the number of gun and knife accessories

[Hilly]

Maybe this is a female thing, i notice there have been no replies from women.

Okay, I'll bite here.

I own guns simply because I CAN.

I am a woman living in the U.S. that defends our right to keep and bare arms. I personally own 2 shotguns, a hunting rifle, and 2 pistols of my own - a .357 magnum for self protection, and a .44 magnum for "plinking" and hunting. I do hunt upland game birds, wild turkey and white tailed deer, and I do enjoy "plinking" with the pistols. I am very familiar with all of my firearms, and could operate them with my eyes closed.

I sleep with a loaded pistol within easy reach in case someone tries to break in to my home.

I also feel that guns do not kill people - people kill people. It is not guns that you need to fear, it is the person behind the trigger.

Have a nice day,

Hilly

[Skipknives]

Oh Hilly,,,I feel flush,,my heart is beating so fast right now

in cities where everyone wears a gun the crime rate is the lowest.

[Brandon]

True, guns don't kill people!

I was shot at in Tasmania near some apple orchards. They missed!

The farmers were friendly but not some punks who live, eat and shit in their vans!

No guns in Australia? Oh well I'm talking about Tasmania.

[howardb]

I know i am going to get slammed for this post and it is not my intention to offend anyone, but i am totally blown away by the number of gun and knife accessories on leatherworker. I can appreciate the beautiful workmanship, but coming from a country where it is illegal to own a gun or carry a knife, i find it hard to comprehend the interest in these weapons. Last year we had only about 100 gunshot homicides in the whole country from a population of 20,000,000 people. I know this is a sensitive issue with a lot of people, but i am glad we have a no gun law in Australia.

OK... i am ready....fire away!!

...Fire away. Now that's funny! :biggrin:

One thing that didn't get touched on in the myriad of replies is the history of leathercraft in the US. I am a rank beginner and don't know lots about the craft yet, but there was an interesting presentation at the IFOLG show this past October. They were introducing the "fathers" of the craft. Literally, it has grown up out of the old west. The "wild wild west" as it were. Guns and knives were literally survival tools. As time went on, the manner of carrying said tools became more embellished, and the craft's roots, at least here, are steeped in this wild west tradition. Thus you have a craft born of making saddles, holsters, and sheaths. It's natural to continue to make these kinds of things, even if you don't own the things that go in them.

I guess my point is, nobody wants "cowboy" style holsters for their cell phone or I-pod, and most fashionistas wouldn't be caught dead with a traditionally carved purse. Hence, the prevalent use for stylized carving tends to fall back on guns and knives.

Best regards,

Brent Howard

[Romey]

I see "cowboy" style cellphone all the time. Cowboy and rustic regelia is very much in demand. Cowboy mounted action shooting for instance and SAAS shooting is only outdone in growth of members as far as a sport under Mixed martial arts for new sports. Also id guess there be more leather craftsmen in the world of highand low skill then anyother time as far as embellishing leather

Edited November 18, 2007 by Romey

[JohnD]

I grew up in MA, my parents never owned guns and didn't hunt. I joined the service and moved to NC, where I started huning. I bought 1 shotgun for hunting, which my (vegetarian at the time) wife would not even let me keep at home.

After moving back to MA, the crime was so bad where we lived (in the 3 years we lived there our front door had been kicked in 4 times and had 2 vehicles stolen and had actually had an armed confrontation on 1 occasion) that MY WIFE thought it would be a good idea to get a handgun. She even asked me to teach her to use it. I got a permit to carry concealed, which actually contributed to my quitting drinking, cause I carried all the time. When our kids started going to school we came to the coclusion that we needed to move. We headed to NH, were now, I leave my keys in my ignition and hardly lock our front door. I still own my guns, which now include several shotguns and a few rifles. I keep everything trigger locked and in my gun safe, with the exception of the handgun, which resides, although trigger locked, hidden within easy reach of my bed.

Although, I didn't grow up around guns and wasn't even really interested in them, I eventually found myself needing one for personal protection. Now that the need for one is essentially gone (I haven't had time to hunt in the past few years) I still keep them, cause.... well... nobody gets rid of guns, you just get more.

