There's No Way To Poll This... So Let's Get Real... Why Do YOU Own Gun... If You Do...

[WillyT]

I do not.

[fathom5]

1. To put meat on my families table,

to protect my family, to enjoy the the pleasure of target shooting.
Anything else?

[WillyT]

5. How Often Do You Put "Meat On The Table" In That Way ???

Once a day... once a week... once a month... once a year ???

[Glassunion]

9. What does that matter?

[WillyT]

19. Actually... It Says A Whole Bunch...

[Glassunion]

21. Well then please elaborate on each.

What if they put food on the table, once a day, once a week, once a month, or once a year? What exactly would that say?

[oldhippie]

34. Yes, I'd like to hear that also. nt

nt

[fathom5]

23. Every chance I get.

I hunt game birds, dove, quail, pheasant, also deer, elk.
I try to keep our freezer full of delicious and organic meat.

[WillyT]

28. Went To The World's Fair In Vancouver In 1986...

Every country had it's own pavilion, but since Canada was hosting, each province had it's own pavilion.

The Alberta Pavilion was the best if you wanted to try wild game.

They had a buffet of deer, elk, moose, bear, etc. etc,

It was very informative.

[fathom5]

43. After reading up on what they stuff down the throats of these factory farm animals,

like cattle, chickens, we made the decision to go totally organic, much healtier, and we've actually noticed it.

Both myself and my wife have lost weight, our stamina and endurance have significantally improved.

We'll never go back to store bought meat and now we're starting our own vegetable garden.

[appleannie1]

127. Make sure you use non GMO seed. I have canned and frozen fruits and vegetables for 50 years or so.

They taste so much better than what you buy in the stores.

[Scootaloo]

38. Samereason I used to own guns

Subsistence living in Alaska - if you didn't have a moose in your freezer, winter gets very expensive.

Then I moved to a place where I can buy food at sane prices, and sold my guns.

[fathom5]

55. Have you read up on what they chemicals they shoot into domestically raised animals?

When I did, I was horrified at what my family was eating.
It was then that myself and my wife decided to go truly organic, only meat harvested from the wild and we're starting our own vegetable crops next year.

But, I'm not ragging on you for your choice, if it suits you, then I'm ok with it, after all, it is all about freedom of choice, and if it works for you, then god bless you.

[Scootaloo]

60. Yup, I have.

Way I figure, our ancestors had no problem with picking up an antelope out of the dirt after hyenas had been chewing on it, and they seem to have done well enough to be grandparents to the rest of us. I don't think industrial agriculture is a good idea - in fact I'm steadily coming to the belief that agriculture itself is what's going to doom modern humanity. But I'll put up with what's on my plate.

THat said, I eat a lot fewer things that have parents these days, and favor the local organic farms when I do

[BainsBane]

72. That's why I buy pasture raised meat

locally raised. I eat less meat and buy better quality.

[fathom5]

75. And that's what it's all about.

Eating better and healthier.
We don't have any good stores that carry healthy foods where I live, it's a 2 hour drive to a city that might
have a good health food store.

[BainsBane]

76. There is absolutely nothing wrong with hunting, IMO

It's far more humane than the conditions mass market livestock live under.

If you live in a rural area, you can probably find a rancher who sells his meat, if you decide you want something besides game. I know some people who buy their meat directly from the farm.

[BainsBane]

88. You would do best to look locally

Do a google search for your state. See what's around. You can probably have stuff shipped across the country, but if you can buy it closer to home, why not?

[oneshooter]

85. I raise my own beef, slaughter a steer twice a year. Hunt deer, squirrels, occasional rabbit.

Raise Angora Goats for cash, and Mexican goats for food.

[BainsBane]

87. Cool

[hollowdweller]

99. That's cool. Angoras

My buddy used to have Angoras. She was a spinner.

I have saanens. Do quite a bit of cheese making.

[Eleanors38]

66. Funny, my costs to fill my freezer with deer are less per lb than beef.

Right here in Texas. Make good friends & split the food, gas & beer costs. Healthier and better for the economy.

[hunter]

69. I've put "meat on the table" with guns. I didn't like it.

Hell, I don't even like fishing anymore.

I will eat animals my family or friends have killed, so I'm not entirely a vegetarian. (My wife is, and one kid's SO.) But I feel like I can't politely be vegetarian in my family. Dad caught this fish. Cousin shot this pig. Friend made this sausage. I eat it. It tastes good.

But we do thank the animal spirits, as much as we do the Great Spirit. Christian God if you like.

