Poll: is he ignorant or does he have a point

[BehattedWanderer]

Where do you live that a 16 year old can buy a gun? Even here in Texas, we have to be at least 18 to buy our guns, and we pretty much are the textbook stereotype for gun-owning individuals. I'm all for gun ownership, I think it's a good skill to have, and target shooting is fun enough, so I agree that he's being irrational.

 

[Something Amyss]

Most hunting accidents are caused by trigger happy idiots taking a shot before getting a good look at the target, it's astonishing how many backbirths shoot at movement before eyeballing the target positively. Remember the quote from mass effect 2 "when you fire one of these, you are ruining someone's day".

I always will remember, 'twas a year ago November
I went out to hunt some deer, on a mornin' bright and clear
I went and shot the maximum the game laws would allow
Two game wardens, seven hunters, and a cow

Tom Lehrer's "The Hunting Song."

Or, if you prefer, "You just stand there looking cute and when something moves, you shoot."

To the question of the poster having a gun and who was right....

I have trouble trusting a 16 year old with a car, let alone a weapon.

 

[zehydra]

im 16 and i decided to get a rifle because i really like shooting and i told my moms boyfriend and he said he wouldn't live in this house if i got it and that "no good would come from that thing". hes acting like its a horrible omen like when i get it the world will end. am i wrong or is he just ignorant
p.s. my moms with him on it


edit: my dads an ex marine and has trained me to the best of his ability's. only problem he lives in new Hampshire

edit again: i want to get one for target shooting and i can get one with parents consent.

ignorant about what? Honestly, if you really want to shoot a gun for a meaningful reason aside from hunting, go join the army.

 

[Bagaloo]

If all you want it for is target shooting, get a BB gun, air rifle or paintball gun. Then you can still shoot targets, and your mum's boyfriend can sleep easy at night knowing you aren't going to shoot anybody to death.

Does it really make a difference, shooting a real gun at targets and shooting something safer? At the end of the day you are getting the exact same experience, only with a safe gun it would be cheaper and involve less paper work.

Only reason to have a real gun is that you intend to kill or seriously injure something, so your mum's boyfriend is right; probably nothing good would come from it.

 

[Jfswift]

As long as you follow basic hunter safety concepts I don't see a problem with that (Don't point the gun at anything you don't intend to shoot, always treat it as loaded.) I think he's being irrational. Everyone should own a gun imho, I think the world would have less problems that way.

I don't agree with *everyone* exactly; everyone who doesn't have a criminal record sits a bit better with me.

*nods* Yea, I didn't state that very well did I. I'm with you on that, I'd prefer criminals and those with a history of mental illness to not be allowed to use firearms also.

 

[micky]

ive shot about 15 types of guns and my dads an ex marine, i think i should be trusted, it wont be out anywhere it would be locked up were no-one but me can get to it.

OH! so youve fired a gun have you? can you name them, with pics?

or are you lying to try to persuade people you dont even know you can use a gun? i am 14, and i live in a heavy fire arm filled area (florida, red neck land) and no one under the age of 18 in our neighbor hood is allowed to even LOOK at our parents revolvers, much less own our own rifles.

even if you're father is an ex marine, it doesn't matter, hes an EX marine, and your not, and just cause he taught his boy not to fire when someones in front of him, doesn't make you a qualified practitioner of good fire arm use.

boy, you need to understand, just cause youve played call of duty, doesnt mean you can get a gun, if you know gund safety, it dosnt mean you can have a gun. your still a child, but a 16 year old, still ruled by your horomones.

and there's always the possibility of you getting really drunk or stoned one party in your house, and deciding to go shoot your rifle in the back yard, and hitting some other drunk idiot...

Or someone might know its a gun case, break the lock, take the gun, and shoot someone, then its your fault, cause its YOUR gun, your license number is attached to the gun, and you let someone kill a person with it. then what?

anyone under the age of 25 shouldn't be allowed to shoot a gun. or even OWN one. case closed.

I an not an idiot. I can identify many guns by name, and I am not one of those tools who thinks hes cool because he has fired a bullet.

You said you are not allowed to look at your own rifles. How does that make sense? Do you shoot blindfolded? Not everyone has the same mentality as you and your family (in regards to firearms.) I also do not feel myself entitled to anything due to my fathers service as a Marine.

 

[CrazyGeneral]

even if you're father is an ex marine, it doesn't matter, hes an EX marine, and your not, and just cause he taught his boy not to fire when someones in front of him, doesn't make you a qualified practitioner of good fire arm use.

