5 Mind-Blowing Facts Nobody Told You About Guns

zombiegirl

Read a very interesting article on gun control the other day. Imo, it actually managed to stay rather unbiased, and instead focused a lot on the mentality behind gun culture and just WHY people feel the need to own an assault rifle... something I have been struggling to wrap my mind around for a long time.

Also interesting are the points on gun advertisement and how ridiculous it is that games like Medal of Honor allow players to choose REAL existing guns, providing links on their website to the manufacturers so that players can then buy the same guns they use to shoot and kill people in the game.

Fact #3 just blew my mind in general. Had no idea...

But I think what I enjoyed the most about it was the parallel between gun collectors and Barbie dolls.

"So the rural gun owner in Wyoming buys the biggest, sexiest assault rifle he can find and tricks it out with all the accessories from the catalog, but he never actually uses it because nobody is going to break into his house because he lives in fucking Wyoming. If he wants to murder his wife, he'll get the revolver from the nightstand -- he's not going to go dig out and assemble his huge assault rifle. So why did he buy it? For the same reason his daughter will buy a dinette set for her Barbie Dream House even though she will never get to eat actual food at that table: for the fantasy."

Assault rifles are the Barbie Dream House. It all suddenly makes sense.

5 Mind-Blowing Facts Nobody Told You About Guns

What do you think? Which "fact" surprised you the most?

karasti

I didn't find much of it surprising I guess, but I live smack in the middle of gun culture. My teenager owns guns. Well, "owns" is a strong word, since he can only use them if I give them to him. I still have very mixed feelings on the whole thing. The picture that made the news last week of the 11 year old boy with his "assault" rifle just looked wrong to me. But my son has the same caliber weapon, it's just a different color and doesn't have a clip (but stores multiple rounds in the gun none the less). That mentality within myself is hard for me to understand, but a lot of it comes from the media, and I'm trying to stay more away from that and form my own opinions. The picture of that kid holding that gun, really isn't any different from the picture I have of my own son with his new rifle, even though his looks like a typical rifle and not as military gun.

There just aren't any answers. The most responsible parents can end up with a kid who kills people. The questions are too many and the answers to few, and the only thing I come back to every time I think about it, is I can only do what I can do. I can't forsee the future, and as much as I try really hard to raise good kids, I don't know where life will take them. I sure as hell hope it doesn't take them on a murder rampage. But I can't guarantee anyone it won't.

I think the answer lies in each person cultivating peace and compassion and loving kindness for *all* people within themselves. Not just the people they approve of, but the other people too, because clearly they are the ones who need it most. Be a helping hand and a kind smile to anyone that you can. You never know where it might make a difference. Most of us are far more likely to die in a car accident than a homicide. Yet that perspective is lost on every single one of us. We see a person with a gun and think "wow I hope he's not a crazy guy." Yet we don't think that way about every other driver we see as we drive to work or school every day. Perspective. It's what's for dinner.

person

I've thought for a while that America's fascination with guns goes back to our settler days when everyone needed one not only for food but because each family/person was its only protection.

I think this is why guns are a part of our culture. Now, like any form of cultural identity, there are magazines and forums and shows and all the people who want to make money off of that.

I don't know if you noticed but there was a link to a funny Buddhistish video

cracked.com/video_18541_why-the-neverending-story-actually-buddhist-propaganda.html

blu3ree

Shooting clay pigeons is fun!

zombiegirl

Yeah, I'm not really confused with WHY people are obsessed with guns... If you've ever shot one, they're hella fun. I had a bb gun when I was a kid and I have fond memories of being like... 12... and shooting milk jugs with my grandfather using his revolver.

These days I just prefer using my uncles rifles for target practice. I prefer shooting cans and whatnot off of bales of hay though because it makes you feel more accomplished when it goes flying, heh.

But having said all that... Although I would LIKE to shoot an assault rifle if given the chance (I get the fascination, I do), I still feel that the American public shouldn't be allowed to own them due to their highly destructive nature. They're on par with grenades and machine guns to me... It's just not necessary for home protection, or anything, really... other than to complete a collection or satisfy that Rambo fantasy.

As far as satisfying fantasy though... Around Halloween, me and a bunch of friends went on a zombie hay ride that outfitted you with paint ball guns and had a crapload of targets and suited up zombie actors (don't worry, they had good protection) that you could shoot at until you ran out of paint balls while they towed you along on a trailer. It was pretty much awesome.

karasti

I agree that they aren't necessary, and my first instinct is always to say they shouldn't be owned. But handguns aren't really necessary either and they kill far more people than assault weapons. You can protect your home with all sorts of things short of handguns and assault weapons. Dogs being one of the best things, lol. A lot of the people who have CCWs here, have them just because they can. They have no real reason for it, they just enjoy carrying a gun around. We haven't had a murder here since like 1974. Some people get them so they can conceal carry in the woods, and I do understand that. But that is not what most people who have them, use them for. They just seem to like feeling that they might get to relive the shootout at the OK corral, LOL.

