How many guns is “too many”?

[franzfmdavis]

I’m sure most of you have had the pleasure of having a discussion on this topic with people who don’t use guns for hunting or sport. I certainly have. I’ve had it so often that I can anticipate most every angle that is presented.

However, I’ve never had a serious discussion on the topic with like-minded people.

I’m sure there are a range of reasonable answers and they may vary depending on where you’re from.

I know that in the United States gun owners generally subscribe to the notion of no limits, and this has also been my view to date.

But this may not be the view more broadly.

I am curious to hear well reasoned arguments for any limitations that you may believe should be in place.

I may or may not ultimately agree, but I would appreciate hearing well reasoned positions contrary to mine.

This certainly is an emotional topic in the United States, but my hope is that we can have a civil discussion here.

Therefore, to start it on a light note, I am posting the comedian Jim Jeffries view on gun ownership in the US:

 

[dogcat1]

Not sure. My count has been as high as 80. Right now, I am at 35 or so. I think whatever you can afford is the right number....

 

[CBeck]

The beautiful thing about living in a free country is honestly I’ve never given it any thought.… I’ve never had to.

If there’s something I want and it’s within my budget, I go get it without giving much thought to what I already have.

So I guess my answer is, there is no answer!

 

[Rare Breed]

I’m sure most of you have had the pleasure of having a discussion on this topic with people who don’t use guns for hunting or sport. I certainly have. I’ve had it so often that I can anticipate most every angle that is presented.

However, I’ve never had a serious discussion on the topic with like-minded people.

I’m sure there are a range of reasonable answers and they may vary depending on where you’re from.

I know that in the United States gun owners generally subscribe to the notion of no limits, and this has also been my view to date.

But this may not be the view more broadly.

I am curious to hear well reasoned arguments for any limitations that you may believe should be in place.

I may or may not ultimately agree, but I would appreciate hearing well reasoned positions contrary to mine.

This certainly is an emotional topic in the United States, but my hope is that we can have a civil discussion here.

Therefore, to start it on a light note, I am posting the comedian Jim Jeffries view on gun ownership in the US:

To me it is not the number given I do not really collect guns for the pleasure of collecting…each of my guns 12 long guns has a reason for hunting just me. This enables me to hunt more Africa since I now collect less

 

[ftrovato]

Depends on how much room you have to store them....Then you and only you need decide if you need a bigger house or man cave!

 

[jpr9954]

I am in more of the minimum of the number of firearms you should own camp. For example, I think a basic battery of firearms would include a .22LR rifle, a double or repeating shotgun, a centerfire rifle in a caliber large enough for game in your area, something semi-auto in 5.56, 7.62x39, or 5.45x39, and a quality handgun for carry. You could "get by" with just the shotgun and handgun but why should you be limited.

I am with @dogcat1 in that the right number is what you can afford.

The biggest change I'd love to see is to have suppressors/silencers removed from the NFA and available for sale over the counter with no registration like they are in many other countries. Just like the muffler for my car and my lawnmower don't make it silent, neither does a suppressor muffle a gun shot to silence.

 

[DrBob]

If you have to count.... you really don't care.

 

[Andrew62]

Through the years I somehow ended up with so many different calibers of guns, I am now working at having way fewer guns but more ammo per gun for the guns I am keeping.

 

[Field28]

I have a list of guns that I've wanted since I was a little boy, every now and then I knock one off the list, problem is the damned list keeps growing!

 

[mdwest]

My "collection" has waxed and waned significantly over the years.. there's been a time when I had more than a hundred firearms in my possession.. and there's been times when I only had maybe a half dozen..

Currently Im sitting on about 40 +/- total... but, there are 3 "shooters" in the house.. so there are several repeats (for example, my wife, my youngest, and I all shoot a 308 bolt action as our primary hunting rifle.. and I've got a spare 308 in there are well).. if I were single, the herd would honestly likely be culled down to maybe a dozen or so..

As Ive gotten older Ive just gotten more practical about firearms... when I was younger I wanted anything that I didn't already have, in any caliber I didn't already have, etc.. just because I wanted them (and for fun)..

These days I want things to serve a practical purpose.. I don't "need" a half dozen "target" .22 pistols.. 1 will suffice.. in years past I might have had a half dozen if for no other reason I wanted them, and I found good deals on them..

