By Brandon via concealednation.org
Sometimes, it’s tough to be a gun owner. We tend to get a bad rap because of the few irresponsible gun owners out there. So in an attempt to clear the air and show that we aren’t so bad, here are 11 things that everyone should know about the average gun owner in America . . .
1. We’re extra polite and courteous
Most gun owners know the saying, “An armed society is a polite society.” Well, it’s true. Being a gun owner brings on extra responsibilities that we take seriously. The outcome is extra politeness and such. We’re just really pleasant to be around.
2. Some of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet are at your local gun range
It’s true. I’ve never met a mean person at the gun range, and I’ve met a lot of people at the gun range. If you ever want to engage in meaningful conversation with great people, this is a great place to start.
3. The last thing we want to do is use our firearm in self-defense
If a person owns a firearm for self-defense purposes, the last thing that person wants to do is to actually use that firearm to injure someone, or take a life. It is there as an absolute last resort in a life or death situation.
4. We don’t take the responsibility of being a gun owner lightly
Being a responsible gun owner is our top priority. We go out of our way to abide by the 4 rules of firearm safety, and we make sure that other gun owners are responsible as well. If they aren’t responsible, we hold them accountable.
5. We’ll never turn down ammo
Can’t decide what to get us for the holidays? Stuck on that perfect birthday gift for us? We’ll fill you in on a little secret: You can never go wrong with ammo! Even if you know that we have 10,000 rounds of our favorite caliber, we’ll gladly accept another 1,000 rounds. Seriously, there is no such thing as having too much ammo. It’ll never exist.
6. We watch a lot of firearm-related videos
Really, we do.
7. We are more aware of our surroundings than the average person
You’re not likely going to find us with our face in our phone as we’re walking around. We pay attention to what is going on around us as much as we can.
8. We’re not scared, we’re prepared
We don’t own firearms because we are scared, we own and carry them because we like to be prepared for a bad situation that may come our way.
9. We probably have more money invested in guns and ammo than we do the stock market
And that’s ok. There will always be a demand for both guns & ammo. They are both really great investments!
10. We’re the ones who sit at the table with the best view at the restaurant
And by best view, we mean a clear view of the floor and exits. Because if someone barges in looking to cause harm, we’ll be the first to see the events unfolding with our clear line of sight. We’ll also have a plan in our heads ahead of time.
11. We’re more than happy to teach people about firearms and firearm safety
There aren’t many things more fun for us than teaching others about firearms, and how to use them safely and properly. Don’t be afraid to ask, you’ll probably enjoy yourself!
12 We value other peoples rights as much as our own.
As much as I wish that were the case, sadly it is not always true.
There seem to be a lot of funny notions these days about what constitutes a “right.”
I’d wager that most firearms owners hold a more narrow definition of the term.
My rights are more valuable to me than yours are to me.
But, that doesn’t mean I think my rights are more valuable than others’. It just means that I freely admit I care more about what happens to me than I care about what happens to somebody else.
I do believe that my rights are infinitely more valuable than your whims. It’s just that too many people on the progressive end of the political spectrum can’t tell the difference between a right and a whim.
[My rights are more valuable to me than yours are to me.]
The difference, when it comes to your rights, is that I understand that the best way to protect my rights, is to protect yours.
unjustified hyperbole and of no use in this discussion without data and/or actual points. WE may have a more TRADITIONAL opinion. Elaborate, please…
Don’t forget this one:
From the Declaration of Independence: “But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”
@Vhyrus
More often than not in my experience. Your mileage may vary.
Yep, too many that want to dictate their own whims upon others.
If you treat citizens like they’re pre-convicted criminals, too dangerous and unruly to be trusted with rights, then that’s what you’ll get. If you treat citizens like responsible, trustworthy, and respectable people, deserving of rights and liberties, they’ll work hard to justify that trust. As evidenced by points 1 and 4.
Except… them
I’ve seen some grumpy gun guys at the range. Guys that thought they knew everything. But bad, or downright mean? Nope.
I swear that is at least 50% of the gun counter sales people I encounter.
Yeah, there’s a surprising number of gunstore clerks that are assholes, unrepentant and nondiscriminate in their mistreatment of customers. Firearms Concierge is the consummate example of such. The actual shooters at the range are usually either friendly or neutral. I tell people not to judge gun owners by the average gun store rep.
