Medium? Probably around $600. High-end shotguns can go for tens of thousands of dollars. They don't really work better than a $200 shotgun -- but they do look pretty.
Shot my first at about age 13. My Daddy bought my sisters and I a shotgun to share. Of course he owns over 20 guns and most are are customized for his left-handedness. He can't wait for his grandsons (my sons) to grow up enough to hunt with him. (This is Texas - it's all perfectly normal here.) Rebecca
I have one... And a Concealed Weapons Permit to go with it.. But I think there is another thread like this around here somewhere... Get ready for a thread merge.
I would like to have a gun if the law allows. I think it would decrease the crime if people are allowed to have guns.
I dont have any more of 'em than the average National Guard arsenal. The handguns are easier to lug around, so they are generally the ones that get practice. Personal favorite is the Beretta 92FS cause it's a piece of cake to field strip and clean. Dont fire the long guns much anymore, but we have feral hogs in the woods nearby (little boogers have mauled a few of the dogs) so one shotgun stays loaded as well as a pair of .45 SAAs (think "cowboy gun"). Got outta the hunting habit... don't need it for meat and prefer shooting deer & such with a camera, just a personal preference. Prefer beef to venison anyway.
This is a really sad thread. Personally I have a lot of experience with guns. I spent 20 years in the Military and was a member of many shooting teams. I enjoyed shooting. But that was the Military, that's where guns belong. I have no desire to get into some warped debate over gun laws and the 'right' or 'need' for people to own guns. All the evidence suggests that extensive gun ownership leads to greater gun use in crime. On the assumption that most of the gun owners and gun supporters on this thread are from the USA, can I just make one remark, and then leave you to swap your pics and stories. Most people who live outside the USA, think that the gun laws in the USA are........how can I put it.......bizarre. We look at the USA and just wonder, and scratch our heads in dis belief.... Just my 10 cents worth...
There's been a correspondence of DEcreased crime in states that enacted concealed carry laws. You have a right to your opinion and I respect your right to have your personal beliefs on the topic, but you dont get to claim that "all the evidence" supports 'em. Not actually true. Dr John Lott has spent a lot of time debunking popular myths like that one. As for scratching your head at the US laws... also your privilege, but a lot of us shake our heads at the governments that fear the idea of their citizens having access to arms, so the wonder and disbelief goes both ways. That said, I certainly don't mind if some people here elect not to own them, but I do know the fact that I do helps keep them safe. Not like we take them out to solve petty disputes, but they're darn helpful in life-or-death situations. I've used one to prevent a death before. They have positive uses too.
Not unless killing copperheads counts. Not even a hunter these days. Why do you ask? If because I said "they're darn helpful in life-or-death situations. I've used one to prevent a death before"... then the answer is that I once accidentally ran into (almost literally... happened on a highway) a couple of guys in a fight that spilled onto the road , stopping traffic both ways. It's an illustrative example of one of the most common uses of a gun, to end a conflict without having to be used, not to start one. The Instances That DON'T Make the Evening News One guy had the other pinned, and drew a knife to permanently end whatever dispute they had. I was beside them when traffic stopped, and had a .36cal Navy Colt on the seat beside me (was in route to a staged gunfight for a frat celebration, Sheridan Cavett Memorial Western Party). Didn't have ammo in it, but it made a nice visual aid... quickly convinced the guy to do no harm, drop the knife, wait for a cop. A strong word probably wouldn't have sufficed to do the same. Because of one of those "scary" guns... (1) the guy on the ground facing a threat of death was not harmed and (2) I did not get myself or the attacker hurt to end the threat, and (3) the attacker ended up in the hands of the law, but facing much less serious charges than if he'd been able to continue unabated Granted, he's probably outta jail and saying we need gun control because armed citizens pose a risk to mankind... but not only did one save the other guy's life, it kept the bozo with the knife from facing the death penalty, very much a reality here. Probably he was drunk and would've regretted his actions later, but the fellow on the ground would be dead, the situation irretrievable. MOST stories like that don't make the papers because nobody died, but guns are used without discharge to save lives more often than to take them. CONCLUSION: People who grow up in a firearm friendly environment tend to see them as what they are, just tools, nothing sinister or mysterious. My guns are dangerous if misused, but so is my electric drill, my butcher knife, or my tablesaw. I keep all of the above on hand and out of reach of children, but available for use based on the circumstance. None of them have ever acted on their own to do harm, and all perform a useful service on demand.