Thank you Fish, thank you Cattle, thank you free range Fowl, thank you Goat, thank you nasty, nasty dangerous destructive California feral Hog who doesn't belong here.

My great grandma was an amazing woman with a knife. She could cut up fish, fowl, or or any smaller animal before the wood stove was hot. It's one of my early childhood memories: Great grandma with a knife cutting up fish, chickens, and various small mammals for dinner.

Yeah, I know, I'm a hypocrite. My dogs eat old dairy cows and factory farm laying chickens in their dog food but I thank these animal spirits too.

"Guns??? Protection???" Yeah, right. The bad guys have more experience shooting people, and even when they don't they are far more reckless or suicidal than you'd ever be.

I've NEVER been in a situation where me having a gun might have improved things, and I've been in some pretty bloody situations where other people did have guns. A tumbling ricochet bullet past your ear is an unforgettable sound.

If you like target shooting, get an air gun.

If you like things that go "BANG!" experiment with rockets. It's win-win. When they fly you win, when they go "BANG!" you still win.

I like things that go "BANG!"

My best dumb-ass teenager experience ever was my brother picking shrapnel out of my back. We told my mom I fell in the brambles. She knew that was bullshit, but since I was the only one hurt by my own stupidity, and it was nothing worthy of the Emergency Room, she did not press the issue.

[Logical]

78. So you would go hungry otherwise? nt

[Logical]

102. I get it

[NYC_SKP]

2. Dear WillyT:

Would it be too much to ask you to read the SOP for GD and then maybe post this in a guns group instead?

Some posts are really important, of a national concern, while this seems to be a DU insider gun question.

What do you say?

Ask this question in the RKBA and I'll answer it.

It'll be boring, but I'll answer!

[WillyT]

14. We STILL Have The Gun Exception From SandyHook (Unless I'm Mis-Reading)...

What I want to know... is how many are fearful of their neighbors, the others, or the government.

I've shot many many guns... but have no need to own one.

[Robb]

20. ...

Two entwined calculations motivate the temporary silence. The first is simple self-preservation. The gun lobby is at its weakest when crazy people use the weapons they’ve made so easily obtainable to slaughter innocents in public places.

The second is more oblique. Mass shootings breathe new life into arguments for gun control, and one way to suffocate them is to feign propriety and indignation — to shame adherents into saying nothing until the public has moved on.

Thus, nothing is more offensive to a conservative after a mass shooting — with the exception, perhaps, of the killer’s action itself — than any effort to tie it to arguments about gun control.

Read More: http://www.salon.com/2013/09/17/how_to_silence_the_nra/

[NYC_SKP]

31. You need to write a screenplay, Robb. Or a trilogy or some similar extensive epic creative work.

You have a fantastic imagination and more passion about the topic than most.

An outlet for these ideas, like a movie or a book, might be a great idea.

I'd pay to see the movie or read the book!

[NYC_SKP]

26. I just thought I'd try asking nicely.

I give up thinking that the admins will return to the former attitude that people would like to read about other things.

And, really, ANY thread about guns can be rationalized to fit the very subjective exception.

So, carry on!

I still love you and your posts!

[Eleanors38]

68. As Malcolm X said, "It's a controlled show."

[hollowdweller]

33. I grew up in a gun family

My granddad was an avid gun trader, hunter and fisherman. So was my dad.

On Sunday's my dad would take me out to this old gunsmith's place that my granddad was friends with.

He lived in this huge hollow which is now, sadly a golf course and he had a range set up.

People would come and shoot and talk guns.

When I got old enough I got into hunting and used to go with my dad all the time.

A whole bunch of us would go out and camp out all week in a tent and deer hunt and laugh and tell tales and stuff.

Now, sadly the land we hunted on back then when I was about 27 was clearcut by the timber company that owned it and the hunting there was no more.....

I'd say of my dad, grand dad, and myself I'm definitely more of a collector than them. My granddad was into selling guns and making money he bought and sold all the time. My granddad was a huge coin collector though. My Dad had a few guns that he kept but he wasn't averse to selling them.

I think my first gun was an old bolt action 94 Swedish Mauser way overpowered for me at the time but I love antiques and old stuff. I still have it.

After Westvaco cut our hunting grounds and the old gunsmith had long since retired sold out his farm and moved to Florida my wife and I bought a bunch of land and now nobody can ever clearcut my hunting grounds. I have a gun range right by my house I can shoot at anytime I want.

My granddad is dead. My dad is really too old to hunt anymore so my wife and I are sort of it in the family. My brother still has guns but doesn't hunt anymore.

I have a gun for home defense but I feel safe without one. My state has concealed carry but I've never bothered to get a license because I feel safe. I'm not paranoid.

