General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsSo, what, exactly, is the gun culture?
I'm trying to find a consensus here as to what the culture is, and who is part of it. Are you a member if you own one gun, or is there a minimum number of guns you have to have before you're a member of the gun culture? Do you have to have a certain type of gun or hold certain positions about guns to be part of the gun culture?
What consists of this gun culture that is being bandied about on this board?
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Recursion
(56,582 posts)The "gun culture" is, to a first approximation, people who hear "I got my first rifle at age 8" and think something like "yeah, me too" rather than "WHO THE HELL GIVES AN 8 YEAR OLD A RIFLE????".
(I used those two reactions because anecdotally there doesn't seem to be very much middle ground at all in the responses.)
Lizzie Poppet
(10,164 posts)I can't be of much help since I don't use the term (and have to resist rolling my eyes when I read it, frankly...). But since it's been difficult to try to get a definition of "gun nut" around here, I suspect you're going to have trouble getting a good answer (to say nothing of a consensus) on that one, too.
Nuclear Unicorn
(19,497 posts)Whatever the user of the term needs it to be to marginalize the interlocutor and end discussion without having to consider points of view that does not reflexively agree with their own.
Lizzie Poppet
(10,164 posts)Beautifully put!
snooper2
(30,151 posts)I think a book needs to be written 
onehandle
(51,122 posts)...open carry nuts who don't see the problem with carrying an assault rifle into a Starbucks, idiots who give guns to their four year-old, anyone who even after Newtown remains a member of the NRA...
liberal N proud
(61,194 posts)
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)MadHound
(34,179 posts)And for some, especially rural folks, they are an integral part of life. They are like any other tool, good or bad, depending upon who uses them.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)identity?
Do people talk about being "proud lawnmower owners?"
Nobody needs a gun.
MadHound
(34,179 posts)Just like with gun owners.
Don't believe me, talk to a serious woodworker sometime.
snooper2
(30,151 posts)LOL
joeglow3
(6,228 posts)geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)joeglow3
(6,228 posts)I live in a city and do not own a gun.
However, I have family members that live in rural areas. They are poor and the safety nets are nowhere near what they are in a city. They use their guns to hunt a lot of game, which they eat. I certainly would not tell them to use bow and arrows or traps to feed their family because "nobody needs a gun."
Uzair
(241 posts)A gun is a weapon. Label it as such. What is the gun culture? You just showed us.
MadHound
(34,179 posts)Knives, machetes, axes, etc. Same with guns. They are still a tool, and for many rural people, quite the useful tool.
premium
(3,731 posts)just like a hammer is a tool which can become a weapon, it all depends on how it's used.
Lizzie Poppet
(10,164 posts)Just sayin'...
bluedigger
(17,437 posts)It's true that she had to learn to count to ten with her toes, but that's a small price to pay for the freedom to follow tool culture.
Sheepshank
(12,504 posts)and it appears you hit a nerve.
Good on ya mate.
DrDan
(20,411 posts)just a diversion to avoid working on the real problems surrounding guns
Recursion
(56,582 posts)there's not a way to determine if a given dog is or isn't a "pit bull". It's a scary-sounding word with little concrete meaning. (The American Staffordshire Terrier and American Pit Bull Terrier have breed standards, which few actual dogs meet.) Like "gun culture", it's a phrase that scares suburban people.
Tribal aversion to something doesn't magically make reality comport with that aversion.
Tommy_Carcetti
(44,499 posts)....I would say it is those people who don't believe guns are anything but a most extreme and extraordinary instrument, unlike most any ordinary household good.
Talking about guns in the context of being toys or collectables as opposed to something that was designed with the specific intent to kill, injure or to simulate killing or injuring.
MadHound
(34,179 posts)In fact I have one myself, a muzzle loader from 1851, went through the Civil War with my great-great. Are you saying that's not collectible? Are you saying that my considering collectible makes me part of the gun culture?
Tommy_Carcetti
(44,499 posts)Say you are a Civil War or Revolutionary War afficianado and you acquire an authentic musket or gun from that era. The value to you is its historical value as a relic of the era. You don't plan on shooting it, and chances are more likely than not it probably won't shoot even if you wanted to. It looks good on the wall or on a shelf and that's about it.
