Gun Collecting

The Gun Guy is commenting on the death of his gun obsession. He's hit hard times financially and has had to sell off a good portion of his collection to finance his business.

I don't have an obsession. I know, I know, the first step to healing is admitting you have a problem. But seriously, I own 6 guns: two shotguns, 3 handguns, and a rifle. That may sound like a lot to someone who doesn't own any, but the truth is that there is a lot of space in my gun cabinet. I'd eventually like to add a revolver and an AR-15 to my "collection".

A collection isn't exactly what it is. A collection is something you have just to have. My gun cabinet is more of a big green toolbox. Some are for protecting my home (Mossberg 590 and centerfire pistols). Some are purely for training skills (Buckmark and M1 carbine). Some are for sport shooting (grampy's 20 gauge). The only one I'd never sell is my grandfather's 20 gauge, too much history there. I'm not much of a materialist and Amybear's insistence on an upper limit to my number of firearms has helped to hammer that home.

I do get an itchy trigger finger if I haven't gone shooting in a while though. Mostly that's because I'm mostly a handgun shooter. Handgun skills involve complex motor control and are very perishable. So if you haven't shot in a month, you're going to suck when you do.

Still, the funny thing is that my gun obsession has diminished as my collection has grown. Before I owned anything, I studied and read on firearms extensively. I soaked up anything and everything like a sponge. Now I only read posts about the guns I own or would like to own. I suppose I just know what I like as my experience has grown.