I just like guns. Shooting them, trying to do better than I did the last time. The satisfaction of harvesting some of your own food yourself off your own land. The history behind the old guns. The enjoyment of talking with other collectors or shooting with friends.

Some of my most fun times were shooting and camping with my dad, going to gun stores with him and my granddad and talking guns with all the old codgers there. So anytime I shoot or anything it's like going back.

I have a few semi auto guns but not many. No assault weapons. They don't interest me. They are made for a market no history to them like the old mausers or other old guns. Also to me there is a marksmanship aspect to it, so a semi auto because you have so many rounds you don't concentrate as much so you waste ammo.

I have an old Ruger Mark 1 semi auto .22 with a long barrel I like to shoot, made in 1964, but anymore I really enjoy revolver shooting and black powder because with the fewer rounds and the longer loading time you take your time shooting more and especially with the black powder gun there's a whole ritual to shooting it.

So there you go!

[NYC_SKP]

42. Like you....

I never understood the attraction to AR15s and the like.

I have grandpa's old octagon barrel 22WRF, a couple single barrel breakaway shot guns, a more modern 22 rifle and a 22 pistol I bought for plinking 20 years ago.

Haven't fired any of them in decades, literally.

Funny, a lot of people think I'm a gun nut because I argue in favor of the Second Amendment and for expansion of smart gun laws, but against a total ban on guns, which many want.

I'm against the English and Australian solution. So I am a gun nut.

LOL.

I enjoyed reading your history, and sad that developers ruined your old woods, but glad to hear you're sitting on new and protected land.

[hollowdweller]

98. I have some monster oaks.

To go off topic a bit all the neighbors around me have had their woods timbered but me.

Having my original hunting grounds clearcut and seeing the treestand I got my first buck in cut down and piled up to burn made me feel about logging like some here feel about guns, and I was a forestry major!

Most of my neighbors have had their places timbered. When I walk in my woods I tell the trees they are safe as long as I am alive. I want to try to find a way to pass on my land to a church, or school or some organization as long as they promise never to cut the trees.

All my trees are friends. You know you have lived somewhere a while when you can actually appreciate an increase in the diameter of a tree!

[NYC_SKP]

100. Great idea!

I believe that you can modify your deed to require future owners treat the trees as sacred.

I don't know how universal this is, but I learned it in one of my classes toward a degree in architecture.

The example used was that one could modify a deed to say, for example, that any structure ever build on the property much have pink trim.

If true, I don't see why you couldn't do the same in protection of your trees. You can also work with the Trust for Public Land or The Nature Conservancy to see about willing your property over as a publicly held natural sanctuary, I think.

[hunter]

108. Dear NYC_SKP:

How do you like me and mine with guns? Bunch of fucking Wild West crazies, all of us.

But no worries, ours is a gun free household.

Just watch out for the downstairs neighbors--

Spot, Doug, and Louise







We are civilized people. We live upstairs from them.

Doug is the only one you've really got to worry about. He can twist your mind worse than a bad acid trip.

[NYC_SKP]

109. LOL at #2!

And good old Spot.

Good times, old black and white shows.

[hunter]

112. One of my great grandmas...

More dangerous than Spot, and nowhere near the worst.

I had one great grandma who could shoot any man and call the county sheriff-coroner to clean up the mess and file the proper paperwork.

I don't want to live in that world.

[Heidi]

113. Are you making that request as a GD host?

The reason I ask is because I believe the OP is "really important" and "of national concern," and I think it would be a shame if a GD host were popping in--without host consensus--to imply that OPs on certain topics were in violation of the GD SOP.

[Throd]

3. Self protection.

[WillyT]

6. Really ??? - Where Do You Live ???

[Throd]

11. El Dorado County, CA

The Sheriff deputies could be here in one minute, or fifteen minutes in a 911 situation.

[WillyT]

16. Just A Few Minutes From You...

But never felt the need.

[NYC_SKP]

27. I did not know that!

Can't be much further from me then!

[Jesus Malverde]

62. el dorado county "come on vacation, leave on probation"..nt

[hunter]

110. I've been living in worse places for more than a quarter century.

Doing my best to make things better.

But I could do a neighborhood walking tour of gang and innocent bystander murders.



Most all of these were with guns purchased legally at some point.

[NightWatcher]

4. I never got rid of my work guns

Do we really want to do this?

Former federal investigator, owned a PI company, worked personal protection gigs. I never got rid of the work guns. I wont be buying anymore in the foreseeable future. Gun stores scare me with all the noobs waving their dicks around. Too many people have no idea how to carry, handle, shoot a firearm.