There's a major difference between that and someone who stockpiles dozens of contemporary, modern day firearms because, well, he can, and he thinks just having one gun to take to the range is boring. Better a gun for every day of the week, or even the month!
Pelican
(1,156 posts)Infinitely customizable and always something you can be better at.
I understand the allure of collecting them far more than a stamp or a coin...
Tommy_Carcetti
(44,499 posts)But you cannot escape the dark, harsh reality of the specific intended purpose of a gun, no matter how much you want to whitewash it. You can't say the same thing about stamps or coins or cars or baseball cards or most other collectable items.
Guns are different.
MadHound
(34,179 posts)Is there a "dark, harsh, reality" behind those collectibles as well?
Tommy_Carcetti
(44,499 posts)If you collect swords as historical relics of a specific era, the value is historic.
If you collect swords just because you like swords, it's a little different.
Knives are also different because they are much more versatile in terms of use than a gun. Depends on the reason why you are collecting the knives.
Pelican
(1,156 posts)As a person who depends on my weapon, on a daily basis, it represents light and a chance to go home again. My skills and the weapons themselves are the only thing that keeps me and my team alive.
Double positive points if I use it to canoe out some asshat who kills policemen and attacks women and children in a grab for religious/political power.
When I am in the states, it represents an extra chance at safety for myself, my family or someone else I could come across. I think you might appreciate if I saved your mother, wife or daughter from a sexual assault or mugging. This doesn't just mean shooting. It is the threat implied with it that could save me, my family or someone you care about.
The odds are extremely low but better to be prepared. I carry extra batteries, food and water in case of extended power outages that will likely never come.
I have the training, experience and the will to act for a positive outcome and I see nothing dark about that.
HangOnKids
(4,291 posts)
Pelican
(1,156 posts)Did you have a follow up question?
Thanks for playing Pelican!
Pelican
(1,156 posts)Thanks for... ummm.. unnecessary vagueness?
HangOnKids
(4,291 posts)Keep going though, you are a HOOT!
Kingofalldems
(40,278 posts)Tommy_Carcetti
(44,499 posts)Just an honest question.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)Most of us can protect ourselves without resorting to a gun, or some "hero" wannabe with one down their pants.
Pelican
(1,156 posts)Just give someone coming to help you a friendly wave off ( or in your case, a middle finger.)
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)I personally do not believe someone who carries a gun, researches loads, might practice with silhouette targets, or imaginary "thug" targets, might vote for a Republican over strict gun legislation, and who knows what else - - will make the right decision. Just my experience with gun culture.
Pelican
(1,156 posts)Continue to get your ass kicked or whatever else is going on. I don't mind at all.
I'm a very live and let live kind of guy.
All I ask is a hand gesture of some sort and a "I got it"
laundry_queen
(8,646 posts)I swear, this place becomes like bizarro land more and more every day. Yes, all of us non-gun toters spend our days getting our asses kicked. 
Pelican
(1,156 posts)... and nothing at all like I said.
justanidea
(291 posts)The world of guns, accessories, gun related reading materials, gun shows, meet ups at the shooting range, etc.
Same thing as the car culture/motorcycle culture/any other big hobby.
Eleanors38
(18,318 posts)much, if at all. When I first heard the term, I was a little perplexed. Our family had a couple if dozen guns, hunted, kept some for home defense, and assumed other families did ad well. Regarding home defense, this was the case. But few ever talked about guns except regards hunting. I at least had a grasp of "culture;" Southern, Western, Jewish, Cuban, etc. But "gun culture" struck me as overblown as few folks I knew centered their lives around the guns they used. There are gun sellers, collectors, writers, Cowboy Action Shooters, women shooters, and professional SD instructors, but I hardly viewed even these as forming a culture, more an occupation. Maybe I need to brush up on my sociology & anthropology.
Culture sounds more like a weapon.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)Eleanors38
(18,318 posts)
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)assault type weapons, echo NRA's right wing agenda, use a gun to intimidate, use a gun to compensate, or any of the BS we get from the gun culture.
And, she actually had reason to fear for her life -- right wing yahoos with hatred and much bigger guns threatened her.
Eleanors38
(18,318 posts)Hoyt
(54,770 posts)Eleanors38
(18,318 posts)
Johonny
(26,179 posts)Do you spend time purchasing gun magazines, watching gun TV shows, going to gun related websites, are you on gun emailing lists, do you post anti-gun jokes on your facebook page, do you belong to gun political organizations, do you donate them money, do you donate them time, do you go to gun rallies, do you go to shows, do actively seek out clothing related to guns...
