[Closed] Am I the only one that find gun threads distasteful?

You are bothered about people discussing air rifles? Really?

oh dear. Well that's it, I'm offended **folds arms**

Why in this day and age would anyone want to own one ?

You live in the city, yeah?

If you really want to pretend to be in the army or terrorist then join a gun forum where you can all get hardons together.

[b]To the average joe guns etc are pathetic.[/b]

No they aren’t.

I’m certainly an “average joe” never owned or wanted to own a gun, only fired one once at a clay shoot work day out.

I have no issue whatsoever with people wanting to target shoot as a hobby.

It’s probably not just you, but don’t tar us all with same ranty crap you spout please.

If I hunted for my food I would probably like to own one.
I shot an air rifle at targets when I was a kid, it was fun but not something I got into. But some people do. It’s a funny thing to get irate at but different strokes!

How are they any different to bows and arrows?

I grew up with an air rifle, it never dawned on me to shoot anything other than coke cans (and my neighbour’s roof vent!). I continue to take real pleasure in aiming and hitting (inanimate) things.

It’s all a bit zen.

@unfitgeezer Not just you.

Meh, I'm not a big fan of hunting with guns or "pest control".

But a thread about someone wanting to plink targets with an air rifle? Sure why not. I've done a bit of target shooting in the past and we take the Cubs air rifle shooting.

Ultimately guns are for killing

Do you object to people doing archery or javelin or axe-throwing?

Hey everyone, look at me, I'm making a statement that will hopefully get me some kudos.

It's an air rifle, hardly an AK47

I’m offended **folds arms**

Which folding stock do you prefer?

My family are air gun fanatics they run a well organized outdoor target club that responsible people attend and enjoy, I myself am bored to tears with air rifle talk and have no interest.
Personally I think you need to get a grip.

It’s all a bit zen.

This where I'm probably at.

I served in the forces for a few years after leaving school and had the pleasure of attending the first Gulf War. Believe me I saw enough to find nothing to glorify in that world for the rest of my days. Very few people who know me in the real world know I was in the forces in a past life which probably gives you an idea of how I feel about it.

I've been a vegetarian since my early 20's and am now a vegan. One of the reasons is a respect for critters small and large and I go out of my way to reduce the chance of me harming one.

But aiming at a target and the relaxation and calm you have to self generate in order to do it well still feels a good thing. Not good enough that it would ever be on my official laminated list of hobbies and the air rifle I own has been unused for 4 years now but its still something I could see me getting out for a plink for half an hour every now and again in the future.

The whole camo toy soldier brigade I do find a bit sad though and folk that kill things for fun turn my stomach. But I have enough mental elasticity to not pigeonhole the whole thing into the same box.

Hey everyone, look at me, I’m making a statement that will hopefully get me some kudos.

I don’t need kudos...

But aiming at a target and the relaxation and calm you have to self generate in order to do it well still feels a good thing.

+1
.22 target shooting for Duke Edi Award which was just as described above. I really enjoyed it. Also archery for the same reasons. The combination of calmness of mind & body to succeed is quite enjoyable but frustrating at times.

How are they any different to bows and arrows?

Slight difference - in the UK it is specifically illegal to kill an animal with a bow or crossbow, so they are strictly target only. Air rifles can be dual use.

Ultimately guns are for killing and glorifying it

Or guns are for placing a projectile on a target at a distance. That can require an immense amount of skill.

I think perhaps the OP doesn't realise the pleasure that people get from good marksmanship, without any desire to kill anything.

Yes.

Whenever a gun thread is started am I the only one to find them distasteful and if I’m honest a little strange ?

You don't have to read them. Maybe just shake your head at the screen or give a little 'tut' then move on?

Whenever a gun thread is started am I the only one to find them distasteful and if I’m honest a little strange ?

So you started one? Brilliant.

Ultimately guns mouse and mole traps are for killing....

Shocking.

I'm possibly more offended by catch and release fishing.

Ultimately people using a mouse and device are more vocal...

FIFM

Well firstly, if a thread is on a subject that upsets you, ignore it.

Secondly, most gun threads started by UK based forumites relate to target shooting. It's a sport. As harmless and pointless (no pun intended) as archery or javelin or tiddlywinks. No one is dressing in camo and playing at Rambo.

Some people - some in the UK - do shoot to hunt. Rabbit, hare, wildfowl and deer etc. Some people fish and eat what they catch. I'm assuming you feel as bad about that.

And some people, in some parts of the world, like to go the full Rambo. If it's safe and legal, good luck to them. If I had the chance to see what firing an AK-47 or whatever was like, in a safe controlled environment, I'd probably try it.

I'm not sure the problem here is with the 99% of the world's responsible gun owners, rather than with your perception of them.

How is it worse than people shooting simulations of each other online on Call of Modern Fortnite Warfare, with realistic gore and sound effects? Surely that’s infinitely more distasteful, yet it’s completely socially acceptable.

