So I’m driving back from my favorite local range and retailer this morning after booking the joint for another slo-mo session. Because, you know, we’re all about you. Stay tuned to this channel for cool new content at thousands of frames per second. Anyway, I stopped at a light and saw the above car and the sticker caught my eye. I’m not a bumper sticker person. I don’t see any reason to let anyone else – never mind the whole world – know anything about my likes, dislikes, politics, whatever. But lots of folks do. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I’ve seen some gun-related stickers (bumper or window) that I actually like. I’ve even considered applying one myself (make the jump for my all-time fave). Then I come to my senses. Do you put stickers on your vehicle? What’s the best gunny sticker you’ve seen?
I personally don’t flaunt it, but my favorite such bumper sticker was one you’ve probably all heard of: “Ted Kennedy’s car has killed more people than my gun”
Sent that sticker to my “birth” family in MA, they agreed that he had no moral compass but did alot for the state and that’s why they voted for him
Obviously they have no moral compass either
Living in CA I am throwing stones in a glass house
Good news, during visit couple years before Gunrunner was exposed I got the earfull about evil guns from Bob’s Gun Shop being found at Mexican crime scenes. I forward all your F&F articles to them.
Go figure no response
Most people are respectful enough to not post someone’s Make, Model, Color AND license plate of others. Appreciate the sentiments, but based on this site’s massive audience, you probably have given him more exposure than he would have had just driving around.
As to your question, I don’t do bumper stickers – always seemed silly to put a $.25 sticker, that is fairly hard to remove, on a $20K+ car…
Fair enough. Included the vanity plate because it was part of the package, but you’re right. Fixed.
Now I feel bad 🙂
No need. You were right.
Eh, put the bumper sticker on some glass and you can always scrape it off later if you need to. Or do like I do and use scotch tape and tape it inside the window (as long as it’s not tinted).
What do you have against tinted scotch tape? 🙂
Quality bumperstickers aren’t particularly difficult to remove, you just need to do it right.
Generally, when removing vinyl, it helps to get it fairly warm; Ideally as close to it’s melting point as you can get it; By doing this, you soften the material as well as it’s adhesive, which has a number of positive effects (the two most helpful being that it allows it to stretch instead of just snapping, and it takes the adhesive with it).
In general, the best tool for the job is a heat gun, but a blow-drier will do in a pinch.
I have two:
An AR like the picture here that says “Come and take it”
And another that simply says “1.20.13”
I do – “Guns Save Lives” VCDL (Virginia Citizens Defense League) a 2nd A group in Virginia
I guess it depends on your personal ideology. If you believe the guys in black helicopters are coming for you and your guns, this only makes it easier for them to ID you.
But since they are probably tapping your phone and monitoring your Internet traffic anyway, it probably doesn’t make any difference.
I have trained my carrier pigeons to eat the notes if they feel like an intercept is going to happen.
That’s a good start, but all of mine carry cyanide pills as well…
There’s a guy in town with a bumper sticker that reads “KEEP HONKING, I’M RELOADING” I don’t know why he’s reloading because he hasn’t even fired a shot.
He’s obviously got a Dillon Square Deal in the back seat.
Now I’m tempted to buy reloading equipment and mount it in my vehicle so that I can do something productive when I get stuck in traffic…
I have three round 3″ stickers on the back window of my truck: NRA, Gun Owners of America, and Virginia Shooting Sports Association. I like the small stickers as opposed to the large or full size bumper stickers. I do like the above sticker about Teddy the Red Nosed Senator though.
The only bumper sticker I have ever put on my car is for my state’s grass roots gun rights organization.
A guy who works at the range where I shoot has one that says, “Heavily Armed Easily Pissed”.
My favorite non gun related bumperstickers are:
– You, Out of the Gene Pool!
– Jesus Loves You, Everyone Else Thinks You’re an A@@hole.
A bumper sticker like that could end up getting used against you in court. Not smart.
SO, we have seen cases where Cops have tried to use bumper stickers as probable cause, but in Court? How so?
Attorney:
“Your Honor, this man had a pro gun sticker on his car!”
Judge:
“Uhm, well he is here for defending himself with a gun, so that surprises you how?”
I like to be as anonymous as possible. I don’t have any bumper stickers on my car, nor do I keep anything of value visible in the front or back seats; it all goes in the trunk; I don’t want anyone, police, thief, or otherwise, from taking any more notice of my vehicle than is necessary.