If it was say hip hop you could probably guess for yourself how much time you spend on cultural activities that involve hip hop. If it was say cats you could probably guess how much time you spend on cats. Because it is a gun do we pretend somehow the concept is not understandable? Is it surprising there is a gun culture in the US? I mean these days there is an amazing amount of subculture surrounding just about any activity. I don't think the concept of "gun culture" is a particularly hard concept to grasp. The idea that there isn't a whole subculture surrounding the issue of gun and gun ownership is comical and not interesting.
MadHound
(34,179 posts)I have a few hip hop CD's, and enjoy playing them. Does that mean I'm part of the hip-hop culture? I also have a few guns, and enjoy shooting them once in a while. Does that mean I'm part of the gun culture as well?
What I'm looking for is that bright defining line.
laundry_queen
(8,646 posts)But you are indirectly supporting it by giving them your money. I'm of the opinion that buying guns and bullets means you are indirectly supporting the NRA, since manufacturers love to give them money. Where you spend your money has consequences.
TheCowsCameHome
(40,270 posts).........and it seems there are plenty of them.
AnotherMcIntosh
(11,064 posts)or (b) are unaware of it.
Some are sincerely unaware of the results of the AWB and the '94 election. Others are aware of it but, for them, it doesn't matter.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)
Bjorn Against
(12,041 posts)An election in which NRA endorsed candidates got their asses kicked, while candidates with F ratings from the NRA won big. We don't need to go back nearly two decades to show that being a gun nut is not a winning electoral position.
TheCowsCameHome
(40,270 posts)if you want to see some ass kicking.
The NRA is toxic, and any fool politican that embraces the NRA mindset will pay a heavy price.
spin
(17,493 posts)But perhaps this time will be different.
Time will tell.
Bjorn Against
(12,041 posts)I think you are right, the next election will likely be humiliating for the NRA. People are pissed that they rejected background checks. The gun nuts who try to claim that the 10% who oppose background checks will vote in greater numbers than the 90% who support them are totally delusional. This will be the election that makes the country realize that the people don't want every gun nut to own a gun.
Sheepshank
(12,504 posts)when gun nuts repeatedly find excuses to laud gun ownership, praise the weapons, re-describe cruel and deadly sitations in light of positive gun play, constantly compare it to more benign adored, objects...regardless of the real life situation.
Response to MadHound (Original post)
devilgrrl This message was self-deleted by its author.
sofa king
(10,857 posts)I don't like guns, don't carry guns, don't own guns, do not feel I need guns, and hope I never have to use one violently. I do not think guns are well-regulated, and I want that to change.
I do, however, insist that whatever else is the case, guns shall be omnipresent in American culture for hundreds of years to come, because there are tens of millions of them hidden away or stored and not registered. Worse, in less than a decade people will probably be able to manufacture firearms and ammunition from within their own homes using 3D printers. Soon even the countries that currently have decent gun control will be unable to stop the proliferation of firearms.
The public will never be disarmed, and attempting to do so, or even talking about, or allowing our opponent to tell uninformed voters that we're talking about it, has the opposite effect.
Note for example that the ammunition plants have been in continuous 24/7 production since the beginning of this year, meaning that while a background check bill can't reach a floor vote in the Senate, gun owners have stockpiled enough ammunition to fight a war in the first four months of this year alone--the exact fucking opposite of what we want. That is what is actually happening, right now.
So we as a society had better come to terms with the fact that guns and gun violence will not be addressed by outlawing guns, but by better regulating them as the Constitution demands and more importantly, by figuring out how to find and help crazy-ass fucking people, who are the real problem.
Just because it used to be an NRA slogan doesn't mean it is not true: some people can turn into killers who use the tools available to them to kill. They will never run out of tools or diabolical ideas, but we might be able to stop a lot of the rampages by finding and treating these people before they pop off. That is how we are going to temper gun violence, someday.
When I say this, when I pop the balloon of others here by pointing out that "getting rid of guns" will never happen because of the nature of the problem, when I insist that functional knowledge of how guns work and what they do is the key to their effective regulation, I get called a gun-lover, every time, as I will this time.
