Gun Owners: I Have Just One Question

Periodically I break one of my content rules when I just can’t get the topic out of my head. Now is one of those times. After the latest school shooting in which 17 young people were deprived of their Constitutional right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, I have a question for gun owners.

Reasons for Ownership

I Love Guns, I Heart Guns, Gun OwnersNo, I’m not asking why you have guns. I understand that some people like to hunt and they put meat in freezer to feed their families and maybe some other folk as well. To you I wish a good hunt and a clean quick kill. I have eaten elk, deer, bison and alligator. I do not judge. (If you hunt for trophies, that’s a whole different subject and I have nothing to say to you at all.)

Some people like to shoot at targets. I understand that this is a sport and a skill. We live close enough to a gun range for us to hear the shots popping off on a pretty regular basis, especially on a summer night. Some people go skeet shooting. If you like shooting at targets and increasing your skill level, enjoy it.

In Defense of Life and Property

Other folk feel they need their guns for self-defense, whether from humans or predators. Got that, too. If I lived far out on a ranch or farm, I might do the same. Having lost three cats to coyotes, I comprehend why a farmer needs to protect his chickens or other livestock. And there are places in the world where you would be crazy to go out unarmed and risk encountering bear, big cats, or other critters that would consider you dinner.

This house is protected by the Good Lord and a gunUrban self-defense, doesn’t’ appear so obvious to me because the police have you covered—ideally—but that also strikes me as a valid reason. In some places, it can take the police a long time to respond, if they come at all. And some folks distrust their own elected government and believe that the men in black helicopters are going to come down any day now and impose a tyrannical regime. That one I could argue for days but I get that they consider it a valid reason to own guns.

And then there’s the zombie apocalypse but I have to admit that guns don’t seem like the best weapon to use against targets that are already dead.

And the Question Is . . .

Having said that, what I want to understand is this:

Why do you love your guns?

Whatever your reason for owning guns, it doesn’t explain the emotional connection many people have to them. At least, not to me because I can’t imagine forming an emotional connection to a weapon. Reasons are logical; love is emotional.

Guns and Emotional Bonds

Gun Family, Gun Owners, love gunsI love paintings I have bought because they are one-of-a-kind works of art, expressions of creativity and creation. They add beauty to my life. Guns are simply mass-produced objects.

If I were fortunate enough to drive a fast, high-performance driving machine I might love that, too. I used to have an Audi TT Quattro. I loved that car because it made driving fun and exciting. Also, I customized it to be the automobile I wanted. (The car I have now gets me from place to place safely but it elicits no joy.)

Guns look like guns. With the exception of premium and collectible long guns, you can’t order them in the color of your choice, customize them with swooshes or flames, or get one with a stock covered in fine Corinthian leather. One AR-15 looks pretty much like another AR-15 of the same make and model.

My neighbors love their dogs as we loved our cat. Those dogs love them back, greet them when they come home, fetch when asked, and would alert them to smoke in the house or defend them from an intruder. Dogs love humans and give back to humans in return for care and affection. Guns are inert objects. They give no love, express no feelings, do not rejoice when you come home, warn you of nothing.

So why do you love them?

A Very Serious Question for Gun Owners

This is a serious question for me. I am not being snarky or superior. I want to understand an emotional bond that is beyond my comprehension. And I’m making a thoughtful attempt to learn.

I heart my AR-15, gun owners, love my gunsIf you are a gun owner please let me know your answer to my question. If you know a gun owner, pass this along.

Please don’t rattle on about how you use your guns. As stated above, I understand the reasons even if I don’t share them. Don’t tell me why or when it’s necessary for you to have a gun. I get that, too. Just tell me why you love your gun(s).

I will publish serious comments on the blog so you can share your feelings and, perhaps, educate other readers. Comments that include hateful statements, name-calling, profanity, vulgarity, death threats, and other trollish things will not be published. Choose your words.

This is your chance to explain what you feel. Go for it.