This feeling of responsibility extends beyond shooting. Having a gun in the car tells me I m the one in trouble if hostilities occur. When someone cuts me off or tailgates, I deliberately drive safely and courteously and behave to avoid any hard feelings with other drivers. At the same time, I am reassured that if some flipping kook simply decides he wants to hurt me, I m protected. And I am not unique.
Guns are good for other things.
People collect all sorts of items, from souvenir figurines to stamps. Guns, in their own right, are enjoyable to inspect. Spending my life with relatively junky computer keyboards and mouses, can openers, toaster ovens, and whatever else, it s a pleasure just to look at the parts of even an inexpensive gun when cleaning it. Everything is heavy duty, hardened, and precision made. When the typewriter was being developed in the 19 th century, early prototypes were frail, clanky, and unreliable.