Why bother reading the thread if it offends you? Some people do actually like doing things that others don’t. I’ve got an air rifle, I’m lucky enough to be able to shoot in a large field behind my house with the land owners permission. I’ve no interest in shooting anything but a paper target. For me, I enjoy being able to control and compensate for all the variables that affect accuracy and put a tiny lead pellet on the target. That’s all.

A lot of sport goes back to military history- Javelin, Fencing and Archery are Olympic sports are you bothered by them?

probably best to stay away from all the AR-15 chat on the pinkbike forums

I more offended by the attitude of some drivers on here to their right to make 'progress'.
So no, guns are fine. I used one over a week last Spring to kill rats in the garden.
Better for them than the poison I would have used otherwise.

Why in this day and age would anyone want to own one ?

Just a guess, but they might want to shoot things. For example, they might live on a farm and want to shoot stray dogs that attack animals, or rabbits, rats, and other pests, or animals they want to eat, or they might be sport shooters who shoot at paper targets as a demonstration of skill, etc.

So long as the air rifles get better fuel economy than an SUV I'm okay with them

For me guns and other military hardware are brilliant. The tech, what they can do and how they work fascinates me. I’m not a fan of the end result, but as machines designed for a task, they are brilliant.

Perfectly fine with people shooting inanimate things, or things they intend to eat. If people want to pretend to be Rambo with airsoft or paintball, go for it.

Keeping an M16 in case you get burgled, I’m not fine with.

I'm 56, first air rifle at 14, first shotgun at 16. Shot for my unit and county at cadets with .22 and .303 before joing the army at 16 as a boy Soldier. As well as shooting as part of my job, I shot competitively until I left after 24 years service ( so not quite a Rambo or toy soldier).

I have done some live quarry shooting including deer stalking and beleive in the "kill it, cook it, eat it" philosophy. Knowing where your food comes from, understanding what meat really is as opposed to cellophane wrapped packs in Tesco. I get particularly irked by hypocrites telling me my free range, organic, sustainable, zero food miles meat is cruel when they will happily buy broiler chicken from Tescos.

I shoot a little less now, and mostly paper targets but still enjoy it. As an example of why. I own a few guns but my favourite is a Lee Enfield No.4 made in Birmingham in 1943. A Lee Enfield was the first full bore rifle I fired at the age of 14, when I discovered I was actually quite a good shot so represented my county at Bisley which was incredibly exciting for a young lad who would otherwise have been getting up to no good with his mates.

So this rifle is dripping with memories. It oozes history. It's a piece of classic British engineering and living history which may have been carried at D Day or Arnhem for all I know. It's a privilege to own it and keep it in good condition. It's incredibly challenging to shoot well, particularly as my 56 year old eyes aren't as sharp as my 14 year old ones. I enjoy tinkering with it, trying to get it to shoot better, making my own ammunition for it as another spin off techncal hobby which is challenging and rewarding.

There is a tabloid induced phobia about guns in this country and too many people are unable to differentiate between "gun crime" and legally owned guns, responsibly used by ordinary people.

Below the radar, thousands of people in this country enjoy their weekends at clay shooting clubs, cadet drill halls, county small bore ranges etc. without bothering anyone. Shooting is an an Olympic sport and one in which the UK excels at.

For the record OP, I think your post is both ignorant and insulting.

Shooting vermin and targets is fine by me, but I must admit I was really annoyed with the NED who decided to shoot my car with their air rifle!

They must have been aiming for the fog light, but they were a poor shot and ended up putting a 1 cm wide hole just to the right of it.

How is it worse than people shooting simulations of each other online on Call of Modern Fortnite Warfare, with realistic gore and sound effects? Surely that’s infinitely more distasteful, yet it’s completely socially acceptable.

Completely agree. As said above I got to see tens of corpses charred beyond recognition and the stench of burned bodies. I saw the outright fear in the eyes of young captured soldiers who thought there about to get shot. Why anyone would want to sanitise that and normalise it and then why anyone would want to 'pretend' to be part of it is unfathomable to me. Total ignorance of the reality I guess.

It's a totally different league of weird to plinking an air rifle at a target and a much more worthy subject of the OP's anger. Yet considered a perfectly reasonable bedroom hobby by the vast majority of the population. To me it is no less unsavoury than a Jim'll fixit trap the boy scout in a hospital ward game would be.

How is it worse than people shooting simulations of each other online on Call of Modern Fortnite Warfare, with realistic gore and sound effects? Surely that’s infinitely more distasteful, yet it’s completely socially acceptable.

Yeah, if you want glorification of killing aimed at young, impressionable minds, you need look no further than gaming.

I have done some live quarry shooting including deer stalking and beleive in the “kill it, cook it, eat it” philosophy. Knowing where your food comes from, understanding what meat really is as opposed to cellophane wrapped packs in Tesco. I get particularly irked by hypocrites telling me my free range, organic, sustainable, zero food miles meat is cruel when they will happily buy broiler chicken from Tescos.