Ive still got a little bit of overlap in the arsenal.. Im sure I don't "need" 4x 556 AR's for example (as well as a 300 BLK AR, and 2x 308 AR10's).. but one is rigged for home defense (for me), one is rigged for home defense (for the wife), one is more of a plinker/range AR (for me), and another is a plinker for my wife... Sooner or later I'll probably get rid of the "plinkers".. there's no reason I cant "plink" with my home defense gun if I just want to go throw freedom seeds all over the range.. I just haven't gotten around to it yet..

All of that said, I am definitely of the opinion that there should be NO LIMITS... whether I just want to collect, or think I need to be able to outfit a rifle platoon in the event of a zombie apocalypse.. or just cant think of anything better to spend my money on, that should be my perogative..

Im of similar mindset on most things.. Im generally not a fan of government telling me what I can and cannot have or what I can or cannot do.. as long as Im not committing crimes or infringing on other peoples rights while exercising my own, I typically just want to be left alone to be the person I want to be..

While the US is far from perfect (and some states are far less perfect than others), I am very thankful that we are still the most free country on the planet and for the most part I can in fact do what I want, how I want, etc..

 

[JimP]

When I first started buying guns I bought them for a specific purpose. Funny thing is, I still do.

It is surprising at how many things that you need a different gun for.

But it reminds me of a old Albert and Costello movie that I watched as a young kid. They were hunting in Africa and they had a gun bearer carrying a golf bag full of rifles, each rifle like a golf club served a different purpose and or was used on a different animal.

 

[Just a dude in BC]

In my view I guess it depends on why you own guns.

-If you are a hunter, I could see about a dozen, so you have a range of sizes plus a few shotguns.
-If you are a sport shooter, you need a couple for each discipline you are in. So maybe 6-8.
-If you are a collector, there is no limit, as that is the point!

But in reality, we all know the answer is: "One more than I already have"

 

[mdwest]

The biggest change I'd love to see is to have suppressors/silencers removed from the NFA and available for sale over the counter with no registration like they are in many other countries. Just like the muffler for my car and my lawnmower don't make it silent, neither does a suppressor muffle a gun shot to silence.

Id really appreciate it if they would go on and make that happen in the next week or two since Im currently shopping for a can for my ruger 10/22

Pisses me off that a decent 22 can is only about $300... but then you have to pay for a stamp that is 2/3 the cost of the actual device..

 

[jpr9954]

Id really appreciate it if they would go on and make that happen in the next week or two since Im currently shopping for a can for my ruger 10/22

Pisses me off that a decent 22 can is only about $300... but then you have to pay for a stamp that is 2/3 the cost of the actual device..

Honestly, I am more interested in seeing the Hearing Protection and SHUSH Acts pass than national reciprocity. I can already carry legally in virtually every state I plan to visit with my NC Concealed Handgun Permit.

 

[ACE (in CT)]

HOW LONG IS A PIECE OF STRING?

The date today makes me think maybe this is one of them there April Fools Day joke threads! The answer is: There is no answer!

Some of you will remember Phil Graham, Democrat then Republican Senator from TX. My favorite Phil Graham quote is: “I have more guns than I need, and less guns than I want.” That’s my answer too!

 

[LimbNoMo]

There is no number of firearms that is “too many”.

In response to your comic, the only argument for our constitutionally protected right to bear arms is to defend ourselves against a tyrannical government.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Too many guns ? Can such a thing even exist ?

 

[Doug3006]

My opinion is, it’s no one’s business but my own. The public is not one whit less safe if I own one, 100 or 1,000 guns. All a bad guy needs is one gun to create mayhem. Quantity is irrelevant.

 

[MS 9x56]

I think that any limitations should be self imposed and not legislatively inflicted. For myself I do not own multiple guns of the same caliber.

 

[Flbt]

I’m sure most of you have had the pleasure of having a discussion on this topic with people who don’t use guns for hunting or sport. I certainly have. I’ve had it so often that I can anticipate most every angle that is presented.

However, I’ve never had a serious discussion on the topic with like-minded people.

I’m sure there are a range of reasonable answers and they may vary depending on where you’re from.

I know that in the United States gun owners generally subscribe to the notion of no limits, and this has also been my view to date.

But this may not be the view more broadly.

I am curious to hear well reasoned arguments for any limitations that you may believe should be in place.

I may or may not ultimately agree, but I would appreciate hearing well reasoned positions contrary to mine.

This certainly is an emotional topic in the United States, but my hope is that we can have a civil discussion here.

Therefore, to start it on a light note, I am posting the comedian Jim Jeffries view on gun ownership in the US:

There is all ways room for 1 more
And you need duplicate of the spical ones