Hi to all.  This is my first post.  I’ve been lurking on this board and several others for a few months now getting the “lay of the land” and learning a great deal along the way.

For me it was 9/11 that started the “fall off the fence”.  Up until then I had been neutral-to-pro on guns.  Let’s call it “passive acceptance” (I couldn’t see what all the fuss was and how it could possibly affect me).

My dad had guns in the house as I was growing up (12 gauge pump and side-by-side, .22 rifle and a .22 revolver).  I plinked with the .22’s as a young child and knew basic firearms safety as far back as I can remember.  The guns were in an open rack on the living room wall.  Never had any problems.  Dad got rid of them all in the early 70’s (don’t know why).

My GF has always had an interest in firearms and has some experience with them.  After 9/11 we began to discuss getting some basic firepower in the house.  Like any good geek, I hit the Web to gather information about guns and what we would have to do to acquire them.

It didn’t take long to find out about the appalling laws, lies and hysteria surrounding gun ownership in the US (and California in particular).  The past few months of research has completely changed my views on politics and the (un)justice system that we operate under.

First I was surprised and didn’t want to really believe what I was discovering.  Then came shock, disbelief, disgust and finally anger as I gained a clear picture of how our government (and society in general) has begun to disintegrate.

I firmly believe that we will be in a genuine SHTF situation in my lifetime. Things cannot continue the way they are and I for one am no longer one of the flock, wandering blindly waiting to be lead to slaughter.

[b]Very[/b] well put, DoubleFeed.  [beer]

I just loved it when my pro-"common sense gunlaws" friend asked me to borrow a handgun following 9/11![:)]

I took him out to the range and got him hooked.

"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

I agree totally.

Interestingly, a version of this question came up in Democratic Underground of all places.  Here's my abbreviated response to the question:

And yes, I [b]do[/b] happen to think that there can be a very few, very narrowly written laws that are constitutional.

wealcome aboard, i like to see some of the ex-sheeple showing up.

ignorancs is bliss, but i would rather be a miserable man who knows the truth...

BTW, MOVE OUT OF KALIFORNIA. its not safe there anymore.

I live in Miami, Florida.....

Enough said....

Hi, my name is ludwig and I'm a former anti.
I was always interested in history and especially WWI & II. Five years ago I wanted to have a piece of WWII history and decided to buy an M1 carbine. As I had fired a friend's rifle the previous year and had suffered no ill effects, I thought I could allow myself this tiny detour from political correctness. Well, I've learned a lot about firearms and firearms law since then. I've found that everything I thought I knew, everything I'd been told, was a lie. The whole 2A thing has led me to change my view on a lot of things. I now believe that the 2nd amendment is not only not an archaic irrelevence but that it is the most important amend. in the Bill of Rights, the lynchpin, if you will.

But first it will make you miserable...

I grew up with guns, hunting, etc but was in the "middle ground" when it came to gun control.

I had a psycho go after a friend of mine and I picked up a pistol to protect said friend (who is scared to death of guns) and the rest is history.

Since then I have become somewhat politically active.

Thanks for the "Welcome Aboard" from all.

Yes, "the Truth will set you free" is a very valid summary of what I've discovered over the past months... although it's more like "the Truth will piss you off and then make you really, really angry"  [:(!]

My GF and I are planning very seriously to get the hell out of this Cali nut house. I've been here off and on for 37 out of my 44 years and she's been here for over 10... we've had enough of this BS.  We just got back from a 2 month trip where we visited every state that we hadn't seen up to then.  It narrowed our selection down to Idaho, Washington, Vermont or New Hampshire.

The thing that changed most in my view of government and politics is that I always saw politicians as laughable buffoons and that somehow "the system" would take care of the "Liberty and Justice for all" part of things.  I never imagined the depths insanity and collusion that exist within that system.  I've known for years that a large percentage of the public have lost the ability for critical thinking.  I've also know that many of them have abrogated any self-responsibility for their lives.  I just never knew how pervasive this was until I stumbled into the whole 2A thing.

Glad you've joined our little group, Airwolf.  I can see you're gonna fit right in here.[beer]

It's the ultimate irony that this site, which is one of the 4 or 5 gun related ones that I visit regularly, is dedicated to a weapon that my oh so wise and benevolent state government has deemed "unsuitable" for me to own.

