Sounds like the title of a good book! ;)

xo~Bleu

I find it quite shocking as well.

That isn't a judgement about anyone owning a gun.

Guns aren't a part of my daily existence.

I am shocked so many people have them lying about on their bedside tables.
Because they're not a part of my culture, the casualness of having a gun about is foreign to me.

I had no idea one would leave one's loaded weapon out and about. :|









And I may be a little scared of you all now .... ... ;)

Sometimes I do. Yes. hahahahaha

They aren't out and about. They are hidden inside drawers and covered with boxer briefs or a notebook. Nothing to be scared of. I'm scared for you , not having one.

It seemed as though quite a few people have theirs out and about; but perhaps I misunderstood.

Thank you for your concern about me not having one. :)

I can't imagine having one - because I've never had one, no one in my family has guns (beyond hunting rifles), and I live in a region that is very low crime and gun crime is practically non-existent. I can't imagine a circumstance where I would need a gun. And I am grateful for that.

It's really fascinating to me, how different our experiences and expectations around guns are, I'm quite interested in understanding that actually. But I won't hijack deb's thread with a further digression - I'll have a think about it and maybe start a separate thread.

Miss Sparkle,

I mean you no disrespect in any way shape or form... but I'd like to state that for me there is nothing casual at all about gun ownership. Unfortunately the wackadoodles who make the news often give all gun owners a bad name.

Also, an unloaded gun is equivalent to no gun at all. After all, what is a bow without an arrow?

~Bleu

My G19 sits on the table with a full clip next to it- not actually loaded while I sleep. My room is upstairs in a creaky ass old house with a dog downstairs so I'd have time to wake up fully before I would need to use it. And I don't leave it at home when I'm not here- not in this neighborhood ;) interesting to see how many gun owners there are in this thread...

An alarm clock, a book [title eludes me], cough drops, cell phone, Gameboy Advance w/ Legend of Zelda game, a vase with various stones in the bottom and a feather rose that Bard got me, and a pen or two.. A green table lamp.

Every month or so I have to clear it.

ETA: We have a storage headboard, so I have more stuff, just on there! Gud Vanilla lotion, Axe body spray for the bed when I have to sleep without the boi, lesbian erotica, jewelry boxes, and more fiction books.

http://www.pinkpistols.org



http://www.sacramentopinkpistols.org/

Yo, Jaggster. Some of us come from places/cultures that just don't do guns. I've lived an a couple of countries, none of them were gun cultures. Even the cops in some of them didn't have guns.

I lived in very *very* tough neighbourhoods (one nicknamed "crackney") in one of those countries. I wasn't scared. I wasn't brought up to be scared. I'm not scared of strangers or being robbed or raped or... whatever. I'm just not. I don't feel I ever needed one, no matter how dangerous the situation - I never, ever, have ever thought "I wish I had a gun with me, I'd feel safer." because it's never occurred to me, nor would I want to.

I'm very confident of handling others when things get tricksey. I've been in situations with a large group of 18 year old hoodie boys and a tense "is this where a gay bash happens" and no, the thought of a gun didn't cross my mind. However we both knew the psyche of such a situation and kept our nerve and cool. Nothing happened save one bloke kicked me in the ass, then I spun and kicked him back showing zero fear. And walked on.

I've been in much worse situations.

None of the times I was raped was with strangers. None of the times I was robbed was by people I didn't know. My mom got robbed the other night - the car broken into - she banged on the window and pointed to her eye and then to him. He ran.

She never thought of a gun. No ever thought of getting one. Not even after getting her arm broken many years ago.

It's just to many of us, "gun" is not in our culture or background or vocabulary or even our thoughts. So it seems very foreign to read it. Extremely foreign. Like on another planet. I've seen hunting rifles. being used for hunting and being kept at a club or locked in a heavy duty locker in an out-house (kind of like a garage but no car).

