I went to buy a gun yesterday.

[dutch508]

Star Member live love laugh (4,554 posts)
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100213539737

I went to buy a gun yesterday.

I hate guns.

I'm in Illinois. I got a required Firearm owner’s ID card about three years ago but never took the classes for conceal carry or tried to buy a gun.

After all of the looting, and violence I became scared. So after doing my weekly grocery shopping very early in the morning--I was done by 8:30 AM--I decided to stop in the nearby gun store. The lot was full so when I entered and saw about 50 people waiting in line that early in the morning, I immediately turned around and left. Crazy. It felt like I was in a Covid incubator.

I drove to a Cabela’s sports store much farther away. When I took number 75 they were waiting on number 31. l settled in for a long wait while I observed the customers--old, young, men, women and their kids, I was surprised at the diversity of buyers.

Two hours later when my number was called, the sales person told me that they were out of most pistols that he recommends to first-time female users like myself. He didn’t know when they’d get more. Besides, he said, even if they were in stock there’s an ammo shortage. He showed me two guns that were available. I held one as he showed me how much strength is needed to cock the gun, or pull the thing back to load the bullet (I don’t know the name). The other was bigger and heavier. Did I mention that I hate guns? Just holding the heavy weapons is indescribably revolting.

I talked to friends and one level headed person reminded me that she’d read somewhere that a high percentage of gun owners end up being shot with their own weapons and that I might rethink the investment. Im doing just that. There is a class coming up in July that the salesperson told me about. I may attend.

My takeaway is that people everywhere--even the ones who look the meekest are buying guns. If I were a criminal I’d be scared. America is armed.

I hate guns.

 

roamer65 (20,115 posts)

1. If you hate guns, I wouldn't buy one.

You will probably never be comfortable with it, IMO.

If you do buy one, educate yourself on the possible liability problems using it can create.

Star Member captain queeg (2,808 posts)

2. America is heavily armed and it's not hunters

The thing that scares me is 3% of the people own 50% of the guns, so a lot of people own multiple guns. I have a gun in my storage room that I haven’t shot in 25 yrs.

Star Member Patterson (410 posts)

5. I don't think you should get one. Get some good pepper spray.

 

Warpy (97,683 posts)

8. Not going to join you.

I'll never own one, not with my eyesight. I know somebody would just take it away from me and shoot me with it. Or I'd shoot myself. Those things are dangerous to have around, and stuff is just not that important that I'm all that invested in defending it with deadly force, YMMV.

I live in the city, where problem bears are dealt with by a call to animal control. Outside the city, people need those shotguns to get bears away from any garbage. I'm not anti gun, some people need them.

I just won't have one in my home. No thanks. Too high a risk.

 

Squidly (274 posts)

9. If it is for home defense..

..forget the pistol and get a shotgun, open choke and load it with 00 buckshot. It will stop anything and you really do not need to aim like you do a pistol. Availability of shotguns and ammo are better than most pistols.

If you are set on a pistol, stay away from .380 and .38 special since those rounds are almost impossible to find right now. Your best bet would be something in 9mm since although its getting scarce, that round is still fairly easy to find.

Im not advocating for violence, but if you really do feel like you need protection, that is what I would reccomend.

 

sarisataka (10,906 posts)

11. The biggest gun myth ever

is how far a shotgun will spread the shot.

After reading many articles, some friends and I when up to a cabin where we could experiment.

We used a Remington 870 with an 18 inch barrel. The most typical shotgun you can find with the shortest legal barrel length.

What we found was at 12 feet or less (what you would be at in a home defense situation) the most the buck shot spread was 4 inches. 90% of the time you could cover the whole pattern with the palm of your hand.

We needed 50 feet before the shot was spreading 6-10 inches.

Now obviously 3-4 inches is much more than 9 millimetres but to use a shotgun effectively you definitely need to aim it.

Squidly (274 posts)

13. Whatever....

I know a little more about these things than your weekend experiment will ever know.

Put it this way...you shoot someone in the leg or arm or even body with a pistol round they more than likely will keep coming at you...you hit them ANYWHERE with buckshot and its going to stop them dead in their tracks...it will blow that arm or leg off and leave a hole in their body the size of a volleyball.

A pistol round you need to be much more accurate....and that is a fact. So, aiming with a shotgun is much more insignificant.

And let me add...
Its not about the spread of the pattern, its about the energy behind the load. Theres a reason the military has used shotguns for close quarter combat since WWI.

