Just an open-ended question. Lots of folks here own weapons that probably saw service with Nazi Germany, fascist Spain, or Stalin's soldiers. I'm wondering whether and how people think about their own relationship to these weapons. These are not legacies I care to be a part of, despite my interest in the weapons themselves. To be clear, I'm not talking about owning *models* of gun used this way, but particular weapons that likely saw service before coming to me.
I've heard people say something like "well, the gun is just a tool" -- but this seems to be avoiding the question. I don't own other tools that killed innocent people, or took sons away from mothers simply because they wanted to protect their homeland and way of life. If you tried to sell me a knife that had been used in this way, I would look for a different knife. It's not that I feel some kind of guilt by association, so much as that I do not want to memorialize this past each time I use it.
So I'm curious how y'all think about this, if you do.
Edit, per my clarification below: Some of these answers are very interesting. Other folks seem very touchy about any question that they interpret to impugn guns! I'd like to clarify that this is not a "morality of guns" question, and not about whether all guns as such are evil. As others have acknowledged, you don't need to believe all guns are evil to be uncomfortable owning certain, particular guns. I'm not saying you ~should~ be uncomfortable owning certain guns either. I'm just asking if others have experienced this discomfort and if so, how they think about it; or if not, why not.
Let's flip this....Do you Own any "weapons"? Or a weapon that the origins / makers / factory /development has it's
roots in the weapons you are relating to?
I don't care who used them Nazi Germany, fascist Spain, or Stalin's soldiers., let's not forget, China, Putin, or others. That "gun"
doesn't go off by itself in the cases you present. Only if your Alec Baldwin. Cars Kill, Knives kill, Louisville Sluggers. anything
can do harm, it depends on what the intent is.
So with that "I don't own other tools that killed innocent people, or took sons away from mothers" Look no farther Than NYC
Chicago, L.A. People beat up / killed, with cars, hammers, pipe, screwdrivers, "sucker punched", knives, I think you get the point
Now on to my next question, "do you feel it's right to arm the IRS and for them to have Millions of rounds just to collect taxes"
Do you feel it's alright for a police dept. to come down your streets in MRAD's armed with military hardware.
Same with a government that runs guns and loses track of them and gets an agent killed
Think really hard on this one mentioned above, 87,000 new IRS agents, millions of rounds in ammo / new guns and a posting on
their website job posting "use deadly force if necessary" to be a new agent, how does that "sit" with you?
I'm not "touchy", love a good debate, but.... way to many variables to comment on.
Finally I was robbed by my ex's son long ago, they got caught, one shot himself
in the leg, got the guns back, do I care that a robber shot himself..NO, but what's
funny the parents of the kid that shot himself wanted to sue me...Priceless
My "weapons" are investments (90% of them), doing better than the stock market,
and my 401k
-Snoopz