What is with guns and paranoia?

Cain said:
Gun people are amusing. Amusing idiots. But dangerous. Watch out.
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Hey! I am NOT amusing!

Travis said:
It seems like every idiot with the ability to use his opposable thumbs and a penchant to shoot things in order to get off sexually somehow gets loads of guns.
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Really, Travis? Can you use your powers of logic on yourself this one time and tell us just one of the fallacies presented here? I'll forgive you for this outburst if you do.
 
RenaissanceBiker said:
Hey! I am NOT amusing!

Really, Travis? Can you use your powers of logic on yourself this one time and tell us just one of the fallacies presented here? I'll forgive you for this outburst if you do.
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I agree. I'm sure lots of them have guns to compensate for their sexual inadequacies, but I'm sure lots of others are compensating for fears or inadequacies that have nothing to do with sex. Well, nothing much anyway.
 
The "government gun-grab" meme has been around since I was a kid in the 50s. I joined the NRA early on, primarily for the subscription to the American Rifleman magazine, which had lots of good reviews and technical stuff.
However, plenty of propaganda as well. The "First, Hitler took all the guns" thing was repeated over and over. Disarm the citizens and you can control them....The constant underlying theme, juxtaposed with the "minuteman" ideal standing as a bulwark against tyranny.
This still plays well on the various firearm formums I visit, but less so, seems now the big worry (if you want to call it that) is the "societal collapse" thing. The euphemistic "zombie apocalypse". ("zombie" is now code for rioters, looters, and similar folks)
Back in the 70s we saw the rise of the "militia" groups like Mr. DePugh's "minutemen"... Who seemed to enjoy burying guns in their backyards and running around in the woods playing soldier.
Such groups are still with us... Time magazine had a big cover article on the New Militias last year and interviewed some participants. Some true paranoids who thought the End was near, others who just liked playing soldier....
It may be that much of this is due to the deeply-engrained American notion of the frontiersman, the minuteman, the pioneer... Alll wound up with self-sufficiency and protecting one's own...
As well, the nervousness over current society and politics; when things don't seem so secure as they once were it plays on peoples fears.
I don't recall any such notions as a kid in the 50s, when anyone could walk out of high school into a good-paying factory job at which your could stay till you retired and that with a decent pension...That was the paradigm where I lived; a dozen good-paying industrial jobs with constant openings... Strong unions, good retirement plans...
Not much insecurity.
 
I have to agree. Lots of people seem to be very, very paranoid about gun owners -- to the point of making wild accusaions against a large number of them based on some type of irrational fear.

You can find examples of it even closer than you might think. I am glad this topic has been brought into the open.
 
I was just noting this morning that I have seen three new gun shops open in our area so far this year.

Apparently Obama's attempts to get our guns is not working so well.
 
From a Canadian's point of view, it's always amusing to see Americans argue about the second amendment and gun control.

Personally I like guns.

However, I wouldn't trust most people with anything more dangerous than a sharp stick. Actually, maybe not a sharp stick... :D
 
pgwenthold said:
I was just noting this morning that I have seen three new gun shops open in our area so far this year.

Apparently Obama's attempts to get our guns is not working so well.
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So far he's been the most successful firearms seller in history.

For Travis, if interested, read this:

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1326743

Imagining gun control in America, the remainder problem.

Short version - total across the board firearms ban, their would still remain a 400 year supply of firearms in circulation.
 
Travis said:
The fact that things like this continue to hold traction with the gun crowd has me concerned. Especially since I have hung with some very liberal crowds in my time and really have never run across a deep rooted desire to actually ban all guns. Sure a lot of them don't like guns, I certainly don't, but they were pragmatic enough to know that trying to ban them would be a huge folly.

So why does this paranoia persist?

They seemed sure Obama would ban guns and then he didn't. Then they thought that Fast & Furious was part of some plot to ban guns. Now they think George Soros is spending huge amounts of his own money to simply stop manufacturing them.