 

sarisataka (10,906 posts)

17. Do tell- are you an FBI ballistics technician?

have you ever seen a person with their arm blown off or a hole the size of a volleyball? I have seen people who were hit with weapons more powerful than a shotgun and did not have wounds like that.

I have also seen wounds like that but it took something much bigger than a shotgun.

Are you of the school that believes a shotgun can knock a person back 5 feet? Yeah, that won't happen either.

Self defense depends far more on the person than the weapon.

 

LeftInTX (11,380 posts)

81. I know absolutely nothing about guns

I fired one, only once in my life. It was 50 years ago, when a neighbor kid was duck hunting - he let me fire his gun. (I lived in WI and we had lakes in our neighborhood)

It think it was some sort of shotgun with red ammo.

Now I was a nurse and I know that needle gauge number runs opposite of barrel diameter...So it the same with guns? Is 12 gauge larger than 22 gauge?

Would a shotgun be preferred for deer hunting?

Let's face it, I wouldn't want to shoot deer with that hollow AR-15, mainly because of all the internal damage. Are all AR-15 bullets hollow? What does the 15 stand for in AR-15?

(I know that AR-15 is the preferred firearm for feral hogs, but that's a different story..LOL)

How about millimeter in pistols There is 9 millimeter...are there others?

OK....I'm probably driving you nuts with stupid questions...LOL

 

LeftInTX (11,380 posts)

84. This is why I don't buy a gun

Knee jerk fear reactions are normal and common.

In the 70's there were movies and classes about self defense for women. (Charlies Angels etc) It was all the rage for awhile, and you heard of women buying guns, but I was warned about the dangers of gun safety from my dad. In the 80's, keychain mace came out. I had the mace, but I had to spray it every so often to prevent it from clogging. I had a few accidents with it too. I eventually tossed it.

In 2013, a woman was killed in a local park, I armed myself with a ski pole type, hike pole. This was the first time, there had been a fatal attack on a woman in a San Antonio park. They caught the guy within a week. Self defense classes were offered. The city also enlisted and trained volunteer trail watchers. (The trail watchers are unarmed to the best of my knowledge, and they are a god-send...they mostly ride their bikes...and they are people who were already on the trails daily) I eventually left my ski pole at home.

This crime wave will pass.

Star Member GulfCoast66 (8,873 posts)

14. Wow. Can't believe I'm typing this on DU. But understand

I’m a lifelong hunter and gun owner.

Owning a firearm is a huge responsibility. Or should be. Where to start...

If you have a child in the house you absolutely must have a totally secure place to lock it up. And I don’t mean a locked drawer. But some kind of safe.

But my main concern is if you purchased a handgun. Real shooting is not the movies. If you have never shot I guarantee you could not hit a target 10 feet away. Even on a range with no pressure. In a panicky defense situation you are just not going to hit what you are shooting at. Unless you are prepared to spend hours practicing ditch the handgun. With my deer rifle I can humanly kill a deer at 250 yard with one shot. With a hand gun I can’t quickly hit something at 10 feet.

Just sell the damn gun. Or if you must buy a 3 shot shotgun like my grandfather used. It’s much easier to learn to use and you aren’t likely to shoot yourself.

But really, buying a gun out of fear is just a bad idea all the way around.

Invest in a security system. Or something.

I’ve shot and hunted my entire life. You can’t learn it in one 2 hour class. No way in hell am I using a handgun to defend my life. I have my dad’s auto loader shotgun loaded under my bed. It holds 3 shots. But here is the deal. We don’t have kids. Anytime a child is coming over; anytime, it sets put in the safe. Even if they only here for a quick visit.

I think you need to rethink your decision. Those made out of fear never work out.

rockfordfile (5,244 posts)

22. I think you''re in the wrong area

Pushing gun sales? really?

Star Member helpisontheway (3,061 posts)

25. I hate guns too..My husband was in the military for

20 years. Ironically one of his jobs was as a gunner’s mate. We agreed that we would not have weapons in the house back when our kids were little. We stuck to that for 27 years until Covid. He was concerned how bad things could get and worried that he would not be able to protect us. So we agreed to get one for protection. It does not bother me much now. In fact, I forget about it most of the time. Guess it will be good to have just in case.

Ron Green (9,051 posts)

31. In 1966 I qualified on everything the Army had up to the

.50 caliber machine gun. I would never own a gun now, because I choose not to live in fear. It’s just so much simpler this way.

