Does your immediate family own any sort of working firearm?

[creekland]

I'm bored this morning... can't/shouldn't do anything due to carpal tunnel surgery yesterday... so computers and TV are it (and I get more bored with TV)... so here's the poll.  Topic inspired by an NBC news story this morning...

 

We do, and we use them fairly often for hunting and farm critter control.  I haven't shot one in years to be honest, but I learned pretty young - pre-teen.  My boys all learned young too, and all exchange students we've had have enjoyed learning to shoot them.

[MomtoCandJ]

Dh has I think 3 guns, we use them for hunting. Right now chipmunk population control (they are getting into our shed and the neighbors sheds and chewing stuff up.

[amy g.]

We use ours for killing copperheads.

[Aiden]

We own a few firearms of various types, but we aren't allowed to bring them with us when we move overseas for my husband's work. We had to leave them in storage in the U.S. We try, when we visit the U.S., to visit a range and rent a handgun or two for use in their facility, so we can at least get a little practice in each year.

[MysteryJen]

I did not grow up in a hunting sort of family (even though I have quite a few cousins who did). My parents were pretty anti-gun (especially in the house) and though I do know how to shoot as does one of my sons, we do not own any firearms.

[Meriwether]

I bought Dh one for Christmas once. He doesn't use it much. It is usually just easier to borrow from my dad than take a gun on a road trip. He can't use one on our current property.

[City Mouse]

Yes. My DH is a police officer and owns several back from when he worked in a department where officers had to buy their own weapons. We also "inherited" several firearms after his brother passed away that he has been planning to sell but never got around to it.

[mom2att]

We own several and find target practice to be an enjoyable family activity.

[RkyMtnMom]

Yep. My DH is in law enforcement. He has too many to count. And always wants more. ;) He is an avid target shooter and hunter. Shoots competitions on various weekends. Started teaching me to shoot once we were seriously dating and starting teaching our kids about guns at a very young age. 

[Amira]

No, I have never lived in a house with any sort of firearm in it.  I have two brothers-in-law who own guns.  One loves them.  I would never consider having one in our home.

[Greta]

No. I gave it very serious thought not that long ago when there was a series of horrifying crimes in broad daylight in areas very close to my home and which I frequent (the place where I run, a shopping center that I go to often, etc.) Violent crimes against women are on the rise where I live. So it's tempting. But then the reality of carrying a gun started to set in, and I realized it is not a responsibility that I want. The logical part of my mind knows that statistically that gun is more likely to end up being used against me or someone that I love. The illogical part (superstitious part) of my mind feels that it's inviting negative energy and something bad would happen as a result. And the spiritual part of me feels that it is not God's will for me. I bought some pepper spray instead.

 

And I have zero interest in hunting, so that's not an issue. And I live in the suburbs, so no need to protect myself or my property from any wild animals (just human animals).

 

That said, though, I hesitated to select the last option in your poll, because I feel there's a danger to saying "never"! We have had a lot of close-calls with crime here, but we've never been victims. If that changes, though, as much as I'd like to think that I would stick to my principles, I can't guarantee that I would. But my VERY STRONG preference, rather than arming myself, would be to move to a safer part of the country (or even a safer country!). My husband is eligible for retirement in March of 2016. We're counting down the days.

[mamaraby]

No. Dh will need one for his job soon and while I understand that, I would really rather not have it in the house. I do not allow others to conceal carry (or open carry for that matter) in my home, either. They are welcome, their gun is not.

 

My dad was an LEO and he had his duty gun and that was it. He was not a gun nut by any stretch of the imagination.

[Julie Smith]

We have air soft guns. But I suppose that isn't what you mean.

[Kathryn]

Yes, DH does but I wish he didn't. He has several rifles from his childhood and a handgun he got a few years ago. He's gone to the gun range a few times but it's not a hobby or anything.

[creekland]

That said, though, I hesitated to select the last option in your poll, because I feel there's a danger to saying "never"! We have had a lot of close-calls with crime here, but we've never been victims. If that changes, though, as much as I'd like to think that I would stick to my principles, I can't guarantee that I would. 