And that's fine. If I allowed myself to listen to believers, rather than thinkers, I'd still be going to church.
galileoreloaded
(2,571 posts)this post is sofa king good.
Half-Century Man
(5,279 posts)Does such a culture, as expressed in media or propaganda, really exist.
I say propaganda to mean the impassioned arguments which both side put forth, each presenting their side as favorably as they can; each willing to bend a truth, or accept a factoid from an unverified source in the holy name of winning.
Such as "those who favor the ownership of guns tend to be uneducated". Think about that statement; it expresses a level of elitism no one would feel want to be subjected to. The lack of formal education doesn't mean stupid, doesn't mean intentional avoidance of education, and doesn't mean lack of any education. I find we all seek out education as well as we can, but tend to study things we are already interested in or available to us at any given moment. Spark a new interest, open a new door, spark a new pupil.
Or "the left wing gun grabbers are coming". Consider that; every person with a left of center opinion has a life goal of disarming every civilian on an entire planet? Not a single one is capable of a compromise?
The media has exacerbated the situation because sound bytes sell advertising time. Both sides have an unrealistic view of each other. And passions about issues such as religion, ownership of arms, class/economic status, skin tone, or who one might like snuggling with; can be blinding.
Blue_Tires
(57,596 posts)Positive group:
Responsible, keeps his guns safe, well-maintained and locked up when not in use, has the common-sense discretion of recognizing legit situations to use his weapons, and has the proficiency to hit whatever he's aiming at...etc.
Negative group:
Reckless, fearful, paranoid; angers easily, treats his guns with the seriousness a five-year-old treats toys, the type to pop off shots in the backyard instead of a gun range, has so many guns he could never possibly keep track of them, regularly handles guns when he's drunk/high/etc., knowingly deals with illegal modifications or purchases, needs his gun to feel 'more like a man', is quick to brandish it at a person to settle an argument (extra points if he knows that other person is unarmed), and goes to clubs/bars/parties looking to start shit he'd never start in a million years if he wasn't armed...etc.
Common Sense Party
(14,139 posts)Most people on DU believe that the Positive group doesn't exist, or is infinitesimally small. They think that upwards of 95% of gun owners fall into the knuckle-dragging, mouth-breathing, borderline psychotic Negative group--because those are the only ones that make the headlines.
Blue_Tires
(57,596 posts)But from the small sample size I personally know, 95% of them are in the first group...Anyone in the second group I don't stay friends with for long (although I *do* have a couple of relatives in that second group -- the less said about them, the better)...
But to the flipside of your point, in a sane world an organization like the NRA would distance themselves or cut off the jackasses in the second group (or at least try to correct them), but they have become SO hardline absolutist over the years that they have embraced all group two people under the guise that they are group one...
Common Sense Party
(14,139 posts)especially around me in deep red Utah. But the vast majority are definitely Group One people, even the right wingers.
I agree completely on the NRA. Any group that will have Group Two nutjob extraordinaire Ted Nugent as a board member or screechman is a group I want nothing to do with. They are hurting their own cause by associating with and embracing the small minority of Group Two loonies. And the Group Two loonies are the ones who get the headlines and media attention, leading mainstream non-gun-owning America to think that the NRA is chock full of Group Two-type knucklegraggers.
Tommy_Carcetti
(44,499 posts)The whole "We are the Good Guys with Guns" mentality.
And when the good guy turns out to be not so good (See: Holmes, James; Loughner, Jared; Cho, Sueng-Hui) or the good guy is somehow negligent with their guns (See: Lanza, Nancy; the parents of the 5 year old), then, well, they were never true Scotsmen to begin with.
And I see in the gun culture almost a sense of divine right to gun ownership, helped in good part by their interpretation of the Second Amendment, and it is a deep line that cannot be crossed. For example, when Neil Heslin (father of Sandy Hook victim Jesse Lewis) testified before a Connecticut legislative committee and asked (some say hypothetically, others not, but that's beside the point) for what reason would anyone need a high capacity semi-automatic rifle like the AR-15 that Adam Lanza used, gun enthusiasts in the audience shouted out, "The Second Amendment!" and "Shall not be infringed!" as if those were the only justifications that they needed, practicalities and real life be damned.
It's an "I own because I can" mindset that I observe in the gun culture.
