It sounds as though you are not a fan of guns.
Incorrect. I'm a great fan of them for what they're made to do: kill things. Hunting, military applications, home defense -- you can't beat them. What I am NOT a fan of all the pathetic macho posturing they inspire in a lot of people.
But you want to mock on my experiences by saying that I'm less of a man for thinking firearms are impressive.
I'm saying you're less of a man if your whole sense of ego is wrapped up in shooting off your gun, as opposed to upholding your personal character even when you're not strapping. Too many people where I live think that an arsenal automatically makes them a noble American patriot and a super-stud to boot. And I'm saying that's pathetic. If that hits close to home for some people, maybe they should examine their worship of an inanimate artifact a little more closely.
Or they could just shoot me, I suppose.
I grew up in a household with two champion skeet shooters (my younger sister is a former Junior Miss New Hampshire) and for years my father was the president of the town fish and game club. I think it's accurate to say that I read every single 1st edition AD&D product in the family station wagon while being dragged to shooting events.
Part of my adolescent, rebellious, "I-hate-you-Dad" phase was a rejection of guns (the other part was a rejection of sports). Later, when I became a communist, I asked my father to teach me to shoot and he refused to do so. :(
New Hampshire is a little weird. To get a concealed carry permit, you pretty much just have to ask for one and pay $10. You can demonstrate armed at the state capitol. I've never owned one, personally, but between my current residence (I live with a bunch of my friends) and my parents' house, I think there's easily a hundred firearms stockpiled--mostly shotguns, but also some rifles, handguns, 2 AK-47s and an AR-15. These are not atypical households up here. And, yet, I've never seen one pulled in anger (well, not human-on-human anger--one of my roommates did pull one on a marauding fisher cat) and you can go months and months without hearing about any gun-related incidents. The most recent news-worthy crimes that come to mind, in fact, involved a machete in one case and a baseball bat in the other.
Then again, New Hampshire does have a bit of a reputation as a libertarian backwater.
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Incorrect. I'm a great fan of them for what they're made to do: kill things.
I apologize for jumping to the wrong conclusion. It just seemed to me from your posts that you held a low opinion of firearms...
What I am NOT a fan of all the pathetic macho posturing they inspire in a lot of people.
I still hold that it depends upon the individual at to whether or not guns are "cool"...
IIRC, you live or have lived in Texas. If the stereotype is even remotely true, then I can see as how one living in Texas may know of a large portion of gun owners that equate the size of their man-hood with the size of their gun collection. This stereotype also extends to a lesser extent throughout the southern states...
However, one can be proud of their gun collection and not be compensating for something. This pride is no different than the pride one would hold for an extensive collection of D&D material for example. Heck, I'm sure you know of several gamers that would talk the ear off of anyone showing the slightest hint of interest in their hobby. Most gun enthusiasts are no different...
I can see as how one living in Texas may know of a large portion of gun owners that equate the size of their man-hood with the size of their gun collection.
Bingo.
P.S. This reminds me of the sergeant who made the distinction abundantly clear to us in the Army: he motioned to his rifle, then to his crotch, and intoned:
"This [rifle] is your weapon.
This [crotch] is your 'gun.'
A weapon's for killing.
A 'gun' is for fun."
The United States Marine Corps is not the Army.
Interesting history, Anklebiter.
I grew up in a household with two champion skeet shooters (my younger sister is a former Junior Miss New Hampshire) and for years my father was the president of the town fish and game club. I think it's accurate to say that I read every single 1st edition AD&D product in the family station wagon while being dragged to shooting events.
Part of my adolescent, rebellious, "I-hate-you-Dad" phase was a rejection of guns (the other part was a rejection of sports). Later, when I became a communist, I asked my father to teach me to shoot and he refused to do so. :(
New Hampshire is a little weird. To get a concealed carry permit, you pretty much just have to ask for one and pay $10. You can demonstrate armed at the state capitol. I've never owned one, personally, but between my current residence (I live with a bunch of my friends) and my parents' house, I think there's easily a hundred firearms stockpiled--mostly shotguns, but also some rifles, handguns, 2 AK-47s and an AR-15. These are not atypical households up here. And, yet, I've never seen one pulled in anger (well, not human-on-human anger--one of my roommates did pull one on a marauding fisher cat) and you can go months and months without hearing about any gun-related incidents. The most recent news-worthy crimes that come to mind, in fact, involved a machete in one case and a baseball bat in the other.
Then again, New Hampshire does have a bit of a reputation as a libertarian backwater.
I think I had that sergeant, too.
NICE! I knew it didn't sound too original when he said it, so I assumed it was some kind of "in" saying. Never knew it made it into the movies.
P.S. He didn't make us parade around in our skivvies and grab ourselves. The Army wasn't exactly homoerotic when I was in. The Marines might well be; I have no idea.
P.P.S. Still can't believe I've never seen that movie.
The United States Marine Corps is not the Army.
Just don't tell them
Oh, and happy birthday marine corps.
I think sports cars, jets, helicopters, and Zamboni machines are cool as well. Just because someone likes something doesn't mean that they desire to own or even identify with the object.
You are therefore clearly not one of the people upon whom I'm heaping so much scorn. (And, in the interest of full disclusure, I think Zamboni machines are cool, too. But that might be because I'm from upstate New York, where we share with Canada a Hockey Culture. But then again, I don't own a zomboni, nor do I believe that using one every weekend would somehow make me more of a man.)
The United States Marine Corps is not the Army.
Just don't tell them ** spoiler omitted **
Oh, and happy birthday marine corps.
I actually didn't see much Marine-Navy rivalry when I was a sailor. We mostly stayed out of each others' way. Then again, I didn't see many where I was.
I actually didn't see much Marine-Navy rivalry when I was a sailor. We mostly stayed out of each others' way. Then again, I didn't see many where I was.The United States Marine Corps is not the Army.
Just don't tell them ** spoiler omitted **
Oh, and happy birthday marine corps.
Yeah we only have 5 sets of armed forces in the USA:
Army, Navy, Air Force, Corporate, and civilians.
And some would argue the air force should simply be "more civilians".
And some would argue the air force should simply be "more civilians".
O_O My grandpa was Air Force. Flew B52s over Vietnam.
And some would argue the air force should simply be "more civilians".O_O My grandpa was Air Force. Flew B52s over Vietnam.
Yeah I got relatives in all three branches (or rather that were in all three branches at one time, the ones in the Navy were actual Navy though -- not ammunition retrieval specialists) -- but what's Thanksgiving without a fist fight between relatives over insults over their respective branches?
All joking aside, both the Marines and Coast Guard are technically Navy. But it helps the Navy spread out the cost of all it's expensive toys if it can say, "well this is for the Marines and that is for the Coast Guard."
And as we all know anything that helps at the annual budget wars in Washington is something that is going to get used.
Ironically speaking from the same position it was a good reason to split the Air Force from the Army and Navy while still leaving each their own jets too.
P.P.S. Still can't believe I've never seen that movie.
I can't believe you haven't seen that movie, either.
And I do know the difference between the USMC and the Army, but if anyone has a video clip of another sergeant chanting that, I'll be happy to post it, too.
And I spoke too soon about gun incidents--deer season opened up today and there were two incidents and at least one death.
Ours will open up this weekend -- we've had a spat of bad (and I mean BAD) hunting accidents here in the southern Indiana/ Illinois area in the pass few years. Poachers and trespassers and people shooting at each other over it.