 

Just FTR, answering on any of my polls doesn't commit you to holding to your answer forever.  ;)

 

We all change our minds on some things at some point.   :coolgleamA:

 

I'm just curious about general thoughts and happenings - based upon the Today Show and wondering how that plays out with fellow Boardies.

[Chrysalis Academy]

I couldn't respond to the poll, because dh owns two guns for hunting - a rifle and a shotgun - but they are kept in a gun locker in the garage, with ammo kept separately.  Definitely wouldn't be useful for defense!  We watched a hilarious comic this weekend who was riffing about gun control, and he did the funniest bit about a guy whose home was being broken into who was asking the criminals to wait while he went to his gun locker, tried the combo, etc.  It definitely reinforced the idea that "gun owner" is definitely not the same as "gun for defense owner". :lol:  We'd fit in the first category but not the second.  FWIW.

 

I would never consider having a gun actually *in* my home.

[Farrar]

Nope. Nor would we.

 

My father does, so I grew up with them. He uses them for hunting.

[creekland]

I couldn't respond to the poll, because dh owns two guns for hunting - a rifle and a shotgun - but they are kept in a gun locker in the garage, with ammo kept separately.  Definitely wouldn't be useful for defense!  We watched a hilarious comic this weekend who was riffing about gun control, and he did the funniest bit about a guy whose home was being broken into who was asking the criminals to wait while he went to his gun locker, tried the combo, etc.  It definitely reinforced the idea that "gun owner" is definitely not the same as "gun for defense owner". :lol:  We'd fit in the first category but not the second.  FWIW.

 

I would never consider having a gun actually *in* my home.

 

IMO, that would be a yes.  You'd just have to decide if you (he) use them or not in your opinion.

 

It definitely doesn't have to be for defense.  It's just an ownership question - nothing more.  The garage is close enough.

[Saddlemomma]

We have many.  DH is a firearms aficionado, I own 3, and DD has one.

 

DH just had to use one of his this past week.  Within 5 minutes a fox took out 3 of our chickens (in a large fence-in area w/coop), wounded a 4th chicken and our duck.  The fox was so intent upon his fun he didn't see DH when he got out there after loading his rifle.  Thankfully, DH was able to get the fox and save one chicken, although it was wounded.  To our surprise, the fox was just a kit.  That depressed us, but we couldn't just let it decimate our chickens.

 

The next day, DD was out in our fields (we have 50 acres) with our dog. She spotted two more foxes coming right out into the field while she was there with the dog.  This is really rare.  We have lots of wildlife around, but the foxes and coyotes usually come out to hunt at night.  That evening, before dark, DH went out again with his prey call. He was only out about 5 minutes when I heard the shot.  It was another kit.  This one was thin and covered in mange with scarring from scratching on it's flank. It was in really bad shape.

 

Normally we leave the wildlife alone and enjoy seeing it.  This spring we had 5 woodchucks.  These were left alone because we no longer have horses and they weren't near the house.  After the fox incidents this week, we realized we hadn't seen any of the woodchucks lately --- zip, zilch.  We used to see them every day.  The foxes had taken them out and then focused on our chickens.

 

About 5 years ago we had the same problem with coyotes and foxes.  Each one we killed was full of mange and sickly looking.  That same summer, one of our dogs got mange and all three got kennel cough, one severely (the one we got as a stray and didn't have the vaccine because we never boarded him.)  Our vet told us it was from all the foxes and coyotes crossing our property.

 

Now, if we see a sickly animal, as well as one bothering our livestock, we shoot it and bury it.  We've had 5 years of not having to do that.  It's a shame this year we seem to be starting the cycle again.  DH loves to hunt and provide food for the table.  We never waste what he harvests, but this is sad and feels like such a waste even when it helps to stop the spread of disease.