Paintball and airsoft can be totally awesome. We play paintball as an extended family, 2 of my uncles live out in the woods and have large properties that they set up just for paintball. So much fun.

Dakini

So, boys never get over playing with guns? Or some boys, anyway. That's funny. Well....maybe not so funny, after all. Playing with guns has different implications than playing with dolls.

karasti

Yeah I was going to say I doubt many murders have been committed by a decked out Barbie or her dreamhouse. Maybe by Ken in the Corvette.

pegembara

"A lay follower should not engage in five types of business. Which five? Business in weapons, business in human beings, business in meat, business in intoxicants, and business in poison."

— AN 5.177

zombiegirl

Interesting point @pegembara

Cinorjer

pegembara said:

"A lay follower should not engage in five types of business. Which five? Business in weapons, business in human beings, business in meat, business in intoxicants, and business in poison."

— AN 5.177

I always have to chuckle at that particular verse in the sutra. Notice it doesn't say it's wrong to own a slave, just sell one. Also you can own all the weapons you want, only don't make a living selling them? Don't know what to make about the "poison" business being singled out. Were there really people making a living selling poisons back then? It makes me picture a shopping mall with a "Poisons Are US" sign. Imagine the advertising campaign. "Tired of your neighbor letting his dog poop on your lawn? Get rid of that pest permanently with Dog Be Gone bisquits. And if that doesn't work, there's Neighbor Be Gone cupcakes. Guaranteed to work first time, every time!"

OK, I'm getting too far out there. Anyway, I was raised in a hunting culture and finally gave my old shotgun to my nephew, who's obsessed with hunting and guns and such right now and took a safety course and has adults to take him hunting, like they did for me. The article has a lot of truth to it. Especially the collecting part. There's a website, can't find it now, where someone gathers all news items every week related to gun shooting. Almost all gun injuries each week are people accidentally shooting themselves or other people, and a scattering of suicide. If the gun lobby (NRA) hadn't gotten their pet congressmen to pass a law where you can't sue the gun manufacturer for injuries or death caused by the gun, Smith and Wesson would be forking over billions of dollars like the tobacco industry to consumers of guns leave alone the victims.

karasti

It would be interesting to be able to have the Buddha visit our world and update his list, for sure. Like 80% of what is in our supermarkets contains poisons on some level, lol. If you look at all the processes that produce the things they own, again, they poison the water and air. I know it's splitting hairs, I just enjoy following that trail. With everything I buy or own or jobs I can think of, it's hard to follow the trail and not find something wrong with it these days. It's also what makes me averse to our current society so I probably shouldn't think about it so much, lol.

federica

One mind-blowing fact about guns: they can blow your brains out too.

zombiegirl

Cinorjer said:

pegembara said:

"A lay follower should not engage in five types of business. Which five? Business in weapons, business in human beings, business in meat, business in intoxicants, and business in poison."

— AN 5.177

I always have to chuckle at that particular verse in the sutra. Notice it doesn't say it's wrong to own a slave, just sell one. Also you can own all the weapons you want, only don't make a living selling them?

Isn't it kind of obvious that business in the slave trade is to be avoided for the same reasons that owning slaves are to be avoided? That the issue is one in the same? Does this need to be spelled out? This is how I feel about the point on meat. The things that make business in the meat industry to be avoided are the same things that one is contributing to in a way when they buy said meat. I actually had forgotten that 'business in weapons' was another one on that list, but following the same logic, I suppose I can understand it.

The point about poison is funny by today's standards... but really, if you think about it... it probably was a pretty popular method of murder. It's not like they had forensic techniques like they do today. I know that it happened quite a bit in the Roman empire at least.

Tosh

I've just been to the cinema to watch Gi Joe. It wasn't my choice of film, trust me, but I went with what the mob wanted to watch.

It was a teenage boy's wet dream, what with all the fancy guns.

"Hooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!" And what's that all about?

The Stig has done well for himself mind, getting in a big movie like that, but you're going to have to be British to understand that one.

person

A small point regarding poisons, they are also used to kill pests.

pegembara

Drugs(tobacco, poisons, guns) don't kill people. People kill themselves by misusing them.

riverflow

zombiegirl said:

The point about poison is funny by today's standards... but really, if you think about it... it probably was a pretty popular method of murder. It's not like they had forensic techniques like they do today. I know that it happened quite a bit in the Roman empire at least.

...as in I, Claudius. I don't think anyone ever died a natural death in that show!

zombiegirl

riverflow said:

zombiegirl said:

The point about poison is funny by today's standards... but really, if you think about it... it probably was a pretty popular method of murder. It's not like they had forensic techniques like they do today. I know that it happened quite a bit in the Roman empire at least.

...as in I, Claudius. I don't think anyone ever died a natural death in that show!

That's EXACTLY what I was thinking of.

Err... That was at least inspired by history, right? Lol

riverflow

@zombiegirl - with some embellishments of course for dramatic effect, but for the most part, yes. Livia's role is certainly exaggerated. There were always slaves often available to taste food beforehand just to make sure the food wasn't poisoned. Deadly politics!