You do make good points but I do take issue with this one, just because he is an ex marine doesn't me he has no idea how to train someone to handle firearms even an ex marine could strip a rifle and reassemble it blind folded just because he isn't still a marine doesn't mean he forgot all his training.

 

[teutonicman]

Whether he has a point or not it doesn't matter in this case. It's their (your mom's I assume) house, thus their rules. Best thing I can recommend is to put together a well thought out argument for your case. If that doesn't work then you get to eat a nice shit-sandwich cowboy.

 

[Kwaren]

From an engineering prospective, guns are fascinating. From a 'people are fucking idiots and we will all kill each other' prospective, guns are bad. An American's right to bare arms went right out of date about 100 years ago.

I would like to see you try and take that freedom away from us. You will have to pry my gun out of my cold dead hands.

Guns were fine at the time, but in this day and age? Probably one of the few reasons guns haven't been outlawed in America already is that it would be near impossible conisdering the number of them in circulation.

Considering that I have had two attemted break ins in the last month, I think I will keep my guns, thanks.

I just pictured you sat in a chair holding a rifle, staring at the door, waiting for trouble. Seriously, guns aren't necessary for these things any more.

In my state (Wyoming) there is an average of 4 guns per person per household. That means that there is a good chance that a robber will be armed. In Wyoming it is legal to kill a person if they are in your home threatening your life. It is called imminent domain.

Also, by making guns illegal all that you are doing is making law abiding citizens vulnerable to attack. If a criminal wants a gun, they are not going to get one regardless. Take the drug trade for example. Cocaine is illegal everywhere in the US but it is still prevalent in the streets.

If everyone has a gun, people will be afraid to shoot someone because there is a good chance that person will shoot back.

 

[ScottocS]

ive shot about 15 types of guns and my dads an ex marine, i think i should be trusted, it wont be out anywhere it would be locked up were no-one but me can get to it.

OH! so youve fired a gun have you? can you name them, with pics?

or are you lying to try to persuade people you dont even know you can use a gun? i am 14, and i live in a heavy fire arm filled area (florida, red neck land) and no one under the age of 18 in our neighbor hood is allowed to even LOOK at our parents revolvers, much less own our own rifles.

even if you're father is an ex marine, it doesn't matter, hes an EX marine, and your not, and just cause he taught his boy not to fire when someones in front of him, doesn't make you a qualified practitioner of good fire arm use.

boy, you need to understand, just cause youve played call of duty, doesnt mean you can get a gun, if you know gund safety, it dosnt mean you can have a gun. your still a child, but a 16 year old, still ruled by your horomones.

and there's always the possibility of you getting really drunk or stoned one party in your house, and deciding to go shoot your rifle in the back yard, and hitting some other drunk idiot...

Or someone might know its a gun case, break the lock, take the gun, and shoot someone, then its your fault, cause its YOUR gun, your license number is attached to the gun, and you let someone kill a person with it. then what?

anyone under the age of 25 shouldn't be allowed to shoot a gun. or even OWN one. case closed.

I an not an idiot. I can identify many guns by name, and I am not one of those tools who thinks hes cool because he has fired a bullet.

You said you are not allowed to look at your own rifles. How does that make sense? Do you shoot blindfolded? Not everyone has the same mentality as you and your family (in regards to firearms.) I also do not feel myself entitled to anything due to my fathers service as a Marine.

If your family doesn't want you having one in the first place (and you need their permission) then why argue? Do what a lot of people have said;

- Substitute a "real gun" with a BB Gun or Airsoft gun
- Wait until your 18 and move out (the principal being, their house their rules)
- Get some qualified training/experiance in the two years you have to wait to legally own one of your own accord

Until you can get approval by your parents, your shit out of luck.

 

[Pearwood]

As far as I know even in America an under 18 can't buy guns (and under 21s can't drink, priorities? O.O) so the question is redundant, you can't have one. Also, anyone who wouldn't show concern about letting their young child own a lethal weapon is completely psychotic.

 

[wierdman51]

snippitty snip[

Thank you, i try, ive heard of kids blowing their brains out with their fathers shotgun when they were high in my neighborhood, so im cautious around gun's, most id use as a gun is a BB rifle, maybe, with metal or plastic, either way.

