Why do you shoot?

[Blackout]

I didnt see an "all of the above" option, lol. I love everything about shooting. Also, it relieves stress for me also, aint nothing like it.

 

[nad63]

All the above also. All the polls out there skewing results has me gun shy to commit to a single option for fear I could lose the others.

 

[Fixer]

All the above also. All the polls out there skewing results has me gun shy to commit to a single option for fear I could lose the others.

+1 Count me as an All of the Above are True!

 

[Vlad the Impaler]

I shoot to thrill....

play to kill
Too many women too many pills
Shoot to thrill, play to kill
I got my gun at the ready gonna fire at will.

Now that I got that out of the way....
Mostly for fun and protection/defensive readiness.

Edit: I almost forgot that I shoot to give tyrants something to think about.
Excuse me...Gotta go answer that phone call from the NSA.

 

[BluesTraveler]

Just love to go shoot, it's relaxing for me to just shoot targets or the occasional watermelon.. Lol

 

[Rockhopper]

Self defense, with fun/recreation a very close second.

 

[G-Niner]

All of the above! Didn't vote.

 

[dontcha]

For the same reason monkeys throw things. Humans all enjoy projectile "weapons", because it harkens back to when we NEEDED to take prey and injure those whom preyed (or tried to do so) upon us, when we were too weak/slow to prevail in personal combat, with our natural weapons, or handheld weapons.

 

[James20]

Mostly for fun. But also for practice. If I get attacked I have to be able to hit what I'm shooting at.

 

[cosermann]

Notice that the sum of all categories that might be considered "sporting use" (i.e. fun/recreation, competition, and hunting) is less than the majority.

This is comparable to the results of national surveys I've seen.

AND, it's a key demonstration of why hunting/sporting use must NEVER be a criteria by which we judge which firearms are legal and/or who may possess them.

 

[lucky4034]

All of the above except hunting... maybe that will change one day, but right now hunting doesn't appeal to me much.

 

[Litebow]

All of the above with fun and recreation being primary focus.

 

[45fan]

I wasnt aware that a man could survive without shooting...
I spend most of my time shooting primarily to maintain a level pf proficiency with my carry gun(s), secondary to that, I do shoot to maintain familiarity with my hunting equipment, lastly, I do on ocassion shoot just because, and I like to hear the guns go bang. The only item on the list that isnt a reason for me is competition.

 

[Winamac]

I shoot just because I love guns! I cannot remember ever NOT loving them? My mother has a picture of me at Christmas in 1964(2yrs old) opening up a toy M1 Garand with a BIG smile on my face.

 

[erice1984]

I shoot for a mixture of both fun/recreation, exercising my freedoms as an America, and combat readiness.

 

[scootn103]

Firearms have been a huge part of my life that my father introduced me to , I thank him as much as I can for this . Firearms cause me to read , learn and meet new interesting people . I shoot mainly because I like it and it relaxes me .

 

[metaldog]

Ummm.... I love the smell of spent gunpowder? I wouldn't say I'm addicted or anything like that. But,oh what a pleasant smell!!!

In all seriousness, generally to keep sharp in my self defense & shooting skills. But, I do enjoy the occasional day of "perforation euphoria", where turnin targets into swiss cheese is just an absolute rush!

 

[jrogers]

Revenge: a cardboard cut-out killed my parents.

 

[AlwaysVigilant]

My primary reason is because my family deserves my best, and I am their primary protector.

Honestly though, they all are valid.

 

[warthog]

I like to go to the range and shoot because I find it relaxing. That is my primary reason and why I voted Fun/recreation.

I also go to be proficient with the firearms I find I like to carry. I tend to practice most with those I carry most, like my SR9c, my LC9 and my LCP. I also tend to take along one of the other guns I like to carry now and then like my SP-101's in both .327 FM and .357 Mag or a Mdl 632 in .327 FM. For fun I sometimes take an NAA along too because I often carry one of those as a deep cover BUG. I practice my draw, shooting from my draw and shooting prone, shooting with my off hand, drawing a BUG with an off hand or strong hand and firing, reloading and all sorts of self defense related things while I am there too. It is easy since I am usually there alone when I go so safety issues are a bit easier to handle since I am alone there and I don't need to worry as much about the person next to me when doing these things. I say as much because I still don't want to send any lead zinging off in directions unintended despite the fact that where I shoot is essentially a pit and a stray shot wouldn't go far. I find that practicing safety all the time is the way to go even if the situation is inherently safe.

However, there are also days I want to shoot only a rifle and then I take one or two of those and try to make nice tight groups all day with one of those. When I am able to get with Alan and finally afford a new scope or three for some other rifles I have, I will do this a lot more often. Then I will likely add another day to my usual two at the range per week just for rifles.

I am not married or in a relationship so I am basically protecting just me. My family all lives far away from me in Florida. I do this because I think it is the right way to carry a handgun. I really don't want to shoot anyone, but I will if needed. If the situation winds up calling for it the very last thing I want to do is shoot someone in the crowd instead of the bad guy. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I shot the wrong person. So I try my best to practice such that I make this as unlikely as humanly possible.