Do you own a gun? Why? Why not?

Of course. With little kids in the house, I feel much safer having a loaded gun right in my nightstand. I told them never to go in there, so I'm sure we're safe.

I do, and I have it because my father gave it to me (his father gave it to him, too). I plan on keeping it because... well, you never know. I'd rather have it and never use it than not have it and wish I did. Plus blowin' up mustard bottles is always fun.

The penis I was born with works just fine and is of sufficient length and girth, so I have no need for a compensatory surrogate.

No, I'm one mean SOB, so I don't need a gun to protect me. Besides studies show the owner of the gun or members of the household using do NOT benefit by having a gun.

I'm not a competition shooter or a hunter, so no. There are absolutely no other reasons to own a gun, and no reason at all for handguns to be available to the public.

I don't own a gun. I don't know anyone who owns a gun. I don't go to the homes of people who own guns. When one person I knew said he was going to buy one, I told him I'd never come back to his home again (the guy was a loose cannon in every sense of the word). When people have guns, they get used.

This is not a value judgement. It's just a matter of preference. I have absolutely no interest in guns. You can do what you want.

Yes, I own several firearms actually. All of them are for either hunting or trap and skeet shooting and are kept in a locked gun safe, ammunition is locked in another place away from where the guns are kept. I love the hunting and shooting sports and hope to pass that passion along to my childeren. I am ok with the second amendment and feel that it is a necessary freedom for a nation with a government that is supposed to be ruled "by the people for the people". Crime with firearms, well criminals are going to get their paws on firearms one way or another and I would just assume to have to ability to use lethal force against an adversiary than to not have that ability when the time comes.I advocate the safe and responsible use, handling, and storage of firearms, different companies are coming out with some amazing technology to make firearms safer, from built in trigger locks for sporting arms to electronic pin pad lock boxes for home defense weapons, they have come a long way.

I have a 22' and a shotgun. I use it for hunting: deer, turkey, squirrel, rabbits, and any other critter that I can eat. My view is that the meat of a wild animal is much more healthy and nutritious than the caged overweight animal meat they sell at the grocery stores. I do not shoot an animal unless I can eat the meat. I always follow the regulations.

I love guns - they are engineering marvels. I love the way they look, feel, and the power they transfer to my insecure sense of self.

However, I do not own one because I have a young family...the chance of a firearm accident far outweigh the chance that I'll ever need one for protection - case closed to debate.

If I lived alone, I would own several guns.

I have in the past, but I don't right now. I've thought about getting one in recent months, especially after I hear stories about home invasions when the residents are in the house and all kinds of terrible things happen. The problem is, if I get a gun and keep it in a safe place and someone breaks into my house, I probably wouldn't have enough time to get the gun ready so it could be worthless.

I do sleep with a baseball bat next to my bed and I think that would be somewhat effective.

I went hunting once, found it to be a total waste of time. Shooting something with a high powered rifle does NOT seem like a sport to me. When the animals can fire back at you, then I will consider it a challenge. Now bow hunting I think would be a challenge, at least you have to have a little skill to kill something with a bow and arrow.

Both of these combined = my responseThe penis I was born with works just fine and is of sufficient length and girth, so I have no need for a compensatory surrogate.

Camoo wrote:

I don't own a gun. I don't know anyone who owns a gun. I don't go to the homes of people who own guns. When one person I knew said he was going to buy one, I told him I'd never come back to his home again (the guy was a loose cannon in every sense of the word). When people have guns, they get used.

This is not a value judgement. It's just a matter of preference. I have absolutely no interest in guns. You can do what you want.

What a bunch of crap1) guns when the second amendment was written were quite a bit different than today's guns2) a gun will really help you stand up to a government that has nuclear weapons, heat seeking missiles, etc.

NagelMan wrote:

I am ok with the second amendment and feel that it is a necessary freedom for a nation with a government that is supposed to be ruled "by the people for the people". .

Swing low wrote:

Besides studies show the owner of the gun or members of the household using do NOT benefit by having a gun.

FYI: Worst line ever in an argument without a citation.

Another person said besides hunting or target shooting there is no reason to own a gun/handgun. I'm a fisherman from Florida, so this is relevant to me and I can guarantee you that the captain of this boat wished he had a handgun accessible. Instead the captain, his wife and crew are rotting on the sea floor.

I own a gun, but not really by any concious decision of my own. My grandfather was an avid hunter and owned a few shotguns for said activity. When he died, I just kind of ended up with one of them. We keep it, along with the few that my father inherited in a locker in the basement.

America - a land ruled by fear.

anEconomist wrote:

What a bunch of crap

1) guns when the second amendment was written were quite a bit different than today's guns

2) a gun will really help you stand up to a government that has nuclear weapons, heat seeking missiles, etc.

NagelMan wrote:

I am ok with the second amendment and feel that it is a necessary freedom for a nation with a government that is supposed to be ruled "by the people for the people". .

So extending your logic, you must believe that the first amendment only applies applies to the freedom of basic print press, not TV or internet? Considering TV/internet/radio didn't exist then.

-Do you really think our gov't would nuke its own state?

have we already started the anecdotal evidencehere we go with the obscure stories, all mostly irrelevant samples of 1

once3runner wrote:

Swing low wrote:

Besides studies show the owner of the gun or members of the household using do NOT benefit by having a gun.

FYI: Worst line ever in an argument without a citation.

Another person said besides hunting or target shooting there is no reason to own a gun/handgun. I'm a fisherman from Florida, so this is relevant to me and I can guarantee you that the captain of this boat wished he had a handgun accessible. Instead the captain, his wife and crew are rotting on the sea floor.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/10/10/national/main3353757.shtml?source=RSSattr=HOME_3353757

I find it safer to avoid loose cannons than gun owners!!!

Camoo wrote:

I don't own a gun. I don't know anyone who owns a gun. I don't go to the homes of people who own guns. When one person I knew said he was going to buy one, I told him I'd never come back to his home again (the guy was a loose cannon in every sense of the word). When people have guns, they get used.

This is not a value judgement. It's just a matter of preference. I have absolutely no interest in guns. You can do what you want.