[Uben]

7. I gotta bunch of em!

Inherited all but one, which is a colt .22 pistol for target shooting. Haven't shot any of em in 20 yrs. They stay locked up in a safe till I can pass em on down the line when I go. Oldest is an 1887 Colt .44-40 six shooter.

[Llewlladdwr]

8. Because I enjoy shooting.

It's that simple.

[Mnemosyne]

10. I inherited 5 rifles and shotguns when Mom died. I immediately sold them to a dealer,

because I suffer from very severe depression at times and was afraid to have them in the house.

The young man, age 35, that was buying my house from me on land contract, used a rifle to kill himself there about three weeks ago. I am heart-broken.

I also lost my grandfather to suicide by shotgun in 1985.

I hate guns.

[hollowdweller]

46. You my friend are a wise person.

Sad the young guy and your granddad didn't make the same smart decision.

[OriginalGeek]

12. I inherited 2 rifles from my father in law

neither has been fired in probably 15 years and never by me.

I have a current and valid license to carry a concealed weapon but I don't own any weapons other than the two unfire-able rifles and I doubt I could conceal either one. I just wanted to have the license so I took the classes and paid the fee. I may never buy a handgun. I'm in no hurry to own one but if I decide one day I want to, I can.

One day I will inherit my grandfather's WWII issue .45. He was in the Army Air Corps and then retired from the Air Force and I will be proud to own his service weapon that he never once even loaded, much less fired. Once I have it I will continue the tradition of never firing it but I will polish it up some and maybe mount it in a display case. I'll have to find out how to disable it though - if I can without permanently damaging it. If there is no way to do that I will just lock it away.

[Half-Century Man]

48. Pull the firing pin

and store it somewhere else.

[hollowdweller]

49. If it's a Colt 1911 45 ACP

It's totally simple to remove the firing pin.


Funny story. My granddad had a neighbor who beat his wife and was drunken all the time.

One time he was in the street with a gun threatening his wife and my granddad went over to try to talk some sense to him.

He was pissed and put the shotgun to my granddad's chest and pulled the trigger.

But he didn't kill him because at his wife's request my grandfather had gone over some time previously and removed the firing pins in all his guns so he didn't hurt himself. The guy just drank he didn't hunt or anything so he had never noticed!

[OriginalGeek]

67. It is a 1911 based on the Colt design

but was actually manufactured by Remington.


And that's kinda more of a scary story than a funny story! lol, but I guess if he was the one who pulled the pins then he knew it and could be funny.

[tech3149]

83. I'm in the same position as you

My dad's were all WW2. I knew they were still around the house when he died but really had no interest since I was like 14. I kept the two rifles and my sister the 9mm Walther.
I keep the guns more as a memorial but take them out to shoot now and again.
I made a nice rack to hang them in the bedroom. Most of the guys in the flying club love to get a chance to shoot them when I get them out of the house.
If you're not going to shoot them don't do serious damage to disable them. Just something simple like removing the firing pin. Most gun shops around me would do it for free.

[OriginalGeek]

101. Sounds like a good plan

I would like to go shoot at the range some time. I don't think I have much interest in hunting but I've never been so maybe I shouldn't dismiss it out of hand. But I know I'm not shooting any of these guns. I'll see about the pins and if/when I want to shoot, I'll get something new.

A couple years ago we went to visit some of my wife's family in Indiana and one of her cousins is a gunsmith who lives on several hundred acres so we had some pretty good fun shooting at cans. With an Uzi.

[Kaleva]

13. target shooting

[Seeking Serenity]

15. Because I want to. (n/t)

[onehandle]

17. Ta keep th' revenuers off mah propertee! nt

[oldhippie]

18. Because I can

I find intricate pieces of machinery fascinating. I build and tinker with guns. I don't hunt or shoot much. Only shoot to prove function or work on improving performance. I also tinker with cars, trucks, motorcycles, mechanical watches and radios. It's an engineer thing.

[WillyT]

22. Best Answer... I Find Them Fascinating As Well... Just Never Felt The Need To Own One...

It's like firecrackers for adults.

Just that some adults cannot handle them.

[oldhippie]

30. I don't need just one .....

I want to have and tinker with at least one of each type. Not sure how many I have now since I sold a few lately, probably down to twenty-something. Each has it's style and purpose.

Some are just classics. Having an an M1, AR, and a Browning O/U shotgun, and a 1911 and a Glock and a Ruger revolver is the same as a car enthusiast having a Corvette and a Porsche and a Jeep CJ5 and an XKE Jag and a '57 Chevy, etc. And guns are cheaper (usually.)