But about the grammar, by that do you mean general spellings? or using stuff like "cause", and having no capitalization? sorry about the capitalization, i have that problem IRL as well, and if its spellings, i have an excuse, my friend decided he'd clean my vacuum my keyboard up one day, and get the dirt out, so i was happy, and the keys didn't stick. and sucked all the typing keys off my laptop, so im pressing rubber pads, with no identification on them to type now. very hard for one but a lad of 14. but im starting to get off topic.

also, OP, why do you want a gun so much? protection? that can be achieved by friendliness, and a switch, butterfly, or bowie knives.
If its not that, then i would imagine its to show off to your friends, in which case you shouldn't be allowed to look at a rifle, much less own one.
and if you want it just for hunting, i say this to you; hunting accidents can happen, and you might get hurt, or end up shooting someone else. just cause you know guns safety (if you do, which i doubt.) doesn't mean the drunk red neck and his buddy with high caliber rifles do, or are to drunk to care for them, or the life of the animal in the bushes a hundred yards in front of them, with a long pole pointing at a deer to their left.

 

[micky]

im 16 and i decided to get a rifle because i really like shooting and i told my moms boyfriend and he said he wouldn't live in this house if i got it and that "no good would come from that thing". hes acting like its a horrible omen like when i get it the world will end. am i wrong or is he just ignorant
p.s. my moms with him on it


edit: my dads an ex marine and has trained me to the best of his ability's. only problem he lives in new Hampshire

edit again: i want to get one for target shooting and i can get one with parents consent.

ignorant about what? Honestly, if you really want to shoot a gun for a meaningful reason aside from hunting, go join the army.

thats no fun i dont want to do push-ups just to shoot a gun

 

[BlumiereBleck]

Yes the Second Amendment gives the right to get and keep that gun.

 

[superbatranger]

I don't think any civilian should be allowed have a gun unless it's for hunting.

However disregarding that I suppose he is being irrational, guns are only dangerous in the hands of idiots.

Not even self defense?

No.
If guns are legal it means it is far more easy for dangerous people to acquire them.

They'll get them anyways, but it will make it harder.

Now if guns weren't around...

have you heard of the saying if guns were illegal only criminals would have guns. criminals dont fallow laws they break them

Yes, but if they were no long manufactured and ammunition was no longer produced, gun crime would drop to nil.

and stabbings would go up!

True, but those are a lot more survivable than a round to the skull.

A knife wound is extremly dangerous no matter where it slices into you.

It's true. We are a fragile species. With all the arteries and veins running through our body, the chances of a knife hitting one are relatively high. Someone cut with a knife in the arm could lose almost all use of said arm if the knife hit the brachial plexus, which is a group of nerves that control the arm. Hit someone in the lung and you could cause a hemothorax, which is where the lungs start filling up with blood, a stab wound in the abdomen could result in severe damage to the stomach, spleen, pancreas, liver, kidneys, intestines.

Now, I think your mom's boyfriend has a point, but at the same time is slightly overreacting. He is overreacting with his notion that a gun in the house will automatically result in someone's death, but he has a point with his belief that guns are dangerous. Guns are dangerous, very dangerous, but only in the hands of people who do not know how to properly use them and respect them. The main rules of owning a gun have been mentioned several times, but I'll say them again to make sure you understand. Never assume a gun is unloaded. Never point it at something unless you absolutely intend to shoot. Never keep your finger on the trigger until you're about to shoot(that includes when you're aiming at a target. Keep your finger off the trigger until right before you're going to shoot.). Keep the ammunition in a separate safe under lock and key. Never, ever point it at someone. Keep the gun properly cleaned and maintained. Keep it properly stored in a gun safe. Only use it for self-defense as a last resort. Oh, and don't forget to respect it.

But in all seriousness, if you just have to get one, wait until you're 18 or when you've moved out of your mom's house. Give this time, think about the decision you want to make, because it is an important one.

 

[GLo Jones]

From an engineering prospective, guns are fascinating. From a 'people are fucking idiots and we will all kill each other' prospective, guns are bad. An American's right to bare arms went right out of date about 100 years ago.

I would like to see you try and take that freedom away from us. You will have to pry my gun out of my cold dead hands.

Guns were fine at the time, but in this day and age? Probably one of the few reasons guns haven't been outlawed in America already is that it would be near impossible conisdering the number of them in circulation.

Considering that I have had two attemted break ins in the last month, I think I will keep my guns, thanks.

I just pictured you sat in a chair holding a rifle, staring at the door, waiting for trouble. Seriously, guns aren't necessary for these things any more.

In my state (Wyoming) there is an average of 4 guns per person per household. That means that there is a good chance that a robber will be armed. In Wyoming it is legal to kill a person if they are in your home threatening your life. It is called imminent domain.

This I did not know. It kinda changes things. I agree that with that many guns, most robbers must be armed, and if you're not breaking the law by shooting them, then I guess it's okay.

It appears my ignorance has shone through on this occasion, and I apologise. However, I still don't think a 16 year old should have access to a lethal weapon like that whenever he wants it.