Okay, so we all talk about "closet" gun owners, and here's my latest anecdote.

 

I just this very minute got back from the Post Office, sending out (finally) the njShoot intro letters to the 100 or so names I was able to accumulate. I hand the envelopes to one of the 2 guys behind the counter, and he looks at the labels and asks what's the deal with njShoot.

 

I explain the concept to him, and a big smile comes across his face. We get to talking a bit, and it turns out he's a CR member, shoots there regularly. Not any big deal, lots of people do. His buddy behind the counter steps over, says that he shoots at Shongum, and these guys, who work together every day, didn't know that the other one was into the sport.

 

This is the reason we have to spread the word in NJ. Too many people think they're alone, or so persecuted as a group that they feel they have to hide their participation and enjoyment of the shooting sports.

 

So, I told them to visit the site, and yes Maks, I gave them the link to NJGF as well, and went on my way, with both of them wishing njShoot success, and talking to each other about what and how and when and how long they've been shooting.

 

I feel good.

 

K

excellent job bringing shooters together, Ken!!! with both these resources NJGF & NJSHOOT it makes it so much easier to spread the word and organize. NJ may even have a chance at been free ....... someday.

Two post office workers who like guns

 

Joking. On a serious note.....there are some people who so strongly oppose guns (I know, Im sure this is a surprise to you guys...right???) that I feel its a GOOD idea to keep that information while at work. I work at Lowes, with like 160 employees in the store.....well maybe 120 after all the people they fired anyway......my store is absolutely ruthless when it comes to gossiping. So I tell one person that Im into guns, and they tell 3 people, who each go tell 3 other people. Next thing you know, everyone at my store knows. Lets say one of the 20 or so people above me dont like guns, Im going to start receiving biased treatment. Moral of the story, be careful of who you tell at work. You never know how they feel about the situation....and if theyre from the Brady Bunch, you may be trying to find yourself another job. They dont have to say they fired you because you like guns, there is always a way around it if you dont like someone.

Two post office workers who like guns

 

Joking. On a serious note.....there are some people who so strongly oppose guns (I know, Im sure this is a surprise to you guys...right???) that I feel its a GOOD idea to keep that information while at work. I work at Lowes, with like 160 employees in the store.....well maybe 120 after all the people they fired anyway......my store is absolutely ruthless when it comes to gossiping. So I tell one person that Im into guns, and they tell 3 people, who each go tell 3 other people. Next thing you know, everyone at my store knows. Lets say one of the 20 or so people above me dont like guns, Im going to start receiving biased treatment. Moral of the story, be careful of who you tell at work. You never know how they feel about the situation....and if theyre from the Brady Bunch, you may be trying to find yourself another job. They dont have to say they fired you because you like guns, there is always a way around it if you dont like someone.

 

This is the thinking that helped lead us to the crappy situation we are in.

 

People at work know I like, have, and shoot guns almost every week. There have been plenty of comments about it (tongue in cheek), but I think that people are more indifferent to it than we like to think. I've found that quite a few of my coworkers and people in the same overall group either have guns, had guns, or want to get guns. I doubt they would be into it like we are, but they certainly aren't anti-gun.

 

Last week I was at lowes on my lunch break buying supplies for my steel target holder and I ran into one of the directors from a sister group, and he asked me what I was building, so I told him the truth. :-P.. so it turns out that his father left him some hunting rifles, and it's been since he was a kid that he shot them. But.. he lives in Staten Island, so he ended up giving them to his brother to avoid the cops checking up on him to make sure he still had them and the yearly paperwork. Turns out that he's not a fan of liberals either.. and this is a guy who has a heavy accent and you'd never know which side of the fence he was on.

 

There are alot of people here who are "with" us, but they just stay quiet for fear of the unknown. Hell, the tea party that was in Johnson Park, I watched no less than 5 people leave at the same time from work and drive right there all in seperate cars, and not together as a group or anything.

... There are alot of people here who are "with" us, but they just stay quiet for fear of the unknown.

And this is why it's important to take advantage of any opportunity to bring people together.

 

Once they start to realize that they're not alone, and that not everyone around them is a Brady, they'll come out of the shadows, be more vocal and empowered to stand up for themselves, and the entire shooting community will benefit.

 

I've said it before, there are 2 battles to wage. The first is the overt battle to win back our rights in the courts and through legislative reform, and the other is the battle to win back the hearts and minds of not only the active shooting minority, but that majority of the population that sits on the fence, perhaps completely unaware that NJ even has a substantial shooting sports community

 

K

I absolutely agree with the above two statements. people at work know I have guns and that I like shooting. many are big time gun owners, of which I knew before I became one. just about everyone else I've talked to are pretty indifferent. that's why I think it's important to get the word out about the forum and njshoot, which I do at every opportunity - this way gun owners don't feel "alone and helpless" when it comes to 2A in NJ.

Have to spread the word.

 

If you are a responsible, moral upstanding citizen, there is no no reason why you should not be proud to be a gunowner.