And the problem with any self-righteous mindset is that it can be downright cruel at times. Those outside the gun culture are mocked and their opinions minimalized if they do not possess highly technical knowledge about specific types of guns. There's the sense that non-gun owners are somehow being reckless or negligent by not owning a weapon to protect their families. And then there's just plain old gloating, as evidenced by this particular graphic I found posted on Facebook by a gun enthusiast page right after the background check legislation died in the Senate:
Supposedly the message is addressed to the President and Vice President, but whoever created the graphic had no problem with the fact that they are surrounded by Gabby Giffords and the family members of Sandy Hook victims with obviously pained expressions on their faces. They are the "bad guys"; the "good guys" are the ones on the bottom who are standing on top of a hill raising semi-automatic rifles for whatever reasons. Who are they? Why are they there? Why are they all together with their weapons standing on that hill? That, we do not know. However, we are supposed to identify them as Good Guys with Guns who will not be deterred by any President or victim of gun violence.
And just to be clear, these observations above are of those who I believe to fall within the gun culture that the OP wanted defined. I believe these are traits exhibited by people who believe their ownership of guns is part of their own personal or cultural identity. However, I'm not saying anyone who owns a gun is a gun culturalist; far from it. But where do I get my assessment of the gun culture? Mainly from the media and the internet, including--unfortunately I believe--a lot here at DU.
MadHound
(34,179 posts)However I think that you also ought to realize how those who are responsible gun owners, indeed good guys with guns, view a lot of non-gun owners these days.
Namely as an annoyance at best, a threat at worst.
First off, remember the majority of people in this country, including the majority of gun owners, want better gun control measures. Yet to many of the most vehement and vocal gun control proponents, gun owners of any stripe are the devil's spawn. Many people want to banish guns completely. Many few those who do own guns as knuckle dragging cavemen, and don't seem to understand that there are quite legit reasons, including self defense, for owning guns. And they express these opinions in the most insulting way possible. Don't believe me, just go through the gun posts on this board.
Witness the current debate about kids and guns. There are literally millions of people who were introduced to guns when they were young kids. Guns became part of fun, family activities, going out hunting or shooting with mom and/or dad. Heck, you should have seen first grade student I knew who shot his first deer. He was over the moon about it, like a lot of kids are when that happens. Yet many call such a thing child abuse or worse.
The pro gun and anti gun groups are at an impasse, talking past each other, unable to understand each other. I think that it would actually be beneficial for each group to walk in the shoes of the other side for awhile. Have the anti-gun folks move out to the country, and see how a gun is properly used, and why it is a necessary tool in the rural parts of this country. Have the pro gun folks move to the city and see how our cities are overflowing with guns and gun violence. Then perhaps each side can start talking with each other, understanding each other.
Pholus
(4,062 posts)Seems to me you defined "gun culture" all by yourself.
It's someone capable of twisting out a logical pretzel that uses the absence of a gun to delineate a threat.
MadHound
(34,179 posts)Sure, that would be defined as a threat by a lot of people.
Pholus
(4,062 posts)You didn't say "gun grabber" or "gun controller" you said "non-gun owner"
Common Sense Party
(14,139 posts)Occupy. The Brady group. Those all have us vs. them cultures. We're the good guys; they're the bad guys. WE know what's right, they don't. Other opinions are mocked and minimalized.
I agree with your points, but it is helpful to realize that every group does this to some degree.
Tommy_Carcetti
(44,499 posts)But it is especially egregious amongst the gun enthusiast community, thanks in good part to their personal interpretations of the Second Amendment. When the question as to why someone might need a particular type of weapon, or a certain amount of weapons, or why they shouldn't be subjected to background checks or registries, or whatever the question is, the only answer you seem to get is, "The Second Amendment." That amendment--and what they personally believe it guarantees, regardless of court interpretation or historical documentation--is given almost religious type sanctity, and if one does something they believe counteracts that amendment, they are to be treated like a heretic.
Never mind that the United States Constitution is very much a human creation and that the Founding Fathers (spoken of in the same reverence as the ancient Olympian gods) were all human beings with a variable assortment of flaws to varying degrees. Never mind that it was a creation of a large amount of compromise. Nevermind that in its original form it sanctioned the notion that some human beings are "less than" other human beings, or that it failed to specifically enfranchise all citizens with the right to vote regardless of race or gender.
