What is it about guns?
Firearms as tools for hunting and defense speaks to their heuristic value, certainly, but wholly misses the aesthetic and psychological, which, judging by the number of guns sold vs game tags issued and reported incidents of armed homeowners actually foiling intruders each year, would indicate that use of firearms for stated purpose is a far second to their imagined use, i.e., what they uniquely represent and engender on a very personal level. An H&R Topper and Winchester 21 likely will get done the purpose for which they are designed, as will either a Ford or Ferrari. But what is it about the sound of a 275GTB long-nose or the fit and finish of an old Winchester double that incites imagination and lust far beyond utility and mere assemblage of parts? To me, holding a Colt Model 1911 is a connection to Sergeant York and Belleau Wood and Manila John Basilone, a conversation over cigars with John Moses Browning, a renewed love for my country and a host of other reveries and emotions that certainly cannot be the result of my punching holes in paper with it on a Sunday afternoon. In a sense, guns stand to my daydreams as Walter Mitty's "pocketa-pocket-pocketa" stood to his.
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I was just marveling at a Savage 99A I recently acquired. It occurred to me--and this is true for every other gun I own--that the whole is far more than the sum of its parts; that if I never shot any one of them again, they would for me still have value and hold fascination above their intended purpose; that, like a classic car or fine painting, there is value derived in just looking or touching that cannot be easily explained. I'm not quite sure what causes this; whether it is the idea of how they function or how they are made or what they can do and have done as a tool, or whether it is much more metaphysical than that, a recognition of something that guns and only guns incite in us and can appease. Any thoughts on this? 0 -
I, for one, am impressed with the gist of this verbage. 0 -
Similar to owning Jenna Jameson's personal body massager or Dolly Parton's brassier? 0 -
Okay, first of all, you must realize that probably 97.3% of the members of this forum are going to have to Google the word "heuristic" in order to have any chance at all of replying to your post with the hope of making any sense whatsoever.
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Nice to see you posting again , Rob.0 -
I was doing pretty good until i got to the word heuristic and got lost. I kept think this is going to be about how Hughbetcha had an open invitation for dinner , after you make the phone call and then fist fights for desert.
I wish I would have stayed in school longer.0 -
quote:Originally posted by DancesWithSheep
Firearms as tools for hunting and defense speaks to their heuristic value, certainly, but wholly misses the aesthetic and psychological, which, judging by the number of guns sold vs game tags issued and reported incidents of armed homeowners actually foiling intruders each year, would indicate that use of firearms for stated purpose is a far second to their imagined use, i.e., what they uniquely represent and engender on a very personal level. An H&R Topper and Winchester 21 likely will get done the purpose for which they are designed, as will either a Ford or Ferrari. But what is it about the sound of a 275GTB long-nose or the fit and finish of an old Winchester double that incites imagination and lust far beyond utility and mere assemblage of parts? To me, holding a Colt Model 1911 is a connection to Sergeant York and Belleau Wood and Manila John Basilone, a conversation over cigars with John Moses Browning, a renewed love for my country and a host of other reveries and emotions that certainly cannot be the result of my punching holes in paper with it on a Sunday afternoon. In a sense, guns stand to my daydreams as Walter Mitty's "pocketa-pocket-pocketa" stood to his.
