“Beware of the man with one gun. He knows how to use it.” This oft-quoted adage predates the invention of semi-automatic weapons with reliable, bullet-laden magazines. Back then, the best way to reload a gun was . . . a second gun. Or a third. Or fourth. A man with one gun HAD to know how to use it effectively. Even though most U.S. states allow high cap mags, the advice is just as true today as it was back in them thar days. That said, the adage has morphed into an anti-consumerist Zen thing . . .
It now says that a gun owner with one firearm is likely to be more deadly than one who messes around with an arsenal of weaponry. I agree. While I enjoy testing various guns, I own one handgun, one rifle, one shotgun and one FN. Wait, does that count as “one gun”? Anyway, I make sure I get plenty of practice with each weapon.
Then again, Wayne at the American Firearms School can pick up any gun and shoot the eye of a newt at twenty paces. (No newts were hurt during the writing of this metaphor.) So it seems as if gun handling skills are transferrable. For some. You?
That question, in true Zen-like fashion, can only be answered with another question: how much room is available in my safe?
How much room is available in your safe? I’ve got a Galloway Precision-modded Ruger SR40 that can’t go back to the factory. No charge for the mods ($275).
“how much room is available in my safe”.. fixed it for ya…
How much room is available in my home for other safes?
That’s like saying how many hammers do you need? Depends on what you’re doing. I own at least 4 or 5 hammers. You wouldn’t use a ballpeen to drive a nail, or a framing hammer to hang pictures. Each has a purpose.
If your only firearm purpose is conceal carry self-defence, then you only need one. If you want to do other things (target, competition, hunting, etc.) then you’ll need many.
I own two handguns (one is really my wife’s), one rifle, one shotgun, and a classic Daisy air-rifle (which is still a ton of fun). Financial considerations prevent me from owning more.
I’m one of those guys who’s into gadgety gear and my hobbies tend toward activities that involve gadgety stuff (rock climbing, photography, etc.). My desire to own more guns is due to a gun being a kind of ultimate gadget. I could spend hours pouring over accessories and modifications and all the other stuff that has nothing to actually do with personal protection or shooting.
I’m trying to think but I believe the most guns I ever owned at one time was around 20. There was a time back in the 80’s when I was buying (and selling and trading) guns constantly. But that phase wore off pretty quickly when I realized I was acquiring guns just to have them – guns I had no intention to shoot.
After a while I started to realize that “caliber proliferation” was a problem. IOW, irrespective of the number of guns, having too many calibers was not a good thing because it required me to keep too many different kinds of ammo. I don’t have a limit on the number of guns I’ll acquire but I think hard before getting something in a different caliber. There are now 4 pistols in the family that will shoot .38 SPL (sadly, not as easy to find as it used to be back in the days when cops and security guards carried revolvers) and I may acquire a fifth.
As I get older, I think I’ve become more interested in “doing more with less” and conversely, less interested in “having stuff” just for the sake of having it. I’m still using an ancient (in computer terms) Dell laptop as my main computer. I purchased it in 2003 and it’s a bit cranky. But it works and because it works I can’t think of a good reason to replace it.
“He that is good with a hammer thinks everything is a nail.” –Abraham Maslow
Don Curton is entirely correct. When I was building houses for a living, we used to say, “Having the right tool is half the job.”
Somewhere between enough to compete in 3-gun and enough to lend to trusted friends in the event of a civil disruption? Maybe a long-gun and a handgun for every adult (by the Hebrew definition) in the house plus a shotty or two?
I believe that up till the Civil War one of the ways that you could become a Colonel with your own regiment was if you bought all the gear. Maybe if I buy enough guns it will facilitate my dreams of becoming “Lord Humongous” after the SHTF. Now all I need is more money.
I’d say just ignore them, but then people might actually think I agree.
They are just trying to push our buttons by trying to link the gun lobby (NRA) to the KKK and start talking about cop killer bullets, label him a Gun smuggler with illegal guns, military grade, hi capacity machine gun magazines. Oh My!
Mikeb302000 and the gang sure are creating quite a frenzy over there…
Just keep telling the truth my friend, just keep telling the truth.
I feel that you can’t own enough guns. The more the better. My main pistol is the Kimber Supermatch II whick I love, followed by my Ultra carry II and RCP II. I shoot these all the time and they are all DEAD ON TARGET. All my other weapons are for fun, when I’m bored I bring them to the range for kicks. My 3 S&W 500’s are great fun and people love trying them out at the range. I guess I could use any one of these for home defence if the badguy was hiding behind a wall and I really needed to knock down that wall. LMAO
“How Many Guns Do I Need?”
One more than I already have……..
How many do we need? As many as I can afford to shoot on a regular basis. :o)
I own several. I carry 2 guns on a daily basis. A Llama XI 45 and a Llama IIIA 380 as a BUG in a ankle holster. These are the ones I practice with most of the time. The Ruger mark I and the 2 security sixes are mostly for fun. My main rifle is a AR15A2 that I built from scratch. This one gets the biggest workout at the range. The mini14 is a good backup rifle. The rest for the most part don’t get used a lot except for trap season (Ithaca 37) and deer season (Mauser 8mm semi custom). I did customize a old JC Higgins 12 ga. bolt rifle into a slug gun. Cut the Bbl to 21 inches and added a 2x side mount scope. Fun to shoot and deadly on deer. One utility 22 bolt gun for the varmints and the occasional rabbit for the pot. We won’t get into the safe queens that rarely see the light of day.
Motorist pulled over by patrolman.
Motorist hands officer Driver’s license, auto registration, ins.card and CWpermit.
Officer asks “Do you have any weapons with you?”
Motorist answers “Yes. A .45 auto under the seat, a .357 in the glove box, a .22mag derringer in my pocket, a 380 strapped to my ankle and a shotgun and an AR in the trunk.”
Officer asks “What are you afraid of?”
Motorist replies, “Running low on ammunition.”
Need? Sorry, but “want” is the operative verb at my house. And the answer seems to be “all of them”.
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