Why the NRA is more monstrous than you think

[NutmegYankee]

82. There are a lot of distinctions that have to be made.

For instance, what is considered "traditional styled" for hunting was once military style. One would be hard pressed to distinguish a Mauser K98 or Springfield 1903 from a modern hunting rifle. I personally prefer bolt action rifles, because I have a historical interest in them. I've never bought one though as mine are hand-me-downs. One of them is my hunting rifle. The other I'd like to restore as it's showing a lot of signs of age. The only firearm I ever purchased was a replica of a much older firearm, again because of my interest in early 20th century firearms.

You mention "semi-auto" pistols but don't distinguish that they are also the most common pistols used for target shooting competitions. I have two early post-war 1911s that have been upgraded over the years specifically for target shooting. The 1911 is a semi-auto pistol, but is also an antique design that is over 100 years old. I used to do a lot of target shooting competitions, but a debilitating physical injury has limited my ability to do that and I may need surgery to correct the condition.

I'm basically a collector/traditional gun owner. When Conn. passed the gun control law in 2013 to ban assault rifles and restrict magazine sizes in response to Sandy Hook, I wasn't impacted at all. If I chime in and push back at times it's because I see the vilification of gun owners as a danger to me. I have firearms on their 4th generation of family ownership and some of the fanatical views I have seen threaten that family tradition. It's insulting to be treated like I'm a right-winger by some on DU when I'm probably a stronger more active Democrat than them combined.