I mean really? :rolleyes:
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The real problem with a substanital segment of gun owners is that they get guns because they really are afraid (or even 100% sure) that sooner or later, they willl get into some sort of altercation that can only be resolved via having a gun on their person.

Consequently, before too long, these same people start thinking that just everyone else in the world has the same concerns and fears about their personal safety that they do. And not only that, but these people start thinking that just about everyone else in the world has personal firearms as well, and this beliefe really ramps up their fears and concerns.

Anyway, the end result is that these gun owners soon develop some sort of personal danger paranoia.
 
Kevin_Lowe said:
I agree. I'm sure lots of them have guns to compensate for their sexual inadequacies, but I'm sure lots of others are compensating for fears or inadequacies that have nothing to do with sex. Well, nothing much anyway.
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Well, if you're sure, I guess I don't need any evidence. :rolleyes:
 
Crossbow said:
The real problem with a substanital segment of gun owners is that they get guns because they really are afraid (or even 100% sure) that sooner or later, they willl get into some sort of altercation that can only be resolved via having a gun on their person.

Consequently, before too long, these same people start thinking that just everyone else in the world has the same concerns and fears about their personal safety that they do. And not only that, but these people start thinking that just about everyone else in the world has personal firearms as well, and this beliefe really ramps up their fears and concerns.

Anyway, the end result is that these gun owners soon develop some sort of personal danger paranoia.
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Did you miss this post by NoZed Avenger?

NoZed Avenger said:
I have to agree. Lots of people seem to be very, very paranoid about gun owners -- to the point of making wild accusaions against a large number of them based on some type of irrational fear.

You can find examples of it even closer than you might think. I am glad this topic has been brought into the open.
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Cain said:
Gun people are amusing. Amusing idiots. But dangerous. Watch out.
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What is a gun person? Does it include the police, military, security guards and professionals that use guns for a living?

Ranb
 
Travis said:
There's still way too many guns out here in California.
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The CA gov is trying to keep as many guns out of the state as possible it seems. It appears they do not base their gun control scheme or assault weapons list on what is causing the problems. Some of the last sporting rifles added to the list had zero association with violent crime in the state. The law did nothing to prevent criminal use.

Within a few years sportsman got around the ban by making slight changes to the cartridge design and giving it a new name; 50 DTC. Thank a frenchman for that idea. One of the nicer things to come out of France since the Statue of Liberty. :)

Ranb
 
Ranb said:
What is a gun person? Does it include the police, military, security guards and professionals that use guns for a living?

Ranb
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Well, certainly the police and military acquire weapons because someday, somewhere, they might be attacked by 'bad people', and need the so called protection of a big gun...

:wink:
 
BStrong said:
Short version - total across the board firearms ban, their would still remain a 400 year supply of firearms in circulation.
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And this is somehow an argument against regulating guns?
 
Crossbow said:
The real problem with a substanital segment of gun owners is that they get guns because they really are afraid (or even 100% sure) that sooner or later, they willl get into some sort of altercation that can only be resolved via having a gun on their person.
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No. That may be a problem with a substantial segment of people who carry guns unnecessarily (e.g., not a police officer, a frequent transporter of valuables, etc.) but most gun owners I've known used them for hunting and other sport. I never saw any evidence(!) that any of them were overly concerned about needing a gun for self defense.
 
crimresearch said:
Well, certainly the police and military acquire weapons because someday, somewhere, they might be attacked by 'bad people', and need the so called protection of a big gun...
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Well it remains to be seen if Cain thinks that these people are amusing dangerous idiots. :)

Ranb
 
Ranb said:
What is a gun person? Does it include the police, military, security guards and professionals that use guns for a living?
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Gun enthusiasts, especially the breed who hang around on the Internet fantasizing about someone messing with them, almost inviting an attack.

Plenty of law enforcement officers would like to see a licensing process, in addition to other controls.
 
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