I am a gunnie
Well, we seem to have kicked over the hornet’s nest with our counter protest!
Weer’d highlights the fallacy.
And Madmedic in the comments makes it a meme.
I’m a solutions architect for a major software company.
I am a gunnie.
I have a Bachelors degree in Computer Science and Philosophy. They are more closely related than you might think.
I am a gunnie.
My MBA is in Finance.
I am a gunnie.
I’m a dad and a husband. The two most important roles in my life. I want to make sure that my daughter grows up with her daddy, and my wife grows old with her husband.
I am a gunnie.
I love my daughter more than life itself. I can’t imagine what it would be like if she was threatened, and I couldn’t protect her. I can’t let that happen.
I am a gunnie.
While I’m larger than I used to be, I don’t think it can fairly be called a beer belly.
I am a gunnie.
I do, however, enjoy a good stout.
I am a gunnie.
I learned a long time ago that criminals break the law, whether it is the law against carrying a gun or the law about killing your neighbor. And begging for mercy from the merciless is a bad strategy.
I am a gunnie.
The deepest shame that I can imagine is my family hurt or killed, and knowing that I could do nothing to stop it. It’s my responsibility as a father and as a husband to provide food, shelter, and safety to my family. I do that with my tool of choice, the defensive firearm.
I am a gunnie.
You have nothing to fear from me. I mean you no harm. I don’t break the law. In fact, I’ve spent hundreds of dollars to make sure I don’t. I’ve been fingerprinted, background-checked, trained. I’ve proven that I can use my tool safely. And that wasn’t enough. I know the awesome responsibility I’ve taken upon myself. I’ve spent thousands of dollars more on training, making sure that I can use my tool, effectively, safely.
I am a gunnie. I’m your friend, your neighbor, your teacher, your pastor, your doctor, your mechanic, your customer. Look to your left and to your right. I’m one of you.
BHO…gun salesman of the year
Just got off the phone with my Momma Newbie. She asked me to help her buy a handgun. “I just feel like I need to assert my rights,” she said.
Good for you, Mom! Welcome to the ranks of the gunnies.
Three years ago today
Three years ago today, my family and I left New York for North Carolina. We haven’t looked back, but I still miss New York bread.
Today, though, my wife and I had a seminal moment in our career as southerners. We went to WalMart, and bought wine, ammo, and a gun safe. My wife turned to me and said “You know that we are officially southern, now, right? And, yes, you can blog this.”
I love my wife.
Holiday wishes
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from all of us at Newbie Shooter! I hope Santa brings everyone what they want.
My little girl is getting her first rifle…a Chipmunk .22 with a pretty purple laminated stock.
Newbie Shooter is hoping for a gun case. We will see whether Mrs. Shooter got the hint.
I upgraded to WordPress 2.7
…and it broke my theme. 
I really need to get Robb to make me a good one.
Evolution of a Gunnie
Happy Birthday to me! Another year ticks by for the Newbie Shooter. I got myself a present….www.classicarms.us has Yugo SKS rifles. Get them while you can.
UPDATED: I think they sold out before I even finished the post.
I’ve been a gunnie for about 10 years now. Over that time, I’ve noticed a distinct change in my buying habits. I stated out with functional guns….a shotgun for home defense, then a Glock. I built myself an AR-15 (post-ban) because a) They were “banned” and b) I am a geek at heart and love tinkering with things. It was years before I appreciated the sheer versatility of the AR platform…what other gun can be transformed from a short barreled CQB type gun to a long range varmint rifle in 30 seconds?
After 9/11, I decided I needed a heavier rifle, and picked up a Springfield Armory M1-A…the GI looking one, not that SOCOM crap. And I decided I needed a 1911, just to round things out. A Kimber Royal joined the family. It’s a beautiful gun, with a nice blue finish and cocobolo grips. Sort of a mishmash of classic and modern. Sadly, 1911′s are like potato chips. One is never enough.
Shortly thereafter, my family and I moved to a free state, and I started looking at real carry guns. I got my first Kahr, which is one of my main carry guns to this day. It was my carry gun in Connecticut, and it’s the gun I qualified for my NC carry permit with. I have small hands, and it fits them like a glove. I bought that gun at Blue Trail Range, which is currently under fire by a greedy land developer.
When we moved to Carolina, I was able to finally get one of those banned “assault wepons” and I added a AR carbine to the mix. I still haven’t gone back and had the barrell of my first AR threaded. I’m not sure if it is laziness or nostalgia. In a way, that gun is part of the story of my evolution as a gunnie, and I’m not sure I want to change it.
Lately, my taste has been away from modern guns, and onto the classics. I’ve been picking up military surplus guns…Mauser 98Ks, Mosin Nagants, and most recently an Enfield No. 4. I’ve been doing that for two reasons. First, they are cheap, and these are uncertain times. But, more importantly, I’m building up sort of a “Guns of World War II” collection. My wife is a history teacher, and I thought about what a great learning tool those guns would be. My Grandfather was in the war, and after he died I got his medals and ribbons and some war souvineers that he brought back. My wife’s students were always fascinated to see those things, and to be able to touch a part of the past. I know that there is no way under God’s green earth that she would ever be able to bring firearms to show her students. But I can show my daughter, and tell her about her Grandfather, and we will share that part of history together. I don’t have a Garand yet…but I’ve always wanted one. That will be a special one.
I’m concerned about my collecting habit. I know where this ends. It starts buying guns of a particular type. Then you are looking for particular models. Then before you know it, you are wandering up and down the aisles at gun shows like a crazed spider money looking that special piece to complete your collection. Then you start driving to shows that are “only five hours away” looking for something special.
I’ve also noticed that I have stopped thinking about “my guns”, and started thinking about “our guns”. I’ve thought about the legacy that I’ll leave to my daughter. I don’t just mean the guns themselves. I mean an apprecation for the science and technology inherent in manufacturing firearms. I mean appreciation for the craftsmanship of a fine rifle. And, most importantly, I mean knowing that she lives in a country where she has the right to protect herself and her family…and that she needs to fight to protect that right.
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Do your part!
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