I've heard of the phrase "gun porn," but this is about as close to a "dear, Penthouse, I never thought it would happen to me, but..." letter as I've ever seen regarding firearms. ;-)

Do other gun owners act like this?

Well, duhhhh...

Sure, I bring one or two of my guns out when I watch TV in the evening. I like to think that the handling of the weapons, the dry firing at the bad guys on TV, and the practice reloads helps my skill as a gunman.

I also like to tell myself this over and over so that I can get to bed at night.

Ummm... Tokerav.... Ummm... K31... Ummm... USP in .45 double Ummm...

yea cleaning and dry fire practice are always high on my agenda.

I actually have a couple of guns that I have put off cleaning until I feel like I need a good dose of gunny goodness (which might be today, since I missed going to the range like I had planned). I wish I still had the .22 I had when I was 14, but it was stolen several years ago. Sigh.

So...was it good for you? I'm enjoying a cigarette( and I don't even smoke. Maybe next time you can invite the cats and it would be a menage a trois of sorts. Loved your post..Deb

Jeff,
I think this is a gender thing; I've known guys who own & use tools (hammers, wrenches, etc.) who will handle them with a certain relish in the feel of the tool. Knives often evoke this, as well as guns. It is almost exclusively a 'guy thing'. I don't know what it means, but think it has to do with the ability to make or break something - a sense of power. And anyway, there is a certain beauty in the way a piece of steel is shaped by someone's thoughts into a tool that allows you to act, to do something.

Haven't fondled them today, but it does happen. You've reminded me of my father, at one time a camper/fisherman. I once walked home from school to find a large tent in our living room. Dad had purchased one of the first ones made with the external tension poles, and had set it up in the house. He was sitting inside with his knife collection, turning and admiring them, quietly enjoying the craftsmanship, and yes, polishing away any stray fingerprints. It was great having a father so at ease with himself that he could erect a tent in the house and "play" with his knives. Luckily my wife recognizes that I have some of my father in me, so when I "play" she understands.

Hmmm. 3 long, 5 hand.
Mine:
Remington .22 bolt - Christmas present, age 12
Savage 110 .30-'06 - low cost, big 'bang'
Remington 870 pump - get off on the 'snick-snick'
1911 .45 - grandfather's WWI service sidearm
Ruger Bobcat .22 - 'how it works'; practice, practice, practice
Taurus .38 titanium - light, powerful carry
CZ 70 .32 (metric equivalent) - grad present for daughter.
Walther .22 auto - smooth & sweet

Today I fondled my nickeled Model 29 while watching History Channel's "Gunslingers".

Range opens at 10am tomorrow morning. Saddle up...

Duuude! Three long guns and five handguns?!?!?!?

That's barely what I've got in my CLOSET... :)

Seriously, I know EXACTLY what you mean. When I got my Smith & Wesson Model 17 for Buy A Gun Day this year, I polished it every night running for three weeks (ask Bruce at mASSBACKWARDS; the bluing on that gun is mesmerizing...)

So, if nobody reads on the weekend, does that make me a nobody???

I actually handled five guns today, and really fondled one... my K31.

I still only have the one .45. And even though visions of "sugar plums" (IE, the dozen other bangsticks I want) dance in my head, I still get that heart hiccup every time I pop open the safe and see those rosewood grips. The Kimber will always be first.

Fondling? Not so much. Those high-polish slabsides mixed with my aversion to fingerprints mean I handle sparingly. Still, the specialness hasn't worn off at all.

Hey, I linked to this post over on 802 Online.

I believe in the 2nd amendment, but I think you better take another look at which side of the aisle is becoming fascist.

To-May-Toe, Tom-ahh-toe there, Mikey. I think Jeff's point was about totalitarianism in all its forms. If we look at the body counts of recent historical events, Communism (extreme left) has claimed many times more victims than Fascism (extreme right). We all have been programmed to see the Third Reich as the embodiment of pure evil, which it was, but it's not the only one. Not even in its heyday. There, but for the glory of liberty endowed in its most physical form as the second amendment, goes America. At least the Third Reich is, for all intents and purposes, dead and gone. All the while, many of the most evil regimes which have ever walked the Earth still fly the flag of Communism.

Point is, we all play with our guns. Usually, when alone in front of the TV, personally. It's one of the best parts of having them. Having an era specific piece to match the movie you're watching is one of the best ways to enhance the experience.

You don't fear the cops having guns? He didn't use a Fascist example, he used the left.

I fought commies in 1966-67 in Nam but I see the police in the great state of Vermont as a bigger threat.

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Nope. I never fondle them. I get pleasure out of accomplishing things with them. A 3" group at 500 yards. Winning an IPSC match with my pistol. The reassurance of the lump on my hip when a half-dozen hard-faced, young punks with tatoos came into Taco Time while my wife, kids, and I were eating (we didn't finish eating--it made the hair stand up on the back of all our necks and we left).

But I'm not a collector. I don't think about guns in terms of beauty. I think in terms of functionality to accomplish different tasks.