Board index › Topical Discussion › Politics, Philosophy, and Religion

The NRA 2008 Firearm Salesman of the Year...

Page 1 of 4 [ 49 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2, 3, 4  Next

Previous topic | Next topic

John_Browning
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 22 Mar 2009
Age: 42
Gender: Male
Posts: 4,456
Location: The shooting range

02 Apr 2009, 12:47 am

Image


_________________
"Gun control is like trying to reduce drunk driving by making it tougher for sober people to own cars."
- Unknown

"A fear of weapons is a sign of ret*d sexual and emotional maturity."
-Sigmund Freud


Nights_Like_These
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 18 Oct 2008
Age: 42
Gender: Male
Posts: 722
Location: Ontario, Canada

02 Apr 2009, 1:59 am

Wow.......thats special.....


_________________
"There are things known, and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors of perception."

--Aldous Huxley


Dox47
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 28 Jan 2008
Gender: Male
Posts: 13,577
Location: Seattle-ish

03 Apr 2009, 3:28 am

The funny thing is that this isn't that facetious, I'm in the Seattle area and I can't find anything but shotgun shells in my local gun shops, and even the reloading components are in short supply, let alone semi-automatic rifles and the magazines to go with them. Buying that AK and all that Soviet ammo a few years back is looking like a better investment by the day, I just wish I had had more funds a few months ago, I could be making a killing at the gun shows if I'd been able to buy up magazines.


_________________
Your boos mean nothing, I've seen what makes you cheer.

- Rick Sanchez


Haliphron
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 28 Jan 2008
Age: 42
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,980

03 Apr 2009, 4:20 am

Dox47 wrote:
The funny thing is that this isn't that facetious, I'm in the Seattle area and I can't find anything but shotgun shells in my local gun shops, and even the reloading components are in short supply, let alone semi-automatic rifles and the magazines to go with them. Buying that AK and all that Soviet ammo a few years back is looking like a better investment by the day, I just wish I had had more funds a few months ago, I could be making a killing at the gun shows if I'd been able to buy up magazines.


Have you tried going further out into the sticks? Like some of the cities to the south of Seattle? Maybe Auburn or even down to pierce county? I really cant f_cking believe that Obama is pushing gun control :evil: . The rest of the democratic party stopped toting the gun control agenda because of its overwhelming unpopularity.



Henriksson
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 23 Nov 2008
Age: 32
Gender: Male
Posts: 2,534
Location: Sweden

03 Apr 2009, 5:18 am

Dox47 wrote:
The funny thing is that this isn't that facetious, I'm in the Seattle area and I can't find anything but shotgun shells in my local gun shops, and even the reloading components are in short supply, let alone semi-automatic rifles and the magazines to go with them. Buying that AK and all that Soviet ammo a few years back is looking like a better investment by the day, I just wish I had had more funds a few months ago, I could be making a killing at the gun shows if I'd been able to buy up magazines.

Oh, do you happen to have an overwhelming need to shoot something, or what?


_________________
"Purity is for drinking water, not people" - Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.


zerooftheday
Snowy Owl
Snowy Owl

User avatar

Joined: 19 Mar 2009
Age: 41
Gender: Male
Posts: 132

03 Apr 2009, 8:59 am

It's our therapy, man. Don't knock it until you've blown rocks apart, or knocked a tree over, with gunfire alone. It's pure fun, and no one gets hurt.

We really just want to be left alone.

Oh, and no way in hell am I selling my excess mags. I bought some of the last in-stock AK mags on 4 November. I don't care how much I could make.



Sand
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 15 Sep 2007
Age: 98
Gender: Male
Posts: 11,484
Location: Finland

03 Apr 2009, 9:04 am

zerooftheday wrote:
It's our therapy, man. Don't knock it until you've blown rocks apart, or knocked a tree over, with gunfire alone. It's pure fun, and no one gets hurt.

We really just want to be left alone.

Oh, and no way in hell am I selling my excess mags. I bought some of the last in-stock AK mags on 4 November. I don't care how much I could make.


Basically it's joy in the simple power of destruction. I like making things and figuring how to make them better, more interesting and more aesthetically pleasing. This is tough and it teaches you a lot about how and why the world functions. Blasting things is a naive way of satisfying a desire for power.



zerooftheday
Snowy Owl
Snowy Owl

User avatar

Joined: 19 Mar 2009
Age: 41
Gender: Male
Posts: 132

03 Apr 2009, 9:11 am

Not if gunsmithing is your hobby. I can't count the number of times I've disassembled my firearms to study how they work, I hope to build one of my own design in the next few years. I'm past the computer-design stage, I just need the tools and practice time. It won't be aesthetically pleasing, but it'll be very user-friendly.

Not to mention we used the tree we knocked over for firewood for the next three days of camping.