[Oakenshield]

57. I dont own one. Sorely doubt I ever will.

My brother owns a couple though. 1 shotgun, 2 rifles, and 2 pistols. He has a lot of fun at the range, and makes his own bullets too. He supports strong gun regulations, and sees plenty of ways our current system could be improved upon. He's one of the good ones I think. Pretty responsible.

As for myself, I might have ended up the same way if not for a very tense situation. I believed a break-in was occurring at our house. I'd been warned the day prior that a break-in might occur. Fearful, I'd accessed my brother's gun and prepared to confront or otherwise scare away the intruder. To bring this unpleasant story to a swift conclusion I will just say that it was a false alarm. No shots were fired, and the barrel of the gun was always pointed at the floor. Some people might call that a happy enough ending, but not me.

When it comes to guns, I never stop thinking about what might have happened that day. How easily things might have gone horrifically wrong. Maybe I should just be content with the knowledge that I managed not to hurt anyone, or myself, but nope. After that I resolved never to own a gun. They're just too damn quick. Too easy. Too god damn dangerous.

[badtoworse]

79. For the same reason a dog licks his nuts

[WCLinolVir]

24. I do.

I do because I am a woman who has survived two assaults, and I used to go camping a lot, and photography
is a hobby of mine so I carry it in case of wild animals. I once developed a picture and was surprised to see a mountain lion in the picture about 30 ft away. It was long exposure so after setting up the shot, I was looking elsewhere. I am glad I have one just in case. I also worry about stray dogs attacking my cats.
I grew up in a home that had guns as my step father was a deer hunter. We were taught gun safety and had a healthy respect of them.
I do see it as a potential liability as well. I support stricter gun laws, background checks, and assault bans.

[orpupilofnature57]

32. Knowing there are gun owners like you, makes me feel safe .

All your reasons for owning a gun make perfect sense as does your opinion of gun laws, people like you diffuse the polarization of the subject .

[WCLinolVir]

44. Thanks. I wish it wasn't so polarizing.

[orpupilofnature57]

25. Nor I, but when I ask, I'm told, " because it's my right "

for protection, recreation, collectivity, and first and foremost hunting .Never has anyone told me Murder, rape, theft,intimidation,and to make up for a feeling of inadequacy ,and I believe those are All the reasons people have guns, oh yes , because my whoever willed it to me .

[cherokeeprogressive]

29. Inherited some, purchased some. Occasional hunter; regular target shooter.

I love the slightly gamey taste of non-farm raised meat.

I love shooting at targets.

I love the craftsmanship of well made firearms.

I can.

[WillyT]

39. Oh... I Loved Target Shooting !!! - My Gramps Had A...

Spinning half-inch metal squirrel target off the deck at our family reunions growing up.

.22 caliber bolt-action rifle.

Later in life .38, .44, AK-47... something called a "Streett- Sweeper"...

Among others...

Fascinating yeah... want to own one... NO.

[cherokeeprogressive]

52. I absolutely respect your wish not to own a firearm. Do you respect my wish to own one?

I have a .22 bolt-action. No .38, no .44, never fired an AK (doesn't mean anything to me) or an AR (not interested in that either). I think the "Street Sweeper" is a 12-guage? Meh. Doesn't do anything for me. I do have a 12-guage, but it's strictly for bird hunting as well as skeet and trap.

As I said, I absolutely respect your decision not to own them. What a country, huh?

[wercal]

35. Target Shooting and Protection

I live in the middle of nowhere. My guns offer me a last gasp chance at protecting myself.

[SQUEE]

36. For work, and because I am a recreational and sport shooter, and to be honest

the words Never Again...But those are less important than the simple fact that I can, and for some reason that just seems to climb all over some people.

I have quite a few firearms, many of them NFA items, so I have had extensive background checks, paid extra taxes on them, on my own hook have had considerable schooling, besides my time at the Ft. Benning School for Wayward Boys. Instruct others on safe and proper usage, with an eye to providing a bias neutral course of training.
I keep all my tools secure, especially the firearms, as required BY LAW in the case of suppressors, SBRs and AOWs.
Facts are I am an avid shooter, and gun geek and will not apologize for it, nor allow some collective guilt of others misdeeds to placed upon my interests.

[oldhippie]

41. "Gun geek" ......

Good term. That's me also. I just got into the NFA stuff. Got one item and waiting for three more stamps due in the next couple weeks. Damn things are expensive, though.

[Glassunion]

37. Because I paid for it.

Therefore it would only seem right that I become its owner.

