Originally Posted by Xue Yi Liang

lol - it's all right.

If you ever met regular shooters you'd be surprised to discover how wrong the stereotypes are. If one were to believe in the media and movies you'd think shooters were para-military survivalist-types with Appalachian accents or poorly educated inner-city sociopaths who hate the world. The regular community of shooters are articulate, friendly and helpful people.

In college I used to be a "Berkeley liberal" and assumed that gun-owners were naturally dangerous people. Since then I grew up and had friends who introduced me to the sport.

There is a whole body of myths about guns and gun-owners that the media supports. I wish the general well-intentioned public was more aware of this.

If you lived in my town I'd be happy to take you to the shooting range and introduce you to the sport and to some of my buddies. We're not a "gung-ho" lot. We are educated, funny, good-natured, good parents and responsible people.

When we talk about the practicality of particular weapons it's not to imply that we're preparing for combat - it's just a part of learning the equipment's history and science. I have to mention the differences between movie guns and real guns only because Hollywood also teaches us that guns are "toys" that can promote machismo. I take every opportunity to debunk myths because guns are not "toys" they're to be treated with responsibility and respect. They are not instruments of vengance or emotion - they are purely tools.

Gun ownership doesn't make you strong or macho. Like owning a sports-car it just means you have to be responsible and educated or you'll be dangerous.