Xstr8edgtnrdrmrX
Diamond Member
without getting too political, I don't want to feel like I "gave in" to the culture of fear that I feel revolves around gun ownership...PM if. you want more elaboration <---don't want to get the thread closed
Are you still happy?
- Thread starter satisfiedwimp
- Start date
without getting too political, I don't want to feel like I "gave in" to the culture of fear that I feel revolves around gun ownership...PM if. you want more elaboration <---don't want to get the thread closed
someguy01
Platinum Member
1000 yards, no prob. It's the only natural talent I have.
I am also a firm believer in proper safety training as well as proficiency examinations. The US Army made sure I knew what I was doing before they handed me a weapon and in order to keep said weapon I had to regularly show proficiency. This is something I would like to see as a national standard for gun use, for everyone, civilians and police alike.
While I am by no means a "gun nut" I believe, like @MrInsanePolack, that they are a tool. When used correctly, they are very useful tools. That being said, where he and I live they are necessary tools, for someone who lives in Seattle not so much.
Certain weapons I find utterly useless, i.e. an Armalite. It is an anti personnel weapon by design and serves no real purpose other than to reduce a watermelon to juice in under 30 seconds. If you need more than one round at a time, you need to learn to shoot. I have humiliated many a redneck at the range with a bolt action 30-06. As they lean on the trigger and fail to hit anything consistently they stare in awe at my ability to not only cycle that 30-06 almost as fast as their semi, but hit everything within the center of mass.
Shotgun, rifle, sidearm(preferably a .45), katana blade. All you need for the apocalypse. I have considered the Barret with the infiltrator package so I can off morons from beyond 2500 yards should society collapse, but my frugal nature makes it hard to come off that much money.
GetAgrippa
Diamond Member
I grew up a gun nut and natural born killer. I guess it was the culture, being from the South-my parents had to take my BB gun away because I was killing all the birds and squirrels and neighbors complaining. Heck they didn't know how hard it is to kill a squirrel with the weak BB guns we had in the day lol. So then a bow, rifle, and shotgun-never been to good a shot with a pistol (though I built a ballistic pendulum to measure their force. Coming from a family of hunters I followed and would reload rifle and shotgun and I maintained the family weaponry. I slaughtered about everything in my younger days. My best friend and I in high school would go to our father's hunting club-which over a four year period they had to add 5 new rules because of our antics. We hunted with dogs then-which my Dad had, so we put em out in the woods to jump a deer to run out of an area surrounded by hunters. Only problem the deer never made it out of woods cause Mike and I would cut them off and kill them. Oddly one of the reason I was drawn to biology, and then learned the error of my ways , was being in the woods. It always seemed mystical-and walking in the same woods at night (with moonlight) everything seems completely different. I wanted to be a forester or wildlife biologist.
. I still have a couple pistols, couple of rifles and couple of shotguns but the arsenal has depleted and I don't reload or really care about guns (they collect dust ). Long got rid of the bow which I loved but dang deer hunting when mosquitoes would eat me alive (now thermocell I guess I could give it a go again) I've always kept a machete, or sword handy in my garage to kill snakes, the sword is a great weed puller, (it's from WWII). I would hope I never have to kill another human being. Growing up everyone had guns and knives and we fought all the time and while there were many who attempted suicide-(only about half succeeded-the others my Dad saved their lives) there were few gun incidents. The "mass violence" (not to be conflated with gun violence which is different in cause, etc than gun violence ) is something I don't understand. A scary trend because there are lots of diabolical ways to kill people in mass-which guns the least productive (actually a concern I have is limiting guns will induce the other more diabolical methods of mass killing ironically-evolution you limit one resource they find another). When I was in grad school my mentor and his wife were good friends with a pharmacology professor and his wife. His wife suddenly and mysteriously died-and my mentor was convinced he murdered her using his knowledge in an untraceable manner (he had apparently talked about a means of doing so in a past conversation). The guy did take up with a girl the same age as one of his daughters shortly after her death. I initially didn't believe him but he was convinced.
. I still have a couple pistols, couple of rifles and couple of shotguns but the arsenal has depleted and I don't reload or really care about guns (they collect dust ). Long got rid of the bow which I loved but dang deer hunting when mosquitoes would eat me alive (now thermocell I guess I could give it a go again) I've always kept a machete, or sword handy in my garage to kill snakes, the sword is a great weed puller, (it's from WWII). I would hope I never have to kill another human being. Growing up everyone had guns and knives and we fought all the time and while there were many who attempted suicide-(only about half succeeded-the others my Dad saved their lives) there were few gun incidents. The "mass violence" (not to be conflated with gun violence which is different in cause, etc than gun violence ) is something I don't understand. A scary trend because there are lots of diabolical ways to kill people in mass-which guns the least productive (actually a concern I have is limiting guns will induce the other more diabolical methods of mass killing ironically-evolution you limit one resource they find another). When I was in grad school my mentor and his wife were good friends with a pharmacology professor and his wife. His wife suddenly and mysteriously died-and my mentor was convinced he murdered her using his knowledge in an untraceable manner (he had apparently talked about a means of doing so in a past conversation). The guy did take up with a girl the same age as one of his daughters shortly after her death. I initially didn't believe him but he was convinced.