I can pay taxes, exercise the privilege of operating a motor vehicle (which is *far* more dangerous that any gun in my hands would ever be).  Hell, the Feds even say I can be trusted to pilot an airplane, but I can't own a particular gun for the reason that it looks "evil" and would scare Sally Soccer Mom.

[V]    

I wasn't paying much attention.

Then Clinton got elected president and it was like a slap in the face. I looked around and saw that the WACKOs were taking over.

what is 2A?

Mostly, the laws that went into effect after the Kennedy brothers and King were shot.  None of which by the way, were done in with an evil black high cap rifle.
W

2A = Second Amendment

I really began to take notice during the LA riots.  So much chaos for no justification hit me that it can happen anywhere.  I'll never forget the images of those Korean store owners on their roofs firing to protect their businesses (and lives).  Not to mention Reginald Denny and that delivery truck driver who was beaten to death before my eyes on CNN.  Just imagine had they had been armed and prepared to defend themselves.  The vermin would have been in for a shock then.    

After that, the idiotic crime bill in '93 sealed it for me.  Disingenuous Bastards.  I'm still pissed about it.  

Excuse me, I have to go smash something now.  

my transformation started about 3 years ago.  i was never an die-hard anti.  but couldn't figure out why it was a big deal if they didn't let people own uzis...i mean, afterall, weren't uzis just used by drug dealers for their drivebys?  [rolleyes]

then fiance wanted to get a firearm for home defense.  then we started getting interested in the "gun culture."  then i wanted an AR15.  then i found AR15.com.  

and the rest, as they say, is history.  i went from "who needs and uzi to hunt?" to "you can have my guns when you pry 'em from my cold dead fingers."  i correct total strangers in the elevator and the doctor's office when i hear them sharing media-based information that is incorrect.  i don't care if they think i'm a nut.  i'm just doing my best to plant little seeds of common sense in that gray matter they call a brain.

as for the life span of our dear republic.  i wouldn't be so quick to deal us the death hand.  i've been reading up on the political history of the U.S. and since the last signature on the Constituion was penned, the "leaders" of this country have been attempting to have their own way with the people's liberties for their own personal gain.  such tyranny certainly isn't new.  

i think the biggest difference between "then" and now is the intelligence level of the "common folk" and i don't mean book smarts.  i'm referring to the actual working knowledge of this country, its history, and its machinations.  it's easy to screw up something when you don't know anything about it...especially when you think you're doing it for good reasons.

we aren't necessarily doomed to failure in this "great experiment."  we've only lost when people like you give up and quit trying to educate the ignorant.  we've only lost when we turn our backs on the attempted tyranny in our leadership and let them get away with it.  just because we have lost a few battles does not mean the war it out of our reach.

if you give up, you're no better, IMO.

I have to admit, I have always been a "gun nut" - and I am doing my damndest to give MY kids that opportunity as well.

I grew up in a Class III state (IN,) bought my own damn rifle with my own damn money when I was 7, helped my granddaddy blast stumps with dynamite from the hardware store when I was 10.  Figured out something better when I was 12 (thank God for Chem classes!)

Enlisted at 17.  Took courses in unconventional warfare, kitchen table demolitions, and fun stuff like that.  I still remain active in pyrotechnics, and I expect to get my civilian blaster's card sometime soon.

I am a trainer in marksmanship, safety, and basic defence tactics.  I have converted hundreds when they see the advantages of personal firearms in desperate situations.  I have had people thank me years after I have trained them for doing just that - and that is the greatest reward I have gotten!

So, while have not PERSONALLY converted, I have been responsible for many conversions of other people...

FFZ

The more people that sites like this
----> [url]http://www.vpc.org[/url] <----

manage to piss off the better it will be for the entire country when they decide to not sit the fence anymore and come on over to our side.   When I see the garbage that gets posted there I can't help but recoil in fright when I think that there are people who actually buy into that propaganda.


Only comfort I get is that the more rational "normal" folk seem to be more willing to join our ranks after seeing sites like VPC and then having those arguments on that site shot full of holes by educated shooters who know the difference between true armour piercing ammo and what the VPC calls "armour piercing cop killer" bullets, or the whole "sniper rifle" garbage.

