Gun Culture......Who are we ??

[Ropadope]

The dinosaur, known as the Mainstream media would have the layman think that the gun culture, those of us here, are merely rednecks, country folk, unintelligent and of course clinging to our guns and our religion. Other rhetorical statements would fall into down right offensive such as "probable killers" "wife beaters" "beer drinkers" and the like. I beg to differ, of course.

Case in point. This afternoon I decided to drive out to the local gun shop. Possibly a new gun, possibly not depending on if they had what I wanted and the price was not marked up over the MSRP. Most importantly was what I witnessed and observed while in the gun shop.

When I pulled into the parking lot I noticed something. Not one pickup truck. Easy enough, but every car there was a high priced, newer model car. That might not say much in of its self but one was a Porsche Carrera 4 there was also two Cadilac Escalades, my Audi and another Audi S8. All in all the parking lot was filled up with high priced automobiles and all where in spic and span condition. No hanging fenders in this parking lot, if ya know what I mean.

When I opened the door and walked into the shop I was pleased to see that everyone there, and I mean everyone looked as if they where heading to the golf course or had just came from the golf course. Nice chino slacks, Polo labeled shirts and nice shoes. No t-shirts with "Blow me" or other ignorant stuff on them. Not one shirt with a rifle or handgun with some skull saying "Kill em all and let god sort em out" No camo BS just nicely dressed gentlemen with apparently some pretty nice cars in the parking lot.

Ok, looks can be decieving right ? As I was looking at the Kimber 1911's I overheard the manager refer to the one of the nicely dressed men as "Dr XXXXX" Ok, we've got a physician buying a handgun and a holster. As I was waiting for the manager I began discussing the merits of the Kimber over the Springfield and vice versa so I finally asked the man "What do you do for a living if I may ask?" His answer ? "I'm an patent attorney with XXXXXX & XXXXXX"

An older gentlemen and his wife walked in as I was still pondering the purchase of another handgun and both of them looked like they had just flown up from Florida from the "The Villages" Very nicely dressed and tan and looked to be in great health. He too was looking at compact 1911's.

Well, not to belaber the point, but being at the gunshop today was alot like being at a country club, in fact it could have been, it's just another type of activity other than swinging a club.

Too all the anti gunners. Do not make the mistake that we, the Gun Culture are just rednecks with wife beater shirts and a can a Bud in our hands all day long with a broken down tractor in our front yard. We are educated, we earn good wages, we have served our country and we are not the scum that you want us to be.

We might just be your neighbor, your next congressman or woman, your doctor at the ER when you sprain your ankle or the attorney you hire for your next DUI charge. We might be the judge that you will stand in front of for that DUI charge or we might just be your employer.

Dont mess with us.

[NDS]

I don't know where you live, but I have never been to a gunshop where there wasn't a pickup in the parking lot ... EVER!

My kids were born in a small-town hospital and they were the only newborns in the nursery the day they were born (2.5 years apart). I raised them in a town of 600 people with horses in the back yard. We set up a shooting range in the back yard too.



I am a college graduate and both my children are currently in college ( my daughter using the GI Bill) and It's my pickup in the parking lot.

You can't tell a thing about people by looking. Ask a big city gun dealer how often the nastiest gang-banger looking people pass the background check.

[JJFlash]

Yeah, I'm testimony to the fact that looks can be deceiving: I have pickup, earring, tats, bike...but I am a carpenter by trade who holds a science doctorate and am a CPA. However, I agree with the main point: the gun culture has expanded to include the yupsters who now deign to rub shoulders with us rednecks! (just kidding, brother, it's a good thing, of course...)

[Marissa]

I'm not exactly a regular poster on here and I kind of hate to ruffle feathers but what the heck do you have against people wearing jeans and tshirts with pro-firearm slogans who drive pick-up trucks?

We do not need to confort to some arbitrary standard of "acceptable dress" in order that we be taken seriously. Also, I have seen plenty of doctors who cannot dress themselves well. What does it matter? And- is a doctor or a lawyer some kind of special person who we should strive to be like?

