MAJOR VENT! - The Firearms Forum

TimEllis · 06-05-2003, 08:40 AM

I just have to post this vent - I am originally from England & moved to Florida about 11 years ago. Shooting & collecting old guns is now my major hobby.

So, yesterday my wifes parents arrive from England to stay with us & visit the grandchildren etc. So I decide to go shooting this morning to get out of the house. Fortunatly for me my new Les Baer Ultimate AR had just arrived a few days earlier, so I am excited to get to shoot the thing. Here I am, checking the weapon before I leave & the "in-laws" see me with the gun - "You know all guns are now banned in England" they tell me - I reply that its a shame that a few criminals have ruined it for the responsible shooters, to which they reply - "Tough on them" !!!! - Guns are bad & no-one should own one - (at this point my blood is BOILING) - they then go on to tell me what a bad guy George Bush is, & how the war was unjust etc - So I promptly left to go shooting ( HAD to get away) - I got 2 miles out & it starts PISSING down with rain, so here I am, back at home, with my Les Baer & the "in-laws"

Have a nice day! because I sure aint' ( BTW- they are here for 2 weeks....)

SouthernMoss · 06-05-2003, 08:56 AM

Welcome to TFF, Tim.

Sorry about the problem with the in-laws. Hang in there, and we'll celebrate with ya when they leave.

1952Sniper · 06-05-2003, 11:24 AM

Dealing with in-laws is one of the hardest tasks in life. I feel for ya, Tim.

My mother-in-law happens to be a staunch Democrat. I had the misfortune of getting into a political discussion with her one day at lunch. She's a frail little old lady, probably 65 years old. But she launched up out of her chair and was pointing her finger in my face and chewing me out.

Hang in there, man.

Texan · 06-05-2003, 12:11 PM

I feel for you, my in-laws are both politicians and die hard democrats. My wife is also a democrat and they are all anti-gun. We have agreed to not discuss poiltics and thatnkfully they are great people with the exception of their political choices. I hope that your in-laws will look at the facts or just not give you a hard time about our hobby. Have you asked if they would like to learn to shoot or at least hold the target?

LewairLavell · 06-05-2003, 12:12 PM

Yeah but even I do that to you Sniper and I'm your brother!

Tim, I work with a few Chinamen, a girl from India and my advisor is from England. Being at the acedemic institution I'm at, they're all quite liberal. I like to take the small opportunities that I get to 'educate' them on realities of dealing with firearms and the realities and benefits of having a political outlook that agrees with that system. Just remember that you can't teach all old dogs new tricks, but you can choose a non-confrontational, intelligent way of discussing situations like that with people (with the set goal of only wanting to probe their abilities to rationally think and construct arguments) and in such ways plant the seeds of tolerance and openmindedness to such issues with individuals. I find that works with family anyway. But at the same time, all I can really say is good luck!

1952Sniper · 06-05-2003, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Yeah but even I do that to you Sniper and I'm your brother!

But at least my mother-in-law doesn't use the "F" word in every sentence....

Chinamen??? You don't call them that to their faces, do you?

LewairLavell · 06-05-2003, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Chinamen??? You don't call them that to their faces, do you?

ya

pickenup · 06-05-2003, 07:04 PM

Tim;
Welcome to TFF.
Sorry to hear about the in-laws.
That is what happens when the government and media has had enough time to “brainwash” the public into thinking they have no rights and no need to protect themselves.
As you know they are trying to do that here, and in some respects, are getting away with it.

wundudnee · 06-06-2003, 06:36 AM

Tim, I have always gone with the philosophy that "This too, shall pass." It's got me through some trying times.

My mother in law had a real hate for me. As near as I could figure the only reason was, that I had hair on my face, wore cowboy boots, had guns and lived on a gravel road.

Hey....maybe she was right.

Don't sweat the petty stuff and don't pet the sweaty stuff.

bigboom338 · 06-06-2003, 07:09 AM

Welcome to TFF Tim and more importantly welcome to the USA where we can legally own guns (I know you have been here 11 yrs) its too bad you inlaws have thier heads in the sand but whats a guy gonna do?

06-06-2003, 07:41 AM

I would sit in front of them with your NEW BLACK SNIPER RIFLE and polish the ammo and mumble. Every once in a while practice your trigger squeeze at the tv.

There is no saving them but you should try. Did you point out that if it weren't for an armed population there would not even be a USA.