How true!!!  How true!!!!!

Like some of the others I was passive about firearm ownership also. Having been raised by a Marine (Col. Ret.) and having been a Marine myself (Sgt.), I was no stranger to guns. Grandpop owned a dairy farm in Ohio, and he had more guns than I've ever seen besides in a Marine Corp. Armory.

I had never purchased my own until Aug. 1999, as after 15 years of martial arts training, I never felt I needed one for self defense.

I have many friends that own firearms, so I cannot classify myself as a anti in any way, but I was never active until Columbine. I live in Colorado, and my sister in law's daughter attended Columbine, and was in the lunch room at the time of the outbreak. Her son was a senior at Columbine, and knew the perps. and was outside when the incident went down. The two of them told me some things about the BATF, and FBI, on the scene that were scary, and obviously very suspicious.

Having grown up on Military Bases, I've seen things that would curl the hair on the back of any sane persons neck, and I have always leaned to the conspiracy side of things. That summer I purchased a book "The Biggest Secret" by David Icke. If you've read it, you may be like me and find his assertions about our rulers insane, but his investigative skills, and documentation of his research is excellent.

Whether the UN, and our officials are human or not seemed meaningless, what mattered to me was that the UN was dictating to our country what policies we should have, and incidents like Columbine were being used to disarm America.

I looked at my wife and told her that I always felt that if I needed a firearm, I could go to the store and purchase one with no problem, as I do not have a criminal record.  With what I was seeing with Clinton (The BJ Boy) in office, the UN Agenda, and the anti-gun lies, I felt I needed to purchase a rifle and pistol before they made it illegal to do so.

I went down to Country General and bought a Mini 14 and a Ruger PC97 (45).

Since then I've become a TOTAL enthusiast. I now own an Bushmaster AR15 (XM15E2S), a Bushy M4gery (Wife's Rifle), 3 FALs (2 Imbels and a G1), and a Springfield Armory Match Grade 1911-A1 (Custom Loaded FULL SIZE), and I've got more on the wish list. I also joined the NRA, and the GOA, and the local range.  Now I go shooting 2 to 3 times a month, and attend any pro-gun activities in Denver.

I want to thank everyone at AR15.com as your posts were indispensable in my decision to purchase a Bushmaster, after I decided I wanted an AR15 (as the Mini is a piece of crap).  My AR is by far my favorite, and very accurate.

I've never posted before, but felt like my story might be as interesting as anyone.

AR15.com was a great motivator for getting me off my ass, and involved in the 2A defense.

Thanks to all of you!

No matter how many faggot a#@ politicians pass useless laws, and tell their bull#$%@ lies, it's the good 'ole boys that rule this country.

They'll get my gun when they pry it from my cold dead hands!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Will Rogers said it best!!
"Our country is run by liars and thieves".  

While growing up, dad had a few guns (shotgun and a few hunting rifles) put away that he would pull out now and then. Guns never were much of an interest or issue to me until '93.

I was involved in the fight against CT's "AW ban" that year in a way many of us will never experience. After we lost that battle, I realized I better start being armed. Since then I have bought and sold many weapons (compared to some here, though, I am sure I'm talking peanuts) and gotten my CCW and a few pistols.

My devotion to this right does not hinge on the 2nd Amendment. It is my God-given right to defend myself and my family. 2nd Amendment or no 2nd Amendment.

Surrender that right and accept the dire consequences.

Waco.  Walked into my parent's home one Sunday morning and the Waco fiasco was on the television.  I can say that in my life I have never been so profoundly effected by one single incident.  I was deeply shocked at what I saw.  Could not believe American federal forces were militarily operating against American citizens.  My parents and brother and his family supported the federal troops.  This part of my family became estranged from me and my family over that "incident" and have never reconciled.  At that time I was a member of the CompuServe Firearms Forum which was shutdown shortly thereafter.  Looking for a place to go I found AR15.com and it's been home to me ever since.  When Waco happened I was a happy hunting firearms guy.  That event motivated me to realize what's at stake for my children if I didn't get involved.