[Duckhunter935]

40. I like to target shoot

It is a great sport. Even the Olympics have target shooting as a sport. Locked up in my safe now.

[hobbit709]

45. I own 6 guns. 2 rifles, 3 shotguns and one revolver.

I inherited them. They're in the back of the closet covered in dust. There's a possibility that there may be about a dozen rounds of ammo total for them in a drawer. Personally I wouldn't attempt to fire any of them until they've been given a thorough cleaning. I personally haven't fired a weapon in damn near 40 years.

[Vanje]

47. Butchering sheep

I raise sheep, and eat them too, on occasion.
Its hard to cut and wrap a leg of lamb until the original user has left this earthly realm.
I usually use a knife for the kill, but sometimes, if the animal is flighty, or if large horns impede the knife's access to the jugular, I use a 22.

I suppose I would use my rifle if I had a predator problem. Any of that trouble I've had so far, I've solved by hollering or sending a dog after the predator.

I have one gun. Dont need any more. Its uncomplicated single-shot 22. rifle that was my grandpas, then my Dads. Mine now.
Its not for shooting people.

[flvegan]

50. Home protection. n/t

[Texasgal]

51. I own a gun that was given to me by my father

when I went away to college in the "big city" back then.

It stays in my closet and I haven't touched it in years, The only times I have is when I've moved.

It most likely has dust on the box!

[Half-Century Man]

53. I always found long range shooting relaxing.

You have to be able to empty your mind and focus on each shot. I once put 16 out of 20 in a space about the size of a cigarette package at 750m. Best I ever did. Over 30 years ago.

[oldhippie]

54. So, are you getting the responses you expected?

No one has stepped in with the "I want to kill kindergarteners in school." Or, "I'm gonna shoot me some (enter ethnic slur of choice.)" Or the "I'm gonna keep the Govt from takin' muh guns!"

Where ARE those folks?

[NickB79]

59. Some people are gonna be shocked at how many on DU

Own and shoot guns regularly, I'd guess.

I'm seeing a lot of longtime DU'ers here too, not just 50-post newbies that could be accused of being trolls.

[Weiter]

56. Continuation of tradition and familial norms, carry over from work...

... and the fact that it costs me nothing except a few ounces on my hip and some time at the range to be prepared in case a situation arises in which I would need it.

It might, it might not... but it falls neatly in the camp of "Better to have and not need it than need it and not have it"

[NickB79]

58. I own a few rifles for hunting and target shooting

-A couple of .22 rimfire rifles I use for target practice and small game hunting.

-A couple of magnum pellet rifles I use for target practice and small game hunting. These aren't the old Daisy BB guns either; modern air rifles pack enough punch to rival old .22 Short rifles and can kill rabbits and squirrels easily at 40 yards!

-An AR-15 I use for game hunting and target practice (legal for deer and black bear here in Minnesota). It came with a few high-cap magazines, but I sold those for a bunch of 10-rd mags, as I felt they screwed up the balance of the rifle and weren't legal for hunting purposes either.

-I don't own a shotgun, but do shoot skeet occasionally with friends at the range, so I might pick up a 12-gauge when finances permit.

Mostly I enjoy shooting targets at the range or in my backyard (backyard shooting is only with the pellet rifles though). I guess I'd compare it to the satisfaction people get when they go golfing, or shooting hoops on the basketball court. It takes practice to make really precise shots, and it feels good when it all comes together to shoot a string of really good groups or when you hit a few clay pigeons in a row.

As for hunting, I feel it is much more humane and environmentally friendly to shoot a wild animal than eat livestock, even if that livestock was raised in relatively good conditions. I grew up on a small family farm which would be considered heavenly by modern factory farm standards, and even those animals were forced to suffer at times. I've tried cutting back my meat consumption, but don't see myself ever going vegetarian. A deer, a few dozen squirrels and rabbits, and a bunch of fish in the freezer really help stretch out the beans and rice Also, I live near a 250-acre Wildlife Management Area that is absolutely gorgeous. I spend more time walking it without a gun than with one, but it's still really nice to walk the woods and fields in autumn when non-hunters are frowned upon from entering.

The funny thing is, I actually had to use a gun in self-defense when I was younger, and yet do not feel the need to own a handgun or get a concealed-carry permit.

[Rex]

61. I have 3 guns, a pistol a rifle and a shotgun.

NONE of them are even close to my personal body, they are with relatives and not anywhere close enough to be of any aid to me at all. They are all passed down guns from family. I haven't seen any of them in years, the last one I had in hand was over 4 years ago.

Why do I own them? Good question, I don't have any of them near me for their supposed use.