TimEllis · 06-06-2003, 07:54 AM

WarPig - I did exactly that - the rain stopped so I got to go shooting - got home - stripped it & cleaned for an hour or so - they were not happy! I then left it out on display in the kitchen for all to see!

Its poinless trying to rationalize with them - the seeds are planted deep. Thanks for the replys from other members - the good thing is only 8 more days to go & they go home.

Boomatic · 06-06-2003, 08:36 AM

Piggy...you'se a hoot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

riderbob · 06-09-2003, 11:51 AM

Boy
I guess I'm pretty lucky. My Inlaws are pretty good about guns. But it is a little unusual. My mother in law has no beef with guns, my sister in law will shoot on occasion, but mainly to be with hubby. My wife is a Nurse and a little anti. She will shoot my .22's @ cans and such but can't take her hunting, she wants to run out and fix whatever i shoot. LOL but true. She gave me greif about ccw permit until she found out dear old dad had been licenced for most of her childhood. Said she had never seen him carry in all those years, and I told her that was the whole point. She didn't like it ,but understood it. All the brother in laws are Shooters hunters and into archery. (I getting my setup soon) So we all get along great.

Just my $.02 worth.

Rider

Marlin · 06-09-2003, 12:50 PM

Welcome, Tim. Please join in with us often.

Can't add any to having "outlaws" for in-laws. Patience is a virtue, I'm told, and they will, I presume, return to the old country. In the meantime, just bite your tongue. I've been there but my former in-laws are now deceased. Were fine folks except for the gun and hunting issue. They, too, strictly had their heads in the sand.....

JohnK3 · 06-09-2003, 11:28 PM

I've been lucky with the in-laws.

My mother-in-law passed away not long after my 8yo was born...almost on her birthday. Katie wasn't named after her, though. She was named after my pistol-packing paternal grandmother. [grin] (A Registered Nurse that kept an old .38 Special in the nightstand and raised three boys on her own.) My father-in-law passed away before I met my wife. Jean (my mother-in-law) was a sweet, dear woman who raised 7 kids in Idaho. Guns fed the family more often than not.

My parents, however, can sometimes be schizophrenic. Dad, a longtime member of the NRA when I was a kid, was active in a skeet league. As a matter of fact, my present computer table used to be his reloading table. (Custom-built with 4X4 legs and massively stable.) Both Mom and Dad grew up with guns. Somewhere along the way, however, they started believing everything the media told them about guns and gun-control/registration, etc. Recently, however, I think that some quiet, calm disagreement with some of the emotional points has paid off.

When Dad would grump about the NRA standing in the way of this gun law or another gun law, I pointed out that criminals don't care what the law says, that's why they're criminals.

When he'd grump about gun locks, I'd point out that he taught me early on that a safety was a mechanical device that can and *will* fail. How was a lock any different? Wasn't muzzle-control, the safety technique he taught me, a better method to make sure nobody got hurt?

When he got upset about guns being "too easy for kids to play with" I pointed out that it is absolutely impossible to childproof a gun, but I could gunproof my children by teaching them the right way to handle guns safely, like he did with me and my two sisters.

The other day, an event occurred that I had dreaded: One of my kids mentioned my handgun in front of my parents while they were over at my house. (You see, Dad had always had several long guns in the house, but had a distaste for handguns.) Instead of hushing Katie up about it, I simply let the conversation happen and didn't act uptight about it. Mom and Dad both agreed that, while the 15yo was old enough to learn to shoot a handgun, that Katydid needed to learn on a .22LR rifle rather than my 9mm CZ75.

Both Mom and Dad left without showing any obvious signs of disapproval. (Trust me, if Mom disapproved, she might not say so, but you'd see it written on her face in BIG BOLD LETTERS.) Later on, discussions with them concerning guns went well, as they obviously felt I was being careful with their grandkids.

