Friends and Family on TFL

J

Jedi Oomodo

New member
Out of curiosity, how many of you out there either have family members who are also "gun nuts" and/or are a member of TFL? Any of you who have antis in the fam, how do you deal with their paranoia about guns/gun owners? My grandmother has 2 friends that a very Democratic and believe in gun=people control. I have had a biref conversation on that topic before, but the facts I presented were completely disregarded. I don't think they were very reasonable, simply rejected the facts because the facts didn't support their position.
 
Jedi, I cleared the other one, as I saw no replies to it. Let's run with this one.


Luckily 99% of my family is very much pro-gun.. even the in-laws. The ones that aren't die-hards are still not anti-gun by any means, they just think I am a little too radical.

As far as TFL memebers, I have referred several friends to the site, but most of them are just lurkers.. Even my wife just reads over my shoulder, she has never even signed up as a member!

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-Essayons
 
My dad,a veteran of the Korean War,is pro-gun,although he doesn't own any guns. My sister,on the other hand,is very Liberal and is decidedly anti-gun. Her father-in-law,Gaylord Nelson,was Governor and U.S. Senator from Wisconson. He was adamantly against the Vietnam War and founded Earth Day. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom a few years ago. While I have great respect for the man,we are eons apart when it comes to guns. Whenever I visit,the topic in the house is politics,and I'm greatly outnumbered,so I steer clear of discussing gun control,as there is no convincing some folks,and it's wasted breath.

Bill
 
My brothers and I make a full fire team. We all have ARs and/or AKs...



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Every man Dies.
Not Every Man Truely Lives...

FREEDOM!

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE
 
My brother peaks in...wants to see what kind of trouble and obligations I'm getting him into ;)

He's young, head in the right place and will ultimately grow into the fire of nostra Famiglia, right bro? hehehe

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"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes"
 
As a youth, shooting was the only sport my entire family would participate in as a family. Pop could watch football, and he'd be alone. My brother could be dirt biking, alone. My mother watched the Olympics, sometimes with my father. My sister didn't care for sports and I liked the outdoors. Shooting was the only family sport we shared.

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Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt
 
My son and I go shooting together at least once a month. My mom, after a long talk about firearms and the 2nd, fully supports RKBA. But I have one sister who makes Ms Brady look mild. Just saying the word "gun", sets her off like a pyrotechnic show. We don't talk about the subject needless to say.
 
I have three brothers. None have had any interest in firearms, but that soon may change in the case of one brother. For Christmas last year, I promised to pay for a one day basic handgun course for him and his wife which will give them the Basic Firearms Safety Course certificate which is required in California to buy an handgun.

They are both excited about the idea. It is only because of my father's death early this year and my sister-in-law's brother's passing just recently that has postponed their taking the course. Now that things are settling they are checking their calendar to see what course date they can attend.

They will be attending http://www.firearmstraining.com/index.html


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Bruce Stanton
CDR, USN-Ret.
 
Mom doesn't dove hunt like she used to, and we've got some "black sheep" cousins that only keep one or two guns in the house. As for the rest of us, there are few aspects of shooting sports that my entire family does not participate in.
 
It was like this: Dad was the conservative, Mom was the liberal. Predictable, ain't it?

But wait! I emailed my Mom last week, and stumbled into a long political diatribe, admitting my new-found conservatism. I offered her some tissue.

But she replied:

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>"Oh, thank the lord!!!
and I had worried that my commie, pinko, academia influenced, leftie
babbling had ruined you for life!
What a relief!
Yes, my son, I too, have come to my senses. And my particular beef is the
feelings of entitlement by many a lazy swine who wants to live off the
labors of his/her fellow men/women, and gimme, gimme, gimme.
And the whining! And the sorry bastard in the White House!"[/quote]

I couldn't believe it. I mean, this is my Mom! My Mom! I accused her of being a gun nut (tee-hee). I'll have to follow through on that one.

My Dad (22 year Army Major, retired) believes in RKBA, but we never had guns in the house. Except, of course, my BB guns and other implements, which both parents kept me well supplied with. :D Hmmm... maybe they saw the future and were planting the seeds of RKBA in me.

They aren't on TFL, but I'm beginning to have internet dialogue with them about "heavy" stuff we never really talked about when I lived at home. My mom is an Internet Addict, and I've mentioned TFL, so I wonder if she's lurking...

My older brother is pro-gun rights, but I don't think he owns any guns. My older sister... who the hell knows. There's some bad blood there. She's in Colorado, and we never really communicate.