Oh HECK! Just buy the dang Jennings, have a beer, and shut up.0 -
James Thurber. Hmmmm. 0 -
I understood you better when I didn't. Don 0 -
Just because Dolly had a "headache" last night, you don't have to take it out on us! Are you making up for lost forum time by trying to get the rest of us to THINK? 0 -
I just listen to the voices in my head that tells me to buy guns...[;)] 0 -
quote:Originally posted by DancesWithSheep
Firearms as tools for hunting and defense speaks to their heuristic value, certainly, but wholly misses the aesthetic and psychological, which, judging by the number of guns sold vs game tags issued and reported incidents of armed homeowners actually foiling intruders each year, would indicate that use of firearms for stated purpose is a far second to their imagined use, i.e., what they uniquely represent and engender on a very personal level. An H&R Topper and Winchester 21 likely will get done the purpose for which they are designed, as will either a Ford or Ferrari. But what is it about the sound of a 275GTB long-nose or the fit and finish of an old Winchester double that incites imagination and lust far beyond utility and mere assemblage of parts? To me, holding a Colt Model 1911 is a connection to Sergeant York and Belleau Wood and Manila John Basilone, a conversation over cigars with John Moses Browning, a renewed love for my country and a host of other reveries and emotions that certainly cannot be the result of my punching holes in paper with it on a Sunday afternoon. In a sense, guns stand to my daydreams as Walter Mitty's "pocketa-pocket-pocketa" stood to his.
I'd hate to see what you would be imagining if you were caressing an assault weapon or a Red Rider BB Gun.0 -
Good morning DWS, nice to see you. 0 -
... the collecting of fine firearms could be compared to worthy collections of stamps, coins or jewelry. Some are diamonds in the rough, but to the eye gazing upon them they are more useable then most other collections that just rest in a display case. Except my display case is a vault.
Moose0 -
I am thinking more clearer this morning then I was last night.
I have ofeten wondered the same thing.
I have often wondered why people buy certain types of firearms also.
I love the handmade Spanish douple guns. I don't know why. They are pefection with a human touch. I can handle and look at the handmade perfection for hours, in awe, then there is a CNC/hammer forged made plastic Ruger that I take hunting that I am in Awe at how well it will drop a deer at a 400 yard range.
I have a friend who only buys WWII/WWI firearms and will research and study the history and put stories to the firearm.
I once went to the Buffalo Bill Firearms museum in Cody Wyoming and spent 8 hours looking at firearms and only left because they were closing.
I still want to go back and finish looking.
Somepeople buy a firearm and never show it to anyone and never even actually shoot it but they posess the warm feeling of owning That particular firearm as an addition to their Soul.0 -
It is a psychological thing, or even a man thing. Men have a connection to and a love affair with tools and machines of which a firearm is the ultimate of either. Add to that the historical connection between a gun like the 1911 or M1 Garand, or the fine fit and finish of that old Winchester, and you have feed the enter soul of any male who is a man.[;)] 0 -
My response here does not speak to self defense which is another aspect altogether.
The overwhelming majority of gun owners and enthusiasts do NOT wish to harm another human being, destroy property or intimidate society as a whole. Same for hunters who as a whole treat their "kill" with a measure of reverence and act responsibily towards nature.
The exceptions are just that - exceptions - and those few ne'er-do-wells should always be dealt with separately and accordingly.
As for guns themselves, there is a definite intrigue and romance to holding, loading, aiming and firing these mechanical devices, even if only at a paper target or tin can.
Shooting is perhaps one of the few venues where an individual who is NOT athletic or youthful or physically strong or fully ambulatory or even physically fit can still be an active and avid participant.
A shooter can work at his or her own pace and enjoy tremendous personal inner satisfaction from being able to hit a target X number of feet or yards away, challenge himself or herself to do it from farther away or with more consistency, experiment with different ammunition, firearms, calibers, accessories, antiques, etc.
The maintenance and care that goes along with owning and shooting firearms is a small hobby for most. Many folks who cannot set their VCR are extraordinarily adept and proficient at disassembling, cleaning and reassembling their various firearms.
Discussions abound about all aspects of firearms and history gives us a wealth of firearms to look at and possibly even shoot.
So, for most, there is an inner satisfaction to be realized and enjoyed from firearms that goes well beyond self defense.
IMO.[:)]0 -
[8D]--Man DWS--If I thought of all the HEURISTIC reasons for my firearms--
--I'd probably sell them all and buy a CONDO on the coast--
--Very good post !!!!
