The shooter world is often their worst enemy

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nightowl64

Inactive
I wish the gun enthusiast crowd could somehow purge itself of certain elements whom I avoid association with as they cause harm to gun ownership.

The guy who treats guns as idols of worship and shows up at a range wearing tactical gear like he is living a commando fantasy. Unbalanced.

The guy(s) who borders on being a gang banger and wields his auto pistol like a video game or movie.

The redneck who thinks beer and guns mix well and is apt to do unsafe gestures.

When I go to a public range, I keep an eye on people to my left and right( I prefer getting a table at one end if possible). On the plus side, it isn't uncommon for me to strike up a conversation at one point with a neighbor if I think the person is someone worth talking to and if he expresses an interest in my guns I may offer him the chance to shoot them.
 
Or the throngs that insist on contacting the ATF to ask if the SIG Brace is legal...:mad:

I hear you. We have some real bozos in our community. While we're purging the poor behavior, can we purge the nonsense that passes for common knowledge as well?
 
And the people who think everyone should be just like they are, shoot like they do, dress like they do, think like they do....

Your real commitment to freedom is how much you're willing to tolerate those things you don't agree with.
 
We certainty don’t want to give the anti’s any fodder, at every walk of life, including internet forums such as this one. Just a guess on my part, but some anti’s read forums such as this one, and get fuel for their arguments. For example, people here that seem to think it needs to be public how many rounds of ammo they have stock piled. 10k of this round, 7k of that, 6k of that one, you know what I mean. An anti would see that, do the math, and low and behold believe every one here has 100k rounds of ammo in their basement.

To be clear, it doesn't bother me a bit if someone has a million rounds of ammo in their basement. As long as they are a law abiding citizen, I could care less. Just don’t advertise it on the internet.
 
We certainty don’t want to give the anti’s any fodder, at every walk of life, including internet forums such as this one. Just a guess on my part, but some anti’s read forums such as this one, and get fuel for their arguments. For example, people here that seem to think it needs to be public how many rounds of ammo they have stock piled. 10k of this round, 7k of that, 6k of that one, you know what I mean. An anti would see that, do the math, and low and behold believe every one here has 100k rounds of ammo in their basement.
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Agreed...I have come to the conclusion that liberty can only be lived and preserved by people who will police themselves...I have long believed that if you don't learn to place limits on yourself, then limits will be placed on you.
 
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And the people who think everyone should be just like they are, shoot like they do, dress like they do, think like they do....

Your real commitment to freedom is how much you're willing to tolerate those things you don't agree with.
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This^^^

Not everything unlike you is bad. A little tolerance on your side & a little thinking on the other so you meet somewhere in the middle is whats called for here.
 
Those who would take our Second Amendment rights away are the real threat.
Not those who exercise their rights differently than we do.
Those who work to disarm this county will use any excuse as propaganda to do so, no matter what it is.
If we don't give them anything to use against us, they will invent it.
 
Other than mixing beer and guns (behavior not limited to rednecks, nor practiced by all of them), everything you describe is basically a matter of style, not substance. The gun community needs to be more diverse, not less.

Unsafe practices are one thing -- condemning people because of the way they look is something else entirely. At worst, the tactical gang and the gamer crowd make us look silly, which isn't a hanging offense where I come from.

And how, exactly, do you propose that we "purge ourselves" of these "elements?"

g.willikers has it right -- instead of fighting among ourselves over trivial differences, we'd do better to save our energy for battles we really need to fight. "Divide and conquer" is an ancient strategy, and fighting among ourselves plays right into the hands of the folks who want to take away our rights.
 
Im wearing all that combat gear most of the time when I shoot and prowl the Countryside in Sniper gear just for fun . If Im in a Gun Shop looking at a new Rifle and some busy body ask me "what do you need something like that for ?" I tell them Hunting ,Target shooting , self defence , Room clearing or mabey some day to defend my Country aginst thoes that tale me I can't buy this Rifle. And I ask them why does anyone need a new Corvett ?
 
Never thought of Camo and web gear as cute but to each his own . I understand what you are saying . But there is a time and place for every thing like if I take my family out to a nice resturant I wear every day clothes same if we are out shopping but If Im enjoying my Rights as a U.S citizen and at a shooting range or in the Great Outdoors if I want to try out my Combatt gear and if I want to talk tactics with like minded folk Im going to do it . Some times as a Shooting public we spemd to much time thinking about what they are going to do to us when it may be the folks you seem to detest that make this Country great . No offence just asking you to rethink your elietist comments .
 
The problem is that you are worried that the people who already hate us will be upset by the slob or "scary" behavior of some gun owners.

Everyone who has a gun in their hands is a "gun owner", legal or not, ethical, or not. Everyone who steps off the pavement with a gun is a "hunter". Again, legal or not, ethical, or not, this is how they see it.

Sean Penn is having his gun collection welded together. He sees 65 "cowardly killing machines" being turned into one "object d' art"

I see 65 "objects d' Art" being turned into one lump of crap. He's entitled to his point of view, as I am to mine.

The anti's feel ANY guns and ammo is a bad thing, they may seem to freak out more finding out somebody has a lot of guns/ammo but their reaction is the same, only the scale varies.

Every barrel has some bad apples, and some less savory than others. The shooting community is no different in that regard.
 
Live and let live man. As long as their being safe and don't do anything stupid then so be it. I will not change my ways in an attempt to appease to an anti.
 
Everyone who has a gun in their hands is a "gun owner", legal or not, ethical, or not. Everyone who steps off the pavement with a gun is a "hunter". Again, legal or not, ethical, or not, this is how they see it.
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I've had a few debates with gun owners who want universal registration and sweeping bans. At least they claim to be gun owners. Maybe they went out and bought a gun just so they could claim to be gun owners and gain some credibility in the debate. Maybe they didn't. We've all heard the phrase, "I'm a gun owner but..." from ban-happy politicos.

The plain fact is, the phrase "gun owner" doesn't tell me anything more than "car owner" or "toaster oven owner" in a conversation.

Are there bad apples? Yes. To the OP: please tell us what you are doing or propose to do to improve the situation.
 
Are there bad apples? Yes. To the OP: please tell us what you are doing or propose to do to improve the situation.
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Outside of trying not to be a negative element of gun ownership, I'm not sure if there is a whole lot that one person can do except voice his opinions to others to effect change or consider thinking on the issue.
 
I can't fathom though, despite my affinity for diversity in the gun culture, how the guys open carrying AR/AK pistols in front of various state capitol buildings or during the recent I-594 protest march do anything but hurt our cause.
 
I wish the gun enthusiast crowd could somehow purge itself of certain elements whom I avoid association with as they cause harm to gun ownership.
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Me, too! Especially those who embrace the PC mindset and wish to condemn others because of silly things like what they wear to the range! /sarcasm off

Find a mirror, buddy!

If gun owners demanded that every other gun owner that did things that they did not approve of be banished from the public square, ther'd be so few gun owners in public that they'd have no say whatsoever in what is acceptable in that public square.

I'm not a fan of the Gay lifestyle, but I support the Pink Pistols- everyone should have the right to self defense, period.
 
Just what commandments did I declare and how did I use power to enforce them.
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You wished the gun community would purge itself of people who wear clothes/gear you disaprove of to the range.

You suggest we divide ourselves-weaken our numbers- because one of your personal pet peaves. You are wishing that we would throw bricks at folks on OUR side of the barricade, because you don't like their tweed? I would be disinclined to trust such people .... Congratulations, you have sown discord amongst gun owners!
 
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