And hey, those rocks were being very rude, even after we politely asked them to move out of our way. They just sat there and stared at us, not even giving a good reason for staying there. It was unforgivable.



Sand
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 15 Sep 2007
Age: 98
Gender: Male
Posts: 11,484
Location: Finland

03 Apr 2009, 9:20 am

zerooftheday wrote:
Not if gunsmithing is your hobby. I can't count the number of times I've disassembled my firearms to study how they work, I hope to build one of my own design in the next few years. I'm past the computer-design stage, I just need the tools and practice time. It won't be aesthetically pleasing, but it'll be very user-friendly.

Not to mention we used the tree we knocked over for firewood for the next three days of camping.

And hey, those rocks were being very rude, even after we politely asked them to move out of our way. They just sat there and stared at us, not even giving a good reason for staying there. It was unforgivable.


Fascinating how you gave those rocks personalities. I wonder how long it will be before before you get disturbed over the personalities of animals and people. I have handled firearms and used them for record in the army (although I never used a living thing as a target). No doubt the easy finger twitch to absolute power is seductive. Much too seductive.



zerooftheday
Snowy Owl
Snowy Owl

User avatar

Joined: 19 Mar 2009
Age: 41
Gender: Male
Posts: 132

03 Apr 2009, 9:31 am

Wow. You *did* know that it was joke, right? I mean, you're not seriously implying that I'm inches away from shooting people? Seriously, it's fun to shoot at targets of some kind or another, it's fun to joke about shooting zombies or whatever, but neither I nor any of my friends have ever seriously talked about killing people. My friends and I have discussed strategies in case of a domestic war, but that's about it.

If anyone I went shooting with said anything serious, he'd be walking home. We've bugged out in less than a minute just because the folks next to us were shooting Holocaust books. We take that sort of thing extremely seriously, it's never ok.

I'm sure you served with honor, I never criticize that. But if your experiences on the other side of the Atlantic from me have taught you how I think to the point that you're sure the joy of pulling the trigger and hitting a rock translates into an intense desire to shoot people, you're an honorable f***ing idiot.



Sand
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 15 Sep 2007
Age: 98
Gender: Male
Posts: 11,484
Location: Finland

03 Apr 2009, 10:00 am

zerooftheday wrote:
Wow. You *did* know that it was joke, right? I mean, you're not seriously implying that I'm inches away from shooting people? Seriously, it's fun to shoot at targets of some kind or another, it's fun to joke about shooting zombies or whatever, but neither I nor any of my friends have ever seriously talked about killing people. My friends and I have discussed strategies in case of a domestic war, but that's about it.

If anyone I went shooting with said anything serious, he'd be walking home. We've bugged out in less than a minute just because the folks next to us were shooting Holocaust books. We take that sort of thing extremely seriously, it's never ok.

I'm sure you served with honor, I never criticize that. But if your experiences on the other side of the Atlantic from me have taught you how I think to the point that you're sure the joy of pulling the trigger and hitting a rock translates into an intense desire to shoot people, you're an honorable f***ing idiot.


I am not accusing you of being a murderer, merely that a fascination with violent destruction is easily misused. With guns, much too easily. And none of us is immune to violent emotions at one time or another in life.
I cannot see how my US Army service involved any honor. I just was in and did what I was told. And was delighted when the war ended and I got out.



zerooftheday
Snowy Owl
Snowy Owl

User avatar

Joined: 19 Mar 2009
Age: 41
Gender: Male
Posts: 132

03 Apr 2009, 10:28 am

US Army? Your location is Finland. Interesting, I made the logical assumption you are Finnish. Anymore, just doing what you're told in the Army is rare. By honorable, I meant you didn't do anything *dis*honorable, like punch your CO, drink while patrolling, sleep on guard duty, and generally act like a horse's ass. Honor isn't found in battle anyways, it's revealed there.

I *used* to be the angry/violent person, that was a long time ago. Pulled a knife on a guy a dozen years ago, got into a couple fights, that sort of thing. Never hurt anyone, maybe a bruise or two, but it was headed in a really bad direction.

*Now*, I'm well-medicated, I understand Asperger's/BP, I generally leave and ponder the situation before acting, and I simply avoid people that aggravate me. In other words, I grew up and out of the violent stage. I still get fired up, but I learned to separate my mind from my emotions, to act rationally even though I'm stressed. It takes a lot of stress for me to even raise my voice anymore.

For me, shooting my rifle must be what Zen archery those monks practice is like for them. It calms me down because I have to control my breathing, my hands, judge the wind and distance, wait for the right moment, and slowly but precisely squeeze the trigger. I have to completely focus, tune out the people next to me, the personal-interactions problems of the past week, the entire world. I normally use a .22LR because it magnifies all these factors at a short range, and it's cheap.



