Are "fashionable" guns a danger?

O

OhioGuy

New member
I've been looking at the marketing around the new Taurus Spectrum, which isn't too different from a lot of other pocket guns lately.

These guns (whatever their defense worth is...I won't argue ballistics, but I also wouldn't argue with a .380 aimed at me) seem way more trendy than any others. And it's obvious that's where marketing dollars are going.

Sexy-looking models holding them.

Available in chocolate mint, or Miami Vice blue, or pink camo!

Buy several interchangeable panels to match your outfits and your moods!

Some of these guns, both in size but especially style, look more like toys than my kid's nerf guns.

Seems to risk trivializing this. Making concealed carry into a fashion rather than a form of self defense.

Will people be more likely to get sloppy or careless with a gun if they're worried about how it matches their shoes?

At the end of the day, whatever colors and options and soft-touch materials companies come up with, these things are all tools with one main design purpose: KILLING OTHER HUMAN BEINGS.

I don't know. I guess when I saw two young ladies at a gun counter, looking at the color options on LCPs and giggling about which ones will match their eye shadow, it kind of worried me. I'm not sure I like trends that turn weapons into fashion.

Thoughts?
 
People have been customizing pretty guns for centuries. If you look back through time folks have had guns with all sorts of flashy engraving, gold plating, nickle plating, ivory grips, fancy wood grips.

There's an old term "barbecue gun", meaning a very fancy gun that one supposedly wears to a social outing like a woman would wear her best jewels. Very much a fashion statement.

I don't think any of these concepts have trivialized guns before. If there is a problem today it's with people being irresponsible not the guns having any particular cosmetic characteristics.
 
At the end of the day, whatever colors and options and soft-touch materials companies come up with, these things are all tools with one main design purpose: KILLING OTHER HUMAN BEINGS.

I don't know. I guess when I saw two young ladies at a gun counter, looking at the color options on LCPs and giggling about which ones will match their eye shadow, it kind of worried me. I'm not sure I like trends that turn weapons into fashion

Thoughts?
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You're worried about 2 ladies at the counter? Seems strange coming to your conclusion after observing just 2 women.
Gun companies are trying to attract the ladies to their products. Taurus is following Skyy, and doesn't Ruger make some colored frames and Charter arms also has colored frames. You could have asked the 2 ladies their thoughts about the dangers of killing people with those colored guns or if they understood how deadly those matching eye shadow guns were
 
I have always been a bit lost to the purpose of designer concealed carry pieces. Sword hilts, exposed pistols, etc. I get the idea behind them but concealed pistols are things that others in polite society are not really supposed to know you are "wearing" let alone see them enough to admire them.
 
I bought my M&P for three reasons.
1) it fit my hand like a glove
2) it was on sale
3) it looks a hell of a lot better than a Glock IMO.

I bought my girlfriend an LCP in muddy girl camo, she loves that thing. She also loves how her P229 looks as well. Next purchase for her is probably either an AR-15 with a rollmark she likes on the lower or save up for a SS 1911 and get some nice engraving done. Just because they're meant for defense or killing people doesn't mean they can't be aesthetically pleasing as well.
 
Some of these guns, both in size but especially style, look more like toys than my kid's nerf guns.
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I like pretty guns; however the Taurus Spectrum is not pretty to me. All guns don't need to be flat black with checkered walnut grips. Anyway, they've been doing this for years with pearl handles on pocket pistols at the turn of the 19th century and chrome/nickel plated top-break revolvers. These were basically the Ravens of their day. Taurus is a couple of notches up from the quality of Ravens and Lorcins.

Personally, I don't believe guns need to look like guns. In fact, I hate that guns made to look like other things need to be registered as AOW's. If I want to have a gun that looks like a garage door opener, a key-fob, a pen, a knife, a pink lemon or an Oreo cookie - who cares?
 
I can attest that my wife supports CC 100%. She is getting her permit this year, but she does want a gun that she likes to look at.

I'd rather have her carrying a pretty gun than none at all.

Personally, I get tired of black guns all the time. I'm thinking about sending it in for a custom finish.

As long as said person practices with the firearm it doesn't really matter what it looks like. I'm glad more people are getting into the shooting world.


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It is laughable to imply that "pretty" or "colorful" guns are somehow not correct.

This is a FREE COUNTRY. If a woman, or man, wants to own a colorful gun than so be it. If it gets more guns in the hands of the Good Guy with a Gun crowd, than that's fine with me.

Some people are just too concerned with what others want in a gun.
 
I've been looking at the marketing around the new Taurus Spectrum, which isn't too different from a lot of other pocket guns lately.