That our Constitution is a good one does not necessarily mean it was perfect from inception or somehow exempt from future interpretation based on the mores of the current day and age.
Yes, it is true that just about every interest group can be guilty of self-righteous sanctimony, but the gun enthusiast crowd are among the worst of the worst offenders.
Rex
(65,616 posts)Or has a hobby or habitually packs heat on their hip? I would think it could include everyone from the person that owns a gun, to the person that owns a gun and shoots it at a firing range, daily. Just my speculation.
MadHound
(34,179 posts)I own a few guns, but don't feel like I'm part of the gun culture. I believe in stricter gun control measures, don't carry a gun on me when I'm out and about, yet I do enjoy skeet shooting, target shooting, and use my guns as the tools they are.
Rex
(65,616 posts)I use to hunt deer and own 3 firearms right now, am I part of the gun culture? I don't ever plan on hunting again and the pistols are in a drawer probably never to be fired again either.
So let us narrow down the meaning some.
MadHound
(34,179 posts)That's why I thought your definition was overly broad.
Rex
(65,616 posts)I will agree with that. Maybe someone that goes to gunshows and collects guns? Maybe knows the history of some of them.
LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)Rationalizing to oneself all but the most heinous marketing of firearms, uses of firearms, collections of firearms, equating it to a screwdriver one day, equating it to salvation the next, justifying the deaths of 20 six year old school children as merely a part and parcel of the price we have to pay for freedom, arguing that gun violence is declining on a thread dealing specifically with deaths of 20 six year old school children, those who hunt yet idealize a distinction with no difference between that and canned-hunts, implying that only good news about guns is relevant news, thinking that a large amount of people are out to get your guns, calling anyone who disagrees with RKBA premise a "gun grabber", denying that a twenty gun collection is not, in fact, an arsenal, etc.
And about a thousand other descriptors I've read on DU. But that's merely my opinion. Maybe you could also ask the clever questions "what's a progressive?" and receive the same amount of answers.
From where I sit, if I presume that 20 different people will give me 22 different answers to one question, I'm either fishing with smelly bait or simply a petulant idiot....
galileoreloaded
(2,571 posts)predilections by framing an argument as a public safety issue despite a very low incident rate by population.
additionally, its a term used to shame and stifle. in the future, just attaching the word "culture" to any self directed agenda item (generally born of irrational fear) will be used with lesser and lesser effect forcing other shaming terms to evolve.
ex: "whats with all the carbohydrate culture". or say if yoghurt is found to be a carcinogen "this is a direct result of yoghurt culture"
"yoghurt culture" also having the benefit of being a clever pun.
maxsolomon
(38,729 posts)They're so persecuted by the unarmed authoritarians. Whatever did they do to deserve such unwarranted oppression? Perhaps we need to have an armed rebellion to protect their liberties.
Compare us to more rational developed nations who limit access to firearms, and our 'incident rate by population' is markedly higher. Here's where you tell me that England's knife attack rate is higher than ours, or maybe that you don't care what happens in Europe, because America is EXCEPTIONAL.
galileoreloaded
(2,571 posts)your fears of not being able to take care of yourself. a common lament.
Tommy_Carcetti
(44,499 posts)....members of the gun culture (read: not simply anyone who owns a gun, but those who draw a great sense of personal identity out of being a gun owner) do a god job of shaming and stifling themselves. No need for anyone else to do it for them.
galileoreloaded
(2,571 posts)but you aren't part of the "problem"....as you describe the problem.
solipsism.
Tommy_Carcetti
(44,499 posts)But I'm smart enough to know that there's a difference between a) someone who might own a gun, and b) a person who owns multiple guns, goes to gun shows every other weekend, considers themselves a "collector" of modern day/non-antique guns, takes multiple pictures of his gun and posts it on Facebook, engages in heavy discussion on the internet about their gun, engages in heavy discussion on the internet about self-perceived threats to gun ownership by the government, and so on and so forth, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
Me smarter than you think me is.
galileoreloaded
(2,571 posts)Tommy_Carcetti
(44,499 posts)I'm not a hunter (my dad did some hunting, and I grew up in a rural area where it was common.)
