Is this allowed?

[Dirtebiker]

Don't let your friends even know you have a gun, what? How do you get more people involved in firearms if you do not make it interesting for them. I get the part about not "showing off" but to hide the fact you are a gun owner just does not make any sense to me.

I did say there are exceptions! It depends on the definition of "friend"!
From his previous posts, it seems to me that the o.p. is young. When I was a young man just getting into guns, I know that I hung around a good number of individuals that I would absolutely NOT want knowing about ANYTHING that I had of value, especially firearms!!!
Have you ever heard of someone getting ripped off because they let the wrong person know about their valuables? I have.
And why should he have the responsibility of getting "more people involved in firearms"?
FYI, the o.p. agreed that my suggestion was a good one, and was food for thought!

 

[Dirtebiker]

Yeah, that's a head scratcher there.

A desire to have our friends base their opinions of gun owners on the latest criminal atrocity the media is ranting on about rather than someone they know and respect seems horribly counter-productive to me.

What is the proposed gain?

To be able to "surprise" these friends if we ever decide we to need to shoot them?

I don't get it.

Again, it depends on who the "friend" is!
Would you "respect" a young guy that gets his first gun, and before even getting his license to carry, feels the need to run around to all his "friends" and "show off" his new toy? do you not see anything "counter productive" with that?
Sorry, but I would be concerned about his ability to keep one of his "friends" or "friends" friends from getting their sticky fingers on it!
And if I knew a young friend of mine was playing show and tell with a bunch of people (who may or may not be a true "friend"), I would feel obligated to warn him about his loose lips! And since I have had a couple discussions with this member, and I feel that we are here to help each other, I felt it appropriate to treat him as I would any "friend" of mine!
If that makes me wrong, so be it!

 

[JetGirl]

It depends on the definition of "friend"!

How many definitions are there??
Do you maybe mean "acquaintance" vs "friend"? Because those are totally different types of relationships. Totally.
I've got LOTS of acquaintances. I've got few friends. My friends are friends for reasons that my acquaintances are not.

 

[ATM]

Again, it depends on who the "friend" is!
Would you "respect" a young guy that gets his first gun, and before even getting his license to carry, feels the need to run around to all his "friends" and "show off" his new toy? do you not see anything "counter productive" with that?

The confusion was directed specifically at your suggestion to hide the fact that you are even a gun owner.

...DO NOT even let your " friends" know you own a gun!!! Even if it's your "bestest friend ever"! Of course there are exceptions, but for the most part, you are better off not letting ANYONE know that you own and/or carry a gun...

^This wasn't simply reserved for shady acquaintances that might be prone to steal from you.

 

[Big G]

Just a suggestion and you may have already done this ,but IMO you should have a means of securing your firearm in your home if you dont carry it with you! Making it more difficult for an undesireable person to get a hold of it if you are not home. I'm not saying it would be impossible to get it even though its locked up, but don't make it easy for someone to steal!!

 

[Dirtebiker]

The confusion was directed specifically at your suggestion to hide the fact that you are even a gun owner.



^This wasn't simply reserved for shady acquaintances that might be prone to steal from you.

O.k., you and JG are correct, and that is exactly what I meant, poor choice of words maybe. And I agree with JG in that I have very few people that I consider true friends that I trust my life and property with! Any others don't need to know what I have!
ATM, I'm not necessarily saying hide the fact that I own guns. Just that some people don't have any business knowing how many of what I own! I don't care who sees me with a holstered gun, I'm just not going out of my way to show off my new toy to "aquaintenances" (better?) and whoever they decide to tell!
I admit though, when one of my "true friends" come over who is a gun nut, then, yes, it's show and tell time!

Eta: as mentioned before, I am assuming the o.p. is a younger guy. How many people that you called "friends" when you were in your twenties ended up being what you would NOW consider a friend? You don't always know who is "shady"!

 

[ATM]

...You don't always know who is "shady"!

Well, when I was younger...



...it was me.