I’ve always found the display of bumperstickers somewhat absurd. What’s the point? Why the need to share your views with the rest of the motoring public? The ones that really annoy me are the ones designed simply to offend (ex: Back the F#$k off!). I had my 8 year old nephew in the car behind such a sticker and had a hard time explaining it to him. Vulgarity for the sake of vulgarity is childish and inconsiderate.
“I’ve always found the display of bumperstickers somewhat absurd. What’s the point?”
On top of giving out digestible bite-sized pieces of information, they also help to identify a vehicle. Imagine you park your car somewhere, but someone else needs to find it, for whatever reason; If your car has no outwardly distinguishing features, it will take more time to find it. Having driven a common car in a common color, this is something to be mindful of.
Counting the number of cars in the same lot of the same color and bodystyle as mine was something I used to do for entertainment; I’d often see 3-5 without looking too hard, and it was rare for me to see fewer than 2.
“The ones that really annoy me are the ones designed simply to offend (ex: Back the F#$k off!).”
How is reminding someone to practice safe driving habits and not tailgate designed “simply to offend”? Maybe if the average American learned to keep a safe distance and not drive 1/2 an inch of someone’s bumper, those bumper stickers wouldn’t exist.
As for me? There are plenty of times I wish I had one of those scrolling LED signs that you can program in my back window so that I can tell people to get the frak off my bumper, especially on hills – if I roll back an inch or two on a hill and hit you, your head is going to get hit with my tire iron.
There are dozens of phrases that could communicate the request without resorting to vulgarity. I’m under no illusion that these people are using the stickers as a form of community service (or that anyone actually complies); I strongly suspect that it’s the outrageous nature of the message that attracts them. Such is the devolution of common decency and politeness in our society.
If I read you right, you’d bash someone in the head with a tire iron if you backed into them? Granted they would be at fault, but is potentially taking a life and risking lifelong imprisonment really worth a fender bender? I’m hoping it’s mere hyperbole on your part, because if it isn’t you probably shouldn’t be driving…or leaving the house.
I’m sorry that you lack the maturity to deal with people who do not share your views. Only a child runs around going “MOMMY! HE SAID A BAD WORD!!” Hell, the only reason those words are considered “bad” is because of people such as yourself – poetic, isn’t it? If people like you didn’t want to go around picking words that meant the same thing and labeling some as ‘good’ and others as ‘bad’, you wouldn’t be getting your panties in a twist over someone using one of those words.
Every car rolls back a bit on a hill when you take the brake off – every single one. If someone cannot practice safe driving, which most Americans don’t, and caused damage to MY car which I worked hard to earn the money to pay for, you’re damn right (oops, bad word! Better call your mommy!) that I’d beat them senseless. I’m sorry that you think that morons who harm others / damage their property shouldn’t be punished – and then you wonder why those same morons never learn. I guarantee you that if someone had a shattered jaw due to tailgaiting that they’d never tailgate again.
I don’t believe I have demonstrated any overt immuturity in any of my repsonses. I haven’t, as you have termed it, “run to mommy”, but in fact was answering a question posed to me by this website.
I use so-called “bad words” on a regular basis. However, out of respect for my fellow citizens I refrain from doing so in certain circumstances; such as in in front of other poeple’s children. Society has deemed certain words to be curse words and I respect that. I have no problems with curse words; they serve a very important purpose by adding emphasis to spoke language. There is a huge difference between “Please stop talking” and “Shut the fuck up.” It’s been my experience that asking politely has ususually begot better results than vulgar demands.
As for your response to a fender bender I only asked because I found your response befuddling. I don’t understand how any sane/stable person would choose to go to prison over a minor auto accident? I’m not trying to bait you on this, but just trying to understand. Why would you want that kind of legal problem over such a minor issue? Surely, the cost of legal defense, lost salary as a result of imprisonment, fines, medical fees, etc. would outweigh any cost to repair a car? Not to mention the fact that should you instigate violence, there is no guarentee that you will come out the victor. Hell, you may end up with a couple slugs in your chest.
Bumper stickers for fun or advertisement are all well and good. But the political ones confuse me.
I mean, does anyone actually think that by placing a politically-motivated bumper sticker on their car, the guy behind them will go “Well, gee, I have my own opinion, but this gray Chrysler ahead of me thinks otherwise. Maybe I’m wrong.” I don’t get the purpose of telling random strangers your opinions. Support? If it’s for political support, send the 97 cents you would pay for that bumper sticker to the organization.