Now, if I can just talk Dad into letting me fix his matched pair of Remington 1100s.....[grin]

06-05-2003, 08:40 AM	#1
TimEllis Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 6	MAJOR VENT! I just have to post this vent - I am originally from England & moved to Florida about 11 years ago. Shooting & collecting old guns is now my major hobby. So, yesterday my wifes parents arrive from England to stay with us & visit the grandchildren etc. So I decide to go shooting this morning to get out of the house. Fortunatly for me my new Les Baer Ultimate AR had just arrived a few days earlier, so I am excited to get to shoot the thing. Here I am, checking the weapon before I leave & the "in-laws" see me with the gun - "You know all guns are now banned in England" they tell me - I reply that its a shame that a few criminals have ruined it for the responsible shooters, to which they reply - "Tough on them" !!!! - Guns are bad & no-one should own one - (at this point my blood is BOILING) - they then go on to tell me what a bad guy George Bush is, & how the war was unjust etc - So I promptly left to go shooting ( HAD to get away) - I got 2 miles out & it starts PISSING down with rain, so here I am, back at home, with my Les Baer & the "in-laws" Have a nice day! because I sure aint' ( BTW- they are here for 2 weeks....) --> Last edited by TimEllis; 06-06-2003 at 11:36 AM..

06-05-2003, 12:11 PM	#4
Texan Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Michigan Posts: 31	I feel for you, my in-laws are both politicians and die hard democrats. My wife is also a democrat and they are all anti-gun. We have agreed to not discuss poiltics and thatnkfully they are great people with the exception of their political choices. I hope that your in-laws will look at the facts or just not give you a hard time about our hobby. Have you asked if they would like to learn to shoot or at least hold the target? __________________ Swift, Silent, Deadly

06-05-2003, 12:12 PM	#5
LewairLavell Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 24	Yeah but even I do that to you Sniper and I'm your brother! Tim, I work with a few Chinamen, a girl from India and my advisor is from England. Being at the acedemic institution I'm at, they're all quite liberal. I like to take the small opportunities that I get to 'educate' them on realities of dealing with firearms and the realities and benefits of having a political outlook that agrees with that system. Just remember that you can't teach all old dogs new tricks, but you can choose a non-confrontational, intelligent way of discussing situations like that with people (with the set goal of only wanting to probe their abilities to rationally think and construct arguments) and in such ways plant the seeds of tolerance and openmindedness to such issues with individuals. I find that works with family anyway. But at the same time, all I can really say is good luck! __________________ Last edited by LewairLavell; 06-05-2003 at 02:21 PM..

06-05-2003, 07:04 PM	#8
pickenup Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains Posts: 6,838	Tim; Welcome to TFF. Sorry to hear about the in-laws. That is what happens when the government and media has had enough time to “brainwash” the public into thinking they have no rights and no need to protect themselves. As you know they are trying to do that here, and in some respects, are getting away with it. __________________ The gene pool needs chlorine

06-06-2003, 07:09 AM	#10
bigboom338 V.I.P. Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: South Dakota Posts: 399	Welcome to TFF Tim and more importantly welcome to the USA where we can legally own guns (I know you have been here 11 yrs) its too bad you inlaws have thier heads in the sand but whats a guy gonna do? __________________ "Aim Small Miss Small"

06-05-2003, 08:56 AM	#2
SouthernMoss Admin Tech Staff Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: SW MS Contributor Posts: 10,651	Welcome to TFF, Tim. Sorry about the problem with the in-laws. Hang in there, and we'll celebrate with ya when they leave.

06-05-2003, 11:24 AM	#3
1952Sniper Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Texas Posts: 5,138	Dealing with in-laws is one of the hardest tasks in life. I feel for ya, Tim. My mother-in-law happens to be a staunch Democrat. I had the misfortune of getting into a political discussion with her one day at lunch. She's a frail little old lady, probably 65 years old. But she launched up out of her chair and was pointing her finger in my face and chewing me out. Hang in there, man.

06-06-2003, 06:36 AM	#9
wundudnee V.I.P. Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Perry, Kansas USA Posts: 315	Tim, I have always gone with the philosophy that "This too, shall pass." It's got me through some trying times. My mother in law had a real hate for me. As near as I could figure the only reason was, that I had hair on my face, wore cowboy boots, had guns and lived on a gravel road. Hey....maybe she was right. Don't sweat the petty stuff and don't pet the sweaty stuff.

06-06-2003, 07:41 AM	#11
warpig Adnanced Senior Member Posts: n/a	I would sit in front of them with your NEW BLACK SNIPER RIFLE and polish the ammo and mumble. Every once in a while practice your trigger squeeze at the tv. There is no saving them but you should try. Did you point out that if it weren't for an armed population there would not even be a USA.

