Posted: 4/26/2011 8:32:40 AM EDT
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As gun lovers we all need to develop special skills to survive. I do not mean out in the world. I mean survive the questioning glances, distrustful attitudes, and downright contempt we face from our spouses when it comes to our hobbies (and our desire to spend great amounts on money on said hobbies).
I was reading a thread this morning from a poster that stated he got busted looking at a gun auction by his daughter and trying the old "I love you" garbage to con his wife. I immediately thought..."You always (and I mean ALWAYS) have a porn site loaded up in another tab that can quickly be switched to if someone else in the house gets too close while you are looking at gun auctions." It is just common sense. 
Does anyone else have any tips to survive being the only gun nut in a normal household.? 
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How about if you don't have that issue? My wife tolerates my hobby and even has her own CCW.
But back to the OP, good idea, develop a boss button so it will switch your screen back to a Galleria jewelry website? When you order your supplies online, try to buy from companies with vague names, Southern Ohio Guns or Sportsman's Guide would be a bad choice, Natchez should be OK. Or have your online orders sent to work! I knew one woman who was a compulsive internet shopper, and she would have her packages delivered to her daugher so hubby wouldn't see them arrive. |
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How about if you don't have that issue? My wife tolerates my hobby and even has her own CCW. But back to the OP, good idea, develop a boss button so it will switch your screen back to a Galleria jewelry website? When you order your supplies online, try to buy from companies with vague names, Southern Ohio Guns or Sportsman's Guide would be a bad choice, Natchez should be OK. Or have your online orders sent to work! I knew one woman who was a compulsive internet shopper, and she would have her packages delivered to her daugher so hubby wouldn't see them arrive. QFT ETA: Just orderd 1k 5.56 and 500rds .45acp as well as some other goodies from military shooters......shipping address: work. hehe
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| Dude, it is hard... I live with my girlfriend and she is a die hard democrat.. We had problems in the begin (me having 30+ plus firearms, 3 safes and carrying a gun 24/7). Believe it or not, couples therapy helped us a lot. A man’s got have a hobby and there are several other “worse” hobbies we as men can have like spending money in lap dances. |
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Dude, it is hard... I live with my girlfriend and she is a die hard democrat.. We had problems in the begin (me having 30+ plus firearms, 3 safes and carrying a gun 24/7). Believe it or not, couples therapy helped us a lot. A man’s got have a hobby and there are several other “worse” hobbies we as men can have like spending money in lap dances. Yeah my wife doesn't mind my guns.She knows that with all the cash I spend on them that I can't afford a girlfriend. |
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My wife isn't really an avid shooter, but she's fine with me having whatever I want. My first anniversary present was a Winchester 1897 Brush Gun, and another 1897 30" takedown that year for Father's Day.
She works at an elementary school and one of the 2nd graders was playing some word game and came up with the word "Glock". The obviously liberal (hey, it is Massachusetts) college student who was working in the class tried telling the child that "Glock" wasn't a word. My wife straightened him out quickly, explaing to the students that a Glock was a pistol. The college student went to the Principal and complained about my wife! The Principal told him that she was teaching the students properly, and he was lying to them when he said that "Glock" wasn't a word. My advice for the poster who's daughter and wife had a problem with him looking at a gun auction? Find the jar his wife is keeping his balls in and get them back. |
"Sneaking around" to hide your purchases from your SO sounds like your relationship is already doomed. I'm single, but if I had a girlfriend and I had to hide my hobbies from her, I would choose to return to being single.  (And heaven forbid I married somebody from whom I had to hide my hobbies!)
On that note, you also have to be sensible and balance your hobby expenses with your other expenses. If you're swimming in debt and struggling to put food on the table, then you probably shouldn't be buying any more guns or ammo, unless with the intent of using it to kill some food to put on said table.
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I use this excuse...
"Look, I don't drink, I don't smoke, cars took up too much garage space, meth labs will burn down the house and I'm always home with you on the weekends. I don't go sneaking around with my buddies, and I don't have interests in much anything else. Give me one reason I can't use the money I earned to purchase this...." Besides she supports half the income, and my wages quadruple hers. So long as I'm upfront and honest she has no reason to say no. |
| My wife is very supportive of my sports, offroading, firearms, and tailgating addictions and actively participates in them all with me semi-regularly. God really blessed me with finding her. I spend about 2k a year on guns, buying/selling and ammo. She said just today that she would split the cost of a safe for my guns and her jewlery since we are expecting our first child next month and need to lock up the guns I have around the house currently. I do ask before I buy though and the answer is always yes. I asked her why is she so cool and her reply was because she knew if she put a squeeze on my fun stuff purchases that her shoe and wardrobe funds would be squeezed too. I find honestly is the best answer to anything in a relationship. YMMV. |
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Quoted:
Dude, it is hard... I live with my girlfriend and she is a die hard democrat.. We had problems in the begin (me having 30+ plus firearms, 3 safes and carrying a gun 24/7). Believe it or not, couples therapy helped us a lot. A man’s got have a hobby and there are several other “worse” hobbies we as men can have like spending money in lap dances. Careful with that. In a decade you could wake up next to a 35YO Obama lover like I did. Been single 6 mos. now 
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No offense, but it sounds like someone married the wrong person if their spouse is mistrustful of them, or worse, contemptuous of them/their hobbies. I knew who my wife was before we were married and she knew the same about me, and we both knew it was pointless to try to change the other. Accept them in whole, or reject them in whole. I was pretty certain I had a keeper when she said she'd rather have a Ruger 10/22 than flowers and chocolates for Valentine's Day. By the second shotgun she'd bought me, I knew for sure.
My .02 |
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My wife is an avid shooter herself but when she balks at the idea of another firearm I bribe her with new shoes/clothes. Here we call that "Mutual Destruction Of The Checkbooks" For example, I got a FAL last month and she is getting 2 bathroom remodels this month. At least with mine, it is much less of a hassle. |
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I don't hide shit. I've ordered 7,000 rounds in one shipment. If she don't like it, she's free to leave. I used to order so much stuff the UPS guy knows me and BS's with me if he sees me around town.
I can not fathom the concept of having to hide everything I do. |
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Mine tolerates it but sometimes gives me trouble about buying a new gun or press or big ticket item. The best thing you can do is keep track of the family spending each month. If I buy a $600 gun every 6 months, it sounds bad...until you tally up all the little, unnecessary crap she spends money on going to Target and Wal-Mart and what not. Makes your gun look insanely cheap in comparison.
I'd never be secretive about a normal hobby though. It's just silly. Man up and tell her that this is what you like to do, and it won't be changing so better get used to it. If you can't be yourself in your own home, you have a problem. |
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I guess I'm not in a normal household. My wife is a gun enabler if anything. When she spotted me ogling an LRB M14SA on the web, she simply looked for a minute and said "buy it." This - I wouldn't buy nearly as many guns if my Wife didn't encourage it. I wouldn't be married to someone I had to hide things from. |