I believe one relative is using the rifle for deer hunting, which is fine.

[Incitatus]

63. Yes.

I like target practice and also have a few nasty and unstable enemies. My weapons are kept in a very large safe that no amateur thief could possibly get into.

[PeteSelman]

64. I got rid of mine when I had kids.

Got a dog to protect the house.

Guns are simply too dangerous to have around when you have kids in the house. In my opinion anyway.

I can't give you one good reason why I had a gun previous to that. I didn't target shoot, I wasn't paranoid about break-ins, I'm not a hunter. Hells bells, I'm hard pressed to remember if I fired the damn thing on more than three occasions.

It was a useless tool in my possession.

[otohara]

84. Good Dad

especially if you have boys, they will go to great lengths to find the guns.

[ErikJ]

65. BB gun.

Looks like real rifle which is good enough.

[Adam-Bomb]

70. Yes, I own firearms

I don't care to hunt (or fish) but I love target shooting, which I get from my Dad.
He introduced me to the hobby.

Shot competitively off and on for years, handguns mostly. Bull's eye, IDPA, IPSC,
shot in the Army and Army Reserves. I shoot skeet, badly.

Got my Dad's firearms, too, now that he has Alzheimer's.

I have and use my concealed carry permit, to protect my family.

Own four handguns, three rifles and two shotguns, secure in a safe.

[Adsos Letter]

71. Like others have said, I grew up in a gun-owning family.

I still have a 20 gauge Winchester Model 12 shotgun that my grandpa gave me; a Ruger .357, a Remington .270, a Connecticut Valley Arms .50 cal black powder rifle, and a Soviet Tula Arsenal Mosin-Nagant.

All are secured, and I don't rely on them for protection.

EDIT: ...misspelled "Mosin"...

[Eleanors38]

73. Own 3 shotguns for small game (used frequently, 10 dove last wk),

2 rifles suitable for big game (2 deer/yr), an ancient (1905) auto-loading rifle, a heavy caliber revolver for bedside SD. Would like to put in more cheap range time, so I'm looking for a .22.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

74. Home Defense.

[OhioChick]

77. Home protection n/t

[Shrek]

81. Bird hunting

Also enjoy trap and skeet shooting.

[Ron Green]

86. I've grown away from them.

In the Army in the '60s I qualified on all the small arms and the .50 caliber; carried the M-14 and later the M-16. Over the years I've gotten rid of the shotgun (used to think it was for home protection), the 30-06 (never hunted much, and am almost done with meat), and the .22 pistol (target practice became a hassle when I moved into town.)

I'm starting to believe that people who put more energy into collecting, shooting and defending guns than they do working to build a more courageous and peaceful world are on the wrong path.

[MicaelS]

89. Home defense. n/t

[LittleBlue]

92. I own a S&W .357 revolver. Bought it because I felt like buying it

Now that I'm married, it's good for home protection and target practice is fun. My friend got me into it.

[davidpdx]

93. No, and never will

When I was 14 I fired a gun once at a range with my then mom's boyfriend.

I have lived in South Korea for 10 years where only the police and military have guns.

[brewens]

94. I'm in areas occasionally where some of the wildlife considers me to be food. I only have

really had one scary encounter but that was with a moose. There are bears and cougars around though.

Then at times I'm also running my sideline business booth with my girlfriend. I'm armed because of the large amount (to me) of cash we have.

[rrneck]

95. Owned one sort of gun or another since I was six years old.

At times in my life I have owned a gun for self defense, although I don't have that need now. I've hunted a bit but I don't really enjoy it. And it's fun to go to the range once in a while.

[ZombieHorde]

96. I owned one a long time ago for hunting.

After I realized I didn't really enjoy hunting, I sold it. That was my one and only gun, and I owned for less than a year. It was a 30-30 bolt action rifle.

[NutmegYankee]

97. Target Shooting/Hunting

I enjoy competitive shooting at paper targets or plates (handgun) and have done some deer hunting.

[Blue_In_AK]

103. I don't own a gun, never have,

but many of my liberal friends in Alaska do, mainly for hunting and for protection when hiking in bear country.

[doc03]

104. I used to hunt with them but haven't for several years. I really don't

have any reason to own them now. They could possibly be used for self defense but I never
have need one for that and doubt I ever will. I got rid of most of my guns and then my brother died and now I am stuck with more of them.

on edit: I took a trip out west this summer after seeing Montana, SD, Idaho, Wyoming and Utah I have a different perspective on why people in those regions are so opposed to gun laws. Your next door neighbor may be miles away not to mention any kind of law enforcement.

