scrubbedexpat099

Had a similar conversation about Satellite TV vs Internet recently, I would give up TV if I had to lose one, my friends do not have Internet so it was a non issue for them.

I have a feeling that some people if they need to choose between their Gun and Mobile would happily get rid of the Mobile.

SultanOfSwing

Yeah, and that's fine, but what would be lovely is if everyone would stop talking about their guns like they are some magically important, necessity when all it is is just another hobby and they only have them because they can.

It's not related to the gun owners on here. You, OF and Ben appear to have yours for fun or sport. Civilservant has his for home defense. I can get on board with that because you're all pretty level headed, even if you do get a bit defensive from time to time

It's the 'cultists' I'm aiming my derision at. Like the bloke round my way who has the Second Amendment as a massive bumper sticker on his truck. Like, who the hell does that - defines themselves by their guns. It's maximum cringe. IDGAF if Joe Bloke over there bought himself a gun to hunt with, or if that person as a pistol in their night stand. Keep it to yourself and we good.

But then there's a tragedy like Florida, or Vegas or Sandy Hook and you get these nut jobs doubling down because they think these events only happened as a precursor to some deep state gun grab - surely even a seasoned shitposter like yourself can see why some of us might get mildly annoyed at these people?

scrubbedexpat099

I am sure we all have weird interests, well interests that we find normal but others do not.

My favourite pastime is playing Squash and the odd Beer. I was having a beer with a friend yesterday whose passion is Motor Racing, if a big race is on the TV he will be watching it.

Another friend is what in the US we call Foamers, in the UK and Anorak. Big time.

Another friend is a big Hunter, everything stops for Hunting, his Wife knows better than to even suggest anything else could happen during Second Rifle. I am happy to go for a few days but do not share his dedication.

Anyway none of these is an essential, most of my driving is not essential, probably 90% of all miles driven are not essential. If you get down to the basics most of what we do is not essential.

SultanOfSwing

Well, yes, that's exactly what I was getting at.

At the end of the day it's just a gun. Too many people (outside of this thread) place too much importance on their guns that simply isn't objectively there.

People who think guns are cool? People who are hunters, marksmen, collectors? I'm all good with that. Even people who have guns for home defense, even if I don't buy into the idea that it makes them safer, they're not really doing any harm in the long run. They're fine. We all have our hobbies and interests, and for many guns are what they are passionate about and I'm all in with that outlook.

But a person who sees a news report about a mass shooting and responds by posting pictures of themselves trying to look all 'badass' with a gun saying they'll shoot someone who tries to 'take it from them' p-r-o-b-a-b-l-y isn't really mentally stable enough to own a gun in the first place.

scrubbedexpat099

Many of us on here have Trucks and like our Trucks, and there are some people out there who are into Rolling Coal. Not something I agree with but not sure what that has to do with me as a Truck owner.

SultanOfSwing

People who roll coal are ***** and should be slapped about the face with a dead fish, but they aren't going to directly kill someone (I mean, in 100 years when Florida is a small island yeah, but not now). It's not the same as the gun cultist who states unironically and unambiguously that they are going to actually shoot someone if they do something they don't like. Or the batshit crazy sovereign citizen who took the 2A way too literally and has now armed himself against his own government. Yeah, take on the best armed and most highly funded armed forces in the world yah great numpty.

You can look at that the other way too - personally I hate trucks, they're ugly as **** and they act as a passive precursor to being made to do boring shit like DIY. But I'm not trying to take them off you. Neither am I trying to take away your guns. I just DGAF about them, that's all.

scrubbedexpat099

Probably best to keep out of the Cars thread, lot of posts recently about Trucks.

SultanOfSwing

I know, it bored me senseless, but I hang around for the sports cars and the Grand Tour banter. I mean, maybe hate is too strong a word for an inanimate item but I do think they're pretty lame, since their whole reason for being is work, which is, of course, lame.

Anyway, that's off topic - do you at least get the point I was trying to make? That my apathy towards guns themselves doesn't mean I'm in any way trying to advocate for confiscation? That we are all in agreement that one more person killed by a gun is one person too many, and that I would think 'guilt by association', and wanting to preserve their hobby is a reason why gun owners should be on board with doing whatever it takes to make that a reality?

If, at the end of the day as I said to OF a few days ago, all gun owners get to keep their guns (and I'm not getting into type restrictions here because I don't necessarily agree with that) that nothing should be off the table for discussion if we're working towards the same goal?

scrubbedexpat099

I personally would ban cigarettes, if I could.

But I can not so do let it bother me.

SultanOfSwing

I didn't say I wanted to ban guns though. Guns aren't what bother me, people being killed by them is. Unfortunately there is no perfect solution to this problem, but it does often seem like much of the rest of the developed world has some kind of a handle on it but the US, like in so many other areas, is lagging far behind its cohorts.

scrubbedexpat099

Sadly many on here do want to ban.

SultanOfSwing

I haven't seen that, at least not an outright ban, some may well want to ban certain types. But at the same time, they aren't lawmakers so it's not like that means that a ban is forthcoming.

A great many people in the wider world outside of this thread also want a ban, outright or otherwise, but again, that doesn't mean it's actually going to happen. No politician is going to risk losing votes by doing that.

Oakvillian

Who? User names, please. I don't believe you.

Nutmegger

I haven't seen anyone looking for an outright ban. But as has been said ad infinitum, and as "many on here" choose to ignore, there are certain classes of weapons that do not belong in the hands of civilians, and no one has come up with a legitimate, let alone convincing, argument as to why they are so absolutely essential to everyday life.

Lion in Winter

I don't see what's sad about it.

It is, however, impractical in this country.