I'm glad that you have a nice time at the store but try not to buy into all of the crap that the media and other liberal, holier-than-thou sources throw at you.

[fuhr52]

Who are we? We are the people that make this country work. We are the ones that make a difference in this country and don't care who gets the credit. We are also a large enough voting block to make a difference in Washington. We are the class of people that the main stream media is so afraid of. I myself prefer going through life unnoticed by the main stream.

[Hyperjoe]

Im a fricking social worker and love my guns!

[Boomboy007]

Im a fricking social worker and love my guns!

Social worker? Brother, you NEED to be armed!

Also, for Ropadope: While I understand the point that you, in your special, rambling way, are trying to make, I would be careful of the direction in which you cast your aspersions. While you made much of your clothes, vehicle, and vocation, I could not help but notice your less than stellar grammar and penchant for misspelled words.

dinasaur ---> dinosaur
unintellegent ---> unintelligent
its self ---> itself
was also two ---> were also two
had just came from ---> had just come from
decieving ---> deceiving
so I finally ask the man ---> so I finally asked the man
as I still pondering ---> as I was still pondering (still sounds clumsy; try "as I continued to ponder")
they had just flew up ---> they had just flown up
belaber ---> belabor
was alot like being a country club ---> was a lot like being at a country club
Too all the anti gunners. Do not make ---> To all the anti-gunners: Do not make
No hanging fenders in this parking lot, if ya know what I mean. ---> Stop talking about my car.

I don't mean to pick on you too hard, but the same "country club" set that you seem to equate yourself with would probably, upon reading such a poorly written missive, dismiss you as one of the unwashed masses of which you seem so contemptuous. Besides, don't you know by now that judging a person's worth by the dollar or the academic degree is antithetical to our liberty loving, individualistic American way of life?

[Ropadope]

Boomboy,

Yes I noticed my spelling and grammar just now that I revisited the post. It is fixed. Hope your happy. Was sleep deprived this morning from a long night in the ER at University Hospital. Also, my eyesight has taken a nose dive lately and the font here is very small for me too. I miss most of the mistakes in spelling and grammar without my reading glasses.

Don't worry, it's not about not liking pickup trucks or jeans or t-shirts. I have visited this particular gunshop when jeans and t-shirts where the norm, but yesterday was a much different story, as far as the appearance of the clientele in the shop.

It was refreshing to say the least. We do not do ourselves any favors by looking like rednecks everytime we go out the door to the gunshop. "Yupsters" have been in the gun culture just as long as anybody else.

Remember, Michael Moore used every redneck and moronic looking gun totter in his film "Bowling for Columbine" He did this for a reason. Mr. Moore didn't visit the Rod and Gun clubs across America where the trap shooters are in fact Doctors, Attorneys, Brokers, and a whole host of other professionals to include business owners. The same people that do belong to a high priced country club. The point being that it's easy to paint us with a broad brush and I for one am not going to give them that pleasure by having a poor appearance when carrying or purchasing firearms.

I'm certain if I go back to tomorrow there will a pickup truck or two, but it will be a nice truck, clean and well maintained.

No, I'm that shallow to think that money or someones appearance, good or bad is what makes the man. I've been around way too long and am old enough to ignore most of the pinnings of material success. Again, the post was meant to support the likes of the gun culture and dismiss any claims from the elitist on the left that we are all just uneducated hicks that don't know any better.

I served 21 years in the U.S. Army. I am now a full time student of medicine. That may explain my poor grammar skills. (insert lauphing emoticon) And yes, last night I shadowed a physican in the ER at the University Hospital that couldn't dress himself without his wife laying out his clothes. Not attempting to stir anyones pot by claiming to be on a higher plane of the ladder than anyone else here. It's was just the observation of the people that where purchasing firearms yesterday.

Remember, we need those people to defend our gun rights. Their pockets are probably pretty big also, as with many of us.


If I offended anyone, then you must think about what my original post was trying to say.

I'm with you, not agains't you.

[Austin]

Well, Im kinda redneck and a little bit country. And I cling to god.