[Forget-Me-Not]

No option for me. We don't own any, but I'm not against having one at all (usual caveats about safety and proper storage). At the same time I'm not actively wishing for one. I grew up in a home where several firearms were owned/stored/used by my dad and brothers for recreation and hunting. DH isn't into those things, but not out of any anti-gun sentiments. Just not his thing :)

[creekland]

No option for me. We don't own any, but I'm not against having one at all (usual caveats about safety and proper storage). At the same time I'm not actively wishing for one. I grew up in a home where several firearms were owned/stored/used by my dad and brothers for recreation and hunting. DH isn't into those things, but not out of any anti-gun sentiments. Just not his thing :)

 

Ok, there's always something I forget with these things and this qualifies.  I added an option I think will work.  ;)

[Tsuga]

You don't have our option, which is neither "no, never" nor "no but we regret it."

 

At this time, we do not own a firearm because we do not need it. We are happy with our decision. We don't have time or skills to hunt and we don't live in the country so no large threatening pests and nothing worth shooting a coyote over. We certainly don't own any things worth shooting a person over (is that even possible?) and around here, the break-ins are over things, almost never murders, so you just have to hide and let them take your stuff and you'll be fine.

 

However, we are not opposed to hunting. At the moment we pay other people to raise and kill our meat. That could change for any number of reasons. We are fully aware that the farmers who raise our food are likely killing any number of pests on our behalf and that doesn't bother us assuming they are doing it wisely.

 

My brother in law has a ridiculous (just, very large, numbering in the tens or even hundreds) number of guns, more than he could ever use. He collects and trades them as a hobby.

 

You also didn't include a "yes but we regret it" option, which is interesting. My sister is not happy with all the guns but marriage is marriage and I'm sure he'd leave her over the guns, because to him, his life is very fragile and in danger, so giving up his guns is like giving up his life.

 

He feels we should be afraid, but I'd rather die than live in fear! It's a very different attitude towards liberty and freedom and life, one I think you have to be born into, because nobody would willingly put on that cloak of fear. I know it's fear because we've spoken about it many times and he is convinced we're idiots and that's why we're not afraid of someone taking our television. We just have a different attitude towards things and life itself, I suppose.

 

For him, being able to kill is very important. For us, it's not about control, but if we do want meat, we're willing to kill. I think that is why he ended up with a bunch of guns and we don't have any though we'd certainly buy one if needed.

[Word Nerd]

Yes, for hunting and skeet shooting.

[Cottonwood]

Yes we have several guns for hunting, target practice, etc. We use them pretty frequently.

[Forget-Me-Not]

Ok, there's always something I forget with these things and this qualifies. I added an option I think will work. ;)

Almost. For me it would fall more along the lines of "not interested for myself, but very pro 2nd Amendment" ;) Neutral on my own ownership, but not on the general issue at large if that makes sense.

[creekland]

You don't have our option, which is neither "no, never" nor "no but we regret it."

 

At this time, we do not own a firearm because we do not need it. We are happy with our decision. We don't have time or skills to hunt and we don't live in the country so no large threatening pests and nothing worth shooting a coyote over. We certainly don't own any things worth shooting a person over (is that even possible?) and around here, the break-ins are over things, almost never murders, so you just have to hide and let them take your stuff and you'll be fine.

 

However, we are not opposed to hunting. At the moment we pay other people to raise and kill our meat. That could change for any number of reasons. We are fully aware that the farmers who raise our food are likely killing any number of pests on our behalf and that doesn't bother us assuming they are doing it wisely.

 

My brother in law has a ridiculous (just, very large, numbering in the tens or even hundreds) number of guns, more than he could ever use. He collects and trades them as a hobby.

 

You also didn't include a "yes but we regret it" option, which is interesting. My sister is not happy with all the guns but marriage is marriage and I'm sure he'd leave her over the guns, because to him, his life is very fragile and in danger, so giving up his guns is like giving up his life.