As you can tell, there's a lot of distance in my family, and not just geographically. But I'm starting to bridge those gaps, gain some historical/familial perspective, and spread The Word.

Damn! Yet one more influence of TFL in my little life: reconnecting me with my clan:

(voice of Garrison Keillor)
"Firearms-
Bringing Families Together...Again.
Buy One Today.
For The Children."

Can I be the TFL poster child, Rich? Pleeeease?

-boing



[This message has been edited by boing (edited July 03, 1999).]
 
I'm glad to see that some of you were able to sway the opinons of the antis in your family. Any suggestions on how to talk about guns to an anti, and present them with a REASONED argument? As I mentioned before, I have tried to cite facts, but they were soundly rejected. Any other hints?

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"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary security deserve neither liberty nor security."
-Benjamin Franklin
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"If it isn't Scottish, it's CRAP!"
 
I and my brothers and sister were raised right. My older brother runs a guide service in Alaska. Has two real nice boats, twin desel engines, the whole bit. Open carries his bear gun (a 454 with 12" barrel). Don't think he has ever purchased a piece of meat from the stores since he moved there over 20 years ago. He goes out and gets his own.

Little brother drives big-rig in the summer and traps during the winter months.

Although little sister does not own any guns herself, she did buy a 30-06 for her son's 8th grade graduation present. She also supports him in his hunting life style. Her son is now 18 and is one of the better hunters in the honey lake valley area.

Father is now in his 70's and so crippled with arthritis he no longer hunts or shoots. But he still keeps up with the political talk about how our government is out of whack. He also tries to keep WWII alive and how the need for guns by private individuals is necessary to our defense. Was just talking to my dad the other night and he mentioned that he was for closing the loop hole at the gun shows. Said that if someone was dealing in firearms that they should be licensed. I explained to him the truth, that these were private individuals selling their guns and not dealers. He accepted my word on this and became quite made at the newsmedia for lying to him. Last I heard he was going to place a call to his rep expressing concern over their proposed unconstitutional law.

Mother passed away a few years back. Although she never picked up a gun. She used to supported all of us boys in our shooting sports. Used to clean all of our game until I was 18. One day when I brought home over 40 ducks she took a look at them and told me that since I killed them I had to clean them. She never cleaned any of our game after that. Really made my dad and older brother mad at me for abusing a good thing.. :)

Richard
 
I was going back over old threads, and found this. Bumping it back up, as I didn't see any answers as to "anyone you know on TFL besides yourself"? Well, everyone, HAVE you introduced TFL to your friends and family? Do they come here?

------------------
Lady Justice has been raped, truth assassin;
Rolls of red tape seal your lips, now you're done in;
Their money tips her scales again, make your deal;
Just what is truth? I cannot tell, cannot feel.

The ultimate in vanity
Exploiting their supremacy
I can't believe the things you say
I can't believe, I can't believe the price we pay- nothing can save us
Justice is lost, Justice is raped, Justice is gone
Pulling your strings,Justice is done...
Seeking no truth, winning is all,
Find it so grim, so true, so real....

If it isn't Scottish, it's CRAP! RKBA!
 
Wife shoots/hunts, older son shoots and wants to hunt when he's old enough, younger son still too young to shoot, but wants to ;)

My mom shoots, my brother shoots, my stepdad taught me to shoot when I was a wee lad; the four of us went shooting all the time.

My dad is pro-gun but hasn't touched one since Vietnam.

Needless to say, I grew up taking the 2nd amendment for granted.
 
I grew up around guns, thanks to dad. He grew up around guns, thanks to grandad, he grew up around guns, thanks to great-grandad...etc. Mom grew up around 'em too. So have all the relatives. She's not a big gun enthusiast, but she has fired an MP5 and never complained when dad bought me a new rifle/shotgun/pistol for my birthday or Christmas...

Great-grandma, I'm told, is probably the only member of the family to use a firearm in self-defense (outside of the armed services, that is). One day while the men were working in the sawmill, someone decided they were coming in the house - he decided not to try when she shot the hat off his head...

I've been trying to get a friend or two to come by and check out TFL, but no luck so far.

I don't have any friends that are on TFL - except of course, the ones I made on TFL! I have gone to a couple of IDPA matches with people I met here.

Don't think I've got any anti's in the family. Now, my fiancee & her family are cityfolk from Boston. They're not anti's but they're "scared" of guns. I have some work to do!
 