--[:D][:D]--JIMBO0 -
my gun is my best friend as it will do anything I ask it to and I will never ask it to do anything improper 0 -
Firearms set men apart yet make them all equal. They unlock the hunter, protector, and hero that every man is called to be. They put on the same footing the meek and oppressed with the bully and the ruling class. Firearms allow men to be men in a society that holds up as the model, against the very nature of man, the nearly feminin "nice guy". Firearms allow us, if only for a moment, to connect with the real men of history while at the same time inspire us to me the real men of today. 0 -
it probably has a connection to the basic human desire to be part of something bigger. a connection. a relation. a history.
personally, when i shoot a 1911, i think of what it must have been like to be on the military board that watched mr browning function fire it for 24hrs straight, only for it to end with one stovepipe. they must have been amazed. i still am.
when im in conn, i go and stand in the lighting section of a home depot that was built on the exact site of the high standard pistol factory, knowing that where i stand, was the machinery that built the only american gun that won a gold medal at the olympics in 1960. just being in the air that the workers labored building them at one time, is like walking the grounds of a famous civil war battleground. when what happened then finally hits you, you have this unspoken respect forever after. same with shooting a long gone relatives favorite gun. soon, you learn to see why he liked it and enjoy it that much more.
guns. every time i hold one or shoot one it is an experience or memory i enjoy.
do you own a high standard? guess what? this is where it was made. 1817 dixwell ave, hamden, conn. look on your bbl and see the address! oh, and see that yellow 76 chevy c-10? thats mine![:D]
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Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...............this may be the gentleman to put our feelings and thoughts into words and direct them to our leaders!
Can you spare the time, sir, to explain to Carolyn McCarthy why guns are in fact important to society as a whole and that her personal fear of guns should not be a ligitimate reason for her to deprive us of our second amendment rights.
I find that a lot of folks who have an interest in firearms also enjoy other mechanical things. Autos, tools, motorcycles, airplanes, steamengines and a long list of wonderfull machinery capture my interest. A a child I liked to remove the locks from doors to see how they worked and took apart all the clocks in the house to check out their various inner workings. I suspect a lot of people who enjoy guns do so for similar reasons.0 -
What the ????????? 0 -
Gee, Mr Sheep, you use your tongue pertier than a $20 w2h3o5r8e! 0 -
quote:Originally posted by bobski
it probably has a connection to the basic human desire to be part of something bigger. a connection. a relation. a history.
personally, when i shoot a 1911, i think of what it must have been like to be on the military board that watched mr browning function fire it for 24hrs straight, only for it to end with one stovepipe. they must have been amazed. i still am.
when im in conn, i go and stand in the lighting section of a home depot that was built on the exact site of the high standard pistol factory, knowing that where i stand, was the machinery that built the only american gun that won a gold medal at the olympics in 1960. just being in the air that the workers labored building them at one time, is like walking the grounds of a famous civil war battleground. when what happened then finally hits you, you have this unspoken respect forever after. same with shooting a long gone relatives favorite gun. soon, you learn to see why he liked it and enjoy it that much more.
guns. every time i hold one or shoot one it is an experience or memory i enjoy.
do you own a high standard? guess what? this is where it was made. 1817 dixwell ave, hamden, conn. look on your bbl and see the address! oh, and see that yellow 76 chevy c-10? thats mine![:D]
76 chey c-10, now your talking about something worthy of such an pycho-spiritual connection.0 -
Succinct and poetic, but I probably wouldn't have used the word 'heuristic'.
Clouder..0 -
fusion seems to be everyones word these days.
everything is a fusion....[xx(]0 -
Paragraphs can be your friend.... 0 -
Well, that's one paradigm.
D.0 -
WOW miss a couple of weeks here and look what the cat did[8D]Welcome back DWS.Can we get an affinity check on SAA clones[;)]?
Just to see if it's really you[8D]0 -
How i grock your mouth music 0
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