Have you ever fired a gun? Would you try it if given a chance?
I do target shooting as a hobby but I'm genuinely curious. The US is known (for better and worse) for it's culture of gun ownership but the US is also know for widely differing experiences
I'm very anti-gun for myself and live in an area where it's fairly rare or at the very least open carry is not a thing cause it's weird to see guns in every day life. I have shot a pistol at a shooting range and I remember it being way more powerful than expected. I actually enjoy first-person shooter video games and whatnot but in actual life I don't want one. If I ever had to shoot someone...then I have to live with the fact that I shot someone. Not really how I want to be. I'm sure I'd shit myself in the moment but if it came to having to defend myself and I died cause I didn't have a gun...well I guess that was my time.
There's a fascist uprising in my country. Not only do I own multiple guns, I'm getting in shape and training with them.
I appreciate that there is a strong uptick in diversity at a local range I frequent.
Yes. I really can't understand why anyone watching the rise of fascists would still be anti gun.
It's funny that the people that spent the past few decades screaming that the 2A is meant to protect from a corrupt government aren't picking up their guns but cheering and voting for the corruption instead...
Well, I've been shooting in one way or another damn near my entire life so far.
Air guns as a wee laddie, moving to small caliber rimfire, then eventually more sizable stuff as I aged into it, and showed responsibility.
Hand guns, long guns, and improvised guns of various sizes just because I wanted to see if I could.
I'm better with long guns overall, but better on iron sights with handguns. You give me a decent scope and time to dial it in, and I can hang in with low end pros most days. Not good enough to compete on a big scale, but I usually win local shoots, as long as my glasses are fairly new.
I've done training in various scenarios beyond sitting and putting holes in paper, though it's been years since I did any of that.
I've messed around with some cowboy shooting too, but it didn't stick. Dunno why, really, because I enjoy watching it, but trying it myself was just meh. I think it's harder to sink in and really get into the zone with that kind of thing, maybe. Didn't help that I was using borrowed gear tbh.
Despite that, I'm not really a "gun guy". I don't obsess over them, I don't memorize specs and details of everything. I have most of what I want already, and the only new purchases I plan to make are for stuff that's able to mount red dot optics. I'm past the point where it's fun to shoot with iron sights regularly, and I want lighter options for carry/home defense as well, so might as well shoot five birds with one bullet lol.
I've done some instruction, but I don't really like it. I'm supposedly decent at it, but I'm just repeating the stuff my grandfather taught me, so he's the one that's doing the job. But I'd rather not do it, if it isn't family. I keep getting suckered in though. Especially lately, but I'm on the injured list, so I've not been doing much of it.
Being real? I think it's something more people should try. Not because of any ideology or whatever, but because learning the basics is a really good way to develop patience, focus, and how to filter out what isn't important. The basics are a great way to make that happen because most people that haven't already tried it tend to take it pretty serious and not fuck around. So they treat it with more respect rather than as a hobby, or a chance to swing dick, both of which interfere with the mental side of shooting in the early stages.
I agree, especially about how it hones skills that are useful in life beyond hitting a target, but it's not flashy cool gun stuff so they can easily be overlooked. For me I really feel my mind working harder when running a bolt action or doing archery. I think it makes me slow down and make sure each shot counts.
There's a quote somewhere (I'll edit it in when I find it) that says something like "there is a connection between good citizenship and good marksmanship"
Edit: Here it is! It's a quote from Jeff Cooper "I have long had a tendency to tie marksmanship to morality. The essence of good marksmanship is self-control, and self-control is the essence of good citizenship. It is too easy to say that a good shot is automatically a good man, but it would be equally incorrect to ignore the connection."
I dig that quote.
One of the things my grandfather drilled into me that guns are a responsibility, not just a tool. You mess up with a hammer, you bust a thumb. You mess up with a rifle, someone can die.
Marksmanship, and the process of developing it, really is about self control. On so many levels, not just the obvious. Like, breathing. The way you do it, and when you hold it, syncing it up to your aim, then the control of how you squeeze the trigger.
If you can't control yourself with shooting, there's a pretty good chance you'll have trouble in other ways too. Conversely, shooting helps develop that awareness, the patience and self reflection, that makes for a solid person in general. Not that there aren't other ways to develop that, there are. But it's a pretty damn good option
This guy guns
I grew up in the American south and we had lots of guns when I was a kid. Me and my dad would go out target shooting on weekends and I always thought it was fun. As an adult I haven't really kept up with it. After my dad passed away I just kind of lost interest. I have a few of those old handguns and rifles still but they just stay locked up in a cabinet at the back of my closet now.
It was pretty much just always something fun I got to do with my dad.
Remember that guns that haven't been used for a long time will usually benefit from a clean and re-oil in order to work smoothly ... should you feel the urge to freshen up your skills in the current political climate.
Yes. I think firearms safety should be taught in school. Along with the opportunity to actually fire a gun if you do well in the safety course.
I was introduced to archery in early high school! Our gym teacher was an awesome lady (I think she taught youth archery) so she had the stuff on hand and set up a 30 foot range in an "alley" behind some collapsible bleachers in the gymnasium.