My Old Man (deceased ten years now) used to shoot (well, depth charged) submarines for the RAF in WW2, partridges and hares with a beautiful old Wesley Richards 12 afterwards, raised us with shotguns. Picked up rifle shooting with my 'surrogate' family - married into it in the end: Swiss and 'gunliness' is next to Godliness with them - alas, they are also mistrustful of these computer things and so, not even lurking here. Some of my shooter friends (here in Argentina) are probably lurking hey c'mon in1, but most have a 'language barrier' problem...
A pity that, as they themselves see that they are missing a helluva lot! So I guess you folk out there are my friends on TFL :)

Peter Knight
 
Family has not been on TFL. I have told them about it, but none of them own computers. As to friends, I believe I now have four members signed up and who post once in a while.



------------------
Richard

The debate is not about guns,
but rather who has the ultimate power to rule,
the People or Government.
RKBA!
 
To all who have commented thus far- thanks. I was curious to see, since as many of you may know, my wife (senior member Darthmaum)and I are both members here at TFL and post whenever the mood strikes us. None of the rest of my family come here, though, as Darth and I are the only real "Gun geeks" in our circles. :(

------------------
Lady Justice has been raped, truth assassin;
Rolls of red tape seal your lips, now you're done in;
Their money tips her scales again, make your deal;
Just what is truth? I cannot tell, cannot feel.

The ultimate in vanity
Exploiting their supremacy
I can't believe the things you say
I can't believe, I can't believe the price we pay- nothing can save us
Justice is lost, Justice is raped, Justice is gone
Pulling your strings,Justice is done...
Seeking no truth, winning is all,
Find it so grim, so true, so real....

If it isn't Scottish, it's CRAP! RKBA!
 
No other TFLers in family. I've already posted about my wife elsewhere on this forum- she's pro-RKBA, good shot, ex-military herself. Wife's big problem with guns is that if I were to buy every one of them I wanted it not leave money for her to buy rugs, wallpaper, quilts, etc.

Two sisters mildly dislike handguns. Brother-in-law 1 does not currently own a gun but is very pro-RKBA and is thinking about buying a shotgun.
Brother-in-law 2 has been given guns by his dad, but has never owned them before, doesn't like violent things (violent things?) and thinks of them as an investment.(Huh?) Other sister had better like guns, my brother-in-law #3 says he is too disabled to work but hunts up a storm (and is good at it too), supplies a lot of their food by that and fishing. Don't ask, please, it's a sore point with me. Dad doesn't hunt anymore but keeps his old shotgun, a couple of handguns and my old Savage 99c at his place. He keeps the Savage because I gave it to my young nephew to hunt with under supervision and I don't want his daddy to pawn it for cigarette money or lotto tickets.

Now as to knowing any other TFLers- Although we've never met, I believe Lone Star lives and works in the same general area of Houston as me. We both shoot at the Carter Country range, I know. And somehow I believe Art Eatman and myself may have crossed paths in the past or at least have some mutual acquaintances out in his part of Tejas.
 
I'm the only one I know who posts on TFL. I've recommended TFL to my fellow computer saavy gun friends, I just may be too into it for them. I get condescending responses like "I'll check it out..."

As far as family goes, my wife is very pro gun. In fact she owned and carried a .380 when we met. My family thinks I'm off the deep end. Mother is a staunch democrat, so are my sisters. The mere mention of the word "gun" sends them into a cold sweat.

My dad is conservative all the way. He made a career in the aerospace/defense industry. He loves to read Tom Clancy and military history, but just doesn't care a bit about personally owned weapons.

Last month when the folks came down to visit and see my new son, my dad and I were in "my" room (where I keep my squat rack, weights, bench, computer and AR-15) doing some father son bonding. He looked over at my AR and asked me what I was doing with "One of those assualt rifles"?

I took the opportunity to explain all about ARs, assault rifles, full vs semi automatic weapons and gun control and my philosophy in general. I even advanced the offer of a trip to the range (he's only fired a pistol once, that was a familiarization fire while he was a pilot in the Navy Reserve).

I thought I had a convert. But at dinner he looked over at my mother and says "Did you know your son owns an AR-15?"

My mother looked agast and blurts out "You better get rid of it! It will kill your children!"

I love 'em, but they will never get it.


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Dan

Check me out at:
www.mindspring.com/~susdan/interest.htm
www.mindspring.com/~susdan/GlocksnGoodies.htm
 
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