 

When I started at my former office in Princeton, I started talking firearms with a coworker next office over... this is when NJGF was just launched.... then before you know it, we figure out that at least 50% of the office of 30 were gun owners... varying from avid shooters to "own a shotgun in the closet" type of folks.

 

Keeping it taboo, is what put us in this position, very much what KenW mentioned. By not communicating with the residents about responsible gun owner, and keeping gun owners a "club" is what will slowly kill anything. So if you are a good person, nothing to hide.

 

Alot of my clients I thought were more liberal... turns out, as more and more of my shooting videos and photos spread on facebook and so forth, they havent left, and in fact, a few are happy to know about it.

 

Now... if you are an anti-Semite, or a white supremacist or something, and it shows... well, perhaps that answers why people are worried that you are a gun owner, and in that case perhaps it is time to reconsider many many things, such as place of residence.

I work in a VERY small office so everyone knows everything about everyone. So everyone in my office knows that I own guns. One guy owns shotguns and rifles and hunts every year. His father is actually taking me under his wing this winter and is going to teach me to hunt so hopefully I will be successful in that endeavor. My boss owns guns but isn't really like us or a hunter he kind of just owns them.

 

But I can definitely see at a bigger office how some people wouldn't talk about it. But I have a big mouth and I always talk about what I do on weekends so since owning and shooting guns is a big part of my life people will always know.

 

I mean every person I go to school with that I talk with even occasionally knows I own guns.

Funny you should mention this! I'm at my Monday client's office and next to one of the computers was an American Rifleman magazine. I asked the person if they're a shooter - he said yes, and a bunch of the employees at the place are and want to go as well. Turns out he's a member of the SCFGPA just like GlennP.

It is really amazing that all it takes is openly talking to people about our sport, and most times you can see the barriers come down. I work in education, and most of the people that I have told about my hobby think it is really cool, or even have disclosed that they are gun owners. Another thing that was cool, I drove around with my C.R. target frame in the bed of my pick-up, and you would not believe how many people started up conversations with me.

 

I don't think it is a case of the majority hating us, it is just that they know nothing more than what they read about guns in the newspaper, or see on the 10:00 news. As was said before, we all need to start discussing our hobby, instead of keeping it private. Knowledge is power, and we are the educators.

great story ken!

 

I could care less what people think of me or my having guns, I don't do it for them. I do it for me and my family.

I think part of the problem is the stereotype of who gun owners are. People have this image in their heads of these so called "gun-nuts" and I never fit the image they have in thier heads. People overhear my buddy and I talking at work about shooting and then say something along the lines of.. "You have guns?" or "What do you need a gun for?" I usually start my response with "For when the zombies come" (Thanks for that NJgunforums) for a little comedy relief and then start off a little conversation about the whole thing. I usually end up asking them if they would like to come try it out. 3 of my work buddies are in the process of getting their pistol permits and FID cards as we speak thanks to me taking them shooting.

 

It is kinda funny though because some of the people who get into the conversations whom you would think would be anti-gun are not, and the people who you think would be cool with it are anti-gun. I swear the anti gun people's views are very off reality. They really think that most gun owners have guns just laying all over the house loaded. I can tell though that after a conversation about it all some of them definatly relax about the whole antigun thing. I thinks it's because the image that they have in their heads of gun owners it totally busted.

I thinks it's because the image that they have in their heads of gun owners it totally busted.

 

it's a bit scary when I think that was the image I had in my mind - the "gun toting NRA member". it's a skewed image, party fed by the media. now I'm a "gun toting NRA member" - go figure!

I think part of the problem is the stereotype of who gun owners are. People have this image in their heads of these so called "gun-nuts" and I never fit the image they have in thier heads. ... They really think that most gun owners have guns just laying all over the house loaded.

That's an indication of how successfully the media have painted gun owners for the past few decades. Every time you read "arsenal of military style assault weapons" or "cache of high-powered ammunition" the visual of gun owners as nothing more than crazies becomes stronger and stronger.

 

Couple that with the Bradys and Millers twisting facts to strengthen their side of the argument, and you see what the community is up against. This is true everywhere, but much more so in the Northeast and other liberal enclaves, where the population has no history associated with firearms (the Revolution has long since faded from memory) and the excuses of population density and gang violence and terrorists and demented spouses and disgruntled employees all make sense simply because there's no voice from the other side.

 

In the absence of a reasonable debate, people will listen to anything, and without counterpoint, they assume that what they're hearing is correct.

The one question that always bugs me is. "Why do YOU need a gun" They always seem to stress the "you" part. I already know my answer since I have repeated it many times but it always bugs me because it shows just how ignorant people are.

They really think that most gun owners have guns just laying all over the house loaded.

 

wait that's not true?

 

As said above also we are the educators when it comes to guns. That being said you do not have to be one though. Do not feel obligated to talk about your guns only because you have to. Would it be better if you could openly talk about them, yes it would, but if the conversations aren't your cup of tea then you have every right to keep it to yourself. I personally tell everyone I get the chance to in hopes of making new shooting buddies or even possibly new shooters.