Chollyred
Senior Member
Not happy, but not because of the pandemic stuff. I haven't missed a day of work. Our business has actually exploded. But, having health issues, financial issues, and familial issues has really been a bummer this year. Praying for improvement next year, but not really expecting any unless something drastic changes. Have really been trying to avoid the political rantings and ravings, but am bombarded constantly until the Georgia senatorial races are over. Just sick and tired of everything right now...
MrInsanePolack
Platinum Member
100%
GetAgrippa
Diamond Member
This is a bad pandemic to be sure but in perspective-it's not the worse. The HIV/AIDS pandemic started in early 80s-earlier cases but pandemic. That pandemic still going strong. We have weathered that storm pretty well in US with low death tolls now-unlike Africa and other areas. But people forget that the death toll rose slowly before a peak and then death toll lowered around 1995 in US (no vaccine but lots of treatments) . At the peak from 1992-5 the average death toll was 160-180K people a year in US with a total more than 700 k from 80 to present-however most died during the peak period. 32 million have died world wide since pandemic from AIDS which COVID pales in comparison (though a different virus acting on different time scales) and now there is a vaccine and lots of treatments COVID "should " never grow to be as bad as AIDS pandemic. Now I qualify "should" because I'm not naive and HIV/AIDS pandemic demonstrates disparities in addressing the issues of a pandemic globally. So really we should be cautiously optimistic even though patience required and things will continue to grow and peak before a decline.
felonious69
Gold Member
My dad always had the Reefer Madness mentality.yeah, i grew up (literally) in a bat at 8 mile/i75 called the golden greek and seeing how people act on booze made me never have a drink in my life...
LOVE drugs thoughi just stay away from any that can hurt me
One day at a bar... he's drunked up and I am buzzed up.
We are debating the weed and he gets to the point of screaming.
I told him I'm high and you're drunk and only one of us wants to kick someone's ass, and it's not me.
MrInsanePolack
Platinum Member
I have this philosophy on all things personal, ie drugs, alcohol, guns, religion, etc.:
None of us asked to be here. None of us are any better than the next. You get one chance to experience all that life has to offer. If you want to explore something, go for it, its YOUR life and nobody else's. As long as you arent hurting anyone other than yourself, it doesnt matter. Be the best you can be no matter what you are doing.
That's it. If you dont agree:
None of us asked to be here. None of us are any better than the next. You get one chance to experience all that life has to offer. If you want to explore something, go for it, its YOUR life and nobody else's. As long as you arent hurting anyone other than yourself, it doesnt matter. Be the best you can be no matter what you are doing.
That's it. If you dont agree:
someguy01
Platinum Member
+1 like 1000 times.
100% truth. Most people want to be left alone to do their thing. I believe media and politics only create divides that otherwise wouldn't exist.
MrInsanePolack
Platinum Member
Very true. And it makes us all secretive to an extent. Dont wanna tell so and so about this, cant admit that. It just causes problems.
Had you been there this summer, you may have thought differently.
Juniper
Gold Member
I'm still happy.
With a newborn we'd have spent more time at home this last year anyway. Working from home and the same day to day routine has had its challenges but when I find things somewhat getting to me it's nice to get some perspective and realise we are luckier than a lot of people throughout the world.
Not seeing family over Christmas will be tough but it's a small sacrifice to ensure the safety, health and wellbeing of others.
Life isnt about me or what I want, it's about the greater good of loved ones/others.
Plus, managed to get through a ton of things I've been meaning to read/watch on Netflix.
With a newborn we'd have spent more time at home this last year anyway. Working from home and the same day to day routine has had its challenges but when I find things somewhat getting to me it's nice to get some perspective and realise we are luckier than a lot of people throughout the world.
Not seeing family over Christmas will be tough but it's a small sacrifice to ensure the safety, health and wellbeing of others.
Life isnt about me or what I want, it's about the greater good of loved ones/others.
Plus, managed to get through a ton of things I've been meaning to read/watch on Netflix.
SomeBadDrummer
Platinum Member
Xstr8edgtnrdrmrX
Diamond Member
Xstr8edgtnrdrmrX
Diamond Member
and most of the violent agitators in any of the protests are not form the place they are f-ing up...they have been brought in
someguy01
Platinum Member
Why do you think I use none of it
In my experience they also tend to be affluent white male teenagers/early 20s who just want an excuse to be destructive. I've dealt with them while doing a NG stint in my Army days.
felonious69
Gold Member
I probably might have some small sort of respect for what Ted Nugget has to say, if it weren’t for the fact that he went FAR out of his way to drop every ounce of proclaimed morals and all of his alleged principles to dodge the possibility of serving his country when he was called to defend the rights that he so vocally and constantly takes advantage of.
He’s a draft dodging chicken-hawk scumbag.
IMHO
GetAgrippa
Diamond Member
Well I guess some folks are Happy, others Flappy, and the Flappy/Happy that are both like 2020 and Crappy.
felonious69
Gold Member
I agree.
I also think that the overwhelmingly prevalent "victim" mentality is the root of most problems.
Nobody is really owed anything, yet they all feel "shafted".