 

He feels we should be afraid, but I'd rather die than live in fear! It's a very different attitude towards liberty and freedom and life, one I think you have to be born into, because nobody would willingly put on that cloak of fear. I know it's fear because we've spoken about it many times and he is convinced we're idiots and that's why we're not afraid of someone taking our television. We just have a different attitude towards things and life itself, I suppose.

 

For him, being able to kill is very important. For us, it's not about control, but if we do want meat, we're willing to kill. I think that is why he ended up with a bunch of guns and we don't have any though we'd certainly buy one if needed.

 

I tried to add a third no option which I think will work.

 

The "yes, but regret it" doesn't really apply to my thinking because one still has them around. For whatever reason, they haven't gotten rid of them.  I mainly divided the no options to see who would have them if they could, but they can't.

 

We don't have ours out of fear.  We also often joke if anyone breaks into our house thinking they're going to steal something they're likely to leave something instead - feeling sorry for us and how old all of our stuff is.   :lol:

 

It would take a bit for me to shoot a person.  It would definitely have to be a life or death situation.  Foxes, ground hogs, opossums, snakes, & squirrels on the other hand... if they're where they shouldn't be on our farm (which is around where we live) we rarely hesitate.  Our chickens, ponies, and garden thank us.

[creekland]

Almost. For me it would fall more along the lines of "not interested for myself, but very pro 2nd Amendment" ;) Neutral on my own ownership, but not on the general issue at large if that makes sense.

 

Ok, I tried fixing it again.  

[Joker]

I grew up in a home with several different types of guns. They were mostly used for hunting. We also had fun skeet shooting. I learned young. Dh was in the Marines and knows how to use them as well, but we've never owned one ourselves. We don't like hunting at all and have no other reasons to own any. I have no problem with others having firearms, though.

 

 

ETA: My first apartment on my own was in a sketchy neighborhood. There were lots of fights and I was often scared because sometimes those fights would happen as I was trying to get downstairs to my car. I once asked my dad for one of his guns for protection and he said he would never help me get a gun to use for that reason. He said I could never shoot to kill and he didn't want to be responsible for what would happen. He was right and so I've never thought again about getting one solely for protection.

[Tsuga]

I tried to add a third no option which I think will work.

 

The "yes, but regret it" doesn't really apply to my thinking because one still has them around. For whatever reason, they haven't gotten rid of them.  I mainly divided the no options to see who would have them if they could, but they can't.

 

We don't have ours out of fear.  We also often joke if anyone breaks into our house thinking they're going to steal something they're likely to leave something instead - feeling sorry for us and how old all of our stuff is.   :lol:

 

It would take a bit for me to shoot a person.  It would definitely have to be a life or death situation.  Foxes, ground hogs, opossums, snakes, & squirrels on the other hand... if they're where they shouldn't be on our farm (which is around where we live) we rarely hesitate.  Our chickens, ponies, and garden thank us.

 

Yeah, I know many people have guns not out of fear, but that's not the case with him. When pressed, many people who have self-defense guns are actually abnormally worried about break-ins. It's like they live in a different world. Such is not the case with the many people who own guns for animal control / food supply purposes.

 

As for owning a gun and regretting it, this is absolutely an option. You can be unhappy with a choice your spouse made. In my sister's case, yes, they have them, but she's not happy about it.

 

In other words... the same reason you might not have a gun but want one. Why not just go buy one? In our state anyway it is not hard.

[Kathryn]

Yeah, I know many people have guns not out of fear, but that's not the case with him. When pressed, many people who have self-defense guns are actually abnormally worried about break-ins. It's like they live in a different world. Such is not the case with the many people who own guns for animal control / food supply purposes.

 

As for owning a gun and regretting it, this is absolutely an option. You can be unhappy with a choice your spouse made. In my sister's case, yes, they have them, but she's not happy about it.

 

In other words... the same reason you might not have a gun but want one. Why not just go buy one? In our state anyway it is not hard.

Yep. This is what I said. They're owned by my immediate family and in my house, but I'm not happy about it.

