Purpose of a Gun?

[ja308]

Recently this topic came up . I said a gun is designed to launch a projectile , others disagreed, some vehemently .
Any idea's on what is a guns purpose ?

[M76]

the inalienable right to self-defense

[SDDAVE56]

Well,,

For Hunting it would be Hunting
For Self Defense it would be Self Defense
For Competition it would be Competing
Etc Etc

[Tarmy]

Clearly, shooting expensive over priced ammo at inanimate objects like paper.

Jeez OP…get out there and exercise that trigger finger!

Or, because you feel like it/want to…which is the whole point of our freedoms, the Constitution and what we, as Americans, are all about.

[NavCop]

Depends entirely on who is holding it.

[BillyMays]

I think your answer "to launch a projectile" is spot on. You could even add to that "to launch a small projectile at high velocity in a specific direction", since this further differentiates a gun from a cannon, firework, slingshot, etc.

The question then becomes why would you want to launch this projectile? That is a matter of the operator's motive or intent. The anti-gun crowd seems to continuously paint gun owners as having malicious intent, and then conflate this malicious intent with the item itself.

[SharedShots]

The purpose of a gun is to provides the means to exercise the rights defined in the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America.








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[tabascoz28]

The gun tool was first invented to do one thing and that is to kill more efficiently. First in war or self protection then in hunting. What we have now is the inevitability of an arms race. Smaller, faster, more deadly.

[Kokopelli]

The purpose of a gun

Guns are works of art.



Guns are a celebration of mechanical engineering.



Guns make great book marks.



Guns bring freedoom.

[norcalAF]

It's purpose is to get a stabby thing way over there really quickly.

[Angrysnarf]

Why argue with them? You wont get anywhere.

[bruss01]

Recently this topic came up . I said a gun is designed to launch a projectile , others disagreed, some vehemently .
Any idea's on what is a guns purpose ?

You are correct, sir... a gun is designed to launch a projectile.

The correct follow up question is "What is a shooter's purpose in launching a projectile, or having the capacity to launch a projectile using a gun?"

For which, there are nearly as many answers as there are gun owners, which can include:
competition (many shooting sports)
self-defense (at home or not)
community protection (law enforcement, neighborhood watch post-disaster, rooftop Koreans, armed services)
obtaining food (hunting)
controlling wildlife populations
eradicating vermin (pest control)
intimidation (ex. - road rage, robbery)
murder

You may reply with a famous quote by a former US President - Theodore Roosevelt:
"A vote is like a rifle... it's usefulness depends upon the character of the user"

There are shooters with both innocent and with unsavory motives for launching projectiles or simply wielding a firearm. No need to sugar coat it. Bad people do bad things with guns. Good people do good things with guns. The coin has two sides, any honest person will admit this or risk not being taken seriously.

[operavoice]

Guns are the great equalizer.

[ar15barrels]

Recently this topic came up . I said a gun is designed to launch a projectile , others disagreed, some vehemently .
Any idea's on what is a guns purpose ?

I think your answer "to launch a projectile" is spot on. You could even add to that "to launch a small projectile at high velocity in a specific direction", since this further differentiates a gun from a cannon, firework, slingshot, etc.

Spot on indeed.
The gun is just a tool to launch a projectile.

The question then becomes why would you want to launch this projectile?
That is a matter of the operator's motive or intent.

Exactly, just like this:

Well,,

For Hunting it would be Hunting
For Self Defense it would be Self Defense
For Competition it would be Competing
Etc Etc

Those are specific purposes for the need to launch a projectile.
Pretty much everything that people are saying are "reasons to own a gun" are reasons to launch a projectile because a gun is simple a projectile launcher.
I own guns to launch projectiles.
My reasons are different with the different projectiles I launch.

[TrappedinCalifornia]

As others are indicating, the purpose of a gun is highly dependent upon the individual being asked.

Here's an interesting little piece from 2019... The Purpose of a Gun Is Not to Kill...

...In his 1942 EconomicaThe Counter-Revolution of Science), Hayek noted:

As the author observes...

It's kinda like they had Gary Cooper responding in Sergeant York...



Just like most hunters don't go out with the intent to kill the animal. They go out with the intention of putting meat on the table, an action ultimately intended to preserve life.