We shot every day for two weeks and it was amazing to see our skills grow before our eyes. The basic firearm safety rules applied. It didn't teach you how to unload and clear a gun of course but bows were a super chill way to learn a kind of marksmanship!
They already have active shooter drills, no?
I used to be super anti-gun growing up, but here in Arizona and other red States specifically it seems like you're in a sort of arms race by default. The nutters aren't giving theirs up so it seems kinda naive not to have your own and know how to use them.
Yes, target shooting with rifles (which I liked) and skeet shooting with a shotgun (which I didn't care for).
What about skeet shooting made you dislike it?
My friend took me trap shooting a couple times and I found I enjoy it more than target shooting because it felt fast paced and a bit more challenging imo.
yeah as kid I regret that I stopped going to ranges with my dad
Yes, fired a gun. Not really my thing but I can understand the appeal.
What really took me away from it is the finality that taking a life brings to it. I was 13 and was shooting around at birds and clipped one to the point it flopped around the ground. My babysitter (I have two younger sisters) at the time didn’t want it to suffer and blew its brains out, of which some landed on me. It taught me a valuable lesson that day. Don’t shoot at something living unless you intend to kill.
In a way, I wish everyone who enjoys guns had a similar experience, I think they’d have a lot more respect for them.
My grandpa taught me firearm safety and had the same lesson: "Dont point it at anything you dont intend to kill."
He also added a second point: “If you shoot it, you kill it, clean it, and eat it. No shooting animals for fun"
It was kind of a joke but still is a good lesson. Taking a life (of an animal) should never be a trivial act, even if it is sometimes necessary or worthwhile. He was vocally very anti-poaching so if I'd actually killed an animal without the right tags he would have never let me hear the end of it.
The idea that killing humans is wrong didn't need to be stated explicitly.
I've fired an M-16 and M-60 in training. Also a couple of pistols. But I haven't held a gun in at least ten years. It's just a tool to me and one I've never had any use for. I can appreciate a nice gun just like I can appreciate a tablesaw, but I only have use for the latter.
Yes, on my uncle’s land. I’d like to do more but don’t feel like I have the time or money
I was raised 50/50 between my anti-gun mother and my gun-collector father. Being simultaneously raised to believe that guns are evil and nobody should own them but also here's how you fire a pistol and handle firearms safely also here's the reasons you should own one.
I was a whole ass adult before I was given a chance to form my own opinions away from my parents.
I love guns, I don't want to own one, I'll be purchasing one soon, I never want to use it, but target shooting is important so you know you can when you must, I don't want to carry it, but I live in a city with a severe mental health and drug abuse problem and frankly I don't care if there's a nonlethal way to deal with an attacker (I read enders game at 14 and it was a formative experience).
I have an opinion formed from contradiction, but balanced out it seems the points all land on "if you're responsible, and aim to never use the device unless absolutely necessary, it is an objectively good thing to own a firearm, at least where I currently live."
Oh uhh, I guess I missed the OG question, yeah I've fired plenty of guns.
Favorite to fire: Makarov, small, simple, low kickback, very accurate. Least favorite to fire: Idk what it was but my dads 2xBarrel Shotgun was fun to shoot skeet with but I wouldn't want one off the range, too much care involved in making sure my grip is perfect to brace against my shoulder. I don't eat meat, so the use case for a firearm like this is literally just sport.
The one I want: still deciding on brand but I'm planning on a hammer-less. 357+p
Hammerless means double action only (DAO). That means that the trigger pull will be VERY hard.
This is excellent for concealed carry (it makes it more difficult to accidentally pull the trigger), but it is poor for target shooting (a harder trigger pull will put strain on your arm in general, which will "walk" the barrel).
Yes this is something I was warned of and have considered. As a self defence weapon, I don't want my firearm to have safetys or other things to fuck around with while I'm being approached or threatened by a potential assailant.
There are plans to spend many hours at the range after purchase to ensure I am fully aware of how the extra strain will affect my aim so I may use the device correctly and with minimal risk of stray fire.
A couple years ago I visited my buddy in Virginia and we decided to get out of the city to a trap shooting range. Neither of us had ever shot clay pigeons and we were surrounded by southern gun nuts. It was a trip.
Anyway, that was the first time I shot a gun. I've always been fascinated by guns but I've also held the belief that society would be better off without them. But society has been going down the shitter lately and I feel the need to prepare for the worst. I'll be buying my first gun once I find the time to go shopping for one.
No, cause I'm french and the only time I see guns is where there are military or police on patrol.
However, I did some air rifle when I was younger and it happen the club I was in had an ex olympic champion as member. He let me tried its olympic air rifle. Smth like this:
Such beautiful piece of machining ! But I didn't shoot better with it 😂
Gear like that is really good at removing 99% of mechanical flaws and highlighting the human ones 😆
I grew up rurally in the south, so I was raised around guns by default. The adult men in my family had at least 3 or 4 guns each, and I’m probably low balling. I got a BB gun around 7 or 8 years old, I loved shooting cans and got really accurate. I kind of got bored of it over time, I don’t own any guns now and haven’t shot anything larger than a BB gun in decades.
