Who Owns Guns?

[Anonymous]

We have a .44 caliber handgun and a shotgun--our one Black Friday purchase this year.

My former Marine Sgt. brother also stores his guns in our basement, including an AR-15 and I don't know what else, but big stuff. He's a student now, and living in a shitty apartment, so he keeps it here. He also carries concealed and makes his own ammo in our garage.

We're not from the east, so maybe that's why we have more rational attitudes towards firearms.

[Anonymous]

I grew up with a hunter for a dad, so I've been around guns for a long time. My DH became interested in them while we were dating, getting on future FIL's good side, maybe. So, when my dad passed away, we acquired some of his rifles and shotguns. They now are on display in a locked gun case in the den. They get fired and cleaned occassionally, and DS has used them for very well supervised scout merit badge events. DS even got one for his 12th birthday. We also have a handgun in a safe in the bedroom, but if DH were not home when a burglar broke in, I wouldn't know what to do with it. If I did though, I would definitely use it on an intruder.
I do not consider anyone in our family to be "damaged" and I don't think anyone we know would think that way about us. The PP, on the other hand....

[Anonymous]

"in fact, someone just mentioned the other day that there's a gun in every home in switzerland (by law, i think) and there's also very little crime. i think this was one of the issues in the dc gun case last year (or so)."

Does Switzerland have less crime than countries where private guns possession is banned? I am thinking that crime has a lot to do with socioeconomics and culture.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He says lots of folks have them. I say only tea party types and drug dealers do. Do you own one, and why?

You husband is right. You are very wrong. My husband has guns for two reasons. First his job requires it. He's a fed and you people who hate guns are the first to cry for help from people like him when you need it. Second for hunting on family property in the north (100 acres).

[Anonymous]

We have several guns guns in our house and many more at my dad's house that I have no idea what to do with. My father was a avid gun collector and competitive shooter. He has an entire room at his house devoted to his gun collection. Once he passed away, I took his most cherished guns with me and kept the larger guns (shotguns, rifles, and even a tommy gun) at his house. Both my husband and I would love to keep them but don't have to a safe place to keep them all at our house. The ones we do have are all locked in a safe and completely out of reach from our child. I am upfront with my friends about the guns we have and where we keep them and they have no problems bringing their children to my house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"in fact, someone just mentioned the other day that there's a gun in every home in switzerland (by law, i think) and there's also very little crime. i think this was one of the issues in the dc gun case last year (or so)."
Does Switzerland have less crime than countries where private guns possession is banned? I am thinking that crime has a lot to do with socioeconomics and culture.

Here is a Wiki entry on the unique Swiss gun laws: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_gun_laws . Apparently gun ownership is not required. However, all males are required to participate in military service for 10 years (ages 20-30). While you're in the military, you have a military gun (an automatic rifle). After you leave the military, you can opt to keep your military rifle (after conversion to non-auto status). An interesting system, but not really comparable at all to how things are in the US.

[Anonymous]

OP, I'm with you. My family does not have a gun, and both my husband and I are in agreement on this. DH is a federal criminal prosecutor who for a long time worked on gun cases, and firmly holds that unless you are a trained marksman, you should not keep a gun in the house for protection (hunting is a different issue).

I'm guessing, OP, that DH wants one for protection, but when we had a federal marshal do a security inspection of our home, he suggested that 1) a good alarm system, 2) secure windows, 3) good visibility, 4) consistent use of locks and alarms, and 5) a dog would be a much safer deterrent than a gun.

BTW, the Swiss example is a bad match for the US. In Switzerland, it is true that many homes have guns, but Switzerland also requires military training for all men at age 30 and reserve training until 30. So, basically all men have gun training on a regular basis. Also, the culture of gun ownership in Switzerland is completely different. The men who have guns understand that this is part of their military duty to protect the country, not for self-defense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I'm with you. My family does not have a gun, and both my husband and I are in agreement on this. DH is a federal criminal prosecutor who for a long time worked on gun cases, and firmly holds that unless you are a trained marksman, you should not keep a gun in the house for protection (hunting is a different issue).

I'm guessing, OP, that DH wants one for protection, but when we had a federal marshal do a security inspection of our home, he suggested that 1) a good alarm system, 2) secure windows, 3) good visibility, 4) consistent use of locks and alarms, and 5) a dog would be a much safer deterrent than a gun.

BTW, the Swiss example is a bad match for the US. In Switzerland, it is true that many homes have guns, but Switzerland also requires military training for all men at age 30 and reserve training until 30. So, basically all men have gun training on a regular basis. Also, the culture of gun ownership in Switzerland is completely different. The men who have guns understand that this is part of their military duty to protect the country, not for self-defense.

I meant starting at 20 and reserve until 30.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He says lots of folks have them. I say only tea party types and drug dealers do. Do you own one, and why?

You husband is right. You are very wrong. My husband has guns for two reasons. First his job requires it. He's a fed and you people who hate guns are the first to cry for help from people like him when you need it. Second for hunting on family property in the north (100 acres).

You had me 'til you started with the "people like you." nonsense. People who own guns call the police too, you know. Whether you're armed or not, you're allowed to contact emergency services for help. That IS their job.

[Anonymous]

How about this slight twist on OP's original question?:

Who here lives in an urban/suburban part of DC and keeps a gun in your urban/suburban home? Is it a handgun or a rifle? If you have one, why do you have it (e.g., req'd by job, weekend rural hunting, personal safety)?

I too have a couple rifles from when I was a kid growing up in the South, but they're now at my parents' house far away from here (and far from my kids). And it sounds like many others here have similar guns.

But there's a pretty big difference between having a 30-30 in the basement of PenguinSix's rural home, and having a pistol in the nightstand at your house in Alexandria.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He says lots of folks have them. I say only tea party types and drug dealers do. Do you own one, and why?

You husband is right. You are very wrong. My husband has guns for two reasons. First his job requires it. He's a fed and you people who hate guns are the first to cry for help from people like him when you need it. Second for hunting on family property in the north (100 acres).

You had me 'til you started with the "people like you." nonsense. People who own guns call the police too, you know. Whether you're armed or not, you're allowed to contact emergency services for help. That IS their job.

Seriously. If you can't tell the difference between some gun nut with a couple of dozen handguns who regularly breaks out the collection to tenderly polish and fondle in his basement, versus someone who has had thousands of hours of training, and whose job is public safety, I don't think rational argument can do much for you. I feel sorry for our poor husband; and not because the latte sippers are out to get him.

[Anonymous]

We live in Alexandria. We have a shotgun and rifle for hunting. Guns are locked; ammo is not stored with the guns.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I suspect most people who want guns are very damaged individuals.

huh?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But there's a pretty big difference between having a 30-30 in the basement of PenguinSix's rural home, and having a pistol in the nightstand at your house in Alexandria.

So there's no crime in Alexandria? Have you been on Route 1 after 9:00 at night? Place is full of whackos readily breaking into homes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But there's a pretty big difference between having a 30-30 in the basement of PenguinSix's rural home, and having a pistol in the nightstand at your house in Alexandria.

So there's no crime in Alexandria? Have you been on Route 1 after 9:00 at night? Place is full of whackos readily breaking into homes.

Apologies -- I was not clear enough in my point. I'm trying to separate people who have rifles for hunting or other protection from wild animals in rural areas, from those who live in urban/suburban areas and have handguns for personal protection. I'm not passing judgment on whether either one's a good/bad idea. I just think they're very different situations. And it seems like the real meat of this discussion is about the handgun in Alexandria, rather than the rifle in Manassas, so I'm hoping to focus discussion on the handgun rather than the rifle.