 

kaotikross (117 posts)

39. They do make alternate self defense

Like guns that shoot pepperballs and rubber bullets.

That being said, if it comes down to an armed insurrection of trump cultists liberals having guns isn't such a crazy idea. The founding fathers were quite liberal for the day. It's a scary thought but when you realize they'd shoot us it makes more sense.

Hopefully once we get the wannabe dictator out it will take the wind out of any kooky sails and then law enforcement, once properly restored and with newfound appreciation for civil rights, can round up any remaining fringe elements.

It shouldn't be too difficult considering they're all out in the open. Those types will fade away for the most part once they know they're on the radar of the federal government agencies, because they're cowards at heart.

My final advice is if you do get a gun learn to use it at a class. There will be a lot of right wing nonsense- ignore that and listen to the parts that matter. Practice. Secure the weapon if there are kids or the mentally unfit coming over.

Nobody needs to you you even have it. It's not something to show off, when I see "gun nuts" doing that stupid stuff it makes me question their sanity. It's not a substitute for staying away from trouble or bad areas.

 

mitch96 (5,081 posts)

47. I love it when all the gun nuts come out on the DU..... where's the popcorn.........

It's like oil discussion on motor forums
Endless and re occurring... but fun!!!
YMMV
m

 

Squidly (274 posts)

73. I resent that you lump us liberal gun owners into the gun nut category

I will venture to say that those of us here who do own guns are the responsible type who dont flaunt them, carry them around on our person when we go out...unlike the RW gun nuts.

I own guns...lots of guns...I do not own a hand gun, dont see the need. Dont own an AR-15 type either...also, dont see the need and think they should not be in the hands of the general public anyway. I dont own vast stockpiles of ammunition either like many of the RW gun nuts do. All of mine are for hunting (which probably does not sit well with some here either, but to each their own) and a few military firearms from wwII being the history nut that I am.

I doubt you will ever see any of us here parading a firearm around, proclaiming our 2nd amendment rights like the TRUE gun nuts do.

Like the saying on Mr Larsons shirt in Happy Glimore said "Guns dont kill people, I kill people" its the person you need to worry about, not a tool which guns are. Ban guns, if that person wants to kill someone they will use a knife...ban knives they will use a rock, ban rocks they will use a stick...ban sticks and they will use their bare hands. The core problem isnt guns, its the people behind them and what drove them to that point in their life where they felt the need to harm someone.

So please dont put us in that category.
Peace

 

Ms. Toad (21,771 posts)

66. "If I were a criminal I'd be scared. America is armed.'

I'm not a criminal, and I'm more scared of people like you, or the poster who bought a gun because of COVID 19, than I am of the threats you are trying to defend against.

Impulse buys by people who expect to use them in self-defense put everyone they come in contact with at risk of being misinterpreted as a threat. If you make a mistake with pepper spray I'm still alive. If you make a mistake with a gun I may well not be.

Polybius (3,412 posts)

91. I'm seeing a lot of posts like this, and I'm not criticizing them at all

I completely understand. Gun-control legislation is dead for the next 15 years.

 

[thundley4]

Take this moron's advice:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrzyRXSxuAg

[jukin]

Color me shocked!!

A few of the terminally stupid DUchebags say some correct things.  Are those moles?

[SVPete]

Color me shocked!!

A few of the terminally stupid DUchebags say some correct things.  Are those moles?

IKR?! sarisataka again being something approximating a voice of reason, . And after that (s)he must have been shaking his/her head at DU-s ignorance-on-display, .

I'm not a gun hobbyist, but in nosing around GoogTube I seen/heard a few very practical bits of advice:

* Pick something that is comfortable: to handle physically; to fire frequently. If it's klutzy to handle or hurts to fire it, it'll be almost useless, because ...

* You need to practice with it, a lot. If you can't use it skillfully, it's only a little better than nothing, at best.

Putting those together, the first calibers live love laugh should check out would probably be .38 Special, .380 ACP, and 9 mm. They aren't hard-hitting hand-cannons, but more powerful guns would probably hurt so much that live love laugh would probably hate firing it so much and not invest the time to become skillful. Being 2/3 of the way to geezerhood myself, those are the calibers I would look at first.

[jukin]

As far a 9mm go, I'd go with a Sig or CZ product.  Those pistols are fairly heavy and don't jump when fired.

