"Hand Gun" vs. "Weapon"

[Lynne]

First, forgive me if this is already on the site (I haven't gone through all of them as yet)...

Bear with me all of you who were, and are, military (and thank you for your service!), however I've noticed something in numerous posts so far and I think it's worth a discussion. That being, the word "Weapon". Now I understand that's what you had (and have) it for, however, not everyone was trained with the word weapon. Now, for those of you not living in the People's Rebpublic of Massachusetts, (you're lucky), you may not understand this, but, public perception already looks upon guns as weapons. Not a good thing. *I* don't use it as a weapon. It's my target gun, competition gun/pistol, my personal protection device, etc. (Len's already been part of this discussion on another list if memory serves. )

Would it not be better to forgo the "W" word and use gun, hand gun, pistol, rifle, shotgun, etc., etc., etc. than it is to further the liberal media's portrayal of [eek_sigh] weapons?

Just a thought...

 

[Admin]

Lynne,

You make a very valid point. It is trained in the Marines, and I've taught it, to refer to your firearm as a "weapon".

I need to make a conscious effort to use different words to describe my tack-driver.

Derek

 

[TonyD]

Lynne,

For me it's probably crowd specific. I'm not worried about giving any liberals fuel by how I refer to my firearms here in this forum. In the Corps it was either your 'weapon' or your 'rifle' and I use both terms and different times and the term rifle is more correct.

 

[Wildweasel]

To the liberals it DOESN'T Matter! they are evil no matter what.
They are tools we know that not evil. Most of the Libs are driven from the media (news/movies) about guns and what they can do.

I allways try to educate folks about the realities but it is often a loosing battle. (same ones who claim That they will be rounded up and gassed by Pres Bush due to thier sexual orientation, I kid you not!)
[roll]

 

[TonyD]

Yes, some folks just aren't worth the oxygen required to try to educate. Sometimes it's just better to make them look like, and feel like, the fools they really are.

 

[Lynne]

What you've all said is true to a point, however, I have made a few people stop and think when they start spewing the BS spread by the anti's like Sarah's groups and American's for Gun Safety (ya, right). When I start telling them the true statistics and where they can find them, like the CDC and FBI crime stats web sites, they start looking less sure of themselves.

It's when I share my personal past with them that usually makes them open their eyes a bit more, especially when they make the comment something like "I can call the police", or some such. My response is typically, "The police weren't there when I was raped at knife point, or there when my ex-husband tried to kill me, or not around 24X7 when I was being stalked. The only one who cam protect me is me, not the police." And yes, I realize numerous people read this - I've talked about why I'm a gun owner on radio and testified before the Public Safety Committee on Beacon Hill, so it's not like I'm letting any cats out of the bag.

But, getting back to perception, when it comes to talking about firearms, I won't ever stop telling people the truth, or doing what I can to make them understand they've been lead around by the nose and their knee jerk response is invalid. FWIW...

 

[TonyD]

Lynne - I'm sorry to hear about your experiences but very glad you've taken the position you have. Kudo's to ya!

 

[MrsWildweasel]

For those of us in that were in the military it was ingrained that it was your weapon,not a gun. The Di's had a nice saying for it. [twisted] So for me that is just what I am used to calling it. I feel weird when I say gun,and the other is I don't let the liberals get to me. I point out the error of their ways and they sometimes see my point or not.

 

[Lynne]

Lynne - I'm sorry to hear about your experiences but very glad you've taken the position you have. Kudo's to ya!

Thanks Tony. As funny as it may sound, I'm grateful for what happened to me in my past. I was a victim for so long, I didn't know it. And because of everything that happened, it's made me the warrior I am today...and THAT I like.

 

[Lynne]

For those of us in that were in the military it was ingrained that it was your weapon,not a gun. The Di's had a nice saying for it. [twisted] So for me that is just what I am used to calling it. I feel weird when I say gun,and the other is I don't let the liberals get to me. I point out the error of their ways and they sometimes see my point or not.

I understand Mrs. W. I teach a safety class to a lot of former military and I understand. They may revert to using the "W" when they leave my class, but at least while they're in class, they use to learn the word gun or pistol.

