Probably more of a rant than anything here

I felt like this was probably the best place to put this.

Ok guys, here goes. I was born and raised in the south where firearms are pretty much engrained in our bringing up. My father began teaching me how to fire guns from the age of 7 or 8 years old. Taught me everything he knew about hunting (deer, turkey, pheasant, and so on) from the age of 10. I can always remember going hunting with my father as a kid. My father taught me the ins and outs of firearms, how to handle them properly and in a safe way. Funny story, but we actually went skeet shooting for the bachelor party at my brother in law's wedding (there was no beer until after the shooting part) Miraculously, I've never had any accidents, no misfires, no self inflicted gunshot wounds, no accidental deaths, nothing. Growing up, guns were a natural thing for me, whether it be handguns, shotguns, or rifles, and yes, even some "assault rifles" as the media refers to them... I was taught to respect them, because at any moment it only takes one mistake to take a life.

I said all that to say this. Guns are a part of American life, their part of our history. Without them we'd all still be paying tariffs' to the British Empire. Now it is VASTLY different up here in Maryland. Unfortunately, People up here don't see it that way. They see firearms as instruments of death, and when people own them, they are considered almost like outcasts. I work in an office full of liberal gun control enthusiasts and no matter what I say they continue to blame firearms for ALL and I mean A-L-L of America's issues. They come up with the most outlandish claims as to how, if guns were completely abolished, there would be no crime, no robberies, rapes, murders, ect... No matter how many times I show them proven and tested statistics, they always have some sort of excuse. Honestly I dread Maryland. The only reason I hung around here was because after I got out of the military, the skills that I had weren't exactly in high demand back home. There is just no job market down south. Believe me if I could, I would go back to Georgia in a heartbeat where as a gun owner, I'm not treated like scum because I support the 2nd amendment. I just wish that some people up here could see what I've seen, and had the experiences and the opportunities I had growing up with firearms.

Last paragraph I think, so today in the office these guys were having another discussion about firearms. (I'm to the point where I just try to avoid all confrontation with these guys, but I'd had enough of their jibberish) They were basically saying that, one of the guys here had his house broken into, luckily neither the homeowner nor the wife and kids were home during the break in. He was actually alerted while at work due to a phone call from his home security company (ADT I think). Anyways, he was going on to say that he considered himself very lucky that nobody was home and so on. So I raised the hypothetical situation, what if the children, or the wife was home? What if you knew you or your families life was in danger, would you then want to own a gun? Not surprisingly, he said no. So I asked why not. He then proceeded to tell me that the police would have gotten there and "saved the day". I explained to him that last year someone tried to break into my apartment on the outskirts of DC (still technically MD), and I confronted the would be burglar, and he ran away. I did not pursue and attempt to escalate the situation, I simply answered the door with my shotgun (this was before I bought my handgun) aiming it at his face and asked him politely to leave. He ran away... Afterwards I called the police and it took them almost half an hour to arrive at my place. I then asked him what would have happened if my wife was there, home alone, and someone had gotten in? Could she have been raped? Murdered? Kidnapped? I don't know that I would be able to live with myself if something had happened to her. As usual he came up with some excuse about how the police are the only ones who should be allowed to have guns and all the other usual bs, so after that I just dropped it. All the while I kept telling myself that if something really did happen to this guy's family, he would probably change his mind. But it is what it is.

In closing, I just don't think people understand how when used properly, firearms can save people's lives, but I'm afraid that by the time they realize that, it could be to late. Firearms are an endeared part of American history, and sadly like he who shall not be named, a part of American culture (I'm gonna get it for that I know) However, our culture is one of freedom, a culture of oppressing tyranny, genocide, and evil. America is the greatest country in the world, and hopefully will be long after I'm dead and buried. But without firearms, and the great men that wielded them, and still do, we would be nothing. If you read this whole thing, thanks for your time, I just had to rant out for a few minutes.

I hear you. I grew up around guns as did my kids and I taught them from an early age to properly handle them. I feel better knowing that my 17 year old daughter has access to, and knows how to operate, a loaded gun when she is home by herself. I will never understand how anyone would be content with calling 911 and hiding under the bed until help arrived.

If you have someone, who may be armed, breaking into your house 30 minutes is a looooong time.

Although the gun culture(and I mean that in a positive way!) is not near as strong in Maryland as it is in the South (I lived in Alabama for about 15 years) it is here in Maryland. You should look into joining one of the clubs of the AGC and start hanging around some more like-minded people to give your brain a break from the idiots you are around at work!

It just seems no matter what I say it is constantly an argument to ban all guns... Aside from that, my wife used to be absolutely terrified of guns, now that I explained how they work and have showed how to shoot, she loves them. She actually wants to get an AR next year when we get our tax returns lol. I'm just glad she knows how to defend herself now.

You can't fix stupid! Everyone has and is entitled to their own opinions and until those that have the idea that inanimate objects cause harm to people see the error of their ways no one will change that. I no longer engage in discussions with anti gun folks their minds are made up already and it is too much like talking to my jeep and expecting it to answer me. I'm honestely looking forward to moving to a more gun friendly state like Pennsylvania as soon as I can.

yup i agree. but dont forget our true American history, cause this great country was built on robberies, rapes and murders. the problem is its your gov doing it to us now.

I am 60 now been here for 54 and a half years.Maryland has slowly day by day gotten worse.At the rate they keep building more houses(more people) and crap(malls .fast food,etc) it will never get better.
As I have looked around for someplace else to go,figured the good and bad points,if I pull up stakes here I am headed to Texas.

mshilto89, it is not that bad in the western end of the state. Most out this way are gun owners. I will not discuss guns with people that are anti's. I am not going to waste my breath trying to convince a closed mind. Good luck to you.