FC is not the horned beast you would like him to be. Trust me, working even in a fast food, and you will discover that the average, intelligent human can screw up something as simple as a taco bell menu while ordering, then be upset when you give them exactly what they asked for. Because it was not what they were expecting and/or they don’t want to pay for it. And thats just tacos.
Add guns, politics, panic buys and stupid laws into the mix, you can see a side of humanity that you never knew existed.
Most gun people are pretty friendly.
Now, regarding guns and ammo as “investments”: I’d have to say “not really”.
Most guns are more of a “store of value”, or a “hedge against inflation” similar to precious metals like gold and silver. Guns tend to retain their value fairly well, and some do go up in value over time.
Investments are different. A rental house is an investment. The property generally appreciates over time, but it also provides monthly rental income. Farmland is likewise an investment, as it produces a crop each year, and also generally appreciates over time. Guns may or may not appreciate, but do not generally provide a regular income (generalities here – I know there are exceptions).
Ammo stockpiling allows us to buy when it is cheap, and not when it is expensive. That is good, but if we shoot it, it is gone. It is more of a consumable item, like food, fuel, or clothing. Most of my ammo stash is .22lr, or steel cased Russian crap (not generally reloadable) anyway.
All that said, I do have a fair amount of cash tied up in guns, and ammo, but it is less than the balance of my retirement account.
My wife has the best criteria: “It isn’t an investment until you’re ready to sell it.”
Now make a billboard of it and put it everywhere people who never see guns might see it.
‘5. We’ll never turn down ammo’
Wish I had turned down some 9mm I got once… got it from a family friend that was working at a ammo factory. Bastard gave me some ammo he said he made at work. Problem is that he had just snagged some proof loads he ‘found’ and gave them to me. Damn stuff blew up in my Hi-Power. >,,<!
I saw Hi-
and thought it was a Hi-Point that got blown up (not a big loss). Then I saw it was a Hi-Power, and that is a whole different matter. That is a loss.
Well it’s a small comfort but she wasn’t an original. She was a Frankensteined mess I bought incomplete off of GB. Started out as a shot out Argentine Hi-power that I repaired with Canadian surplus parts and a few custom fabricated bits. Ugly as sin but after some teething problems I got her humming right along. Well, up until the ‘incident’ anyway. >,,>
Hickok45 was the first gun youtube guy I watched regularly a few years ago before I knew that gun youtube guys were an actual thing. Most of the other youtube gun guys and gals I found after him kind of got the shaft by me after that, I thought all of them would kick as much ass as he does. PS. They don’t
Hickok45 is great. I also enjoy Mac from the Military arms channel. The rest are ok, and I still watch them some. Hickok and his son are also very tall. I am well over 6′ but those guys are like 6’8″ or 6’9″. As a tall guy, I got to respect the taller ones.
#12 We don’t own guns to compensate for anything, gun owners just happen to be hung like a horse! (Does not apply to female gun owners, most of the time)
I call BS on #1 “We’re extra polite and courteous”. Yup some of my best friends are gun owners and the nicest people you’ve ever met, but I’ve me a bunch of gun owners that were absolute jerks. And why is it that the worst gun owners tend to work the counter at the LGS?
I don’t think gun owners are any nicer or any nastier than the general population.
“And why is it that the worst gun owners tend to work the counter at the LGS?”
^ This !!!!!
+1!!!
+10,000
Apologists say “Well if you worked here and were asked the same dumb questions all day…” and to that I say, “bullshit.” If an employee in most other lines of work gave a customer the kind of unprovoked attitude I’ve seen dished out at gun shops, they’d be fired. The one group I cut a bit of slack for are the old timers in their 60’s+, because if I watched my passion and career go from being virtually unregulated to a bureaucratic minefield in a few short decades, I’d be cranky too. Still, giving off bitter vibes is different from treating your customer base like garbage and then expecting them to thank you for it, and I’ve seen a whole lot more of the latter from gun shop clerks.
Not true of everyone. From gun counter people, the worst gun store owner ever(a bigot too) and extremely careless and stupid people at ranges. And everyone reading knows this…but most gun owners are OK.