06-06-2003, 07:54 AM	#12
TimEllis Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 6	warpig WarPig - I did exactly that - the rain stopped so I got to go shooting - got home - stripped it & cleaned for an hour or so - they were not happy! I then left it out on display in the kitchen for all to see! Its poinless trying to rationalize with them - the seeds are planted deep. Thanks for the replys from other members - the good thing is only 8 more days to go & they go home. __________________ TE

06-06-2003, 08:36 AM	#13
Boomatic Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Tulsa, OK Posts: 1,088	Piggy...you'se a hoot!!!!!!!!!!!!!! __________________ Boom-a-tic Boomer Sooner!!

06-09-2003, 11:51 AM	#14
riderbob V.I.P. Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Just west of " You sure do live a long way from town" Posts: 227	Inlaws Boy I guess I'm pretty lucky. My Inlaws are pretty good about guns. But it is a little unusual. My mother in law has no beef with guns, my sister in law will shoot on occasion, but mainly to be with hubby. My wife is a Nurse and a little anti. She will shoot my .22's @ cans and such but can't take her hunting, she wants to run out and fix whatever i shoot. LOL but true. She gave me greif about ccw permit until she found out dear old dad had been licenced for most of her childhood. Said she had never seen him carry in all those years, and I told her that was the whole point. She didn't like it ,but understood it. All the brother in laws are Shooters hunters and into archery. (I getting my setup soon) So we all get along great. Just my $.02 worth. Rider __________________ "I'm not anti-government, I'm anti-slavery."

06-09-2003, 12:50 PM	#15
Marlin TFF Admin Staff Chief Counselor Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: At SouthernMoss' side forever! Contributor Posts: 13,853	Welcome, Tim. Please join in with us often. Can't add any to having "outlaws" for in-laws. Patience is a virtue, I'm told, and they will, I presume, return to the old country. In the meantime, just bite your tongue. I've been there but my former in-laws are now deceased. Were fine folks except for the gun and hunting issue. They, too, strictly had their heads in the sand..... __________________ *The flag represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing.* *The only criminal class native to the United States is Congress.*

06-09-2003, 11:28 PM	#16
JohnK3 Advanced Senior Member Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 1,636	I've been lucky with the in-laws. My mother-in-law passed away not long after my 8yo was born...almost on her birthday. Katie wasn't named after her, though. She was named after my pistol-packing paternal grandmother. [grin] (A Registered Nurse that kept an old .38 Special in the nightstand and raised three boys on her own.) My father-in-law passed away before I met my wife. Jean (my mother-in-law) was a sweet, dear woman who raised 7 kids in Idaho. Guns fed the family more often than not. My parents, however, can sometimes be schizophrenic. Dad, a longtime member of the NRA when I was a kid, was active in a skeet league. As a matter of fact, my present computer table used to be his reloading table. (Custom-built with 4X4 legs and massively stable.) Both Mom and Dad grew up with guns. Somewhere along the way, however, they started believing everything the media told them about guns and gun-control/registration, etc. Recently, however, I think that some quiet, calm disagreement with some of the emotional points has paid off. When Dad would grump about the NRA standing in the way of this gun law or another gun law, I pointed out that criminals don't care what the law says, that's why they're criminals. When he'd grump about gun locks, I'd point out that he taught me early on that a safety was a mechanical device that can and will fail. How was a lock any different? Wasn't muzzle-control, the safety technique he taught me, a better method to make sure nobody got hurt? When he got upset about guns being "too easy for kids to play with" I pointed out that it is absolutely impossible to childproof a gun, but I could gunproof my children by teaching them the right way to handle guns safely, like he did with me and my two sisters. The other day, an event occurred that I had dreaded: One of my kids mentioned my handgun in front of my parents while they were over at my house. (You see, Dad had always had several long guns in the house, but had a distaste for handguns.) Instead of hushing Katie up about it, I simply let the conversation happen and didn't act uptight about it. Mom and Dad both agreed that, while the 15yo was old enough to learn to shoot a handgun, that Katydid needed to learn on a .22LR rifle rather than my 9mm CZ75. Both Mom and Dad left without showing any obvious signs of disapproval. (Trust me, if Mom disapproved, she might not say so, but you'd see it written on her face in BIG BOLD LETTERS.) Later on, discussions with them concerning guns went well, as they obviously felt I was being careful with their grandkids. Now, if I can just talk Dad into letting me fix his matched pair of Remington 1100s.....[grin]