As always pick the gun that is right for you and always fire it a bit before buying.

[67 Rover]

As far a 9mm go, I'd go with a Sig or CZ product.  Those pistols are fairly heavy and don't jump when fired.

As always pick the gun that is right for you and always fire it a bit before buying.

I don't know live love laugh sounds like she cares about wildlife and is an animal lover and if you buy a Desert Eagle you can save one Desert Eagle nest which is going extinct due to globull warming. Bonus its easy to cock and pull the thingy back to load the bullets.

[Ptarmigan]

Star Member live love laugh (4,554 posts)
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100213539737

I went to buy a gun yesterday.

I hate guns.

I'm in Illinois. I got a required Firearm owner’s ID card about three years ago but never took the classes for conceal carry or tried to buy a gun.

After all of the looting, and violence I became scared. So after doing my weekly grocery shopping very early in the morning--I was done by 8:30 AM--I decided to stop in the nearby gun store. The lot was full so when I entered and saw about 50 people waiting in line that early in the morning, I immediately turned around and left. Crazy. It felt like I was in a Covid incubator.

I drove to a Cabela’s sports store much farther away. When I took number 75 they were waiting on number 31. l settled in for a long wait while I observed the customers--old, young, men, women and their kids, I was surprised at the diversity of buyers.

Two hours later when my number was called, the sales person told me that they were out of most pistols that he recommends to first-time female users like myself. He didn’t know when they’d get more. Besides, he said, even if they were in stock there’s an ammo shortage. He showed me two guns that were available. I held one as he showed me how much strength is needed to cock the gun, or pull the thing back to load the bullet (I don’t know the name). The other was bigger and heavier. Did I mention that I hate guns? Just holding the heavy weapons is indescribably revolting.

I talked to friends and one level headed person reminded me that she’d read somewhere that a high percentage of gun owners end up being shot with their own weapons and that I might rethink the investment. Im doing just that. There is a class coming up in July that the salesperson told me about. I may attend.

My takeaway is that people everywhere--even the ones who look the meekest are buying guns. If I were a criminal I’d be scared. America is armed.

I hate guns.

Then why did you buy the gun to begin with?

[Old n Grumpy]

Star Member live love laugh (4,554 posts)
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100213539737

I went to buy a gun yesterday.

I hate guns.

Get ya one of these!

[SVPete]

  , OnG! It takes nerfs of steel!

[Delmar]

If push comes to shove, she should just stick to the old reliable liberal self defense techniques of vomiting/urinating on herself and telling her assailants that she has a STD.

[67 Rover]

Democrats unveil sweeping legislation in response to protests of police brutality

The package — the most aggressive crack down on law enforcement to arrive in decades — would establish a federal ban on chokeholds, eliminate the legal shield protecting police from lawsuits, mandate the use of body cameras nationwide, ban military-style weapons for police and create a national database disclosing the names of officers with patterns of abuse.

Welcome to the party pal! I could almost support this, almost. 

[FiddyBeowulf]

As far a 9mm go, I'd go with a Sig or CZ product.  Those pistols are fairly heavy and don't jump when fired.

As always pick the gun that is right for you and always fire it a bit before buying.

M&P9 Shield EZ pistol.

OVERVIEW
Built for personal and home protection, the new M&P9 Shield EZ pistol is the latest addition to the M&P M2.0™ family and features an 8+1 round capacity and a 3.675” barrel. The M&P9 Shield EZ pistol ships with two 8 round magazines that feature a load assist tab for quick, easy loading, as well as a picatinny-style equipment rail to accommodate accessories. The pistol also features an optimal M&P pistol 18-degree grip angle for a natural point of aim, white-dot front and adjustable white-dot rear sights, and a light, crisp trigger.


Other Features
• Easy to rack slide
• Crisp, light trigger with tactile and audible reset
• Includes 2 easy-to-load magazines
• Grip safety
• Windage adjustable, White Dot Rear Sight
• Disassembles without pulling trigger
• Grip texture optimized to size and recoil
• Tactile Loaded Chamber Indicator (TLCI)
• Picatinny-Style Rail
• Perfect size for nightstand, carry or a day at the range
• Reversible magazine release
• Optimal 18º grip angle for natural point of aim
• Armornite® – Durable, Corrosion Resistant Finish

[freedumb2003b]

After all of the looting, and violence I became scared.

Scared of YOUR OWN PEOPLE?  They are the ones looting and killing people like you.