John

[Warren]

As a lifetime gun owner I can't imagine (and don't want to) a place where I can't. Not only so I can hunt and protect my family and myself from predators, but also so I can if the need arises defy my government or defend my country. The 2nd amendment does not guarantee the right to have arms so we can hunt and target shoot and defend ourselves from crime. It's there to allow us the citizens of the United States the power to defy our government when they do something we deem to be wrong. It allows us to set our government back on the path we deem correct and non-tyrannical. It also allows us the means to defend that same said country in times of need. The militia spoken about in the second amendment isn't the National Guard, it's the people. The people of this country have the power and the responsibility of defending our country and ourselves in times of need. It is not and never has been the government s responsibility to to defend her citizens or provide for their wants needs or desires. Too many people think the government is there to take care of them, when in truth it is the other way around. We as citizens have a responsibility to rake care of our government, by being involved in our government (i.e. voting lobbying etc.) and even being in armed rebellion against it if necessary. In the USA it is every good citizens responsibility to not only be willing but able to fulfill this obligation and the only way to do that is to be armed. This is my stance. Anyone in this country has the right to disagree with me because the people of this country have fought and died for that right and they did it with guns. A person who is armed is a citizen, a person who is not armed is a subject and a person who is disarmed is a slave. I'm not sure who said this but I whole heartedly agree with it.

[HorsehairBraider]

Another woman gun owner here....

I have not seen this brought up after reading the entire topic, so I'll mention this.

How on earth can a person live on a ranch and raise livestock and not have a gun? Surely, the Australian ranchers have guns? Please, tell me that they do! You are raising animals and they are your responsibility - that means if one gets injured you don't let it suffer. I've checked with many veterinarians and they have assured me that shooting an animal in the head (in the right place) is the most humane way to end the life of a suffering animal. As a responsible livestock owner/breeder, I CAN NOT imagine not having a gun for those instances when life must be ended swiftly to stop an animal's suffering.

There is also the issue of dealing with predators. And in this day and age, unfortunately, that means "dogs". I have had thousands of dollar's worth of livestock slaughtered by dogs. It's been about 11 months ago now we had a TERRIBLE dog attack. I went out across the field to try and help out the stock. There was 3' of snow, I had to wear snowshoes to get there, but I got there as quick as I could. And when I got there, guess what? The dogs turned ON ME. And if I had not had my rifle with me... well, I would not be writing this little tale down right now.

As far as knives go, how on earth can you butcher your winter meat without one?

It's not that I "love" guns and knives or anything (been accused of that before, not that anyone here has done so) but they are essential tools in certain circumstances. And just like I appreciate a good leather punch, without being wildly in love with it, I appreciate a good knife or gun. I spend time target shooting, making sure my gun is sighted in, keep it cleaned and maintained, and that way when I need to use it I will be able to hit what I shoot at with a well-functioning gun.

[cem]

Another woman gun owner here....

I have not seen this brought up after reading the entire topic, so I'll mention this.

How on earth can a person live on a ranch and raise livestock and not have a gun? Surely, the Australian ranchers have guns? Please, tell me that they do! You are raising animals and they are your responsibility - that means if one gets injured you don't let it suffer. I've checked with many veterinarians and they have assured me that shooting an animal in the head (in the right place) is the most humane way to end the life of a suffering animal. As a responsible livestock owner/breeder, I CAN NOT imagine not having a gun for those instances when life must be ended swiftly to stop an animal's suffering.

There is also the issue of dealing with predators. And in this day and age, unfortunately, that means "dogs". I have had thousands of dollar's worth of livestock slaughtered by dogs. It's been about 11 months ago now we had a TERRIBLE dog attack. I went out across the field to try and help out the stock. There was 3' of snow, I had to wear snowshoes to get there, but I got there as quick as I could. And when I got there, guess what? The dogs turned ON ME. And if I had not had my rifle with me... well, I would not be writing this little tale down right now.

As far as knives go, how on earth can you butcher your winter meat without one?

It's not that I "love" guns and knives or anything (been accused of that before, not that anyone here has done so) but they are essential tools in certain circumstances. And just like I appreciate a good leather punch, without being wildly in love with it, I appreciate a good knife or gun. I spend time target shooting, making sure my gun is sighted in, keep it cleaned and maintained, and that way when I need to use it I will be able to hit what I shoot at with a well-functioning gun.