Seems that many people with cars wallpapered with political bumper stickers are just loud, obnoxious rabblerousers whose political understanding is no deeper than those stickers. Unsurprisingly, the vast majority of such cars I see belong to liberals.
I don’t think 2A or gun bumper stickers are inherently political though, no more than a “I love surfing” sticker is political. It’s gun-grabbers that make gun ownership a political item. I do love that “coexist” rendition though.
One political bumper sticker won’t help a cantidate, but many of them do actually help. They help build name recognition and they help show that a candidate is gaining momentum. Studies have shown that people tend to research and take more seriously those candidates that have good “presence” in the community. These studies also reveal that some people will pick a candidate simply because the recognize the name on the ballot.
My favorite political bumper stickers are the ones for the losing candidate that are still on cars 4-5 years later.
Plan-A for interacting with the public arguably is “I’m OK, you’re OK” i.e. keep it neutral. I’m occasionally annoyed by the sentiment of a bumper sticker or yard sign, one that makes its owner seem a bit too precious or sanctimonious. Likewise someone out there could be annoyed at whatever slogan or design I might display. Ergo unless one seeks contention don’t wear your beliefs on your sleeve.
For example a bumper sticker proclaiming 12th century Abbot Arnaud Amaury’s “kill them all, god will know his own” would be provocative to some folks.
No bumper stickers on my car. My favorite is “Driver Only Carries $20 worth of Ammunition”
The guy who invented bumper stickers should be taken out into the woods and tied naked to an oak tree overnight, right next to the yahoos who invented those “Baby on Board” signs, vanity plates and license plate surrounds with messages from the almighty embossed on them.
None of that crap will ever replace fuzzy dice.
Saw this one a few weeks ago: “I don’t have a license to kill, but I do have a learner’s permit.”
Ever since my break-in last October (where I’m fairly certain my vehicle was targeted because of the NRA sticker in the window) I don’t display any firearms-related decals.
I open carry whenever I can and ignorant people say I want to “flaunt” it. That is a distortion. It’s more a celebration. I don’t have anything on my vehicle. I prefer urban camo as far as cars go. I think people who border occupied territory, like if you live in Pennsylvania but border fascist New Jersey, you should keep a low profile so as not to attract attention from enforcement drones.
Slightly OT, but back at the dawn of time I used to go door to door, selling things like vacuum cleaners and encyclopedias. I quickly learned that the houses that had signs saying “No Solicitors” were slam dunk sales. Evidently the homeowners put the signs up because they understood their own vulnerability to a sales pitch. Maybe those who post guns and violent messages on their cars are merely attempting to hide their own fear, hoping that the sticker will warn off the aggressor who they know, in their heart of hearts, they could not resist.
Who knows who you might upset? An anti-gun cop that might have let you off with a warning will perhaps swing toward writing a ticket having seen an NRA sticker.
Or pehaps a junkie looking for a quick smash-and-grab opportunity might assume there’s a gun in the car if they see a pro-gun sticker.
I think it’s best to keep a low profile – I save my firearm affectations for logos on clothing and hats (sparingly worn).
Some random thoughts on car stuff:
Worst license plate: URNUTHIN – I’m sure that guy got keyed a lot
Best license plate: either CMP-3006 or MA DEUCE (saw the latter parked at
the Knob Creek Machinegun Shoot a couple of years back).
Best political bumper sticker: “Kerry Lost, Lose the Sticker.”
If you use a suction-mount GPS, remember to clean off the rings left behind by the cup – they’re a telltale that the unit might still be in the car.
All I’ve ever had was an American flag decal inside my back window, and I figure I’m lucky not to have been keyed by some commie puke just for that. I’ve considered an AR15.com bolt face logo because few antis would have any idea what it is. Esoterica is only for those who know.
Why don’t I have an “I Don’t Dial 9-1-1, I dial .357” sticker or similar on my car or home?
Three reasons.
1. I don’t own a .357. Duh. 🙂
2. I don’t want to tip off thieves that I might have something they want.
3. Because I never want to hear this if I have to go to court after a defensive use of a firearm, “Your Honor, if it please the court, I’d like to introduce this photo of the defendant’s car, on which is a bumper sticker of a gun that reads ‘Keep Honking, I’m Reloading’ into evidence.”
That’s just one more hurdle my lawyer would have to cross. Why give the prosecutors ammunition to go after me?
