I know that gun ownership is a hot button issue but I was just wondering how you all feel about nurses being gun owners. I recently acquired a very nice hunting rifle that was handed down from my dad. None of the boys wanted it so I jumped at it since I had many happy memories of hunting and target shooting with my dad. It is a stunningly Beautiful Henry Golden Boy in perfect condition. I have not gone shooting in almost 30 years so I took it to the range and familiarized myself again with all aspects of the gun and how to clean and store it with a range master.
Someone at work asked me what I had done that weekend and I said I went shooting. She arched her eyebrows and said something guns weren't very nurse-like.
This is not a handgun - but a family heirloom. I doubt I'll ever shoot it off the range but I may give it to my son when he is a grown man.
As a red-blooded American male (and subsequently a nurse and active duty military) you better believe I own a gun :)
When I deployed to Afghanistan we were REQUIRED to carry our sidearms, even in the hospital. I have many pics of me and my crew of other nurses in the hospital there with sidearms strapped to our leg. Even the females. The pics look pretty bada*s to be honest lol. Its nobody's buisness if I own a gun or not its my right as an American Citizen.
Thats because guns will always interact with politics since unfortunately our "rights" to carry and own them depend on law makers allowing it, which is pretty sad actually!
Annie
Not exactly, the Constitution allows you to own a gun, law makers can only impact how you go about obtaining and licensing, as well as type. Your hunting and personal handguns remain quite safe from any liberal crawling out of their rock habitat.
I own a sig too! It's a hot pink and black sig sauer. I also have my conceal to carry permit. I've never actually used the permit, but I have it all the same.
I never thought I would be a gun owner when I was younger- it was something I was never exposed to and I honestly never gave it much thought. I have a sibling in the military who is very much into guns and bought my father one. I started going to the range with my father because I wanted to be comfortable enough with a gun, God forbid, I ever find myself in a bad situation and there is a gun present. To my surprise I actually really liked going. To me it's a great distraction and I do NOT invision people or things I'm mad/upset at as the targets, instead I forget what I'm upset about while I'm so focused on the gun and the paper target.
I wish I had my father's guns as keepsake heirlooms. Unfortunately they were stolen in a burglary a few years after he died. It makes me sad to think of these guns, the proud property of a military marksman, out in the world somewhere causing mayhem.
I'm going to state the obvious and say that I believe the OP was designed to be political. If you are old enough to own a hunting rifle and feel good about it, why on earth would you care what somebody else thought about it? Even if the other person is a fellow nurse.
Reading through some of the nasty comments made nurse to nurse hasn't warmed me on this cold December morning. Hopefully, we are on this site for insightful advise, support and something like fellowship.
I don't think the two things are related- at all. It may not be very "California-like", though. I can only think of one person I know of who owns a gun, here. In other places, almost everyone I know owns them.
I've lived from the southern part of California to the far northern part and lots of people own firearms. I think people are surprised and think of California in a stereotyped way. Even in the big cities, people own firearms.
Guns are very common in Northern California (Bay Area aside).
I'm pretty close to the Bay . . . there are gun owners there. (I looked up the latest stats state by state and gun ownership is at about 20% here in CA. But that doesn't mean people don't have unregistered guns. )
As to being a nurse and having a gun . . . I'm a nurse and have many "guns". All my kids and my husband hunt. I prefer to shoot clay pigeons and go to the shooting range. There's a concealed carry class coming up that my husband and I would like to attend.
The OP's "friend" who made the comment that guns aren't very nurse-like made an uninformed statement. One has nothing to do with the other.
I am a nurse, a lady, and I love guns. She sounds like some liberal that has lived under a rock her whole life!
Some people just do not have an open mind and let the liberal media fill their heads with all the misconceptions about guns and legal gun owners.
I worked in a city emergency department as a nurse so I know the evil that lurks. The guns are not only for stress relief, but also for my safety as I live alone and often hike in the woods alone. I feel MUCH safer sleeping at night as a single woman, with my .40 caliber in my night stand, because I am not naive enough to think the "boogie man" doesn't exist.
Annie
Yikes. I'm a liberal who doesn't watch main stream media (so I do, perhaps, live under a rock), and I actually understand how the constitution works. I have zero interest in taking anyone's guns away.
I also live in Texas, and we don't own guns. It's just not my thing.
While I'm not offended by stereotypes, I do grow weary of them.
The two concepts are not related for me. Is drinking alcohol not nurse-like? Is boxing not nurse-like? Sky-diving? My career is only a part of me, it does not necessarily touch all of my hobbies and interests.
One has nothing to do with the other in my mind. I recently needed a second form of ID to have a background check ran for work. I used my carry concealed permit. It is a state ID with picture. I'm a nurse and I will patch you up if you have a gunshot wound. I'm also a daughter, sister, and friend. If you threaten those I love I will inflict a gunshot wound. I see no contradiction.
How fast is your draw.. when your weapon is in the drawer? Please review the "element of surprise". The attacker always holds the element of surprise.
I will keep my weapon as close to me as possible, if an intruder should happen to take note and grab it before me.. I went down fighting for the weapon itself. I prefer to have my weapon at the ready.. not in a drawer. Calculate the draw time.
For home protection, IMHO, a short barrel (legal) shot gun is superior to a pistol. I can hardly find the bathroom at 2 AM let alone double tap a crook in my house out of a sound sleep. Loud, major muzzle flash, very large pattern that will not travel to my neighbor's house make it my choice for bedroom protection.
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Amethya
1,821 Posts
I live in Texas, we all have guns, don't matter what and who you are.