12 We know more about our state gun laws, the second amendment, and statistic surrounding guns?
Given the amount of sheer ignorance I’ve seen people from behind the counter at a gun range distribute about gun laws, I disagree with this.
[I have in mind the case of a man who told an elderly lady that her CHP was no good in Denver–they’re good statewide. I tried to correct him, but of course she believed him anyway, since I was on the wrong side of the counter.]
[Somewhat related but when our new bullsh*t laws passed in 2013 I was hearing all sorts of hysterical rumors about what was coming down the pike–from LGS employees. I’d check them out later on the RMGO website and see nothing remotely resembling what they were yapping about, and RMGO tends to overhype how bad things are to scare people into donating.]
Dan, gun owners do not get a bad rap from a few bad gun owners….we get a bad rap from a lap dog press owned by an elite whose intent is disarm the general public. Let’s be honest in these discussions.
Most right on the head. Good article
I concur with this article.
Now we need the bizarro world equivalent of the list — something like “11 Things Gun-grabbers Claim about Average Gun Owners”.
I’ll even kick-off the list. According to gun grabbers, all gun owners:
(1) are seething cauldrons of rage that will explode at the slightest provocation.
(2) have tiny genitalia and compensate for said tiny genitalia with their firearms.
(3) are paranoid cowards.
(4) eat babies — BABIES I TELL YOU!
(5) are crazy.
(6) are uncivilized.
(7) are dumb.
(8) do not have common sense.
(9) refuse to have a “conversation”.
(10) have small genitalia (have to list that one twice).
(11) are not real men (yes, even applies to women).
Did I miss any?
12) Are extreme rednecks of poor, uneducated, rural origin typically from the southern united states, and/or otherwise exhibit stereotypical redneck behavior.
13) Are anarchists who hate and fear the government while wearing aluminum foil hats and constantly talking about not following certain laws and establishing their own sovereignty by using their guns.
14) Are religious zealots who preach the bible while at the same time spin cocking (John Wayne style) their lever action Winchester mare’s leg (Steve McQueen style) while accidentally shooting someone upon after-which, apologies are made but no criminal action is taken.
And amusingly, all such comments are secretly just projects of the antigunner’s insecurity…
“9. We probably have more money invested in guns and ammo than we do the stock market
And that’s ok. There will always be a demand for both guns & ammo. They are both really great investments!
Uhm, No and not all guns are a great investment. Most guns are simply a cost. A cost we are willing to accept, but a cost nonetheless.
I disagree Pascal … at least when we are talking about quality firearms in excellent condition.
For example I purchased a brand new Ruger GP100 stainless steel revolver (.357 Magnum, four-inch barrel) for $525 five years ago. I have only shot about 50 rounds through it and it still looks and functions like brand new. I can sell it used for at least what I paid for it if not more. (New models sell for something like $650 these days.)
Another example: Mosin Nagant rifles. People purchased them for around $100 about 10 years ago. Today they sell for close to $200.
And then you have the venerable Winchester model 94 lever-action rifle in .30-30 Winchester caliber. My dad purchased one in 1975 for less than $100. Today that rifle (again, in excellent condition) will sell for every bit of $500 if not more.
At the very least a quality firearm in excellent condition keeps up with inflation … which is better than stuffing money under your mattress. I am not suggesting that people only purchase firearms for their retirement nest-egg. I am suggesting that firearms are a nice purchase that, if maintained in excellent condition, actually appreciate in value over time. And they have a potentially huge utility value in the meantime.
“2. Some of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet are at your local gun range.”
While this is true, I have also seen some real pieces of work at some of the more popular facilities. Wannabe mega-force spec-ops dudes with the tactical vest and thigh holster….Why are you dressed for the Bin Laden raid when all you are doing is standing stationary and punching holes in paper at 7 yds?
Also, criminals figuring out how to use their guns, complete with one hand holding the gun…. sideways …..while the other hand “keeps they draws-up”.
“3. The last thing we want to do is use our firearm in self-defense”
This is truly the last situation I want to be in due to the obvious risks and inevitale repercussions. Although after being burglarized a couple times, the thought of dispensing some Karma to thieving scum …..180 grains at a time.at a time….. is quite satisfying to imagine when you are looking at the empty space previously occupied by things you actually earned through hard work.
