]

17. Some Of Those Old Timers, Sir, Are ( Or Were ) 'Trolls, Gun-Nuts, Etc.'

Just a fact of the situation.

[Warren Stupidity]

32. Good. I'm liking the new face more and more.

[laundry_queen]

79. ditto nt

[Mojorabbit]

66. +1000 nt

[DinahMoeHum]

14. Methinks too many of them have "teeny weenie" problems. . .

. . .which is why they bought those pee-pee substitutes in the first place.

[Puzzledtraveller]

56. So it's penis envy when a woman purchases a gun?

[marions ghost]

60. Not the penis per se

--but the power that is associated with the penis, yes.

[Mojorabbit]

67. When I was a young woman working as a nurse

self defense was encouraged as a way of empowering women. I am not talking guns necessarily though that was one of the means. This was in the 70s and 80s. Men are not the only one with power and a penis is certainly not a measure of power in my opinion.

[marions ghost]

70. I'm all for self defense

though I favor defense against guns rather than carrying them. I think it's pretty effing sad that we live in a society where people (other than soldiers or cops) feel the need to carry guns for self defense.

What I meant was that guns have historically been the domain of men and when women get into them today, I think a lot of time it's to have that "power" that men have--instant respect, y'know?

Don't take me literally about penis--I was responding to the previous post referring to "penis envy." Just making the point that literally speaking, women do not envy the appendage (as Freud imagined)--but symbolically they do, in that they envy the social privilege and power that being male automatically confers in our culture. When it comes to guns, some women DO get off on the fact that it's "an equalizer." The things that women traditionally do, are good at, and represent are not nearly as valued. Not even today. Men still do have more power and privilege IMO. Fine if you disagree but maybe this helps clarify.

[shenmue]

18. They think they're going to save everyone

Or have another war.

[cecilfirefox]

22. You've hit the nail on the head- there's a hero complex with these types,

they want to believe some day they'll be that 'one' with the gun when needed. Mark my word, the gun nuts fantasize about being able to use them. Believe me.

[Whovian]

24. It's a sad part of human nature.

That has been corrupted by the gun culture.

[cantbeserious]

26. Watching Too Many John Wayne Movies Will Do That To Adolescents

eom

[Coyote_Tan]

27. What does that even mean?

Fuck others, you can't save em.

Don't protect yourself, if someone wants to hurt you they will.

The fact that someone would act to help someone being attacked is a sign of maturity. Crap like this is why we have folks stabbed on the street and passerby walk over them or take photos instead of helping.

Jesus christington cowardice on a stick... I don't get it and I hope I never do.

[Warren Stupidity]

31. George Zimmerman, American Hero.

[Coyote_Tan]

36. Doesn't really have anything to do...

... with protecting others, the OP or my post.

Not sure what your point is.

5 out of 10 points for attempting to derail the conversation and appeal to baseless emotion though.

[Warren Stupidity]

38. He's a perfect example of a gun hero.

[Coyote_Tan]

44. Depends on what happened...

I suspect most people are too emotionally invested to be objective either way.

No matter what happened it was a tragedy..

[frylock]

47. the fact that someone would hope and pray for such a situation to present itself..

is pretty fucking far from being mature.

[Coyote_Tan]

50. I don't hope for my car battery to die...

I just happen to have jumper cables and I am prepared to deal with the situation if it were to happen (unlikely as it may be.)

[frylock]

64. yeh, will this asshole was unable to make that distinction when he unequivocally stated..

"I went to the movies with my pistol in my pocket the whole time I was praying that somebody would try to pull a Batman!"

http://www.reddit.com/r/news/comments/16b000/producer_of_fpsrussia_and_the_guy_who_once/

nope. he didn't say "In the event of such a tragic occurrence, I'll be prepared to defend myself and others." however misguided that might be, this fuckstain was praying for an such opportunity. fucking PRAYING. do you pray for your battery to die in order to utilize those jumper cables of yours?

[ileus]

28. any links for examples?

It's hard to judge without examples of their "dreams"

Thanks

[leeroysphitz]

42. Here you go.

[frylock]

49. here ya go..

"I went to the movies with my pistol in my pocket the whole time I was praying that somebody would try to pull a Batman!"

http://www.reddit.com/r/news/comments/16b000/producer_of_fpsrussia_and_the_guy_who_once/

ironically enough, this dipshit got tapped.

[Warren Stupidity]

30. 14? More like 6. Nt

[MrSlayer]

34. A weapon unused is a useless weapon.

Yeah, you can shoot bottles and pumpkins til the cows come home but that's not what they're for.

[MightyMopar]

35. Outlaw gun porn! It would piss off the NRA and Hollywood!

[Paladin]

39. Some Of Our Resident Gun Activists Fine-Tune That Fantasy.....

....to a scenario where they use their firearms to save the lives and property of rabid gun grabbers, with said gun grabbers showering the activists with gratitude AND becoming gun activists, themselves.

Honestly, I'm not making this up.....