While hunting isn't necessarily my thing, I don't have a problem with it so long as it is viewed as a sport. A sport means you can win and lose. Sometimes you win--you bag the deer--and sometimes the deer wins (it gets away). Hence I always have to scratch my head at people who think hunting should be done with semi-automatic rifles like a AR-15 instead of a single shot, bolt action shotgun.
And I have no problem with an adult hunter taking his elementary aged child along with him when he hunts. That's perfectly acceptable in my book. Children that age often want to be a part of what their parent is doing, even if they cannot actually do it themselves. (For example, my dad would fly Cessna planes for fun. He'd take me up with him and let me "take the yoke" and steer the plane. Of course, if you know anything about Cessnas and most other planes, both sides of the plane have their own yoke and he never let his hands off of his.)
I just have to draw the line at gun companies selling those elementary aged children a "me sized" rifle of their own.
Electric Monk
(13,869 posts)
spin
(17,493 posts)if you know that an AR-15 is not a fully automatic weapon.
You are definitely a member of the gun culture if you know what the "06" stands for in .30-06 and what the "-30" stands for in .30-30.
alarimer
(17,146 posts)No difference.
Rednecks = right wing fundamentalist ignorant assholes with guns.
Tommy_Carcetti
(44,499 posts)Last edited Fri May 3, 2013, 07:37 AM - Edit history (1)
Some of the biggest exhibitors of the "gun culture" mentality that I know personally are suburban white collar types. They'll be living in a gated community with a low crime rate, and they'll still need multiple guns to keep themselves safe (or to keep on hand for the coming revolution, apparently).
This type of thinking knows no socio-economic boundaries.
hack89
(39,181 posts)you will mainly see college educated professions - competitive target shooting can be an expensive sports. As befitting New England, the majority are Dems.
Niceguy1
(2,467 posts)?
Lizzie Poppet
(10,164 posts)Far too many folks who would (quite rightly) object to blatant bigotry against, say, African-Americans or Jews, see nothing wrong with pouring out hate and vitriol towards a certain segment of economically disadvantaged, less-educated whites. They're bigots, but if you call them on it, epic hissyfits invariably occur.
Fuck 'em.
I believe this is probably the most ignorant and bigoted post in this thread.
cherokeeprogressive
(24,853 posts)For others simple ownership brands you part of the "gun culture". Still others think if a person believes a gun can be used to protect life, limb, or property they're a "gun humper".
I'll tell you one thing though; I've been here since '05 and this is definitely the most fractured I've seen DU.
Bennyboy
(10,440 posts)People have guns in every country but not the level of violence. And that is the problem in the US.
The God we worship is violent.
We have thousands of "war Heroes" (most of which are fictitious movie heroes who ironically were never ever in the service or war)and NO PEACE heroes (And the one we had, MLK, was ironically gunned down in a hail of gunfire) and another, Worldwide Peace hero, (John Lennon) was also gunned down in the street.
The games we play are violent.
the movies we watch are violent. the more violent they are the more people watch them.
The TV is filled with violence 24 hours a day all day everyday. Murder after murder.
the sports we watch are violent with the violent part being the parts we like best (The huge hits in football, the wrecks in racing)
It is all of those things. Poor parenting. the availability of guns. it is all of that and more too and nobody gets out of the blame, it is all of that.
Niceguy1
(2,467 posts)part of the gun culture if they don't know hundred percent agree with whatever gun control topic is being discussed
morningfog
(18,115 posts)
PD Turk
(1,289 posts)I don't know if you'd ever find a consensus on whet the term means. I guess to some, I might be considered part of the "gun culture". To others I may simply be an antique collector. Most of the weapons I own are 19th century arms and modern replicas. I have a real affinity for single action revolvers and lever action rifles. I have a few more modern arms, 1911 Colt, Browning Hi Power and a Ruger 10-22 also. My collection isn't as big as it once was, I sold some of them off several years ago.
I have no interest in the modern "assault style" rifles as some like to call them. Nothing against those that like them, just not my cup of tea.
These days I mostly shoot .22LR. It's cheap and fun target shooting. I have a Henry Golden Boy with a large loop lever that I spend a lot of time plinking at cans with.
On the other hand, I don't hang around at the gun store and range and I've never made a run on semi-auto rifles, magazines or ammo because I was afraid there would be a shortage because of such and such law. I don't carry a gun with me everywhere I go. I fully support background checks for all sales, new and used, both dealers and private.