It's not so much the liberal media that I'm concerned with - it's more the folks who are taking my course. They may be 1st time shooters, (most are) and I want them to focus on how much FUN it is, rather than have them tense up because I use the W word. "Pistol" doesn't sound as scary as "weapon" does.

 

[MrsWildweasel]

Oh I understand that,especially for first time shooters and probably most women it makes it look less scary. Like I said I just can't bring myself to say it it definately doesn't roll off my tongue right.
Also welcome and nice to see another woman here.

 

[Lynne]

[quote="MrsWildweasel
Also welcome and nice to see another woman here.[/quote]

Thanks, and we need to get more of them involved with guns too!

 

[MrsWildweasel]

I definately agree there.

 

[centermass181]

I find its very foreign to refer to a firearm as a gun, even if I was refering to a machine gun, or an artillery piece. old dog new tricks i guess.

I almost had to wear the Blaze orange "W" in my firearm safety class.

 

[MrsWildweasel]

We might be old dogs,but even though I have been out over 20 years I can't call it anything but a weapon. Just can't do it.

 

[linemech]

Lynne I respect your postion and agree that the word weapon sounds more agressive than pistol. However my .02 on the matter is that it's just another way of giving in to the people that want to have whats in my safe at home. It is what it is. I would not want to down play a weapon just to have better PR with the treehuggers that live in there fantasy world. The truth in my eyes is that a weapon is very dangrous when in the hands of somebody that is untrained and lacks the required skill to handle it. What' seems so hard for the libs to understand is that that a weapon can be many different things such as a car,motorcycle, kitchen knife and even a wall outlet that you plug your T.V into. The bottom line is that they all have a purpose and when used correctly they are fine. Training and responsibility are key factors. I have never heard about a ban on cars due to drunk drivers. Im all done with the soap box now thanks for listening.

 

[Zaphod]

As with other things in which I have a keen interest, I try to be very precise with my language. When I am training someone (I'm not certified or anything, but I've taken a few newbies to the range in my time), I use the word "weapon" because it is precise and accurate. Besides, my first lessons in military weaponcraft was also at the hands of the Marines (who ran the firearms training program at USNA).

Now, the terms "handgun", "gun", "pistol", "rifle", etc., are used depending upon the crowd I'm with. Even then, I find myself not really liking the use of the word "gun", as it's akin to refering to all computers as "PC's", when there are Crays, Macs, etc. It's too broad.

My .223.....

 

[airpw]

Being a civilian all my life, I've always called them "pistols or rifles". I guess I learn that from my High School RIFLE coach.

When taking a new shooter to the range, I make it a point to use pistol and never the "w" word. I think it is less intimitating.

Of course, you still have to stress that safety is still number 1 on the list cause a pistol can kill just as easily as a weapon can.

 

[mrPickles]

Being ex-mil., and current LE, it's always been weapon for me as well. I never use the "G" word. Crack-headed libs aside, I view it more as a psychological thing. My firearm is not a toy. Calling it a weapon, (or firearm) for me has always meant that I had a significant respect for what it was capable of doing, and of the responsibility of owning/carrying one. I never take that lightly, and I think that's why the military drills that whole weapon vs. gun thing into your head.

Might just be me being a bit to serious though

 

[KMaurer]

I rarely describe them as "guns", a holdover from my (long ago) time in the Corps. Over the years, though, I've pretty much dropped the term "weapon" from my vocabulary as well. As my daughter observed back when she was in high school, the only real weapon is the human mind. (OK, sometimes a pencil, car keys or a magazine could prove useful, too.)

I sometimes find it hard to break other vets from calling them weapons during NRA instructor training, but they get the point. It's not about being PC or caving in to the hoplophobes. It's about making firearms and shooting more attractive to newbies. Unlike the charm schools at Parris Island or Camp Pendleton, we're not teaching anybody to use a weapon during a Home Firearm Safety or Basic Pistol class. Avoiding talk about weapons is both more accurate and less likely to add to the anxiety that a lot of potential converts tend to feel during their initial encounter with our assortment of toys. And that's what I've got out on display during a class. My personal defense weapon is neither seen nor mentioned in that environment.

Ken