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

[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.