Gun Owner Pet Peeves (Things I Hate)

There are some things that I see gun owners saying and doing both in real life and on the internet that really confuse me. Some of these are things that can be harmful to the person doing it if they're not careful.

Let's just jump right into this. What are my gun owner pet peeves?

Research after buying:

This one isn't the biggest deal on this short list of things I hate to see gun owners doing. Really, the only detriment is to your wallet, unless you need to use a shoddy gun for self-defense that you didn't do research on.

I see this all the time. In the group or forum I'm a member of, the gun owner will post a picture of his new gun and say “does anyone have this gun? What do you think?”

Or, something along those lines.

Listen, the time for research isn't after the purchase. When you're in the market for a new gun the research is the first thing you do. You find out which guns fit your budget that have excellent reviews from others.

Then you go rent or otherwise shoot those guns, narrowing it down from there. Make sure you can shoot it right, make sure that it does seem reliable, make sure that you can handle the recoil. Etc., etc., etc.

Doing the research for said firearm after you buy it is just asking for problems.

Seeking legal advice:

Under no circumstances is it really ever okay to get legal advice on something from the internet. Sure, there are times when a reputable website that has actual attorney advice will suit your purposes just fine.

But that's not what I'm talking about here.

What I'm talking about are things like, “hey I'm in California and want to know what's the legal way to setup my AR-15.”

You don't know those people and what they know. The best thing for you to do in that or any similar circumstance is to get off Facebook (<- that link ironically goes to our FB page where you can follow us) and go to a reputable source. Or, better yet, reach out to an official in CA to find out straight from the horse's mouth.

Going a step further than that however, because I'd feel remiss if I didn't say this, any firearm legal advice you get from a forum should be taken with a grain of salt.

Another example is when I see people ask something along the lines of, “does a no gun sign carry the weight of law on a private business?” This question is usually followed by answers that say something like this: “concealed is concealed.” or, “they can't restrict your Second Amendment right.” or, “it doesn't carry the weight of law, all they can ask you to do is leave.”

The actual true answer is that each state will vary. What may be unenforceable in one state may be a crime in another. It's unsafe and irresponsible to make blanket statements, especially when the person may get arrested for doing something illegal.

What would you say to the cops upon arrest? “But, officer, I read in a gun forum that no gun signs don't carry the weight of law!”

I can all but guarantee you that your defense won't hold up.

Learn more about the Law of Self Defense from actual attorney and close friend of ours, Andrew Branca.

Bragging:

Bragging can come in many different forms and it's almost all bad. Sometimes bragging can just be something as simple as, “look at this new gun I bought.” Well, good job now everyone knows you've got that new gun.

But that's not the worst thing.

To me, the worst thing about bragging is when I see someone on the internet say that they would have done something to someone. What I mean here, is when something like a home-invasion occurs, but the homeowner holds the bad guy at gun point instead of shooting.

We can get into why that may or may not be a good thing in a future article because it's beyond our scope here, but the problem occurs when someone not related to the incident feels the need to chime in. In a bragging manner that person says: “I would have smoked him.” or, “he deserved to die.” or, “one less criminal on the street is a good thing.”

I don't know why people say things like that. Maybe it makes them feel strong, or because they want to seem cool. I don't know. What I do know, is that saying stuff like that on the internet will be used against you in a court of law if you ever need to defend yourself with your gun.

The prosecutor will have a field day with you telling your jury of peers that you have always just wanted to kill someone, and here is the proof.

Conclusion:

It's my hope that we all learn from each other. My pet peeves about gun owners is not meant to offend anyone. Here at ConcealedCarry.com we're all about education. It's always our goal to learn and teach.

Now it's your turn. Do you have anything to add? Let us know in the comments below.