[99Forever]

105. Let me see...

... I got a 16 gun for framing homes...

... a coil gun for shingling and exterior trim...

.. a finish gun and brad gun for interior trim, and a staple gun for sheathing.


Do those count?

[sarisataka]

106. Several reasons

work- I do security consulting, training and some protection work

self defense- not a great neighborhood and some of the locals with checkered backgrounds are not big fans of someone on good terms with local PD

target shooting- it is very zen to focus on each individual shot, trying to end up with a target that has only one hole at the end of the day

hunting- though typically the animals are quite safe, I watch them and take more pictures than ever firing a shot

As for how many, I honestly do not know. My brother and I inherited a collection that is turning out to be quite large. There are some beautiful old guns in near mint condition.

[joshcryer]

107. Zombie apocalypse.

Duh.

[defacto7]

111. I used to own several.

I have always enjoyed target shooting and used to go to gun clubs with friends in Germany when I worked there. I grew up with guns as a kid while on family farms.

When I started having a family, both mine and adopted, I got rid of the lot. I don't want them around here with my kids. As time has passed, I have also realized that it's not that important to me. I have never seen it as hunting or personal protection and a target hobby is not worth the possibility that they could be stolen or involved in a household mistake.

I really like archery now; at least I'm working on it.

[sendero]

114. Last night..

.. I shot/killed a copperhead. Last week I shot/killed a cottonmouth.

I live in a very secluded place where a call to 911 would result in at least a 20 minute wait, if the sheriff/deputy found my house at all.

Now, I have many guns and I could probably get by with 2-3, but why should I? It's none of anyone's business.

[B Calm]

115. I use my 22 to shoot holes in a new burning barrel.

I use my 12 gauge to scare off raccoons and other varmints from eating the cat food.

[beevul]

117. Coyotes that have developed a taste for pomeranian meat, for one...

Coyotes that have developed a taste for pomeranian meat, for one.

Self defense/personal protection. I live in a "corridor" that typically is used by escapees from the local prison.

And target shooting for enjoyment.

[RandiFan1290]

118. I own guns because I am a liberal

in a country full of teabaggers and third way "democrats"

I plan on keeping them.

[hack89]

119. Recreation

competitive target shooting to be specific.

[aikoaiko]

120. Yes. Home defense, self-defense, recreation.

[Recursion]

121. When I did, to kill coyotes and snakes

Living on my grandfather's ranch in west Texas.

[pintobean]

122. Is this registry voluntary?

[4bucksagallon]

123. Until I moved here it was for meat on the table now it's self preservation.

For me, my family and our workers.

[oldhippie]

124. So, WillyT ....

What do you think of all your responses?

What I want to know... is how many are fearful of their neighbors, the others, or the government.

[Lizzie Poppet]

125. I do, and for multiple reasons.

I own two centerfire handguns (one fairly small, one not so small) for personal protection. The small one is my carry gun (CCW permit holder...), the other is for home.

I own one .22lr rimfire handgun, a "plinker" for recreational target shooting.

I own three rifles. One is a .22 that shoots the same ammo as the handgun directly above...and is used for the same purpose. Another is a centerfire semi-automatic used for the same purpose (and is sort of a "shit hits the fan" gun...but let's be real: it's astronomically unlikely to ever be used for any purpose than recreational shooting). The third is a "serious" rifle used for long range competition shooting.

Unless I'm carrying at the time, all are locked in a gun safe (something I think should be required of gun owners, actually). I practice weekly. I don't hunt.

[PD Turk]

126. Collecting and target shooting

I have a collection of antiques and replicas, most of them could commonly be called "cowboy guns". Lever action rifles and single action pistols. I used to shoot in some competitions, but these days I just like to shoot targets out back. A lot of the shooting I do with my pistols is done with wax bullets. During quick draw shooting, there is always the possibility of shooting oneself in the foot, and a wax bullet propelled only by a shotgun primer does a lot less damage than a regular .45 Long Colt round.

I also like to do some long range target shooting with my old rifles, just to see what I can hit way out yonder with a 19th century rifle. I live out in the country and have plenty of room to safely shoot on my place and the neighbor's place where I have permission to shoot, we often shoot rifle targets together.

[riqster]

128. Varmint control. nt

[Lurks Often]

129. Primarily for recreational purposes: target shooting, competition

and also self defense. I have a carry gun for the same reason I put the seatbelt on when I get in the car, while I do not expect to get into a car accident or need a gun, I recognize that the possibility exists that I might need the seatbelt or gun. If I KNEW BEFOREHAND I was going to need a gun, I'd call the police or not go to wherever it was that I would need the gun.