My response:

 

"You have guns?"

YES

 

"What do you need a gun for?"

TO PROTECT MYSELF. I CHOOSE NOT TO BE A VICTIM.

HOW WOULD YOU PROTECT YOURSELF FROM SOMEONE WITH A GUN WHO WANTS TO DO YOU HARM?

 

They usually clam up and don't know what to say. Damn Sheeple.

when they ask "why do you have guns?"

 

my answer: I enjoy the shooting sport and I want to protect my family. why do you have golf clubs/baseball bats/footballs/jet skis?

 

I've had a few "why do YOU need a gun?" questions. I hate that question...

My response:

 

"You have guns?"

YES

 

"What do you need a gun for?"

TO PROTECT MYSELF. I CHOOSE NOT TO BE A VICTIM.

HOW WOULD YOU PROTECT YOURSELF FROM SOMEONE WITH A GUN WHO WANTS TO DO YOU HARM?

 

They usually clam up and don't know what to say. Damn Sheeple.

 

They fail if they ask you that question after seeing your truck :-D

Im sorry, but at my job I still wont risk it. Im sure some of you guys have been in a terrible job, where management simply does as they please with absolutely no concern for the wants or needs of others, or even for corporate policy. Thats what my store is like. I could post enough stories that would take you guys close to an hour to read about how they just absolutely discriminate employees based on what they want, and not on what the actual company policy is. Employees fired because they actually decided to not take it. Its very hard to describe going into vast detail, but I can guarantee you guys that I am a strong firearms supporter, but I simply would not openly discuss it. That being said, I do agree that information and support for firearms should be spread. I am a proud gun owner, and would not hesitate to support the right in public. But I simply cannot risk losing my job over it.

not to thread jack, but if the job is sooo bad, why not find another place? or start looking for one.

The goal is to get back to a point where saying "I'm a recreational shooter" isn't looked at any differently than saying "I like to bowl" or "I'm a golf nut".

 

Everyone's personal situation is different, and not being comfortable talking about shooting at work doesn't make you any less of a supporter of the community, or of our rights.

 

Everyone does what they can. No apologies necessary.

 

K

The goal is to get back to a point where saying "I'm a recreational shooter" isn't looked at any differently than saying "I like to bowl" or "I'm a golf nut".

 

could not agree more!

 

I treat guns just like the normal every day items they are. I work in retail and I actually leave gun stuff on my desk (midway catalouge, magazines (the periodicals not the gun part), and so on. In most cases I am with a client for up to a half an hour so there is a lot of time to chit chat. Sometimes peoples reactions to my hobby are so insanely ridiculous that it is comical, and I use that conversation to explain how normal responsible gun ownership is. The best is when they express a lot of interest and I show them videos of my girlfriend shooting (she is a little under 5ft, and is shooting "scary evil black guns") lol. The point of all this is simple, and that is to take something that may make some people nervous and show them that "normal every day people" enjoy the sport and there is nothing wrong with it. I have even taken several friends that do not own guns out to the range through safety classes to get them exposed to gun safety. Along those lines maybe we should try to get more ranges to offer "bring a friend" type days. Getting others exposed to the sport is paramount if we ever hope to remove the hugely negative vibe that some non shooters have and maybe even restore some reasonable gun rights in this state.

not to thread jack, but if the job is sooo bad, why not find another place? or start looking for one.

Already have started looking, and am determined to find one.

 

The goal is to get back to a point where saying "I'm a recreational shooter" isn't looked at any differently than saying "I like to bowl" or "I'm a golf nut".

 

Everyone's personal situation is different, and not being comfortable talking about shooting at work doesn't make you any less of a supporter of the community, or of our rights.

 

Everyone does what they can. No apologies necessary.

 

K

Very good post sir. I 100% agree with EVERYTHING you said. Recreational shooting should NOT be treated any different than any other recreational hobby. ANY hobby out there, when handled irresponsibly, can easily be more dangerous than recreational shooters that handle the hobby responsibly.

I like the line, "You have a baby in the house AND guns?!?"

I like the line, "You have a baby in the house AND guns?!?"

 

 

when people have said "do you have any children" I say "no but we babysit nieces and nephews all the time" and the eyes pop out of their heads "WHAT DO YOU DO WITH ALL THESE GUNS WHEN THE KIDS COME OVER". umm I put them away. they act as if the gun is going to jump to life, unlock itself from the safe and start shooting people. lol

Funny. Nobody ever asks me what I do with my fish hooks and kitchen knives when I have company with children. Perception is everything.

I wrote my post today and a female friend came by today and did the whole "Why do you need that" BS.

 

I was cleaning the Mosin and she asked if it was new. I said yeah, new to me. Then the question...

Funny. Nobody ever asks me what I do with my fish hooks and kitchen knives when I have company with children. Perception is everything.

 

 

that is exactly what I thought. lol

I like the line, "You have a baby in the house AND guns?!?"

I have guns because I have children

it's not like they're just lying around, loaded and waiting for trouble...