The Michael Bane Blog: Gun Culture Ver. 2.0 in HUMAN EVENTS

Monday, September 24, 2012

Gun Culture Ver. 2.0 in HUMAN EVENTS

Written by my friend Richard Johnson:

Instead of the image of the white male father dressed in flannel taking his son off to the woods for the traditional deer hunt, the new image of gun ownership is much broader and more diverse. The members of the 2.0 gun culture are more likely to own an AR15 with a suppressor than a Winchester Model 70. And, you can rest assured that a new gen gun owner is likely to be carrying a Glock or KelTec when you run into them at the local coffee shop.

11 comments:

Moosejaw said...: sheeesh....
first let me say that I am NOT A ZUMBO.

I believe everyone should own as many M4s/ARs/M16s as they can cram into their safes...

but

I do not like them...I do like military guns...have a brace of Garands a nice inland carbine...a sweet original 1944 remington-rand...an 03A3....and a representative 1884 Trapdoor springfield that someone bobbed and I bobbed even more to make it shootable...

I do not like the AR...just dont....
no appologies....; 7:52 AM
nj_larry said...: How bizarre does this society have to be for folks to realize that it is broken? This young lady (I assume it is a lady) is on the outer fringe of the societal curve. Am I supposed to jump up and down that she is now a gun owner? I wouldn't associate with her in a million years. I would not want my children to associate with such a person. Her self mutilation is a window into her mind and thinking.

Am I supposed to be excited that some gangsta rapper owns guns? That some multi-indicted thug athlete owns guns? That some left wing communist owns guns? If so, I guess I don't want to be part of the "new" gun culture.

Folks make a big deal about the single issue voter. How the only thing important to them is the 2A. Well the rest of society is rotting away. Pity for America.; 8:14 AM
ExurbanKevin said...: VERY happy to see the idea of "Gun Culture 2.0" bubble up into the mainstream, and may it soon kill of the idea of a "sporting purpose" altogether.

What's missing, though, is an easy means to get old farts like me into Gun Culture 1.0. I didn't grow up hunting, I got into guns in my early middle age, so there's not the easy path of "just do it like I taught ya, son" that others had. We have youth hunting camps o'plenty: When will see adult hunting camps?

And as for how that lady looks? She'll regret it 30 years from now, just as I regret my mullet and Members Only jackets. Trends have a way of self-correcting themselves...; 9:04 AM
Michael Bane said...: Gosh guys...to a large extend market "drivers" are what they are whether you like them or not. The AR is the most potent market driver we've seen since the rebirth of the 1911 in the late 1970s/early 1980s. The 3 primary drivers I see right now are the AR, CCW handguns (especially small semi autos) and the training/competition community. This represents a sea change from as recently as 5 years back.

I look at it as a Gun Culture analogy of Ronald Reagan's "Big Tent." I would like as many people under that tent as possible. I accept that a goodly portion of the people under that tent don't necessarily share all of my views.

And Larry, I've said this before here and in public interviews...a politician's views on guns, the 2A and gun control tell me all I need to know about that person politically and personally.

mb; 10:18 AM
Chris M said...: While the particular model used may be a bit shocking, the graphic effect of the tats combined with the camo stock does make for a neat photo.

I find myself agreeing with the rest of the article. According to my local sheriff, ere in my home county roughly 7.5% to 8% of the eligible population has a CCW permit with the number growing monthly. When CCW first became a legal option in 2004 about 25% of the applicants were women. Today, my sheriff says, about 50% are women.

But that choice of carry weapon must be regional. Here, the favorite choices are about equally divided between Glocks, Springfields, Kahrs, KelTecs, and S&W M&Ps. Women seem to especially like that Smith & Wesson, perhaps because of the adjustable backstrap.

The important thing is that as gun ownership increases the sense of self reliance and self sufficiency also increases. That's what really irks the gun ban socialist crowd.; 10:56 AM
Anonymous said...: "And Larry, I've said this before here and in public interviews...a politician's views on guns, the 2A and gun control tell me all I need to know about that person politically and personally.

mb"

I agree with what MB has to say, but I will do double to this statement. It has been the same for me as well.

-Bidah; 11:56 AM
Exurbankevin said...: I look at it as a Gun Culture analogy of Ronald Reagan's "Big Tent." I would like as many people under that tent as possible. I accept that a goodly portion of the people under that tent don't necessarily share all of my views.

Ab-so-friggin-lute-ly. This isn't about one culture supplanting another, it's about both growing and thriving and learning from each other. All those AR's could easily be used for hogs or coyotes as they could for 3 gun, and at the last AZ Predator Callers meeting I went to, there were a number of people open carrying. It's not Gun Culture 1.0 or 2.0, it's both.; 1:09 PM
DamDoc said...: Gosh.. I own four ARs, an AK, an M1A, two 1911, a mauser, a p226.. all things military tickle me.. I want a Garand, Baretta M9, and if i can get one, a gernade launcher and a Bradley tank... How can you hate the AR?.. maybe the one circa vietnam, but guess what!.. they have been improved now.. 1 in 7 twist and heavier bullets are hard to beat.. I am gun culture 2.0with ccw in maine, nh, Utah... sorry if you dont like me in your midst, but shove over.. Im coming in, like it or not.; 7:46 PM
Moosejaw said...: I am not in the industry therefore I do not concern myself with market drivers etc. I suppose it is a good thing for the 2nd Amendment that there are a lot of new shooters buying new guns.

there are so many pristine older guns out there, I rarely buy new.
when my youngest was ready for a deer rifle, I found a semi collectable model 94 from 1952 that a club member was selling, for him...now that is a quality present, that could not be beaten for close brush country deer by a new 'bushmaster' etc. Just my opinion and we all know what opinions are like....; 4:59 AM
Haji said...: Interesting that apparently none of the people who've commented on this article know who that is in the photo. She's deeper in the industry than most realize. That's Rachel who works in marketing and advertising at AAC.; 7:40 PM
Richard Johnson said...: Michael,

Thanks for sharing my article. It is pretty amazing some of the feedback I have gotten on it. I even got one e-mail from a gentleman who took his 14 year old daughter to the NRA meetings this year and had a VP from a major gun company ask why he would even bring his daughter to look at their rifles.

Like any shift in the market, some will survive, a few will thrive and some will fail.

And the young woman pictured in my article is indeed the incredibly intelligent and engaging Rachel from AAC. I daresay she knows more about welding a suppressor or threading a barrel than many of us put together.

-Richard; 10:23 PM