Ask Lemmy

I have guns for the same reason I have fishing rods and a bow. I enjoy it, and there's some satisfaction in being able to hunt or fish for a meal yourself. I didn't grow up getting to shoot much aside from a few rare afternoons out with a .22 when dad had time. While I fished a lot, didn't really get into shooting or hunting until after college. I started small game hunting with friends who would go out. While I had a lot of catching up to do, since I hadn't grown up hunting like they did, I eventually figured out how to clean game without making too much of a disaster of it. I enjoyed the independence of it, knowing more about the whole process and being able to do more for myself. Taught myself to tie flies, eventually started reloading my own ammo, then got further down the rabbit hole to casting bullets. For my leverguns with oversized bores (30-30 and 45-70), rolling my own ammo has been the best way for me to get decent accuracy. I have firearms because they're useful tools, and it's just darned fun to know that I cast the bullet that was loaded over the powder I measured, in the brass casing I trimmed and resized, and it hit the target waaay out there down range right where I wanted it to go.

I recently moved and got rid of mine. However, I used to live in a really rough neighborhood. A lot of heavy drug use. Most folks were good people when sober, but when high, they don't think logically, and bad mixes can cause aggression. Thankfully never had to shoot anyone, but police were called a few times with guns at the ready in case things escalated before police arrived. My mom still lives in that area, so I left her with a 38 special, a 20 guage shotgun, and a habit of calling the police the moment anything feels off in the neighborhood.

My parents and grandparents were into hunting and shooting sports, so I have always been around them and learned how to use them responsibly from an early age, so I used to think it was something everyone did.

I used to shoot 5-7 days a week. Ammo was dirt cheap so I have some guns that used to be really fun, but are now too expensive to use all that much, so I hunt one week a year and go skeet shooting a few times, and occasionally plink at targets with one of the 22s or 38 Specials that I have a pile of reloading stuff for.

It doesn't excite me as much as it used to either, as gun ownership has become more politicized for everyone, so it's also hard to find anyone I want to shoot with other than my brother. It used to be a fun hobby where people would just shoot the breeze more than the guns, but now clubs here are filled with MAGAs and plastered with Republican propaganda so I don't feel as welcome as I used to.

Mostly for protection and also for emergencies. I don't hunt anymore because I can not make good use of the animal and also I don't even particularly like game meat, but it's nice to have that option if stuff goes to hell in the future. The defensive aspect I have used several times.

To me it always seemed crazy to trust other people with your protection. Not only are governments almost always run be psychopathic pedophiles who will murder millions for any number of reasons while surveiling the rest of the population, but humanity in general is not at all trustworthy. Most people are pretty evil. They will hurt innocent people. That's how humans on average are.

I just think they're neat

I'm not straight and my neighborhood is low income. Like my neighbors and I are tight, but everyone has guns... i trust them (and they me), it's folks coming in from outside, especially shit like the Proud Boys who turned up a few years ago during protests.

Self defense against wildlife and shady humans when I'm solo camping

Mostly, I enjoy target shooting as a hobby. Hunting is big in my area as both deer and feral hogs need to be culled.

I also feel there's a greater chance of widespread civil unrest than most people understand, and that folks in my area will likely have to defend themselves to some extent if it breaks out. For various reasons, the people who are most important to me aren't likely to be prepared for that, so I figure I should be ready to some extent.

My dad is into guns, so he gave me one. And I sold it. And then he gave me another, and I guess I'll hang onto this one for a bit.

I have a deep and abiding fear of paper targets.

Sorry, I find humor helps me deal with bad situations. And as a progressive in the US, that is where I currently find myself. Large numbers of people profess that they would be happy to murder me, my family, and my friends, because we aren't misogynist, racist, homophobic, and transphobic sociopaths. I put a high value on human life, and I would not kill someone over property, but I am willing to kill to prevent others from being killed.

I believe in using as little force as necessary. I believe in de-escalation. I believe that deadly force should always be a last resort. But having a firearm leaves that option on the table, in case nothing else works.

I hope that we can eventually all get back to treating each other like human beings. Right now I don't think I can count on that from everyone.

Fuck off, I like guns!

- Jim Jefferies

I don't, I don't and I don't. Welcome to Portugal. Try the food and wine, enjoy your stay.

Whilst I do enjoy the military history of guns and have been to a shooting range in the USA before I don't want any in my home. Ifi had them before I might not have been around due to the relative easy way out.

Also they are very hard to get where I live. I like that a lot. I think that there a majority of stupid people that I think would be terrible gun owners around me. I think in general my life would be worse is a majority of people owned guns.

I went to bed and woke up to Trumpie being President. Figured it was time to start the process of acquiring firearms since Trumpie was going to start fucking everyone's life.

Started out never wanting guns, but a family issue prompted it for safety reasons. Then, after taking a class and training, I found out I really enjoyed target shooting, even the wife got on board so we use it to bond.

I don't think I could ever enjoy hunting, unless it became necessary for survival for some reason. I'd like to have the extra funds to train and compete for the active shooting competitions (think the video of Reeves training from John Wick) but it's pretty pricey unless you have your own setup on some land.

Shooting clay pigeons on the farm is fun, and sometimes a pest needs taking care of.

Hunting, self defense, sport, and just enjoy them.

Like all kinds of guns. Spring loaded German pellet rifles, handguns, PCCs, shotguns (pump/semi), rifles (.22, .243, .270, .308) both bolt action and semiautomatic.

Just like any other hobby with a utilitarian side… riding four wheelers and other motor vehicles is dangerous if you’re irresponsible, but they can be useful and are certainly fun.

Need: no I do not

Want: pew pew explosions :DD

Do not want: sometimes I have the longing for death, also I'd be anxious about it being stolen and used for un-cool things, also seems expensive, also passive discomfort around a killing tool

Same reason I have a bow: target shooting is super fun and cathartic.

I hunt deer, elk, and bear. I have a 30-06 for deer and elk, and I prefer to hunt bear with my .357.

I don’t have one, but I really appreciate the engineering and craftsmanship that goes into them. The way all of the subtle ergonomics play into an explosive force you aim with your hands. Being able to shoot at targets and quantify a skill on top of that is just icing on the cake.

I don’t think I could bring myself to shoot a living creature even if I needed to.

My husband has one, but I would like my own. I'd like something smaller-- not sure if they make "girl" guns, but I'd like that. I have tiny ass little hands and a weak grip, and the uhhh kick? Not sure of word but I don't want a gun that is going to fly outta my tiny ass weak hands when it fires...

I am a smidge paranoid when my husband goes out of town for work. Also with how things are proceeding in my country, I don't want to be in Nazi Germany 2.0: The Electric Boogaloo without a weapon. I am much more of a knife girl, but a gun is a good deterrent.

It is a good skill to have, shooting a hand gun. Imo everyone in the US should have it (if they want).

Don't have guns yet, but kinda want them. I don't trust police, I'm non-white, fear of racists.

For self-defence against the swarms of bloodthirdty hounds, baying at the gates of western civilization.

Edit: I mean the rightoids.

"Because of the implications".