[creekland]

As for owning a gun and regretting it, this is absolutely an option. You can be unhappy with a choice your spouse made. In my sister's case, yes, they have them, but she's not happy about it.

 

In other words... the same reason you might not have a gun but want one. Why not just go buy one? In our state anyway it is not hard.

 

I'll add the option.

 

In some countries, one can't just go buy a gun and even here they're kind of pricey so some could want one, but not actually be able to get it.

[creekland]

To my OCD Boardies - sorry about the order due to adding options!  I wasn't sure if I could change the order and keep the current votes.

 

To anyone wanting to change your vote, I think you can delete your original and do so. 

[Jane in NC]

The fox population is on the rise where I live but it is illegal to discharge a fire arm in my municipality to kill a wild animal.  Hence, one can kill a Copperhead with a garden implement but not a gun.

 

We are not hunters in the fire arm sense.  We do have fishing poles though.  :D And I am grateful to the deer hunters who help keep that population in check.  (I know several people who rely on venison as a protein source in their diet.)

 

I live in a very safe community.  I cannot imagine ever feeling that I would need to arm myself against my fellow man here.

[T'smom]

I chose no, never, but we live in town and have no plans to move to the country where we might need protection from wild animals. We don't have any interest in hunting or anything.

[Butter]

No, but I may in the future.  I'm not opposed to owning guns.

 

When my parents move here we'll have two or three guns.  I'm not sure if any work.  There's a sawed off shotgun and a pistol that both belonged to one grandfather and a German gun my other grandfather took off a dead Nazi during WWII and brought home with him.

[bettyandbob]

I grew up in a house where guns were used for hunting. They were kept in a safe. Ammunition kept separate. My father was a member of the NRA and a scout master. He led gun safety programs for BSA. My father dropped his membership with the NRA probably over 30 years ago. He felt they had become too political and weren't doing anything regarding safety as they originally had.

 

I don't own guns.

I have no interest in making the space to safely store them.

I have no interest in devoting the time to regularly practice with them (I feel this is a must if you are going to own one--part of safety).

 

This is how I felt before I had dc. Now, that I've had dc, I'm pretty sure I will never have a gun in my house because one of my dc is developmentally disabled. I believe that if someone living in the house has either a mental health issue or intellectual disability it's irresponsponsible to keep a gun in that home (including accessible storage areas, like garages). There may be exceptions I would agree with, but I cannot think of one right now.

 

I had no problem letting older ds learn how to use guns and do target shooting with BSA. Older ds(20) would like to own a gun, however he lives in my house, so he does not. He does go out to target shoot with friends who let him use theirs (just did this last weekend).

[shinyhappypeople]

DH has guns, thank goodness.  With all the Stupid-to-the-Level-of-Requiring-Colorful-Language gun and ammo laws being enacted in California, I'm glad his guns are grandfathered in.

 

He uses them for target practice.  They're locked up and are not intended for home defense.  

 

 

[AnnE-girl]

We don't currently, but DH and I both had state background checks done so we could buy one eventually. DH would like to start hunting with some more experienced family members so that we can have free range/organic meat that's not twice as expensive as conventional.

[elegantlion]

Ex had a rifle, which he no longer owns. Personally, as another person said, I don't want the responsibility. I don't hunt, I'd hesitate to use it in case of  an armed intruder. 

[MrsBasil]

No. I would prefer to say we never will as I am opposed to guns in general. DH and DS like the idea of target shooting as hobby though, so we may end up owning one or two.

[Julie Smith]

I couldn't respond to the poll, because dh owns two guns for hunting - a rifle and a shotgun - but they are kept in a gun locker in the garage, with ammo kept separately.  Definitely wouldn't be useful for defense!  We watched a hilarious comic this weekend who was riffing about gun control, and he did the funniest bit about a guy whose home was being broken into who was asking the criminals to wait while he went to his gun locker, tried the combo, etc.  It definitely reinforced the idea that "gun owner" is definitely not the same as "gun for defense owner". :lol:  We'd fit in the first category but not the second.  FWIW.