Never actually seen a hand gun in my life. Most of my friends haven't either.

it's just a completely different way of being. And we aren't afraid from lack of gun, so I assure, you, there is no need to be afraid for us :)

well add me to the gun club.. my off duty is in my night stand second shelf
40 cal S&W
on the night stand ..
alarm clock
small lamp
stack of books about 5 right now
jar that Desd put my pens change and chapstick in
bottle of water
crumpled recipets
glasses and cell phone

and a special love note from Desd

My bedside table (keep in mind I am not in my own home)
Kobo
Book
Cell phone plugged into charger
Floss picks
Home phone
Phone case (not on phone??)
Box of Makeup (which is all my dressup make up, not my day to day make up)
Hand lotion
Foot lotion
Body lotion
4 perfumes
Water bottle
Coffee cup
Case for my splint (I'm wearing said splint as I grind my teeth)
Muscle relaxants
Tums
Cold FX
Pen
Lamp
Stereo
Kobo cord
Vibrator
Batteries
Box of kleenex
Nail file x 2
A whole bunch of stuff that doesnt belong to me on the bottom shelf (there are 3 shelves)

In my bed
My Mac laptop
My PC laptop
2 Magazines
Oh my god can you tell I am single??

I have to say I do not have a gun, I am a Canadian, we don't need guns. I know some Canadians who have them, but we also have laws about gun cases and such so they would never (legally) be beside the bed.
I would also never be in a bed that had one in or on the nightstand, In fact I don't even like the idea of being in a home that has guns in a a gun case. I guess having one put in your face when younger and being threatened with death will do that to you.

[quote=[B]honeybarbara;708691]It's just to many of us, "gun" is not in our culture or background or vocabulary or even our thoughts. So it seems very foreign to read it. Extremely foreign. Like on another planet. I've seen hunting rifles. being used for hunting and being kept at a club or locked in a heavy duty locker in an out-house (kind of like a garage but no car).

Never actually seen a hand gun in my life. Most of my friends haven't either.

it's just a completely different way of being. And we aren't afraid from lack of gun, so I assure, you, there is no need to be afraid for us :)quote][/B]

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I want to echo all of these sentiments.

I am glad to see that others chimed in to my original post saying this was completely outside of my frame of reference. I thought maybe I was the only one.

I am not sure I have even seen a hunting rifle (maybe as a kid, as my grandfather hunted?), and I am certain I have never seen a handgun.

I considered putting up a poll and/or thread about who has unlocked hand guns. To be honest, perhaps more exposing of my thoughts than usual around here...I actually don't want to know the answer to this question. Unnecessary or not, I have carried with me worry for each of the members here who have mentioned having a handgun at the ready, and don't want to add more of you to the list.

However, I am sure that just like the non hand gun owners (or those who do not have their hand guns available to shoot an intruder in the middle of the night), would tell me not to worry, and that their gun makes them feel safer. I personally would feel unsafe with a gun next to my bed.

No, it's not just you. I mainly talk with people in the UK, Canada, Australia, NZ, Holland and Greece. Guns aren't part of their cultures however canada/australia people have hunting rifles. The upper class in the UK have hunting rifles if they "go on a shoot" but you have to be pretty damn upper class for that.

So I never, ever hear them even mentioned. Haven't really hung around american boards much past few years so just kinda forgot about that concept. So yeah, it was a bit "oh yeah." to read it - sort of like having a distant cousin that talks about raising ostriches for meat. Outside of experience by a landslide.

Even as an American from a working class family that hunted, having fire arms for personal protection purposes is *far far* outside of my experience.

I'm genuinely interested in other peoples' experiences and in understanding the cultural differences that define either side of the issue. I am working on a thread on the topic, in a survey type format, to be posted later when I'm not at work.

for me it is a part of who I am and what I do as a cop I put people in jail they do not always like it and it really ain't hard to find where we live my off duty weapon is at close hand but not just laying about, also when I am at work I want to be sure Desd is safe my dad was a cop and I remember a person he had arrested came to our hose when I was bout 11 I was the only one home I hid under the bed with his service weapon