Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns How should I deal with an irrational gun hating family member?

I have a dilemma I'm not quite sure how to address. The wife's daughter's wife (I know, I don't like that either) has an absolute phobia about guns. Trouble is we plan to stay with them on our winter trip south. I shoot handguns and sporting clays with my Florida gun club, so I'm not about to leave my firearms home just to placate her. I've assured them that all guns will unloaded, locked in a hard case with a pad lock, chain and that pad locked to part of the car locked in the car. I even took a picture of it and sent it to them. Yesterday she suggested that I give my guns to a police friend of theirs, so that he can haul them around in his squad car. I'm not about to turn over thousands of dollars worth of guns to a complete stranger, cop or not. Suggestions welcome.

Bring something less scary,........

Don't 'stay with them', stay elsewhere.... Easy-peasy...

tell the dyke to pound sand, and send her a cook book so she knows what a womans role is

If I’m not wanted somewhere, I don’t go. You’re not wanted there. Gotta draw the line somewhere.

Screw it, do what you want to. Like gitem said, tell her to pound sand, but be nice and strategic about it. You are staying with them. Tell her that you're not breaking any laws and they'll stay in the car, not in their house. Then offer to take her to the range and you'll teach her how to shoot, or at least watch, so that she can be a little educated about her phobia. I know, nobody wants to take someone like that to a range, her head might explode. But even if she declines to go, she'll know that you're on the level and you're not a mass murderer.

Sometimes I wonder why I come here less and less...then something like this gets posted and I suddenly remember.

Yep.

It's not a bad idea to invite them to a range to shoot some.

Still.....no way I'd stay there. Even if someone says it's ok, if I know something's going to bother them, I'd prefer not to bother them. Hotels are everywhere.

MOST phobias are irrational, some can be 'overcome'. Take her to the range. It's not unusual for the ignorant to become completely enamored with firearms if they are introduced slowly, thoughtfully.

An absolute must to start out is MINIMIZE noise and recoil, once they realize they are in control and that guns are not 'evil beasts' move up................. let them decide how far.

My FIL put the first center fire rifle in my hands, taught me many things about guns and hunting. Curiously NONE of the women in his family knew a tinkers damn about weapons, and I don't think he EVER let them shoot, certainly not any kind of regular basis.

His daughter, my wife, while not ate up with it, does enjoy it, and gets a thrill just plinking.

She thinks the AR, that I just put together, and call 'hers', with a red dot sight is just 'cool' and can't wait to go shoot........... also likes 'her' MP 380 EZ....

Some almost wet their pants when they hit their first passing clay pigeon................

IMHO....

I agree with Stonecutter

You can always flip the tables later when she comes to your house. Tell her you don't like her type of lifestyle and could she please lock it in her cars trunk.....

I would just find somewhere else to stay. Their house their rules.

-Jake

If you must stay with them and you're okay with storing the guns locked in your car, why was it necessary to even bring this up? There's no point in trying to change her mind IMO, as she is clearly irrational. It's going to take more than just your one visit to straighten her out.

And why, BTW, would you want to stay with someone who's so irrational? My bet is you're gonna have other conflicts as well.

Where in FL???

I agree. People such as you described are hardwired with their belief and emotions. Usually the anti-gun phobias are instilled by the far left bias of liberals. Therefore, as Free Me stated, "My bet is you're gonna have other conflicts as well." I'd bet along with Free Me.

FWIW.

L.W.

Because he's cheap?

Um, their house, their rules.

Don't stay at their house and you don't have to abide by their rules.

A hotel or hotel parking lot to my way of thinking is way less secure than my locked up SUV in their driveway. The wife wants to interact with their kid and them. Given the choice, I'd drive right by because I don't much like them, but Nashville is half way and that's all the driving that I want to do before a layover.

That Jack Nicholson quote comes to mind when I think of these two relatives. Asked how he could think like a woman so well? He said that he thinks like a man and then removes all logic and reason. Bingo.

Other conflicts are a near guarantee. Been there and done that when they lived in Minneapolis.

I suspect they may be Democrats. Hasbeen

I was thinking there might be a chance to do some good in the manner of some of the characteristic suggestions here…then I got to the part about turning them over to a cop for safekeeping. There is no way in hell you can deal rationally with someone that incredibly irrational. If you go stay with them you need to have your head examined. If your wife doesn’t or won’t understand why you can’t stay at that funny farm, well…

so we should recognize and accept their immoral lifestyle? are you trying to say that as a whole, this country wasn't better during the age of don't ask don't tell?