This is also true.

As someone up there said, it all requires some mental elasticity

if you want glorification of killing aimed at young, impressionable minds, you need look no further than gaming.
...
it all requires some mental elasticity

Perhaps apply the same mental elasticity to gaming then? I have no interest in killing people for real and no desire to be involved in actual warfare, but I can still enjoy the skills required to win a game of Call of Duty or Fortnite.

but I can still enjoy the skills required to win a game of Call of Duty or Fortnite.

I enjoy a good bash on GTAV; I do feel a bit bad about it though, and I’m really not sure it’s going to be good for our society that kids are routinely playing it and other morally dubious games. 😳.

And as an occasional GTAV enjoyerer, I’d certainly feel hypocritical criticising someone who wants to plink targets in his or her back garden, and don’t find ‘what air rifle’ threads distasteful as a result.

What I am finding a little distasteful is all the gleeful doom verbal masturbation in the COVID19 thread, and in the press at large.

@blokeuptheroad

my favourite is a Lee Enfield No.4 made in Birmingham in 1943

I've been sorting a lifetimes collection of paperwork after my friend and neighbour died just after Christmas. Among the many interesting things was his receipt from finally handing in his Mk4 when his wife finally told him it had to go! That one was in Normandy and went on to the crossing of the Rhine where German shell fire ended his war. I also have the engraved silver spoon he won as best shot in 9th later to become 46th Royal Marine Commando.as well as his snipers instruction manual and his hand written notes from his commando training in 1941/2.

Why in this day and age would anyone want to own one ?

It's a skill, and I quite like it. If you are referring to the air rifle thread, then I think these things are ideal as they really aren't for killing people but you can still shoot at targets more or less the same. I am a pacifist, but I have no problem with targetting little bits of paper with a gun that is fairly difficult to actually kill someone with.

I have seen people shooting small animals with air rifles for the pot - rabbits, pigeons and squirrels. Both are pests, both are prey animals, so as a meat eater I also have no problem with this (although I'm not sure I'd do it myself). In fact, it's much more ethical than eating farmed animals and arguably the only ethical way to eat meat.

I enjoy a good bash on GTAV; I do feel a bit bad about it though

GTAV is a complex issue - it's only fun because it's so awful and you get to play a criminal. And this is the key as to why it's so bad to let kids play it. It's not the violence itself, it's the fact that you need a solid moral grounding and an understanding of the concept and the principles of the game. The entire thing is a piece of satire on modern life, the USA and even just California far beyond the violence - it portrays the whole place as irredeemably seedy and corrupt whilst offering skin-deep glamour. Right down to the radio adverts, in-game TV shows and all the sub games you can get into. Everyone is an absolute shit in their own way.

It’s a totally different league of weird to plinking an air rifle at a target and a much more worthy subject of the OP’s anger.

Agree, I don't play war style games and I don't watch realistic war films either.

There is a tabloid induced phobia about guns in this country and too many people are unable to differentiate between “gun crime” and legally owned guns, responsibly used by ordinary people.

Ok so who's an 'ordinary' person?

How many times have we seen some killer profiled in a tawdry TV show where all the neighbours say 'I'm so shocked he seemed like such an ordinary person'?

Perhaps apply the same mental elasticity to gaming then? I have no interest in killing people for real and no desire to be involved in actual warfare, but I can still enjoy the skills required to win a game of Call of Duty or Fortnite.

A fair point. However...

I’m really not sure it’s going to be good for our society that kids are routinely playing it and other morally dubious games.

Are children learning the normalisation of violence? Then again, I played soldiers and cowboys and Indians as a kid I suppose...

However, Convert has put it more eloquently than I did. It seems amazing that we make a game out of mindless slaughter (albeit virtual).

@avdave2 that sounds awesome. Sounds like he was a pretty good shot! The RM museum or imperial war museum might be very interested in some of those documents. I have pondered many times who may have carried the No4. I am currently entrusted with during the war.

I enjoy a good bash on GTAV; I do feel a bit bad about it though, and I’m really not sure it’s going to be good for our society that kids are routinely playing it and other morally dubious games. 😳.

Only game I ever truly loved was GTA San Andreas. I don't feel bad about that.

Nor do I feel bad about watching the telly where the subject is murder or other horrific violent crimes. (see the inside no9 thread and the netflix thread).

Before that, people read books; and before they could read, it was spoken to you. Fairly certain there was some murdering in Hamlet.

Enjoying something as a fantasy doesn't mean you want to live it out in real life; nor does it mean you identify with the protagonist, just because you like the way the character was written.

No problem with gun threads here - find them quite interesting actually. Provided guns are properly regulated, which they do seem to be in this country, then I have no problem with them.

So post about something you do like OP. Air rifle shooting is fun and you won't know until you try it. If you don't want to then don't but please, don't be a hater.

"I find threads about guns distasteful"

*Immediately starts a new thread about guns*