Personal gun needs.

[hillbilly]

Where should the line be drawn? I think this is an honest question and should stay short, sweet, and strictly to the point. For my personal needs, here goes:


.38 special for self and family protection. I pray that day never comes but that is what I have, and why.

4.10, and a 16ga. passed down from family. Do I hunt with them? No, but they mean alot to me just the same. Would never sell them, even though there is no real value.

Lever action 30/30 for hunting. It is ALL I need to drop a deer with. I've yet to see one fail to put meat in the freezer when proper aim is taken before pulling the trigger. Dad taught us early on that if you miss with the first shot the deer is going to run and stray bullets is bad practice. Same way at home. If you have no choice but to shoot a man to save your family from harm you best not miss or you may not get a chance to fire twice.. and you can't fart around all day taking aim, you gotta be able to aim and get your first shot off quickly. And again, no wild fire. You do not want stray bullets flying through walls putting others at risk in another room. Assault riffles can do exactly that, and remember I said it only takes one shot to stop a man.

I'm not a gun collector, or gun hobbyist. I have only two guns that I need, and the shotguns are family hand me downs that I cherish for that reason. Therefor I personally don't own or need an assault riffle. To each their own.

What do y'all think? Where should the line be drawn, in your opinion? Which side of the line would y'all say I am on. Fair side of the line, or not fair? I feel it is fair.

I'd also like to hear others needs for guns and what they feel is fair for themselves. I'm not trashing anyone for owning an AR. I'm just not in the need of one personally.

[bobabode]

It sounds like you're on the fair side to me in terms of what you have and a responsible owner. I don't own any guns but that's just me.
We do need better background checks and a cooling off period of some sort.
CC permits should be a rare thing and under pretty strict guidelines.
Assault weapons banned with a buyback program like Australia did.
Handguns and rifles should be registered and sales tracked- both private and commercial sales.
Trigger locks or gun safes mandatory for all weapons.
10 round max capacity in handguns
5 round max capacity in long barreled guns

Do we really need hollow point ammunition available?

[merrylander]

No we most certainly do not need hollow point rounds. As for the limit the two .32 cal Beretta Tomcats I am looking at can hold 11 rounds. If you chamber a round with the slide it is only 10 but If you use the tip up barrel you can get 11 rounds. The idea of the tip up barrel is that you do not need the wrist strength to operate the slide.

[finnbow]

I'd be completely comfortable with doing away with semi-automatic firearms, period. I'm an avid shooter and hunter, but have never taken a liking to semi-automatic firearms. They're less accurate, less reliable and harder to work on than their conventional counterparts (bolt action for rifles, revolvers for pistols, pump or double barrel for shotguns).

I have a Colt .38 Police Special, two 12 gauge pump shotguns, a .22 bolt action rifle, a .223 bolt action rifle, a .270 bolt action rifle, two 50 caliber muzzleloaders, and a couple of high end European air rifles/pistols. When I was still an active firearms deer hunter (now I nearly exclusively bowhunt), I would go afield with a muzzleloader in lieu of my .270 or a rifled barrel shotgun with slugs. I preferred the challenge of placing one good lethal shot on a deer at modest range rather than spraying-and-praying.

[mpholland]

I have a few guns. Marlin 1894 .357 lever action rifle, .357 S&W revolver, Remington 7mm bolt action rifle, and a couple of semi's also. A Ruger 10/22 and a 22 pistol. Both the semi's were inherited and hold more sentimental than monetary value. So far the only thing I received from my father, who died of ALS a few years too early.

[Boreas]

Need? None.

Period.

John

[merrylander]

I would really rather not have any in the house, but of late there seems to be open season on seniors. How would they know we are seniors? Probably the same way all those retirement homes that keep sending us brochures know.

At the moment I have a Crossman .177 CO pistol that looks like a Colt Python with a 6" rifled barrel, and Flornce has a 6mm CO2 1911 look alike. It has a muzzle velocity in excess of 500fps so they suggest you only use it for target practice because with paintballs it has been known to draw blood. Neither one has the orange paint on the nose.

Once when I missed the racoon the Crossman buried a flat nosed wadbuster in one of the porch railing baluster and they are hardwood.

[barbara]

Originally Posted by Boreas

Need? None.

Period.

John

I agree, John.
I've lived in some of the worse areas of the east bay (Oakland, emeryville), have been shot at, held up by gun point, and held hostage in a bank robbery(by law enforcement, no less) and I have never felt a need to carry a gun.
That's not to say I don't take precautions for my safety, but I don't see a gun as a reasonable precaution for my safety.

I could justify a gun if I had a need to hunt, but there is a very nice market down the street where I can purchase groceries.

[Boreas]

Originally Posted by barbara

I agree, John.
I've lived in some of the worse areas of the east bay (Oakland, emeryville), have been shot at, held up by gun point, and held hostage in a bank robbery(by law enforcement, no less) and I have never felt a need to carry a gun.
That's not to say I don't take precautions for my safety, but I don't see a gun as a reasonable precaution for my safety.

I could justify a gun if I had a need to hunt, but there is a very nice market down the street where I can purchase groceries.

But think of the money you'd save if you took a gun grocery shopping with you!

Who needs Food Stamps?

John

[icenine]

There is a big difference between having a rifle for hunting and unfettered access to an assault rifle that can be modified or connected to a multi-round drum or magazine that basically makes them as lethal as weapons used in warfare. I mean if you have a 30 or a 100 round magazine the only limit is your trigger finger. I know from qualifying with weapons in the military that 10 seconds is enough time to do major damage with even normal sized magazines. I forget off hand how many rounds the standard issue 9MM baretta takes but I believe it is 10.

You can rationalize it all day long. If you can purchase an AR-15 like a gallon of milk at cheap mass made assembly line prices the massacres are going to increase. The question is do we get used to having innocent children slaughtered every so often or do we try to do something about it. The scary part is American accepting this as the price for being able to own all manner of assault weapons. Maybe it is time to leave the country after all.

All this stuff about having a personal gun for protection good luck. Anyone entering your house is going to have the advantage on you and and most civilians are not used to firing weapons, much less sleeping with one in condition one status i.e. round chambered. Like most things I feel many people buy the handgun and let it gather dust in a closet,drawer or locked case.