Do you own a gun?

Which applies most to you?

  • I own one or more firearms. I practice using them regularly.

    Votes: 26 45.6%
  • I own one or more firearms, but do not practice using them regularly.

    Votes: 11 19.3%
  • I do NOT own any firearms, but am experienced in using them. I plan to acquire my own firearm soon.

    Votes: 5 8.8%
  • I do NOT own any firearms, but am experienced in using them. I do NOT plan on acquiring my own gun a

    Votes: 2 3.5%
  • I do NOT own any firearms, and have very little experience using them. I would like to get more expe

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • I do NOT own any firearms, and have very little experience using them. I have no interest in increas

    Votes: 1 1.8%
  • I have zero experience handling or using any type of firearm, but would like to get more experience

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • I have zero experience handling or using any type of firearm, and have very little experience using

    Votes: 12 21.1%

  • Total voters
    57
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StudentoftheReptile

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I suppose this could be a continuation of the "Colorado Shootings" thread, which more or less evolved into a gun control debate. The question was raised on how many of the topic's participant actually owned or even used firearms, sooo...here you go.
 

mctlong

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I do. :)
I inherited a Winchester shotgun. I'm not a hunter and am not sure if it actually works or not, but its an heirloom, so I hold onto it.
 

CourtneyAndCarl

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I don't, nor do I intend to. I am not going to pretend that owning a gun somehow makes me safer from criminals :p

My neighbor owned guns, locked them up in a gun cabinet and everything. He got rid of them after his youngest son, who was in 8th grade, killed himself with one of them. It was late at night, my whole family was out and so was his, I heard the gunshot and was left to sit around my house wondering what the hell just happened over at my neighbors. I think I was nine or ten at the time, and that's really stuck with me. Coming from a long line of mental illness that I would rather not care to get into right now, I can honestly say that I feel safer from MYSELF knowing that there are no firearms in my house.
 

StudentoftheReptile

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I personally don't really plan to get too far into the debate myself. Its like politics and religion; I know I'm probably not going to change anyone's mind, and likewise, its unlikely no one is going to change mine.
---

I do agree that (aside from criminals, obviously!), there are some people that quite simply have no business owning guns. Mental illness could be a factor (not necessarily them, but another housemate). Ignorance or insecurity in using the firearm; some people lack the confidence or maturity.

...but I also feel the same way about cars, which kill more people each than guns.
 

GeoTerraTestudo

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I do own a 9-mm handgun. I have taken a gun safety course, and even a concealed weapons course, although I did not apply for a concealed weapons permit. I practice and clean my gun pretty regularly. I have a handgun simply for self-defense in my home, and for target practice at the range.
 

Arizona Sulcata

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I own multiple guns and have been taught at an early age how to handle them by my dad along with hunter saftey and scouting. I definitely think there are some people that shouldn't have guns though. Whenever I go to Bass Pro (which I do regularly) and check out the guns, there's always one moron who is pointing it around the store with his finger on the trigger. Rule #1 treat every gun like its loaded. Then he points to the mounted elk on the wall and says he's going to kill that "deer" with it. Umm... Red flag!!! In the proper hands, guns are excellent tools. I provide my family with food every year through hunting. We haven't bought meat at a grocery store in literally years. If you have kids then you better have a safe!! Then don't tell them the combination or that kind of defeats the purpose...
 

badkitty

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Between my husband and I we have 7. 5 hand guns, 1 assault rifle and 1 shot gun.
In Arizona you don't need permits and are able to carry a concealed weapon without a permit except in bars and restaurants that sell alcohol.
 

Ethan D

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GeoTerraTestudo said:
I do own a 9-mm handgun. I have taken a gun safety course, and even a concealed weapons course, although I did not apply for a concealed weapons permit. I practice and clean my gun pretty regularly. I have a handgun simply for self-defense in my home, and for target practice at the range.

man you haven't lives until you have shot an FN Five-Seven those things are ridiculous lol 5.7mm bullet, but man does it have some power.
 

tortadise

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I have many weapons. But sometimes shoot them at cans. They stay in my safe, I have other means to save myself from harm before I have to use them. Actually I sometimes forget I have them.
 

Edna

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I have a little Marlin .22 that I just love. I used to hunt gophers with it, in our pastures, and it might as well have heat-seeking accuracy. I bought a .22 pistol thinking it would be handy, but I simply don't like handling or shooting it.
 

NudistApple

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No guns, no desire to learn about them, less to ever use one. I have interests and they all fall miles short of being lethal.
 

wellington

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I am all for owning guns. Not hand guns or assault, military style guns, no oozies, rocket launchers, grenades, etc. Plain old rifles will kill just as well as the others, can't be hidden as easily as a hand gun and very hard, not impossible, but hard to kill yourself and harder then a hand gun for a young child to hold up and shoot. That's all I have to say about it, probably:D
 

CLMoss

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A poll?

A poll would be statistically skewed because most tortoise owners on this forum live in warmer climates, that correlate with regions that support gun rights.


Wikipedia:

Regional and partisan divides


See also: Concealed carry in the United States
Regional differences tend to be greater than partisan ones for gun politics in the United States. Jurisdictions that favor gun control are concentrated in parts of the Northeastern United States such as New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, the District of Columbia, and Maryland, but also include States with major metropolitan areas, notably California and Illinois. The Northwest, such as Montana, Idaho and Washington; the Deep South, including Alabama, Georgia and Florida; and the Southwest, such as Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, and Utah tend to support gun rights. Other areas, including the Midwest and Plains States, are mixed with one example being Illinois with some of the most restrictive gun laws in the country alongside Indiana, which is a relatively gun-friendly state. [60]
Alaska, Arizona, Vermont, and Wyoming do not require any license in order to carry concealed weapons in public places, but there are laws in these states prohibiting concealed weapons in certain places (e.g., in Alaska it is not permitted to carry a weapon, concealed or otherwise, into a bar or tavern).[61] The spread of concealed carry laws since 1986 in those states that tend to be in support of gun rights has led to the widespread, legally permitted, carrying of concealed handguns by civilians in many parts of the United States. Opinions on gun control can vary within a jurisdiction. In general, large urban jurisdictions tend to favor gun control to reduce crime, while rural populations and small towns oppose it for much the same reason.
 