*inevitable (crappy !@%#^& $10 keyboard)
“Wannabe mega-force spec-ops dudes with the tactical vest and thigh holster….Why are you dressed for the Bin Laden raid when all you are doing is standing stationary and punching holes in paper at 7 yds?”
Maybe they dress that way because they are very passionate about their handgun. Who knows? Why does it matter?
Some people who ride motorcycles like to wear racing-themed brightly colored leather pants, coats, boots, and gloves when riding. Do we ask them “Why are you dressed for a professionally televised race when all you are doing is puttering over to the convenience store?”
Some people like to dress up. It is okay.
1) It was intended as humor.
2) I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings after you went to all the trouble to make sure your socks and underwear perfectly match your 5.11 ensemble.
3. The last thing we want to do is use our firearm in self-defense…
Reminds me of a T-shirt I saw, worded slightly differently, but it would go like this:
3. The last thing we want to do is use our firearm in self-defense, but it IS on the list.
hey this was really good
We all think other types of guns other than ours of which we own should be banned. I am only half joking on this one. Sadly.
Yep plenty of gun owners here would love to see Commie guns gone as well as praise the Kalashnikov Concern and Chinese bans nevermind the fact there are plenty of American gun companies that put out trash.
At least the Commie guns don’t require break-in periods, are durable, simple, reliable, and are great values even moreso if artificial bans were not in place.
Is there any research that addresses these claims? I once encountered some anti-gun agitprop citing a study that claimed gun guys were more aggressive than the general population instead of more courteous. I’d like to find some proof that the study was biased.
What’s wrong with being aggressive?
We will immediately notice an SP-01 in a lineup of SIGs.
The number one Culture War tool is to describe gun owners as being of a lower socio-economic class than the voluntarily helpless. There are many tools for making other people “other”.
You forgot the biggest one; Legal gun owners are almost always guaranteed to not be felons…well, depending on how effective background checks really are. Your state may vary.
+1 on us not putting up with the old school local gun shop counter douchebag, it’s 1/2 of the reason the “new breed” stores/on line combo companies like Buds are so big now. We, the gun culture 2.0, hate the counter guy who is rude & condescending.
Walk into a Buds and they are all nice, and about half are women – same as their phone staff. They are pleasant, & guess what – people fall all over themselves to give them their money because we are all used to being treated like we aren’t good enough by all the traditional local shops for the last 40 years – thank goodness for the Internet & the shift in prices & how we get treated now & all the choices we get.
The “old days” sucked, I’d rather deal with a pleasant person who sort of knows guns vs. a prick who knows everything about every gun – I do my own research! Just give me a good price & a big selection & nice employees.
The Arms Room, League City Tx.: Very courteous and professional staff
12. Are more financially secure than the average citizen, and not just in how much money we have sunk into guns. Gun owners have higher incomes and higher rates of savings.
13. Gun owners vote more consistently than the average citizen. This is why political hacks fear gun owners. No one has to drag a large number of gun owners to the polls – do something to piss them off and they’ll be waiting at the polls for voting to open.
14. Are more educated (ie, attained a higher college degree, higher rates of high school graduation) than the average citizen. This is the second reason why politicians fear gun owners, despite the propaganda of their minions.
15. Know quite a lot more about American civics than the average citizen, and not just about the Second Amendment.
16. Are more likely to live in the south and west of the US than the northeast.
17. Gun owner demographics skew towards white, protestant males, but that is changing. The demographic least likely to own guns in the US are Jewish females, especially single Jewish females, with ownership rates in this demographic in the single-digit percentages.
Well said, great list.
I would say this would be more accurate if “gun owner” was replaced with “concealed carrier”. Unfortunately, expanding it to all gun owners adds a lot of both the “guns are only good for hunting” and “hold my beer and watch this” types.
I think you’ve horribly misused the word “average.”
The “average” gun owner:
1. Bought a gun and a box of ammo, played with the gun for a few minutes, may have then loaded the gun, then placed the items in the top drawer of their bedroom dresser under their socks and underwear.
2. End of story.
12: Don’t want to put up with yet more lies and insults, and will be a jerk to you if you’re a jerk to them.
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