“I don’t see any reason to let anyone else – never mind the whole world – know anything about my likes, dislikes, politics, whatever. ”
Sorry, have to call friendly but sincere BS on you… If that statement were true, this blog wouldn’t exist.
True enough. But no one reading this is driving right behind me. I hope. 😉
{In my best Hannibal Lector voice}
Look in the rear-view mirror… Daniel
I’m a bike messenger and I don’t own a car but if I did I wouldn’t put any gun related stickers on it for the whole “someone might break into it looking for guns” thing. On my bike I have all kind of stickers, messenger event stickers, one that reads “This Machine Kills Hipsters*” and one from the NRA that reads “I’m an angry bitter gun owner and I vote”. That one’s always throws people.
*In reference to the mall ninjas of cycling, those idiots who dress like messengers and try to ride like messengers but aren’t messengers but that’s a rant for a different time and place.
I love it. The first time I saw the “this machine kills hipsters” sticker on a bicycle I almost wet my pants I laughed so hard. I’m not a really a bicycle guy but contempt for those types is completely justified (in my opinion)
I was okay with the trend at first when they’d actually make the effort to learn how to ride their fixed gear bikes. When they started making the pros look bad kind of like cycling IGOTD’s only more of a threat to themselves well………..
41 years ago I had a pro-2nd amendment bumper sticker on my new Bronco, in South Kali. It took a whole 3 weeks before my ride was vandalized with spray paint, mostly around that sticker.
In the End just ask yourself what sticker John Ross would wear!
I know an informed, self-important woman that still has her Kerry Edwards sticker on her Prius!
I try not to associate with people who buy either the Toyota Pious or the Honda Hindsight….
No sticker for me.
No need to have someone ask
“Do you know HAVEGUN”?,
He is the one who has the “Save the Whales sticker.”
Another favorite “Nuke the unborn gay whales” That one has something to offend just about everyone.
I don’t and won’t, although I have some on my tool box that always makes me chuckle when I see them… my favorite is “I call 1911”, followed closely by “I don’t have a license to kill, but I have a learner’s permit.”
Saw a guy last week with Springfield Armory, Glock and Sig stickers. All of them in a row across the back of his windshield.
I’m guessing the stickers were maybe a day old.
Don’t get it, never will. Especially the free advertising part.
My car has those little side windows behind the back doors, and I have inside the window stickers for the NRA, GeorgiaCarry.org, USPSA, and the USGA. I also have a Glock sticker on a magnet that I put on the back of my car when I go to matches.
I don’t want to flaunt it to everyone but I don’t mind you knowing either.
The NRA and 2nd Amendment Foundation Life Membership decals say it all. No need for posting an image, even though it is my Civil Right.
A guy in my club has one that is the pattern of an AR-15 bolt face…if you didn’t know what it is you wouldn’t know. Flaunting?
When I first saw one, I thought it was the Empire logo from Star Wars.
But I’m also a nerd.
“I like to be as anonymous as possible.” I agree. Discretion is the better part of valor. I do not, and would not, advertise that I own, or have an interest in, firearms.
I have a small sticker that says:
I’m the quiet guy, with a
shovel and a bag of lime
in my trunk.
My favorite sticker, ever was:
“I don’t care who you are,
what you are driving or
where you would rather be.”
One of my favorite bumper stickers is.
Guns don’t kill people,
Kinetic energy kills people.
and off topic plus WAAY out of date is.
186,000 miles per second. It makes sense, its the law.
No stickers, but a steel IPSC-type target hitch cover.
I have an NRA license plate. State issued. Beats any sticker.
Best I saw was “Old age and treachery always overcomes youth and inexperience.”
Saw one on a woman’s car that I liked: “Nobody Ever Raped a .38”
I like to see the cars in my neighborhood with the Obama/Biden stickers. It’s nice to know who they are, just in case I need a government grant or some tolerance for diversity. And I bet the “coexist” stickers are big hits with the Islamic jihad folks.
No stickers, no logos. T-shirts? Yes.
Chalk up another in favor of remaining anonymous. I see enough police reports about car break-ins that I know not to display anything that makes my car a target. I’ll leave that to the nimrod who leaves their $200 GPS sitting on the dash in plain view.
I don’t have any on my car since I like the clean look, but my absolute fave has to be the sticker that’s the starbuck’s logo where the mermaid is holding glocks and it says “Guns and Coffee”
Simple, straightforward, and features a gun: the CIB.
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