Most of my family does hunt, though. It’s a nice break on the grocery bill if you have the patience for it and a good place to do it. A truck isn’t necessary but it’s definitely a lot easier than shoving a dead deer in a car trunk.
Yep, all the time. I'm one of Those People.
I went shooting a few years ago when I was in America. I LOVED it, would deffo get one if I lived there. To me, the riots and Ukrainian war totally prove why there's a need for firearms. If someone came into my house during a riot I 100% want to be able to put them down.
I've never fired a real gun. I would not mind going to a range to feel it, nor would I mind shooting at ranges for recreation. Various other target practice seems fine too. I don't trust myself to own one. I'm not suicidal, but I can be a bit reckless playing with dangerous stuff: fire, knives, swords. I've opened a quick release knife into my thigh to see if the safety mechanism worked(after testing successfully on cardboard) and I've cut a very safe part of my forearm as kinda a.... what's it feel like? experiment before while drunk.
I know the dangers and I seldom actually do that stuff(those were years apart), but seldom doesn't mean never. In all honesty I probably wouldn't hurt myself, but I don't feel like risking it yet.
Yeah, I shot a lot of BB and pellet guns as a kid and fhen shot actual gunpowder funs a few times as an adult.
Ut is really, relly fun. Like fireworks, or a a small engine, it is harnessed explosions and just a barrel of fun. Never went hunting or anything, just target shooting. Would do it more if I chose it over other hobbies but the nutball conservatives that run the shooting ranges around here is a big turnoff.
I'm ex-military and I used to hunt before I joined the military. I've fired lots of guns. I think they should be severely restricted. Civilians should be able to get certain guns for hunting but not handguns or military guns. A shotgun or a bolt action rifle is all you need for hunting and you can protect your house too. Ammo and guns should be required to be stored in separate locked safe boxes when not being used, to prevent thieves and children from getting them.
Yes. I dont really enjoy target shooting at all. Skeet shooting is fun but expensive.
I don't think guns themselves are cool or interesting so there is no inherent fun for me being around them in the way i know other people enjoy them.
Overall 2/10 not my thing.
Storage and ammunition are also expensive so i do not forsee ownership in my future.
I shoot and so do most of my friends and family.
I'm an American, i shot a ton of my friend's guns one day, it was actually very underwhelming. You pull the trigger, an extremely loud noise happens, and that's it. That's the whole thing.
Just pistols. I like .38's
Yes, only once. I was visiting my landlord at the time to do some yard work for him, he took me to the side of his house, asked if I wanted to shoot his shotgun, and put it in my hands before I could answer.
I don't really have any desire to try another.
Yeah I don't blame you!
If I was going to show a person gun stuff I wouldn't just hand them a gun on a whim. Also I wouldn't do it with a shotgun to start since the recoil is so stout and the controls are quite a bit different from other gun types.
Having spent a few years in the Marine Corps infantry, I've fired dozens of weapons a great many times. I also enjoy target shooting. Like many things that take skill and have a bit of a learning curve, the more you do it and the better you get, the more you appreciate it. With that said, I previously sold all of my firearms and haven't shot in ~5 years, but recently purchased two and will be practicing again soon.
I wish I had access to a real military range day!
I've shot a lot of guns in the Scouts. A few times afterwards, but I don't own my own gun. The last time I had a chance to shoot a gun, I actually turned it down since the dude said the bullets were like $20/round and I was like "Dude, I don't wanna cost you $300."
Yes and yes.
Sure. Maybe one day. But not in a rush. Once I move out more into the country.
Yes and yes, but I don't own a gun at the moment.
I love shooting but it really sucks to burn like 400 bucks plinking so i usually just shoot air rifle
yes i have fired, yes I own a few.
Yes. When I was a kid and early adult I was pretty heavily involved in Boy Scouts and fired guns a lot through that. My dad also took me hunting a couple of times. I haven't fired a gun in probably close to 20 years, though.
I would fire a gun if I had a need to, but I have 0 interest in doing so for recreation. I don't own a gun, and don't really have any interest in one.
I own about 20 rifles and hand guns, mostly gifted. So 1. Yes, and 2. Sure, so long as you're a safe shooter.
Nope. No plans to. I hate the gun culture in the US.
I want to have one, but too afraid of the intrusive thoughts of shooting myself (as in: self-harm).
I've never touched a real gun, but they do look like a useful tool against home invaders and nazi mobs.
Against a tyrannical government tho? Yea we need a militia for that, individuals can't do much against a well trained army sworn to a dictator. Even then, you'd need a lot of guerrilla tactics. I'm not sure I can handle the responsibilities. The worst thing to do is to have a gun and the knowledge to use it effectively (since they'll just claim you're a terrorist and throw you in Gitmo). You either go full militia-mode, or just don't get a gun. If you half-ass it, its worse off than not having a gun at all. Honestly, I'm too depressed to do anything like weapons-training. But if I don't have depression anymore, then sure thing.
What if someone tries to shoot the orange Cheeto?
They tried twice, and probably got him elected.
Successful = cheeto gone