Is America regaining it's firearms culture?

[Arkane]

With the threat of bans and ammunition restrictions forcing the sales through the roof, do you think that the country is going to regain the status it had at one time of having a solid firearms owner culture vs. the "fringe" reputation the media has sought to nail us down to?

I used to be the "old retired army guy with all the guns" at work. In the last few months (basically since November 4th - a day that will live in infamy) I have had folks come up to me that I never would have thought would want to be firearms owners in a trizillion years asking for purchasing advice. And these aren't blue collars either. We're talking engineers, accountants, managerial types etc... Are any of y'all experiencing the same thing?

[Norton]

restrictions ?

I used to be the "old retired army guy with all the guns" at work. In the last few months (basically since November 4th - a day that will live in infamy) I have had folks come up to me that I never would have thought would want to be firearms owners in a trizillion years asking for purchasing advice. And these aren't blue collars either. We're talking engineers, accountants, managerial types etc... Are any of y'all experiencing the same thing?

Yes..Me in spades.. Hey Norton You have guns, Hey your were in the service, hey you go hunting don't you.. etc. all types of people women men all races and backgrounds..They say things to the effect I think I should get a gun while I still can.. How can I buy one.. I don't want a big one just one I can protect..(fill in the blank) myself.. wife, dog, farm motorcycle.. you name it. Do you think Obama will make it hard to get a gun.. I think things are getting bad.. etc..

[Optimus Prime]

A lot of my not as hardcore gun owner friends have been asking my advice on assorted guns, but as far as non-gun owners, I don't really know enough to get a solid feel for how that's going around here.
I do get much fewer strange looks when I have conversations with people and the fact that i own and shoot a lot of guns, but don't hunt comes up.

[7.62guy]

yes sir and most of them have never owneed a weapon.

[wwIIBuff]

So true, I have women in my office asking me to take them shooting

[jdowney]

Our director (a professor) likes to shoot, but her husband doesn't approve.....

Two of our graduate students (both female) shoot for fun....

And another grad student got me to take her out shooting last summer....HKfreak might have even heard us as we were out in his neck of the woods, or in this case desert.

In fact, I seem to get the most barbs about shooting from a guy I work with who used to shoot, but then went and got all liberaled up. Weird.
:kookaid:
I think he just likes trying to get a rise out of me though, because if he was really all sanctimonious about it he wouldn't have given me the Ruger mkII that he didn't want any more :icon_biggrin::icon_biggrin::icon_biggrin:

When my mother went to summer camp in the 1950's they had .22 rifles and marksmanship was one of the activities. That's the type of culture I'd like to see return. I wonder if they even have archery at camp anymore?

[ackspac]

So far I have turned 4 people I work with into the shooting world. One guy never shot a gun in his life till he met me, now (2 years later) he owns 6 firearms and now has gotten his parents into shooting also. And he just got his CCW permit. I attended a wild game feast at a local church this evening. They had one hell of a crowd show up. One of the guest speakers asked how many in the crowd were hunters and at least 99% raised their hands. They went on to mention how important it is to pass on our heritage and freedoms of gun ownership on to our kids and grandkids ect. I think the gun world will hit another peak soon. It seems whenever we get bad press nowdays, it just boosts the sales even more. Now if ammo prices would just follow along the lines of gas prices.

[Optimus Prime]

When my mother went to summer camp in the 1950's they had .22 rifles and marksmanship was one of the activities. That's the type of culture I'd like to see return. I wonder if they even have archery at camp anymore?

Well at least in the Boy Scouts we still have .22lr rifle, 20 gauge shotgun, and archery. Actually all taken pretty seriously where I work, we run the NRA Marksmanship Qualification Course for the rifles and the shotguns, and Junior Olympic Archery Division over at the primitive stick throwing area. Our rifles are Savage MkI single shots with globes and peeps too, along with three Aunschutz target rifles for the serious adults like me.

[Nazgul]

At work I have folks asking me all the time the right way of getting them and a ton of ammo to go with them. Don't even get me started on the folks at church! They all want one.

[jettag]

asking for advice about buying her first firearm(s) yesterday.

I have her pegged to be a future revolver/shotgun owner. May even take her gun shoppin as she's friends with the wife.

I'm thinking Ruger SP101 and a Remy 870 for starters:thumbup:

[RandyCOG3]

So true, I have women in my office asking me to take them shooting

Ut-oh... "Malibu Barbie" just turned 50... she's now Cougar Barbie..look out...

RandyCOG3

[Gunny_Frost]

Thursday evening I was able to attend our local "Friends of the NRA" banquet here in my home town. The local state NRA representitive stated that that evenings gathering was about 15-20% larger than last year.

I am seeing more NRA stickers on minivans, and not just pickups.

Heck, even overseas I am being asked questions concerning firearms laws, and ownership by guys I assumed knew the answers.

Folks are paying down their debts, living in their means, buying firearms.

What a great country!:America:

[mofocus]

for about the last 10 years or so i was the crazy gun kid, then the crazy gun guy (im only 25) now ALL of my friends, the general public, etc. are asking themselves "why did i wait so long" and asking me "can i buy your AR, and can you hook me up with some ammo" . The AR is a definite no (if only they knew about the PTR's and other rifles' greatness, everyone and their dog wants an AR or AK) but the ammo im willing to help.

[kevin]

So true, I have women in my office asking me to take them shooting

why doesnt this ever happen to me?

[chili]

At the last gun show I saw more women and kids there than I have seen before. Also, I have noticed more women at the gun stores too. Hopefully they will continue to look like the two hotties I saw yesterday!