That was a good rant. Well written, and very reasonable. You are certainly not alone. I don't think I could work in any office environment, especially with people like you have to endure.

Here is a very good piece written about The anti-gun male
It's a short read. See if it helps explain the phenomenon.

A fundamental part of most modern liberalism is a naive and often irresponsible notion of invulnerability. They think there's nothing to worry about. Everything will magically work itself out. Somebody else will come along as needed to pick them up and brush them off if something bad happens. But it's a house of cards. Generally all it takes to wake such a person out of their lackadaisical stupor is for their possessions or well being to be seriously infringed upon once or twice. Then, out of the blue, it's not unusual for what you've been saying to them all along to suddenly come into crystal clear focus inside their formerly-dense noggin, hopefully for the rest of their life.

I must say I have it pretty good. Skeet throwers on the back deck, backyard shooting range, deer stands on the back 5. I take every opprotunity to educate and even introduce non/anti shooters to the safe use of firearms. Having quality teaching materials available from the NRA and others is invaluable and even an indoor softair setup can be effective for marksmanship practice. The more people we can educate the fewer we will have to argue with.

As someone smarter than I pointed out, there are in fact 2 "Gun Cultures" in America. There is the one we all are part of here, with a long tradition of lawful legal gun ownership and use. Then there is the other one. The inner city thug culture, drugs killings lawlessnes. Hollyweird glorifies the second one, and the media conflates the two. The average moron does not know that there are two to start with. What would be the point of making a movie where the real folks go about life, and just don't settle every inconvenience with thousands of rounds fired..... We need to teach the average "joe" that OUR culture has a hundred million members, and we generally behave, and go about life just like they do. Just a little more prepared for life's emergencies.

Jesse in Rockville

As I've said before, antis would rather have their mothers and daughters robbed, beaten, and raped than be able to defend themselves. As moronic as it sounds, it's true.

Save yourself the headache and dont bother arguing with die-hard antis. There are plenty of open-minded people out there who you actually have a very good chance at changing their views for the better.

Walter said:

As I've said before, antis would rather have their mothers and daughters robbed, beaten, and raped than be able to defend themselves. As moronic as it sounds, it's true.

Save yourself the headache and dont bother arguing with die-hard antis. There are plenty of open-minded people out there who you actually have a very good chance at changing their views for the better.

Click to expand...

Where is the fun in that? I take immense pleasure debating my PG friends. I love pointing out the racist history of gun control and how if they agree with it then Jim Crow must have been right. When you can reduce your debate opponent to complete and utter speachlesness it just does'nt get any better then that.

I work with similarly minded people. I had mentioned at lunch that I took a basic pistol course and they started with their "why would you want to do that?" I said that I thought it would be a good idea to learn proper gun handling; a no brainer, right? I got the whole tirade of how guns kill people and how they think no one should have guns, blah blah blah. "Why would you want a gun? That's retarded." I think not having a gun is retarded. I think people kill people, not guns. It's an inanimate object. Why wouldn't you want to protect yourself and your family?

Then they got started with machine guns, and semi-autos, and how it's so easy to get a gun and the loopholes and all that crap. None of them know what they're talking about. They don't even know what those terms mean and they don't want to. My final comment on the matter was they could enjoy keeping their heads in the sand and that I hoped nothing happens to them. Me? I'm gonna defend myself and my family.

ivanthescourge said:

I got the whole tirade of how guns kill people and how they think no one should have guns, blah blah blah. "Why would you want a gun? That's retarded."

Click to expand...

People like that need to visit their local state prison for a day or two. Reality has a strange way of swaying ignorant opinions.

I worked with several "right" minded people, and it was kind of funny that we still needed to watch who we talked in front of when it came to our shooting hobby (and protection).

But then, sensitivities still ran high there from a workplace murder/suicide several years ago (which, ironically, got me back into 2A and shooting).

Thank God my colleagues are either conservative or left of center but open-minded. We openly discuss going to the range and general firearms stuff all the time. It helps that our customers are military and our CEO is a former USMC pilot. He always wants to know what I've bought lately. He'll stop a meeting to ask. Another frequent entertainment is seeing who's carrying the biggest new folding knife.

Walter said:

As I've said before, antis would rather have their mothers and daughters robbed, beaten, and raped than be able to defend themselves. As moronic as it sounds, it's true.

Save yourself the headache and dont bother arguing with die-hard antis. There are plenty of open-minded people out there who you actually have a very good chance at changing their views for the better.

Click to expand...

It's not that they'd rather have terrible things happen, it's just that they're too naive to think it ever will. They have a blind faith that their government and its police department will save them the moment they need to be saved.

I have faith that God will protect me and my loved ones. Unlike the antis, however, I recognize that my Higher Power is under no obligation to do so. If evil does come a-knockin', I'd rather be prepared than defenseless.

It's cognative disonence. If it hasn't happened to * them* , or anyone they consider * like them * , they literaly can not concieve of it.

I think this is more of a urban verse rural issue than liberal verse conservative. Maine is very liberal, but what i would call rural not urban. The Maine Constitiution clearly states the right to bear arms shall not be infringed. You need a concealed carry permit (shall issue) to carry concealed. If you don't have a permit you can carry open. Only Portland Maine seems to have an issue with that but they get their nose rubbed in it every so often. Maine's constitution can not be modified by any other entity in Maine.

As far as people, I know some great liberal hunters and woodsmen in Maine. The running joke at the end of every rural drive way in Maine is a "Maine black Dog, and an owner with shotgun." At least in small state like Maine, 2cd ammendment issues among the majority of the electorate, liberal or conservative, is very pro....