We all like guns right? Why?

[Garv]

Child:
Cowboys and Indians

Teenager:
James Bond and Napoleon Solo

Young Adult:
Blam! Pow!

Damn near Senior Citizen:
Fun, Hobby, Protection
Shooting with friends and meals plus beer after.
(and more money to support the habit.)

[23 Blast]

Oh, come on, everyone knows that gun owners are men who are insecure about their masculinity, have anti-social tendencies, and are acting out some infantile Call of Duty fantasy. Right?

[The Soup Nazi]

As a teenager, I just wanted certain models of guns because they were in video games or being fielded by the military. As an adult, I understand that mastery over arms is a survival skill that can determine whether or not your respiratory will continue to function on a given day.

[stix213]

They are fun to customize, fun to use, and even fun to maintain. Pretty similar to why someone would like a sports car.

So that is why I "like" guns. If you're wondering why I own them, I'd have to throw in self defense. But that isn't why I like them.

[CandG]

1) Because it's awesome to be able to put a hole in something or make it blow up from far away

2) Because the sheer amount of ingenuity, craftsmanship, and history behind guns is unrivaled by pretty much anything else

3) Because I don't want my family or I to die prematurely or lose our freedom, and if having (and learning to use) an object can potentially help with that, then it's worth far more than its weight in gold.

4) It keeps me busy!

[TripleThreat]

I had good school teachers in the early 60's in New England. They instilled pride of country in their students.

We took class trips to Boston, Lexington, Concord. We saw Lexington Green, Faneuil Hall, Old North Church, Plymouth Rock, Bunker Hill and learned about the history of the revolution.

We were taught the differences between a communist Russia and a free America.

The firearm was at the forefront in all of this.

I had rifles at a very young age and spent a lot of Saturdays with my friend Raymond hunting rabbits, squirrel, and pheasant down by the river.

In junior high school I made a rifle rack for my bedroom wall in wood shop.

Yup, they actually let young teenagers use sharp instruments in school to make gun related items.

For me, freedom seeking men and guns made this country and I will always defend that right.

I love pulling apart guns designed by the likes of John Browning, Eugene Stoner and Mikhail Kalashnikov among others and see how different men went about
different ways to expel a projectile. The 1919a4 just blows my mind.

The ergonomics Stoner incorporated in the AR in such a small package amazes me. My first prototype would have been as big as a fridge.

The rest is just the fascination and excitement all men get when things go boom.

I love this response. Triple

[CandG]

As a teenager, I just wanted certain models of guns because they were in video games or being fielded by the military. As an adult, I understand that mastery over arms is a survival skill that can determine whether or not your respiratory will continue to function on a given day.

Indeed... and some military guns are hated by the units who have to use them. But others are just plain awesome no matter who you are! Note, awesome doesn't always mean practical... That's why I have some that are just meant for fun, and some that are meant for a specific purpose.

[jcj]

I enjoy going to the range and trying to make myself a better shooter. Much like I enjoy playing golf. It's an individual test of skill. I don't have to be the best golfer and shoot in the 70's to enjoy it just like I don't have to be able to shoot a smiley face in a paper plate from 60 feet to feel like I am improving and challenging myself. Every once in a while you crush a 3 wood and it feels just perfect and once in a while you shoot exactly what you were aiming at and it feels great.

I was going to respond with something very similar; I guess I just enjoy a never ending challenge.

[Intel0116]

Because i cant throw a base ball at 1200 feet per second

[coma13]

They make me feel better about my micropenis.

[Jimmybacon43]

I just like 'em because their heavy and go bang bang and make cool sounds when you pull the slide back

[23 Blast]

They make me feel better about my micropenis.

The preferred nomenclature is "intermediate caliber."

I got "into" guns mainly as an extension of my interest in history, and specifically military history. My initial collecting goal when I bought my very first gun (a Big 5 VZ-24 Mauser that was totally beat to heck) was to own one rifle from each of the major powers in WW2. So, I wanted to have a Garand, an Enfield, a Mosin, a Mauser, and an Arisaka. Eventually, I found that shooting them, and then taking them apart to see how they worked was just as fun and more so as owning, collecting, and generally enjoying them.

So, I do like the mechanical ingenuity inherent in a modern firearm, but more I also like what Colonel Cooper called the "God-like power" that comes from being able to wield death at distances far beyond my arm's ability to throw rocks or pointy sticks. I like that a gun gives me more control of a potentially hostile situation than if I had to rely on verbal posturing and wits.

Finally - yes, it's extremely enjoyable to send kinetic energy out to some far distance and see something blow up/scatter about / react violently when you hit it.

[Dattebayo]

It is a hobby that not only is fun, but serves a purpose of self protection. It is a useful skill if ever you are required to defend yourself if your life is in danger. Not only that, it is one of many hobbies, where the firearms you purchase in pursuit of your hobby, actually appreciates in value over time.

[iluvmycolt]

All of the above and because it's a stress reliever.

[Legasat]

Firearms are tools. Tools for Freedom, Liberty & Protection. Most men like tools.