The mentality we're confronted with...

[Cgrutt]

I work with a couple of 30 something girls and a 35ish guy all from NYC area. So today topic of guns comes up. One of the girls said "I'd never live with a person who had a gun unless he was a cop". My blood was boiling, lol. But I just shook my head and said that was just wrong in so many ways. I asked why would a cop be more safe than any other citizen? Her answer, "because they train with this everyday". A laugh was all I could muster. I said I train more than most cops. I don't think she believed me. Oh well. I wan't to take her on a range date, lol.

[Chicken Shoot]

To shoot??

[SPIKER]

To shoot??

What else could possibly happen?

[BuellSix8]

I'm in... For the range day...

[Jackalope]

I've noticed that people in urban areas, really don't understand guns at all. Both folks from NYC and Montreal tend to have negative impressions regarding firearms. I was showing some friends from Montreal some of my firearms and they were going crazy. Their impression is that only police should have firearms, but the might be a Canadian cultural thing too. Like Cgrutt is implying, the best way to change their mentality is to take them to the range, let them rock and roll...

[Female]

We run into the same issue with our snakes... we have 3 ball pythons and they are so calm and love to cuddle... I know, not what you think snakes are like at all right? I make sure to tell all of our daughters friends parents that we have them before they come in the house and only on average 1 in 20 are ok with them and want to see... the aren't out of their cages, but still, I get a little aggrivated when I hear 'eeewwww'... or 'omg, I would KILL my husband if he EVER came home with a SNAKE!'... believe it or not, but having a pet snake actually helps keep your home mice and rodent free. Just the scent of a predator like a snake in the house is enough for mice to stay the eff away... lol

[Guest]

Aww i had a couple balls (no pun) in my days..your lucky when u get the eating kind..lol. Some balls in captivity don't take to eating well and need to do the ole force the mouse down the troat trick with a push rod..no joys to that.kinda around the time i turned to Iguana's..Sadie and Randie made it to 5ft and 8 years old..theeeen i went with Bearded Dragz..the funniest easiest of em all.

[GUNSICK]

We have a family snake also, he's so cool and easy take care of. Pueblan milk snake. I think we are going to get another one, looking at a Honduran milk snake. They look pretty cool, black with silver rings.

People are scared by what they don't know about. I find it completely bizarre lol!

[Meketrefe]

Some cops they never fire a gun in their life after qualification. There are departments that sell the used guns and aside from the external wear that is normal the internals
are like 50 rounds when through them so many times they are good bargains. the cops who are really good it is because they are in a job that requires constant training or because they do training on the side and on their dime that sometimes is very sad because you know they want to get better for a good reason but budgets or other situations do not allow them to do it so they go to training outside. I shoot with some cops so these words I heard from them so many times.

[EvilD]

I work with a couple of 30 something girls and a 35ish guy all from NYC area...blah blah blah

You could of stopped right there, everybody know %90 of NY Chitty is fuqtarded.

[Enigma]

Sorry for the length of this, I hope the story is good enough to make it worthwhile...

A few years ago, I decided to take my AR into the office. My business partner had not fired a gun in forever and I was trying to get him to the range. Letting him have the physical experience of seeing and touching the gun was part of the warm up. So, we're in a private conference room having lunch. The gun is in a drag bag at my feet, and the only other person in the room is a Jewish princess. I'm not saying that in a belittling way. She will quite honorably tell you that's who she is, and she's proud of it. Her family has money in the tens of millions. She spends entirely too much time worrying about what new shoes to buy, or what handbag she has to possess in order to be accepted by the rest of the *****es in her social circles. But, this is important - the three of us have been working together for a decade or more, and she is considerably less of the princess behind closed doors. In fact, once you get to know her, the more you felt sorry for her and that lifestyle she was born into.

So, we're all eating in the conference room, while I'm talking about going to the range. This is when I reach down to the floor (under the table) and pick up my AR. My business partner was excited, I don't think he's seen one in person since ROTC. The princess, was terrified. Before I could even absorb all of what was happening, she very un-eloquently dropped her fork and food onto her plate. She then pushed back from the table with her legs. while throwing her arms and hands out wildly in front of her face. She was trying to block that horrible thing from herself. I'd never seen a reaction like that before. She was genuinely frightened.

I immediately put the rifle down on the table and stood up so her focus would be on me. I mean, I felt bad. Really bad. If I had known she would have reacted that way, I never would have brought the rifle in.

I asked her what was wrong, and she told me she doesn't like guns. I explained that it was not loaded and that it was pointed in a safe direction - it might just as well be a toaster. Why was she afraid of it? She said she didn't care, she just didn't like them. She was slightly calmer at this point, but still on guard. Her hands were still up and in front of her! I asked if anyone in her family had been killed or hurt by an assault weapon. Sorry, I had to use the A word here. She said no. I asked her if any of her friends, or their families had been killed or injured by an assault weapon, and she said no. Her hands were lowering now. Then I asked if there was anyone at all that she knew of that had been killed or injured by an assault weapon. With her hands on her side, she said no.

So, I apologized for surprising her and told her that she was well trained. That got her attention. LOL. Never tell a JAP that she's well trained! When she demanded an explanation, I told her that she has never held a gun, apparently never seen a gun in person, never fired a gun, has had no negative experiences in her own family, nor has anyone else that she knows, yet she is so terrified of the gun that she would go into a crisis mode as she just had in front of me. I re-iterated that she had been well trained. Someone had programmed fear into her head about guns, and that she didn't even have a choice in the matter. She became quiet.

My point made, I took the rifle off the table and put it out of site at my feet. While I did that, the agitated "I'm not programmed" JAP watched carefully what I did, while looked intently at the gun (no one sees me looking, right?). In retrospect, it seems I could have pushed more to try to educate her, but believe me that did not seem the case at the time. I needed to let this go. However, her obvious attention to the gun while i put it away let me know that she is not a permanent gun hater. She simply doesn't know any better. She's been lied to, and taught to fear them since her childhood.

Given more time, I would have gotten her to a range. That sweet smell of the 22 powder... it's unresistible. Unfortunately, business had other plans for us and we are no longer together.

My point behind this very long-winded post, is to suggest we find empathy rather than disgust for MOST of the anti-gun folks. MOST can be educated to see reality, if we're willing to take the time. If you recognize the power of fear, you will see our uphill battle. However, it would be very wrong of us to label or condemn MOST of those that simply do not get it. The hard-core prohibitionists are another story - talking them into swallowing their own tongues (or cyanide) is a good thing.