And yes, there are a couple pieces I am currently lusting after. I want an authentic Spencer .50 Carbine and a Colt 1851 Navy
Skip Intro
(19,768 posts)
The Straight Story
(48,121 posts)I worked in the reloading industry for a spell. We had customers all over the world who would buy our reloading equipment.
These were people who went not only to gun shows on a regular basis (many to sell items) but also were at ranges on a regular basis. This was their main hobby.
Target shooting, sport (competition), and hunting.
I am not sure 'culture' is as fitting as hobby. My dad gets bass master magazine and you read about people there who fish every chance they get, make their own lures, go to tournaments, buy the latest in technology, etc. It is what they love doing.
People who don't enjoy such a thing tend to think others should not like what they don't like, so they attempt to find ways to refer to such people in negative terms.
Some like everything to do with cars and can tell you every part of engine and how to tweak it. Guess it is a car culture thing.
Less than 1% of gun owners use them in a way to harm others - by which some judge the rest. They desire control over what other people do in their free time for fun. And those many people don't like the idea of someone else controlling them, which is why many vote for those who tell them it's ok to have a hobby you enjoy.
One could post 39 million plus stories a day about people who do nothing wrong with their guns. But then does not help the propaganda efforts to smear a large group (something we don't see as ok when it comes to other groups, like muslims - then it is seen as being a bad thing).
onehandle
(51,122 posts)...embedded at a 'librul' board, spewing their NRA talking points, careful not to go 'over the line.'
A few of them lost their shit after Newtown and were tombstoned. But some of them, and their sockpuppets still pollute DU.
SidDithers
(44,333 posts)
pintobean
(18,101 posts)In his OP, he claimed it was fact, but when asked why he didn't report it, he claimed:
I just wrote it off as a bs story that invalidated his OP.
Good for admin.
cali
(114,904 posts)<snip>
n 1970, after a visit to his studio by gallerists Leo Castelli and Ileana Sonnabend (at the urging of his close friend and collaborator Robert Rauschenberg) he was offered a solo show by Sonnabend to open her newest gallery. When Bradshaw told Sonnabend that he had shifted his focus from painting to explosion performance and chose not to paint the 12 paintings she asked for, Sonnabend expressed her opinion that explosion art was not something that could be sold. This changed the course of Bradshaw's art career, but having grown up with a passion for guns and a natural talent for marksmanship it was only a matter of time before his art evolved from painting on canvas into explosion performance and shot steel.
During the 1970s, David Bradshaw further explored the integration of his passion for shooting with his passion for creating art. He worked extensively with large sheets of treadplate steel and dynamite to create both free standing and wall mounted sculpture. He even experimented at times with blasting rock. Shooting became a more integral part of his medium. In 1972, after pounding the keys of an upright piano until they no longer made any sound Bradshaw and choreographer Steve Paxton dragged the piano into a field at which time he shot it once and declared it dead. This would be the precursor to his "fulmination" sculpture (as described by art critic and writer Jill Johnston), Piano, which he created in July 2005 over two days with the help of 2000 rounds of ammunition and 60 friends and family members.
<snip>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Bradshaw
Honestly, I can't think about guns without thinking about Bradshaw:
"Don't go out in the field, kids. David is shooting"
then there's the time we were all eating dinner he'd prepared in the Main House kitchen. Spaghetti and meat sauce. Made from horse meat from Lauralynn's horse that had been hit by a car and that he'd put down with his trusty ruger. Of course, most of us had no idea why the smirks from Misha and David- including LauraLynn- until halfway through dinner when he told us.
and the time he shot up the dock as performance art before blowing it sky high with dynamite
and you all though hippies on communes were just peaceful pot smoking love and peace.
Paladin
(32,354 posts)View the short film of Rick Perry, shown prior to his speech at the NRA convention in Houston. The footage of him knocking down metal targets at the range with the military-styled semi-auto, high-capacity magazine included. (You won't have any problem finding it, it's all over the place, online.) Pay particular attention to Perry's facial expressions. If you think that film is really cool and enjoyable, you're part of the Gun Culture. If that footage makes you want to laugh and then throw up, you're probably---I emphasize probably---not part of the Gun Culture. (I use the "probably" because some of our resident DU Gun Enthusiasts still appear to retain a small capability for being embarrassed).