[pigpen]

You must cultivate the culture.

[RandyCOG3]

You must cultivate the culture.

True. But, if there's only one set of muffs, they should probably be on one of the 3 on the right side of the photo.

RandyCOG3

[rifleman]

You must cultivate the culture.

haha one of the littlest ones is holding the biggest rifles. Is that a shotty n there?

[Optimus Prime]

Just remembered, last summer at my Boy Scout camp, over half the range staff was female. It just didn't strike me as odd either...

[jdowney]

Just remembered, last summer at my Boy Scout camp, over half the range staff was female. It just didn't strike me as odd either...

Perhaps it was too... ahem... distracting, to seem odd....

[pigpen]

Hearing protection was available for all & all had fun. The only one who didn't shoot was the little girl, she's not ready yet.

[drine]

Times have changed. The culture may return some but as far as the old days one has to wonder. For instance, when I was 12 or 14 we could ride our mini-bikes to the store @ 1 1/2 miles away. We could fill our tanks with gas and get a couple of small packs of .22 ammo and drive back home. We could then go plinking, squirrel hunting, or bird sniping for as far as we could walk unless there were cattle or horses nearby. Everyone knew everyone and the sheriff wouldn't look twice at the mini-bikes on the side of the road. The store owner would sell us ammo because mom and dad said OK. The land owners let you shoot except were livestock was and never on Sunday. The more responsible the kids were, the more privileges other adults gave them. The "culture" of this has changed here. The county is bigger, more transplants here now, etc.. so those days are gone forever.
For the most part, and I know there are exceptions, kids these days lack any sort of character the above mentioned involves. Most can't get off their ass in front of the Playstation long enough to do chores let alone do anything outside.

Pigpen, nice looking "militia" you have assembled there. Can't wait until my little one is ready. He's five and still digging worms.

[Bad Monkey]

Well I hope its back. I bought my first gun 5 years ago. When a co-worker offered to take me hunting. I now own well a lot more then one. My wife told me last year that she never wanted guns in the house, being afraid of them. Now she's has her own and we fight over who owns my 20 gauge Stevens. She claims its hers cuz she shoots it more, I say its mine cuz its was my Grandpa's. Well we could be fighting over worse things.

[jdowney]

Now she's has her own and we fight over who owns my 20 gauge Stevens. She claims its hers cuz she shoots it more, I say its mine cuz its was my Grandpa's. Well we could be fighting over worse things.

Man, I hope my wife doesn't get designs on my dad's Parker :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::icon_biggrin:

[Norton]

Times have changed. The culture may return some but as far as the old days one has to wonder. For instance, when I was 12 or 14 we could ride our mini-bikes to the store @ 1 1/2 miles away. We could fill our tanks with gas and get a couple of small packs of .22 ammo and drive back home. We could then go plinking, squirrel hunting, or bird sniping for as far as we could walk unless there were cattle or horses nearby. Everyone knew everyone and the sheriff wouldn't look twice at the mini-bikes on the side of the road. The store owner would sell us ammo because mom and dad said OK. The land owners let you shoot except were livestock was and never on Sunday. The more responsible the kids were, the more privileges other adults gave them. The "culture" of this has changed here. The county is bigger, more transplants here now, etc.. so those days are gone forever.
.


Drine That is how I grew up. I remember in the mid 70s walking out of my small town on foot at dawn with a SXS shotgun heading squirel hunting.
The sheriff would slow down and wave when he saw my tan hunting jacket and flashlight.
I have a very found memory of walking past this old colored womens house at 5.30 AM. This grandma leaning out the window and calling to me..
"You Goning hunting by your self child"?
Yes.. Yall be carefull out der.. you hear.. Ok I will. If you git any extra rabbits leave dem on the porch and I'll know it was you
I left her a Squirel and she thanked me at a latter time. She said I knowed that was you who left it.
Shes long dead and some Yankee transplant lives in her now fixed up house.

If that person saw my son in this day and age carrying my uncle's old Fox B SXS headed out of town to hunt Squirel or rabbits He would call in a SWAT team if not the Marines..

How did we get like this.. I made myself sad to think about how much we have lost

[brewskzilla]

Partially, it's our own fault. We let the media paint us as fanatics and rednecks and we didn't say anything. Now we're saying it, but they've had the floor for going on 20 years and we got a lot of catching up to do.

[SteelCore]

I think the uptick in gun and ammo purchases and CCWs are laying the groundwork for the resurgence, but for it to become a CULTURE, we need to pull those folsk out to the ranges, matches, duck blinds etc. and up the shooting sport's visibility. If it can make it back into the mainstream before the ranges and stuff close, mebbe we can save the lands of the shottist, increase public acceptance, and undo 2-3 decades of gun ignorance.

I train on avg about 1 shooter a year. If you want to train them, the boy scouts are always looking to fire .22 bolt actions for the elusive shooting merit badge.

I have friends who train more folks than me per year, on the order of 4-10. One is an ex army ex navy ex- army shooting team guy and currently an author of sci fi novels, and due to his high visibility, he trains sometimes dozens of folks a year at quarterly schutzenfests.

[Cavalryman]

One is an ex army ex navy ex- army shooting team guy and currently an author of sci fi novels, and due to his high visibility, he trains sometimes dozens of folks a year at quarterly schutzenfests.

What has he written? I'll bet I've read his stuff.

[SteelCore]

Mad Mike, amazon link:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw_0_9?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=michael+z.+williamson&sprefix=Michael+Z

Also, he's ex-army ex-AF, not Navy...sorry.