guns to have or not have

[newusername 10+ year member]

"Better to have and need, then need and not have"
If you chose to carry a handgun for personal protection, chances are 99.99999% that you will not need it. However, if you ever do get into a situation that requires your firearm to save your life, the life of a friend or loved one, then by god you are thankful that you have that right to carry. People who chose to carry a firearm are not out looking for trouble, they pray they never have to use it.

Right, but why do people collect them?

You guys are missing the point here.

 

[newusername 10+ year member]

There is a big difference between your "power" argument and home defense.way big.

If you were following the argument, you would see that I have already endorsed protection (to an extent) and we are talking about people who collect guns....."gun enthusiasts".

 

[ultimate157 5,000+ posts]

Right, but why do people collect them?
You guys are missing the point here.

Why do people collect baseball cards? Why do people collect car audio equipment?

Just because people collect firearms does not mean they are any different than someone who collects baseball cards. They do not collect them because it makes them feel big and powerful, nor do they collect them knowing the potential harm a firearm can do, if someone so chooses to use it in such a way.

 

[mcsoul 10+ year member]

If you were following the argument, you would see that I have already endorsed protection (to an extent) and we are talking about people who collect guns....."gun enthusiasts".

So if I have 2 hunting rifles, a shotgun and 3 handguns; have I met the criteria for an enthusiast?

 

[duece212 5,000+ posts]

Well yes, I do wish people would be truthful. I think a rational mind can easily discriminate the difference in value between collecting baseball cards for fun, and collecting guns to have the power they provide. Feeling good because you have the power to destroy is not necessarily a feeling we should be seeking out, or endorsing.

The thought that all people with guns are just seeking out the power to destroy is not something we should be endorsing either. We also need to differentiate between the power to destroy targets and the power to destroy people. If you get off on the 2nd, something is probably wrong.

I do own guns I have absolutely no practical use for. I also have a 5kw subwoofer amp that I have no practical use for. Just because its not practical doesn't mean its not still fun.

 

[its_bacon12 10+ year member]

Certainly you have a right to possess guns. What I don't understand is why you're so protective and drawn to them. You say that the only way someone could take them from you is to pry them from your cold dead hands (very original, by the way). Why is that? What is it about guns that possesses you so?
To me, it is an abnormal obsession with something potentially dangerous, which makes the obsession even more abnormal.

You could say the same about gay marriage and the fiasco going on in California right now with the whole prop 8 stuff. They want it bad enough to humiliate themselves, destroy property, expose people to potential harm, and intimidation tactics. That to me is more abnormal than what you might consider an abnormal obsession with guns. Everyone has the right to own a gun with exceptions of convicts and you must have a permit, etc. Nobody is allowed to marry same ***, regardless of orientation. Owning a gun is a civil liberty, gay marriage is not.

Just a comparison is all, not trying to spark any controversy.

 

[newusername 10+ year member]

Right, but there is a difference between an impractical 5kW amplifier and a weapon. That is not even close an appropriate analog.

 

[kaimana 10+ year member]

Right, but why do people collect them?
You guys are missing the point here.

I think you are missing the point...Why do people collect anything in general? Personal preference....As long as they aren't harming anyone else, besides for protection of course, then who gives a **** what they collect?

 

[newusername 10+ year member]

You could say the same about gay marriage and the fiasco going on in California right now with the whole prop 8 stuff. They want it bad enough to humiliate themselves, destroy property, expose people to potential harm, and intimidation tactics. That to me is more abnormal than what you might consider an abnormal obsession with guns. Everyone has the right to own a gun with exceptions of convicts and you must have a permit, etc. Nobody is allowed to marry same ***, regardless of orientation. Owning a gun is a civil liberty, gay marriage is not.
Just a comparison is all, not trying to spark any controversy.

I don't define liberty by the laws in place, as 200 years ago you could have argued that slaves had the liberty they deserved based on the law. That simply isn't true.

To me, liberty is being able to do whatever you please without causing significant harm to another individual. Gay marriage, in that respect, is a liberty we should be entitled to.

And again, I'm not arguing gun rights. I'm talking about collecting guns.

 

[ultimate157 5,000+ posts]

Right, but there is a difference between an impractical 5kW amplifier and a weapon. That is not even close an appropriate analog.

Someone can take 5kw amplifier, hook up wires to somebody and electrocute them to death.

That amplifier just became a weapon because someone chose to use it for the sole purpose of harm.

 

[TaTonka 10+ year member]

Right, but why do people collect them?
You guys are missing the point here.

Easy Answer.

Most gun collectors collect guns for fun and value. My grandpa has cases full of guns. Most of them represent history because most were used in wars. The value of them these days is outstanding. People collect current guns because one day they also may be of value.

Not everybody owns a gun to feel powerful. That is the point.

 

[duece212 5,000+ posts]

Right, but there is a difference between an impractical 5kW amplifier and a weapon. That is not even close an appropriate analog.

In the respect of necessity vs practicality it is spot on. For somebody that assumes a firearm is intended to be used as a weapon against man I can see where you wouldn't see the relationship as valid.

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

Right, but there is a difference between an impractical 5kW amplifier and a weapon. That is not even close an appropriate analog.

There are plenty of machines out there with the capability to kill someone (or many people) if placed in the hands of someone not able to use it responsibly. While an audio amp may be a poor example of that, a car or a private aircraft are both very capable of being used as weapons.

 

[newusername 10+ year member]

I think you are missing the point...Why do people collect anything in general? Personal preference....As long as they aren't harming anyone else, besides for protection of course, then who gives a **** what they collect?

What is your opinion on collecting dead bodies?

 

[mcsoul 10+ year member]

There are plenty of machines out there with the capability to kill someone (or many people) if placed in the hands of someone not able to use it responsibly. While an audio amp may be a poor example of that, a car or a private aircraft are both very capable of being used as weapons.

Focal tweeters for instance. jk