 

I would never consider having a gun actually *in* my home.

 

I think you meant this video. I think the part you are talking about starts at about the 4 minute mark. 

 

Not this video is called, "This Will Offend".

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jl--YVnni0I

[kahlanne]

We have several rifles that my husband and older kids use twice a year hunting. They are locked in cases in the top of the closet  with ammo elsewhere so they couldn't be used for defense at all. We also have a pellet rifle and pistol for my younger kids to target shoot with that is at the very top of my husband's closet. They have used it once since Christmas. Dh wants a pistol but I don't with so many kids around all the time. My kids are familiar with guns, even trained to shoot them depending on the ages, but I still would be hesitant to have a pistol that would be relatively easy to access in an emergency.  Dh doesn't feel the same but he agrees that as long as I don't feel comfortable, we should not have one for protection.

 

Edited to say that dh loves to skeet shoot and sometimes competes at the local clubs with his boss/clients. My kids love it as well but primarily it is for hunting Thanksgiving and Christmas with the family.

[SKL]

I have many immediate family members who have firearms.

 

I tend to avoid getting into these kinds of details on the internet though.

[Chrysalis Academy]

I think you meant this video. I think the part you are talking about starts at about the 4 minute mark. 

 

Not this video is called, "This Will Offend".

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jl--YVnni0I

 

Yep, that's the one.  Funny dude.

[Chelli]

Dh has probably about 10 total firearms in the house. It's a mixture of handguns, rifles, and shotguns. He uses them for hunting and target practice. He keeps almost all of them unloaded in a gun safe in his bedroom closet. His conceal and carry handgun he keeps unloaded in the top of the closet for easy access.

[Mimm]

The only guns we have in the house are Nerf. ;) My husband wants one, but he's kind of cheap and I doubt he'll ever get around to it. I don't really want one in the house. I'm not afraid of guns or against guns in general. I just have no desire to own one.

 

My FIL has a few guns and my kids spend the night at their house all the time and have since childhood. They keep the guns locked up and unloaded.

[Word Nerd]

I do not allow others to conceal carry (or open carry for that matter) in my home, either. They are welcome, their gun is not.

 

Do you address this with every guest who comes into your home? If not, how would you know if they are concealed carrying?

[Bluegoat]

We have a few my dh uses for hunting, and a pistol he used to shoot competitively with.  He hasn't had time for that for a while though.

 

I don't even think about them as something for defense.  They are locked in the basement and it takes two separate keys to get them out and loaded.  I would never have a gun for defense in the house anyway unless I was in a pretty unusual situation - people just don't think that way here.  My bil is the closest person I can think of and that was because he worked alone where there were a lot of grizzly bears.

 

We did used to have some slightly more accessible ammunition when I had livestock, in case of coyotes or something.

 

I actually rather like target shooting, but I haven't done it since I got out of the army.  I've thought of learning to hunt but have never got around to it.   

[Amira]

Do you address this with every guest who comes into your home? If not, how would you know if they are concealed carrying?

 

I would hope that someone who is carrying a concealed weapon would ask whether they could bring it in to my home before they enter and let me make the decision rather than making it for me. I would nearly always request that they not carry a gun into my house, but I know that my BIL in law enforcement always has at least one gun on him and I do allow him in my home.

 

This doesn't come up much in my circles. Most of the people I'm inviting to my house wouldn't carry a concealed weapon and it's often not allowed or difficult to do in the countries I'm living in anyway.

[Bluegoat]

I grew up in a house where guns were used for hunting. They were kept in a safe. Ammunition kept separate. My father was a member of the NRA and a scout master. He led gun safety programs for BSA. My father dropped his membership with the NRA probably over 30 years ago. He felt they had become too political and weren't doing anything regarding safety as they originally had.

 

 

That's interesting.  That's about the third person I've heard that about, and all around the same time as well - one of them also said it was around that time that they really started pushing the idea that people need guns to defend themselves.  I sounds like there was some kind of significant change in the group then.