Sand
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 15 Sep 2007
Age: 98
Gender: Male
Posts: 11,484
Location: Finland

03 Apr 2009, 11:08 am

zerooftheday wrote:
US Army? Your location is Finland. Interesting, I made the logical assumption you are Finnish. Anymore, just doing what you're told in the Army is rare. By honorable, I meant you didn't do anything *dis*honorable, like punch your CO, drink while patrolling, sleep on guard duty, and generally act like a horse's ass. Honor isn't found in battle anyways, it's revealed there.

I *used* to be the angry/violent person, that was a long time ago. Pulled a knife on a guy a dozen years ago, got into a couple fights, that sort of thing. Never hurt anyone, maybe a bruise or two, but it was headed in a really bad direction.

*Now*, I'm well-medicated, I understand Asperger's/BP, I generally leave and ponder the situation before acting, and I simply avoid people that aggravate me. In other words, I grew up and out of the violent stage. I still get fired up, but I learned to separate my mind from my emotions, to act rationally even though I'm stressed. It takes a lot of stress for me to even raise my voice anymore.

For me, shooting my rifle must be what Zen archery those monks practice is like for them. It calms me down because I have to control my breathing, my hands, judge the wind and distance, wait for the right moment, and slowly but precisely squeeze the trigger. I have to completely focus, tune out the people next to me, the personal-interactions problems of the past week, the entire world. I normally use a .22LR because it magnifies all these factors at a short range, and it's cheap.


I cannot argue with someone who is fully aware of the potential danger of an efficient powerful instrument. I am not immune to the precise machinery of a firearm as any good tool is something fascinating. An automobile is also a fantastic instrument and something in the neighborhood of forty thousand people die each year because of mostly unintentional events. But the very beauty and efficiency of a gun repels me because of its basic intent. I am not accusing you of anything.

I am a native New Yorker and served from 1944 to 1946 in the US Army Air Force. I did nothing to be ashamed of and nothing to be proud of.



Haliphron
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 28 Jan 2008
Age: 42
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,980

03 Apr 2009, 11:44 am

Sand: Guns ARENT just for hunting and entertainment. They are invaluable self-defense weapons that give an advantage to weak(er) people when they are attacked by bigger, stronger assailants. God mad men, guns made 'em equal. :wink:



Sand
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 15 Sep 2007
Age: 98
Gender: Male
Posts: 11,484
Location: Finland

03 Apr 2009, 11:54 am

Haliphron wrote:
Sand: Guns ARENT just for hunting and entertainment. They are invaluable self-defense weapons that give an advantage to weak(er) people when they are attacked by bigger, stronger assailants. God mad men, guns made 'em equal. :wink:


Here again we enter the area of granting anyone with a gun the power of life and death on his/her own judgment. Certainly I would like a gun if someone tries to mug me and there is no legal alternative. But frankly I am leery of my own judgment in a high stress situation. Time and again trained policemen have either abused the power of a firearm or severely misjudged a situation to result in the loss of innocent life. Presumably these people have been trained in the use and nonuse of a firearm and still there are tragedies. General distribution of a firearm to people with unascertained social abilities frightens me.



zerooftheday
Snowy Owl
Snowy Owl

User avatar

Joined: 19 Mar 2009
Age: 41
Gender: Male
Posts: 132

03 Apr 2009, 5:40 pm

Haliphron:

If that's the only reason you own a firearm, it's a really crappy reason. And the quote is:

"God made some men big, and some men small. Colonel Colt made all men equal."

Sand:

Quote:
General distribution of a firearm to people with unascertained social abilities frightens me.


That's the sort of dilemma we're all in. Granted, some folks shouldn't be allowed to own a firearm, I'm personally not a fan of a paranoid schizo owning an AR. On the other hand, should we force all people to get full psych profiles first? That one time I was suicidal a decade back would prevent me from owning my firearms.

And who would decide the definition of fit, anyways? I mean, they'd probably paint anyone with any sort of mental illness as unfit, ASDs are out, anyone with even a bit of a history of depression is out, it's just too vague. I think the laws are OK as they are, even if people slip through the cracks. It's tragic, but some people's maladies simply don't manifest all the time.

I mean, Frank Castle could test out totally fine when he purchases the firearm, but then snaps a year later when his whole family gets killed. Bad analogy, but we all know that a psych-profile won't stop people from later becoming dangerous. Which begs the question, would we have to renew our licenses?

What always bothers me, and always will, is that probably 80%+ of the time some nutcase shoots a bunch of people, the shooter purchased the firearms illegally. Which makes me wonder, how would more laws make him obey the laws he wasn't paying attention to anyways? Even if not one more legal firearm was made, transferred, or imported into America, there are still so many guns that the black market would function for a century. It's useless, and laws only affect the law-abiding.