Slightly irked about a common misconception about gun owners

[BlueStarLizzard]

I went to a dog show today and a friend of my bosses met us there. I've known her for years and am FB friends with her. She's a very nice (despite being very crazy) person and, for the most part, I enjoy her company.

Today she commented on how funny she found my FB posts, especially the ones about guns, because I'm always cussing and whatnot (I assume she was referencing my battle with S&W grips) and then she said it:
"You must get all your rage out shooting your guns."

I didn't get mad at her, because she wasn't judging me or anything like that, but I did have to gather myself because I didn't really know how to respond to it at first. I finally collected my thoughts enough to point out that shooting is something I've done since childhood and that I was a competitive shooter, so the first association for me is just another activity that I do for fun. Like skiing or arts and crafts.

Why do people think that shooting as an activity is some form of stress relief for rage and anger? I shoot for fun, I shoot for the challenge of being better at a skill and I even shoot for general stress relief, but for the peacefulness and zen quality. Rage and anger is punching my pillows and screaming just to scream. I don't take that attitude out on the range, not only because it's just a bad idea (shaking, angry Liz is a recipe for stupid mistakes, thus ND) but also because I just don't associate that attitude with shooting.

The thing that stumps me is that I just don't see the rage aspect when shooting. Sure, it can be destructive and I've blown stuff up, but it's really more funny "Ha ha!" than mad "I'm going to destroy that thing!!". Maybe it's because I get more satisfaction being destructive with my fists and voice when I'm in that mood (I'm not that destructive. I just throw books and punch pillows) then I do setting up targets and concentrating on my trigger pull and whatnot. Shooting just involves too much deliberate effort to be effective for getting over an "I'm going to *expletive deleted*ck *expletive deleted*it UP!!" mood.

[lee n. field]

"You must get all your rage out shooting your guns."

projection is my first thought.

[BlueStarLizzard]

projection is my first thought.

Well, that, but I think a larger part is ignorance of what shooting entails, maybe.

I think people who don't shoot think it's all *BANGBANGBANGBANG* fast and exciting, but they don't get how much effort really goes into even fast shooting drills and whatnot.

Even the more violently focused practice has no rage too it, at least for me it doesn't. If anything, that's where I work to be the least emotionally driven because the idea is to shut down on emotional response to a threat and concentrate on what I need to do to escape the threat.

[seeker_two]

I shoot to relieve stress. But not all stress is anger-related. Shooting helps me with anxiety, worry, fatigue, boredom, and other emotions. It also is a skill that I can concentrate on and improve myself.....not unlike the Zen approach to archery. Anger rarely plays a part in my shooting routine.

[Hawkmoon]

Why do people think that shooting as an activity is some form of stress relief for rage and anger?

Because "they" tell the sheeple that all "gun nuts" are angry rednecks looking to use guns as a way of venting their rage.

Obviously, this person has drunk the Kool-Aid.

[230RN]

projection is my first thought.

Seems to me there's a rather good correlation between the social justice warrior's typical mentality and an inability to control rage.  That's why I always think "projection" as well.

Terry, 230RN

[Perd Hapley]

Maybe she's read your sig line. 

Rage and anger is punching my pillows and screaming just to scream.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhF32Zk_pKc

[Ron]

For me shooting through a few pistol stages is a lot like yoga or tai chi.

There is definitely a stress relief aspect but not in a venting of anger kind of way.

It's more the benefit of the mind/body connection, intense focus and overall fun factor.

[MechAg94]

I think they just see shooting as an act of violence rather than an act of concentration, coordination, and skill.  Popping water bottles and cans is always fun, but no more violent than something like bowling or other sports.

I was going to compare it to golf, but I guess it depends on point of view.

[wmenorr67]

I think they just see shooting as an act of violence rather than an act of concentration, coordination, and skill.  Popping water bottles and cans is always fun, but no more violent than something like bowling or other sports.

I was going to compare it to golf, but I guess it depends on point of view.

Golf course is a waste of a perfectly good shooting range.

[Perd Hapley]

I was going to compare it to golf, but I guess it depends on point of view.

OK, that's ban-worthy.

[RocketMan]

Golf course is a waste of a perfectly good shooting range.

This is so very true.

[MechAg94]

Golf course is a waste of a perfectly good shooting range.

Combining a shotgun range with a driving range would be interesting. 

[T.O.M.]

Growing up, I had a friend who lived next to a golf course, with around 100 yards of wooded land between the two.  He had a game he would play.  He would lay out in the woods, sniper style, with his air rifle, adjacent to a tee box.  He'd wait to watch a guy start into his backswing and shoot the ball off of the tee, trying to time it so that the ball would fall as the guy was swinging forward.  Funny as hell, until he got caught.

[Fly320s]

Combining a shotgun range with a driving range would be interesting. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8j0U84W0_a4

[tokugawa]

It is partly reflection of their own inner anger, (ever see a lefty who was not ready to fly into a rage over some obscure thing?) but an awful lot of it is the effect of propaganda.
  An example- when is the last time you can recall any sporting use of a firearm in TV or movies, where the shooter was not later exposed as a bad guy?  I can remember a few, here and there, over the years, but recently it is a cliche. Likes to shoot for fun= bad guy.  The idea that normal people could go out to the sand pit and blast away at pop cans for fun, without harboring some insane killer fantasy is beyond their ken.

[zxcvbob]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8j0U84W0_a4

In about half those shots he's wearing hearing protection, and in half he's not. (sometimes switching back and forth in the same scene.)  None of his victims have hearing protection. 

It's supposed to be funny but it pisses me off.  I'm sure the whole thing was staged, but if not someone should have beaten him unconscious with a golf club.

[Perd Hapley]

In about half those shots he's wearing hearing protection, and in half he's not. (sometimes switching back and forth in the same scene.)  None of his victims have hearing protection. 

It's supposed to be funny but it pisses me off.  I'm sure the whole thing was staged, but if not someone should have beaten him unconscious with a golf club.

The gun doesn't look like it's discharging. It doesn't move at all, when fired. Probably some kind of squib is rigged up (probably not as loud as the real thing), unless the golfers are just feigning surprise.

[230RN]

Maybe they used those Aguila shorty shells.  I noticed the lack of any real recoil, too.

https://www.aguilaammo.com/shotshell/

I thought maybe a .410 chamber insert, too, but he racked the pump once in a while.  However, that could have been just for show.

I object to the whole thing, myself.  They show some of the folks laughing at the end and giving a big thumbs up, but I have to wonder about the people they may have really pissed off.

All in all, I think it was all a put-up job.  But that happens so rarely on you toob submissions, right?  If it's on you toob, it must be legit, right?  I mean you toob wouldn't allow fakery, right?

Terry

[freakazoid]

It's appears to be from some show. And I'm pretty sure he is using blanks. I doubt they would of let him discharge actual shot down range.

[Fly320s]

In about half those shots he's wearing hearing protection, and in half he's not. (sometimes switching back and forth in the same scene.)  None of his victims have hearing protection. 

It's supposed to be funny but it pisses me off.  I'm sure the whole thing was staged, but if not someone should have beaten him unconscious with a golf club.

Of course it was staged.     Did you notice the different camera angles?  Or how no one around the shooter reacted to the fact that he had a gun at a driving range?

[zxcvbob]

Of course it was staged.     Did you notice the different camera angles?  Or how no one around the shooter reacted to the fact that he had a gun at a driving range?

and it still pissed me off.