StudentoftheReptile

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Since when is any poll on an internet message board (...or anywhere for that matter) 100% accurate? Its just for kicks and giggles, to get an idea. No one is twisting your arm to participate, either, so don't whine.

A CC permit is not the same as simply owning and keeping a firearm in your home, by the way. I'm not asking everyone to divulge their exact location or anything.
 

mctlong

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CLMoss said:
A poll?

A poll would be statistically skewed because most tortoise owners on this forum live in warmer climates, that correlate with regions that support gun rights.


Wikipedia:

Regional and partisan divides


See also: Concealed carry in the United States
Regional differences tend to be greater than partisan ones for gun politics in the United States. Jurisdictions that favor gun control are concentrated in parts of the Northeastern United States such as New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, the District of Columbia, and Maryland, but also include States with major metropolitan areas, notably California and Illinois. The Northwest, such as Montana, Idaho and Washington; the Deep South, including Alabama, Georgia and Florida; and the Southwest, such as Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, and Utah tend to support gun rights. Other areas, including the Midwest and Plains States, are mixed with one example being Illinois with some of the most restrictive gun laws in the country alongside Indiana, which is a relatively gun-friendly state. [60]
Alaska, Arizona, Vermont, and Wyoming do not require any license in order to carry concealed weapons in public places, but there are laws in these states prohibiting concealed weapons in certain places (e.g., in Alaska it is not permitted to carry a weapon, concealed or otherwise, into a bar or tavern).[61] The spread of concealed carry laws since 1986 in those states that tend to be in support of gun rights has led to the widespread, legally permitted, carrying of concealed handguns by civilians in many parts of the United States. Opinions on gun control can vary within a jurisdiction. In general, large urban jurisdictions tend to favor gun control to reduce crime, while rural populations and small towns oppose it for much the same reason.

Good point, but there are ALOT of forum members from California, a state that generally favors gun control.....

Of course, as StudentoftheReptile pointed out, this poll is just for fun. No ones going to post these results in a professional journal or anything. Its just interesting to see where folks on this forum stand on the issue.
 

CLMoss

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mctlong said:
CLMoss said:
A poll?

A poll would be statistically skewed because most tortoise owners on this forum live in warmer climates, that correlate with regions that support gun rights.


Wikipedia:

Regional and partisan divides


See also: Concealed carry in the United States
Regional differences tend to be greater than partisan ones for gun politics in the United States. Jurisdictions that favor gun control are concentrated in parts of the Northeastern United States such as New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, the District of Columbia, and Maryland, but also include States with major metropolitan areas, notably California and Illinois. The Northwest, such as Montana, Idaho and Washington; the Deep South, including Alabama, Georgia and Florida; and the Southwest, such as Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, and Utah tend to support gun rights. Other areas, including the Midwest and Plains States, are mixed with one example being Illinois with some of the most restrictive gun laws in the country alongside Indiana, which is a relatively gun-friendly state. [60]
Alaska, Arizona, Vermont, and Wyoming do not require any license in order to carry concealed weapons in public places, but there are laws in these states prohibiting concealed weapons in certain places (e.g., in Alaska it is not permitted to carry a weapon, concealed or otherwise, into a bar or tavern).[61] The spread of concealed carry laws since 1986 in those states that tend to be in support of gun rights has led to the widespread, legally permitted, carrying of concealed handguns by civilians in many parts of the United States. Opinions on gun control can vary within a jurisdiction. In general, large urban jurisdictions tend to favor gun control to reduce crime, while rural populations and small towns oppose it for much the same reason.

Good point, but there are ALOT of forum members from California, a state that generally favors gun control.....

Of course, as StudentoftheReptile pointed out, this poll is just for fun. No ones going to post these results in a professional journal or anything. Its just interesting to see where folks on this forum stand on the issue.

I understand. And please, I am not whinning. I find all of this very interesting. I just wanted to bring this to the members attention. I think that it would really be cool if SOR did add location. Really, I just want to learn.
 

Edna

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When I lived in Montana, I noticed that a lot of people got around the CC permit by doing open carry. The strap it on in plain view and that's perfectly OK there.
 

StudentoftheReptile

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I purchased a CC permit a few years ago before I even got a gun. I hardly make use of the permit, but for $20 a year, I'm just glad I have it if I feel I need it.

I have a .38 pistol that I keep in my closet. I've shot it on a few occasions and I know how to use it. I hope I never have to use it outside of a shooting range, but I do take a little comfort knowing its around when we turn in at night.
 

Jacqui

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I grew up in a family where we hunted and fished for a lot of the food we had on the table (we also had huge gardens and raised chickens). While I was normally more in the role of bird dog, I use to be pretty good at hitting what I aimed my rifle at.;) I still have one of the rifles that was my Grandfather's.
 

Ashliewood

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We have many guns. All in a safe of course and have taken gun safety courses, I just got my conceal carry permit and before I do carry, I plan on takin this hybrid class that's a mix of cross fit and personal defense. They get your blood pumping so you know what it feels like in the moment and wouldn't fumble as much if you ever needed to use it :)
 
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