Hey guys - I'm curious to know why you guys own guns. I personally have never felt the need to have one, but I understand that people have various reasons to have them, train with them, etc.

Please spare me the political babble, I'm not interested in turning this into a debate. Just curious to know why you bought your gun(s).

i don't own one now, but i've been starting to look into it. The french doors in the bedroom don't seem very stable, and having the police search light come through the backyard a few times is enough to make me want one nearby.

Here's an excellent thread from YT on this same question:

http://www.yotatech.com/f5/one-reaso...wn-gun-121295/

It's an interesting question you pose given your VT avatar - it's my opinion that had any one of those poor sitting duck students been armed many lives would have been saved on that horrific day.

Plus, if you've never shot a 5.56 NATO round at a watermelon (or any other fruit for that matter) you should try it out one day - tons of fun. I see that you're in Orlando, you should definitely take advantage of public day (1st Sunday of every month) at the SCGAA: http://www.scgaa.org/ The members are usually very willing to allow guests to try things out - however full auto is "technically" not allowed on public day

From one Virginian to another, I will give you a very simple answer.

1. Read the newspaper, especially the metro/crime section.

2. Since you can't fit a cop in your pocket, a concealed handgun is the next best thing.


Seriously, I could get very political right now - but I will leave that to others for the time being.

Peace and good day!



** A man with a gun is a citizen. A man without one is but a subject. **

My reasons:

1. Culture. I am former military as well as my father and grandfathers.

2. Sport. I am a licensed hunter and avid target shooter.

3. Self-defense. Police are a reactive force, meaning that they respond to a situation, the vast majority of the time, after they have been notified through a third party. Yes they carry guns, but this is primarily for their own defense although they can certainly use them in defense of others or certain types of property.

These are the main reasons why I own firearms. I have not listed these in any particular order and thanks to the second amendment, I am not required to list any reason at all when applying for a firearms license. I do have other reasons for owning firearms but I am sure they will start something this thread is not intended for

I feel that not only does an individual have a right to self-defense but an obligation to be able to defend yourself and your loved ones. Don't know of a more effective way to do this other than owning and knowing how to use firearms.

Yes, there are other reasons but this is the main one.

My gun is a toy @ the shooting ranges. Gotta keep practicing and upkeep my skillz just in case i really need it to save my life or property (maybe someone else's), it comes in handy.

x2. Enough said. If you choose to defend yourself with your mouth or a wifflebat, then be my guess...but for me and my family, i choose not to.

For me its Self-Defense, for my home and my rv when I'm in it.......its like 4wd, even if you never use it, its nice to know its there.....:yesyes:

I would rather have it and not need it vs. need it and not have it.
I think guns make it for more polite society. If shitheads know you might be armed they will think twice, hopefully, about the consequences. I always carry one, have been for the last few years. It's a diminishing skill and you will need to practice to stay sharp.

This response right here sums it up for me! I'm glad my state passed the beloved Castle Law! I have the right ( and obligation) to defend my loved ones and my property. If some POS, who wants to take them away due to his laziness or drug habit, is foolish enough to try, I pity him. If he's lucky, the first shot will be a flesh wound. If he persists....

Now, not sure about Florida, but the law in TX is that you canNOT carry a weapon onto school property. I guess that you can argue that if your school is privately owned or something like that, but i would NOT carry a weapon onto any school property. The same goes for hospitals...although, again, one can argue that the law pertains mainly to PUBLIC (or govt-funded) hospitals or facilities, and not privately owned businesses. (Privately owned businesses can prevent concealed weapons by means of appropriate signs at entrances. If the signs are not proper, then you can carry your authorized concealed weapon.)

Anyway, so, if the law in Virginia is the same as in TX, then i don't think that the VT massacre could have been prevented by a student. And of course, if you're not properly trained in using your handgun, then you may cause more harm than good in a shootout against an armed assilant.

VT and many other schools do not allow guns to be carried on campus. Even those with a CCW can not legally, as it is now, carry a gun on school property.

Here is a recent article regarding this topic: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/..._xV_wD99IAAI81

Hey guys, just to be clear I wasn't suggesting that it WAS legal to carry on campus. All I meant was that IF one of those sitting duck students was armed many lives would have been saved - IMO that's pretty much indisputable but I suppose some might disagree. Do you think the scumbag checked to see if it was legal for him to carry on campus before he went nuts? I doubt it.

Thanks for the article Tyler. I disagree with those parents however - they're position is completely illogical IMO. I think I read that the reciprocity bill actually got a majority vote in the U.S. Senate but because of procedure they needed 60 votes and came up 1 vote short at 59.

Here's a good website on this subject: http://concealedcampus.org/

There's no way of knowing if guns were allowed on campus would have prevented what happened. I think it's fair to say that had a professor or student in that building at that time been armed and trained, lives could have been saved.

This is a bit off-topic, but I do agree with one aspect of the parents' opposition to the bill: the laws of Virginia (or any other state) should not be subjected to those of another state. Full Faith and Credit doesn't extend to state laws and the U.S. Supreme Court has held this on a few occasions. If people like Mr. Thune from South Dakota want to change Virginia's gun laws then he should get his butt on 95 South to Richmond and talk to the Legislature there.