These guns (whatever their defense worth is...I won't argue ballistics, but I also wouldn't argue with a .380 aimed at me) seem way more trendy than any others. And it's obvious that's where marketing dollars are going.

Sexy-looking models holding them.

Available in chocolate mint, or Miami Vice blue, or pink camo!

Buy several interchangeable panels to match your outfits and your moods!

Some of these guns, both in size but especially style, look more like toys than my kid's nerf guns.

Seems to risk trivializing this. Making concealed carry into a fashion rather than a form of self defense.

Will people be more likely to get sloppy or careless with a gun if they're worried about how it matches their shoes?

At the end of the day, whatever colors and options and soft-touch materials companies come up with, these things are all tools with one main design purpose: KILLING OTHER HUMAN BEINGS.

I don't know. I guess when I saw two young ladies at a gun counter, looking at the color options on LCPs and giggling about which ones will match their eye shadow, it kind of worried me. I'm not sure I like trends that turn weapons into fashion.

Thoughts?
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Why such a misogynistic tone? Would you feel the same about 2 men looking at burl-wood vs stag grips for their favorite BBQ gun? Knives, swords, guns etc have always been made ornate to satisfy the tastes of potential owners. Seems like you have a bit of a gender bias going on.

Maybe you need to think about your gender bias a bit more. Next time you are at the range see if you can rent one of these. It might help you get over your issues.

hello-kitty-pistol.jpg
 
Some people are just too concerned with what others want in a gun.
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Seems like you have a bit of a gender bias going on.
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Am I really hearing "HEY, DON'T JUDGE ME MAN" here??? While I support the right of anyone to have any kind of gun he/she wants.........I will not be shy about judging the gun as "ugly", "tasteless", "junk", "beautiful", "laughable", "sleek", or otherwise. I've owned some fairly butt-ugly guns which I was quite proud of!

FWIW, I like that Hello Kitty pistol, but would like it even better if it were an HK.
 
Am I really hearing "HEY, DON'T JUDGE ME MAN" here??? While I support the right of anyone to have any kind of gun he/she wants.........I will not be shy about judging the gun as "ugly", "tasteless", "junk", "beautiful", "laughable", "sleek", or otherwise. I've owned some fairly butt-ugly guns which I was quite proud of!
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That was not his point nor was it mine. IMHO.

He seems to object to fashionable guns based solely on gender and the fact that gun companies are marketing to woman. He only seems to see "fashionable" as a negative when it come to female targets colors. He did not bring up the 10,000+ ways men have been trying to make weapons look "fashionable" for centuries.

I have owned some ugly guns. Steyrs, Glocks, etc... I have had custom work done that other people would think is unattractive like a beavertail on a BHP but again that does not seem to be the OPs point. He is acting as if female fashioned guns are somehow dangerous. IMHO YMMV
 
The purpose of these guns is PROTECTING PEOPLE, not killing people. :mad:
There is nothing wrong with having pride of ownership. Even if the gun stays in your pocket. Attracting women and people who otherwise might not be interested in guns is a GOOD thing.
If it worries you then YOU have the problem.
 
The purpose of these guns is PROTECTING PEOPLE, not killing people.
There is nothing wrong with having pride of ownership. Even if the gun stays in your pocket. Attracting women and people who otherwise might not be interested in guns is a GOOD thing.
If it worries you then YOU have the problem.
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Amen.

There is a lot of flawed logic (not to mention overt misogyny) in the original post. By the OP's reasoning, or lack thereof, none of of my firearms (carry or otherwise) work properly because they haven't KILLED PEOPLE. They have protected me, provided enjoyment, or provided food.

Even the most basic defensive firearm training class teaches you to shoot until the threat ceases. If one thinks that defensive firearms are solely for killing, them there is are legal (and grey matter) issues in play.

That said, my car's primary purpose is TRANSPORTING ME FROM POINT A TO POINT B EFFICIENTLY WHILE PROTECTING ME FROM THE IDIOTS OUT THERE (using the OP's yelling text).

But that doesn't mean I don't want it to look good while doing its job, or that I don't occasionally use it for fun.
 
A gunowner has a responsibility.. If they accept the responsibility... It really shouldnt matter what the pistol looks like ...
 
The guns looking like toys does bother me a bit. Not because they are highly customized but because a child may think it is a toy.

Of course good gun owners wont let children handle a gun unsupervised; chit does happen. Id hate for a child to think it looks like a toy so lets play with it.
 
The guns looking like toys does bother me a bit. Not because they are highly customized but because a child may think it is a toy.

Of course good gun owners wont let children handle a gun unsupervised; chit does happen. Id hate for a child to think it looks like a toy so lets play with it.
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Good thinking. I totally agree.
 
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