By; DS

I love guns.  I love sporting guns, I love military guns, I love antique guns, heck, I even love crazy guns like the one I saw on TV that used triangular cartridges instead of round.  Some would say that this passion for firearms borders on an obsession, and recently, I started thinking that maybe they’re right.  I’ve often pointed out to opponents of gun ownership that guns are inanimate objects like any other collection of steel, plastic, and springs.  They are a tool designed to accomplish a task, and should be afforded no special contempt.  Even so, I find comfort in knowing I have them if I ever need them.  I started to ask myself, “Why do you place such high value on a simple tool?  Isn’t that emotion opposite but related to the emotions espoused by proponents of gun control?”  After all, I certainly don’t assign any special value to my circular saw or any of my hammers.  What’s the big deal about guns?

See more here: http://hawaiiccw.com/news/good-men-guns-2/

I think KingKeoni's going to need to take some vacation time from work to answer this question... 

(Come on, that was a funny jab, right there. And true! It's NOT a personal attack. I got to shake hands with Keoni at the shindig, but unfortunately I had to take off before getting to spend any time with him. When's the next 2aHawaii get-together? How about just a happy hour? Anyone?)

Anyway, this is a very good discussion topic, FunTimes, and I predict it's going to get a lot of interesting responses.

For me, I can't speak to any great, sweeping passion regarding guns, as I am still very new to all the various aspects of it: political, legal, sporting, technological, collecting, history, social/communal, personal safety, and, I hesitate to even say this, but... psychosexual. Guns are, Freudianly speaking, penises.

I'd say I've focused so far, in descending order, technological, sporting, social/communal, collecting, political, legal, personal safety... and I'll let you decide where psychosexual falls on that list.

One thing I didn't mention, that just occurred to me, is identity. This overlaps with a lot of the other areas in the list above, but I think once you start getting into guns, it becomes a part of your identity, to varying degrees. I've never owned a gun, or even talked that much about them, until just about three months ago, and already with a lot of my friends, I've become "the gun nut." (Which is pretty funny when I compare my knowledge, experience, and extent of ownership with some of you fine gentlemen.)

What got me into guns 3 months ago? I think it was the Groupons for Waikiki Gun Club! I was looking for something fun to do, something new, for cheap, and the Groupon came up, and I thought, hey, why not? I really enjoyed it, felt like I was pretty good at it, and wanted to get my own guns to go and shoot my own guns.

I list personal safety last. I've said this before, in person and in this forum, in all honest approximation, I don't think guns are the right tools for my personal safety. Given the environs in which I spend my time, a gun would probably do more harm than good. My apartment is tiny, and faces another apartment building. If I fired a weapon in my home, I'm very likely to at least shoot out someone's window. My neighborhood's not a high crime area, and my apartment building's not very accessible. Of course if someone were to break in with a gun, I'd be in trouble, but I have to weigh the likelihood of that versus the costs of preparing for that and the possible negative consequences of using the wrong tool for that possibility. I'm much better off with something short range and non-penetrating, like a taser, bat, or maybe pepper spray, but given the size and layout of my apartment, I might as well set off a tear gas grenade. 

Anyway, I like guns. They're fun to shoot, fun to study, and it's a good way to meet very interesting people with likely similar views on other things.

I think KingKeoni's going to need to take some vacation time from work to answer this question... 

(Come on, that was a funny jab, right there. And true! It's NOT a personal attack. I got to shake hands with Keoni at the shindig, but unfortunately I had to take off before getting to spend any time with him. When's the next 2aHawaii get-together? How about just a happy hour? Anyone?)

Anyway, this is a very good discussion topic, FunTimes, and I predict it's going to get a lot of interesting responses.

For me, I can't speak to any great, sweeping passion regarding guns, as I am still very new to all the various aspects of it: political, legal, sporting, technological, collecting, history, social/communal, personal safety, and, I hesitate to even say this, but... psychosexual. Guns are, Freudianly speaking, penises.

I'd say I've focused so far, in descending order, technological, sporting, social/communal, collecting, political, legal, personal safety... and I'll let you decide where psychosexual falls on that list.

One thing I didn't mention, that just occurred to me, is identity. This overlaps with a lot of the other areas in the list above, but I think once you start getting into guns, it becomes a part of your identity, to varying degrees. I've never owned a gun, or even talked that much about them, until just about three months ago, and already with a lot of my friends, I've become "the gun nut." (Which is pretty funny when I compare my knowledge, experience, and extent of ownership with some of you fine gentlemen.)

What got me into guns 3 months ago? I think it was the Groupons for Waikiki Gun Club! I was looking for something fun to do, something new, for cheap, and the Groupon came up, and I thought, hey, why not? I really enjoyed it, felt like I was pretty good at it, and wanted to get my own guns to go and shoot my own guns.

I list personal safety last. I've said this before, in person and in this forum, in all honest approximation, I don't think guns are the right tools for my personal safety. Given the environs in which I spend my time, a gun would probably do more harm than good. My apartment is tiny, and faces another apartment building. If I fired a weapon in my home, I'm very likely to at least shoot out someone's window. My neighborhood's not a high crime area, and my apartment building's not very accessible. Of course if someone were to break in with a gun, I'd be in trouble, but I have to weigh the likelihood of that versus the costs of preparing for that and the possible negative consequences of using the wrong tool for that possibility. I'm much better off with something short range and non-penetrating, like a taser, bat, or maybe pepper spray, but given the size and layout of my apartment, I might as well set off a tear gas grenade. 

Anyway, I like guns. They're fun to shoot, fun to study, and it's a good way to meet very interesting people with likely similar views on other things.

What was the question?

Why do you place such high value on a simple tool?  Isn�t that emotion opposite but related to the emotions espoused by proponents of gun control?�  After all, I certainly don�t assign any special value to my circular saw or any of my hammers.  What�s the big deal about guns?

My eyes must've skipped over the "I asked myself" part and I didn't realize these were rhetorical questions. I read the article after I finished writing and posting my response, and realized FunTimes wasn't polling us, but just sharing an article. Oops. 

But, since I've gone ahead and put my foot in my mouth, there's plenty of room for more. I'll pose the question to the forum, then: What is your fascination with guns? Why do you like them? How is it different from your other interests?

blastin probably releases endorphins.  for me, whether it's airsoft or a firearm, it's just fun to hit stuff. 

Quote

Why do you place such high value on a simple tool?  Isn�t that emotion opposite but related to the emotions espoused by proponents of gun control?�  After all, I certainly don�t assign any special value to my circular saw or any of my hammers.  What�s the big deal about guns?

My eyes must've skipped over the "I asked myself" part and I didn't realize these were rhetorical questions. I read the article after I finished writing and posting my response, and realized FunTimes wasn't polling us, but just sharing an article. Oops. 

But, since I've gone ahead and put my foot in my mouth, there's plenty of room for more. I'll pose the question to the forum, then: What is your fascination with guns? Why do you like them? How is it different from your other interests?

I wouldn't say I have a fascination with firearms any more than I have a fascination with breathing.  I believe they are a necessary for my family's protection. I was raised this way, so I guess that is the way I see it. They are tools that you need to train on in case you need to use them one day. They are also means to put food on the table.

Now if you ask me why I enjoy them..that is different.