Yes Australian farmers (called farmers here not ranchers)have guns and know how to use them most people in rural centres will also have access to a gun. It's just that it's not a common thing for people in the cities to have a gun some have them for sports shooting and you need a licence for that (my sister has one and is a pretty good sports shooter).

The thing is here you have to keep your firearms in a gunsafe when not in use and you certaintly can't keep a loaded gun by your bed you would definately lose your licence for that. Although we have home invasions here they aren't common for the everyday citizen to want a gun, also we have laws that you can only use the same amount of force the attacker is, such as if they have a baseball bat you can use one. There have been cases here where the defender has been charged with using extreme force over an attacker ie defender had a shotgun attacker had a knife.

I don't have anything against guns and are quite aware that people in other countries may need them if Australias population was to become the size of America then perhaps the local stance would change.

In regards to the government that some others have bought up you have to remember that Australia is still governed in part by England and the Governor General (the queens representitive) will kick out the government if they do something wrong. This has happened once in the 1970's I was born in the 70's but I'm not exactly sure what it was over.

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

Found this OLD post looking for something else, but here is my take on this.

To answer the original question as to why I have an interest in firearms requires a multilevel answer.

I grew up with firearms, and started shooting around 5 with a .22 cal. Marlin 39A lever action that was my Dad's.

My Dad was a 24 year military guy who was in during WWII, did the Berlin Airlift, and retired in 1967. He saw what can happen when governments go bad, and citizens do not have a capable way to defend themselves.

I love to target shoot, I have done some hunting, and if I felt the need I have them available for self defense. As to defense I generally do not feel the need, even when I am walking down in some of the hoods of Las Vegas for different events late at night. I asses the situation at hand, if I do not feel comfortable, I move on to another area. I have friends who are cops, and business owners who carry all the time due to their work, I don't feel the need.

Crime is relative to where you live. Is there violent crime in the big cities-Yes. Is there violent crimes out in the boonies-very little to none. The USA is a big country with lots of open areas still, so I would bet that the majority of the gun deaths due to violent criminal acts occur in the large metro areas like New York, Los Angeles, etc that have populations in the several millions. The population of California (around 36 million) alone is bigger than all of Australia. The population of Nevada where I live is only around 2.5 million.

Being a machinist, and interested in all things mechanical I find firearms to be a fascinating study of mechanisms. They all do the same thing, fire a projectile, but how many ways can you do it? Answer: a lot. I have purchased firearms, and have disassembled them as soon as I got home to see how they were made. I worked as a gunsmith back in California, so I had the opportunity to disassemble a bunch of guns. I also liked to see the craftsmanship that went into the older firearms, not like todays machine made wonders. To see what the Germans accomplished with the C96 Broomhandle Mauser pistol is amazing to me. Compound curves, all lockwork fitted like a puzzle, and mfg. started in 1896. No CNC machines, no carbide cutters, no modern machine capabilities, but they had CRAFTSMEN. My interests in firearms from that standpoint ends in the 1960's when more, and more firearms were made more inexpensively, and machines started taking over. Todays firearms for the most part are just ASSEMBLED off a production line. I am still old school with my rifles, and prefer the feel of a good black walnut stock, something they have not been able to make synthetically on the new rifles.

We have the second amendment to our constitution. Our country got started by fighting for our independence. We want to stay free, and in order to do that we the people need to have a way to keep the gov't in check. Yes we have violent crimes committed with firearms, but they are just the symptom of a larger problem; drugs for one. Like mentioned before, the Oakland PD has tons of baseball bats in evidence lockers. If someone is intent on killing someone they will find a way. We as a nation need to rethink how we do some things, and maybe the shooting deaths will continue to decline. We need to address the breakdown of the family, drugs, gangs, racism, and other social ills that are the root cause of some of the violence we are experiencing. These are things that we have to live with when we have a free society. Australia is now looking at censoring internet content for sexual, violent, and hateful content, what will they want to limit next? Our Constitution protects us from those types of restrictions, but in turn it is our responsibility as citizens to manage ourselves in a civilized manner.

On the blacksmithing site there is beautiful young gal in OZ that is a very talented bladesmith. Is knife carry only restricted to cities?