How many guns is “too many”?

[Mark R]

I always say “I have more than I need but not as many as I want”

 

[Hyena]

There’s Larry Potterfields quote,”Well maybe one more” (or close to that) that I have used in the past. It is always up to the individual to decide. A good friend of mine’s father had every corner in his house filled with rifles and shotguns that could not fit in the safes.
What a beautiful sight

 

[Finprof]

What is this “too many” thing of which you speak??

 

[hoytcanon]

People will say no such thing as too many, but that is not true. I have been a gun guy for more than half a century, but my first Win 94 when I was 10 with yardwork and paper route money. Since then I have owned in excess of a thousand guns... over two hundred in house at the same time... I spent all of my time managing that herd, swapping scopes and stocks and building and modifying etc... etc... nothing was ever ready to actually hit the field. it got to be a pain instead of a joy. So as I approached retirement, I started downsizing... and now I have a small group of rifles that get used a lot and are ready to go, with scopes zeroed and loads developed. Collecting is fun, but using is more fun... spend your money on experiences, not things. A piece of advice from someone who has been there and done that.

 

[Sabre]

People will say no such thing as too many, but that is not true. I have been a gun guy for more than half a century, but my first Win 94 when I was 10 with yardwork and paper route money. Since then I have owned in excess of a thousand guns... over two hundred in house at the same time... I spent all of my time managing that herd, swapping scopes and stocks and building and modifying etc... etc... nothing was ever ready to actually hit the field. it got to be a pain instead of a joy. So as I approached retirement, I started downsizing... and now I have a small group of rifles that get used a lot and are ready to go, with scopes zeroed and loads developed. Collecting is fun, but using is more fun... spend your money on experiences, not things. A piece of advice from someone who has been there and done that.

I am currently in the process of thinning the herd for a lot of these same reasons. I have done it before and the numbers always steadily climb back up. Then it's time to get rid of the ones that aren't getting used again.

 

[Franco]

With respect to, "Too many"; if we substitute, "Enough" - I have found that number is in direct proportion to women's shoes and purses. Using that standard also eliminates the need to answer, "Why do you need so many?", in fact, after 28 years of marriage that question no longer arises.

 

[Franco]

Follow on to the, "shoes and purses" standard; my wife saw my post and her response was, "Yes, but your guns cost more than my purses".
My response, "Try stopping an elephant with a purse". I'll be out in the shop for the remainder of today.

 

[MacJenkins]

Not exactly sure I know the number other than I passed a long time ago!

 

[cajunchefray]

Follow on to the, "shoes and purses" standard; my wife saw my post and her response was, "Yes, but your guns cost more than my purses".
My response, "Try stopping an elephant with a purse". I'll be out in the shop for the remainder of today.

Spoken as a man married 28 years ( me too). I can relate.

 

[WI-2021]

I won't answer for anyone else, they can do what they want. For me "too many" happens when the gun I just bought won't fit in the safe. At that point, I'll either sell one, find a way to squeeze it in, or completely reconfigure the safe (again). I made custom shelving and resorted to Rifle Rods years ago, so options to completely reconfigure it more efficiently are slim at this point.

I suppose buying another safe is always an option, but one that would probably be frowned upon by the other half.

 

[sgt_zim]

I’m sure most of you have had the pleasure of having a discussion on this topic with people who don’t use guns for hunting or sport. I certainly have. I’ve had it so often that I can anticipate most every angle that is presented.

However, I’ve never had a serious discussion on the topic with like-minded people.

I’m sure there are a range of reasonable answers and they may vary depending on where you’re from.

I know that in the United States gun owners generally subscribe to the notion of no limits, and this has also been my view to date.

But this may not be the view more broadly.

I am curious to hear well reasoned arguments for any limitations that you may believe should be in place.

I may or may not ultimately agree, but I would appreciate hearing well reasoned positions contrary to mine.

This certainly is an emotional topic in the United States, but my hope is that we can have a civil discussion here.

Therefore, to start it on a light note, I am posting the comedian Jim Jeffries view on gun ownership in the US:

That's the wrong question to ask.

"How many guns is too few?" is the appropriate question.

And the answer to that is "if you can remember all the guns you own off the top of your head, you don't have enough."

 

[Pondoro]

Its not all the firearms I own...but all that ammo I hoarded over the years..oh my..