[ProgressiveProfessor]

45. Yes you are

[1-Old-Man]

40. I believe you have come very close to identifying the root cause

Not only for gun violence but for many of the social problems we have today. People simply get stuck in the maturation process; if you look around you see it all the time. Here, let me give you an example, how many people do you know who are past their 30's who continue to talk about their high school days as if they were still continuing? I honestly think that many people simply cease to grow mentally sometime between their early and late teens. I began to notice it about 10 years ago and now I see it, in others and in myself, all the time.

The interesting thing is the maturation process does continue, but it seems to advance by long stops and then big leaps in the later years.

[Corgigal]

41. Rescue fantasies

I'm the MAN, I saved the people. I'm the hero, blah blah blah. Silly.

[Heimer]

43. False sense of bravado

Why anyone would ever hope to be put in a situation and forced to defend themselves with lethal force is beyond rational thought.

It likely boils down to "look, guns save lives!". They do on many occasions, but this thought is one nestled in infancy and is absolutely one of the things wrong with American gun culture.

[samsingh]

48. good question. but that's what i see as well

they have a glorified self image. many have never seen war. i don't know why they don't join the military and really serve their country

[JoePhilly]

51. They think they are one of the Founding Fathers, but with RAMBO's killing skills.

Or maybe a founding father with this guy's killing ability AND Legal authority ...

[libdem4life]

54. Paranoia. Rambo/Terminator Dreams of Glory Wannabes. No other possible use.

Family Protection and Hunting weapons have their place, within limits, but have nothing to do with the above.

[Bigmack]

55. What causes them to dream of using their guns in a "situation" ....?

First and foremost:
Total lack of experience in real-world shooting situations.

But there are other reasons...
Watched the "Die Hard" movies too many times.
Watched "Red Dawn" too many times.
Not enough nookie.... or oral sex.
Didn't mature past the "bang, bang, you're dead" stage.
Read too many Superhero comic books.

[mokawanis]

62. The things they say

First they create scenarios they've never actually had to face, and then talk about just how dead the bad guy would be.

I'd shoot the intruder with my super duper weapon, make sure he was dead as dead can be, and then I'd sleep like a baby.

Crap like that. Juvenile fantasies.

[bunnies]

63. Gun = Power

Its really as simple as that. At least it was clear in my case when my stalker had one pointed at my head. "I can end your life right now if I want to". I'll never forget those words. And you know what? He was right. Lucky for me, he was a bad shot even from 3 feet away.

[marions ghost]

71. Totally agree

My sister in law in Florida once drove into her driveway and some guy jumped out of the bushes and pointed a gun at her head. She gave him her purse but she's never really recovered from it psychologically. Now what good would it have done if she had a gun? He would have killed her first.

Why do we put up with this?

[bunnies]

73. Youre absolutely right.

All this gun talk has had me thinking about this experience a lot lately. There was one other person in the room beside the stalker and myself and I have NO doubt that if there were another gun in that room that day, one or more of us would be dead. I bet that if more gunaholics had been in a situation like myself or your sister-in-law they would maybe think twice before ranting the world should be armed to the teeth.

[Tikki]

65. It's because they read about so many who do...and like they say..

even bad publicity is better than no publicity to some of these gun fanatics.

The GUN is the star and they are the gun's agent or maybe THEY are the star and the gun is their agent.

Tikki

[moondust]

72. Agree that immaturity is a big part of it.

My older brothers had a couple shotguns they left at home when they graduated and moved on. As a kid in the 50s I imagined using them to ward off the commies from my bedroom window. Flags and patriotism along with the guns seemed to cast a kind of spell or instill a sense of importance on my young, impressionable mind.

The spell gradually wore off as I developed other interests. At 14 I got a driver's permit and got interested in cars. I dragged one of the shotguns around in the trunk for years until the barrel rusted, which pissed off my older brother who wanted it for a keepsake.

I think the gun obsession is largely about that sense of importance and someday using them to be a heroic protector. Some people just never grow out of it.

[cherish44]

74. They think it would be like a movie, where the bad guy is a terrible shot and the hero is invincible

I think if most of them were caught in a real life or death situation involving gunfire (where someone was actually shooting back at them), most of them would shit their pants.

[TheKentuckian]

76. I have a fire extinguisher but have no desire to use it.

I have car insurance but don't desire to be in a wreck.

I have jumper cables but no dreams of a dead battery.

I have aspirin but want no aches.

I have heavy boots but I'm not hoping for snow.

I don't fantasize about my family collecting insurance on me or dealing with a funeral but I have life insurance.

I have no wish to be injured or sick, unable to work but I carry disability.

An umbrella is not a desire for rain.

I have a gun, I pray I never have to be in a situation where I have to use it but that doesn't mean I won't just like the fire extinguisher.

[Robb]

78. Pff. Ever been so stressed trying to put on boots

...that you missed the end of your legs completely, and they skipped across the floor and killed the neighbor?

[Robb]

77. Many think visualization is a substitute for active fire training.

It's not.

People who survive firefights, armed or not, are those who maintain a rigid training schedule -- or are exceptionally lucky.

Being able to hit targets under stress is a matter of motor memory, which is a perishable skill.