Why do you have a gun ?

[chuck j]

Was just wondering , do you own a gun strictly for self defense or do you also shoot for recreation , competition , etc ? Did you own a firearm before you got your CHL ?

[JJVP]

Was just wondering , do you own a gun strictly for self defense or do you also shoot for recreation , competition , etc ? Did you own a firearm before you got your CHL ?

Yes, yes, yes and yes.

[The Annoyed Man]

Was just wondering , do you own a gun strictly for self defense or do you also shoot for recreation , competition , etc ? Did you own a firearm before you got your CHL ?

I owned firearms for years in California before I moved to Texas in 2006, and I didn't apply for my CHL until about a year and a half after I got here. I actually wanted to apply sooner than that, but I was so "soaked in California" for so long that it took me that long to work up the courage to apply. I thought it would be a lot harder than it was, and I thought the state would be a lot more discouraging than it was. One can argue about whether or not the state has any business controlling the RKBA at all (I'm enough of a libertarian to say that it shouldn't), but the reality is that it is in that business, and compared to socialist paradises like California, states like Texas make it ridiculously easy.

I carry a gun for two primary reasons: 1) self defense; and 2) because I can.......and #2 is probably my primary motivator. It isn't because my gun is a talisman or anything like that. It is because it is a symbol of liberty.....even if I have to conceal it for now. Moving here from California was for me something like what an immigrant who becomes a brand newly minted citizen feels. Newly minted citizens tend to take the voting privilege much more seriously than the average apathetic American, when they come from a country where they did not have the privilege of voting in free elections. That's how I feel about carrying my gun. I hope I never need it; and statistically speaking, the odds are pretty low that I will need it on any given day. Even so it is comforting to know that I have the ability to defend myself. But the daily constant for me is knowing that the right to keep and bear arms is the mark of a free man, and so carrying mine reminds me that I am free.

I do shoot recreationally, and hunt, but I don't compete.

[SpringerFan]

Mom says that I was always fascinated with things that shoot projectiles. Had a bb gun at age 5, and a single-shot .410 shotty at age 10. Started buying guns for HD in my twenties, got my chl in my thirties. I have always found shooting very therapeutic and a great stress reliever.

[jimlongley]

Was just wondering , do you own a gun strictly for self defense or do you also shoot for recreation , competition , etc ? Did you own a firearm before you got your CHL ?

Yes, yes, yes and yes.

[gthaustex]

Absolutely...all of the above. Self defense, hunting, competition, collecting, because I can.....

[mr surveyor]

strange question

[AEA]

Wonder if the OP has a Fire Extinguisher?

[Wodathunkit]

Gun(s) for:

Deer hunting
Hog hunting
Coyote hunting
Rabbit hunting
Snake killing
Dove hunting
Duck hunting
Turkey hunting
Crowd control
Self defense
Zombie culling
IDPA
Plinking
General range fun
And most importantly, because I can.

[Pacifist]

Personally, I find the butts of most well-made pistols to serve as fine hammers and the stocks of most rifles to work well as baseball bats when swung by an experienced hand.

Thanks for asking.

[Wodathunkit]

Personally, I find the butts of most well-made pistols to serve as fine hammers and the stocks of most rifles to work well as baseball bats when swung by an experienced hand.

Thanks for asking.

[JALLEN]

I don't hunt, and really don't compete in the sense of trying to beat other competitors. i found participating in IDPA and Bullseye Matches here pretty good skill builders, more exciting than drilling holes in paper. When I started with pistols I didn't always even make a hole, I guess

After the first several death threats, I got real serious.

No point in even having a gun if you are a Fredo, and can't use it when you need to.

[MoJo]

Why do I own a gun? Because I can.

[AEA]

Why do I own a gun? Because I can.

Thanks to the Founders!

No thanks to the "Hacks" we have now days.

We gotta keep working on "Liberty and Justice for all".