Posted on 11/22/2005 9:19:56 AM PST by kiriath_jearim
How many guns is too many?
By Caitlyn Kelleher
Chris Tietgens owned 15 different guns by the time he was 15.
Now, at age 66, he has a room full of firearms as part of his personal collection.
The Leominster resident has firearms that date back to the early-1800s, firearms German soldiers used in World War II, original Winchester rifles and a pocket-pistol made in Fitchburg in the early-1900s.
Tietgens collects firearms, hunts and competes in target competitions.
"They represent a whole line of interests," he said. "It's not just a one-thing reason."
Tietgens does not understand why anyone would wonder why he owns so many guns.
"It's the view of the person that knows less and less about firearms," he said.
The ability of people to sit around and casually discuss firearms has disappeared during the last few years, said Tietgens.
His comments come two weeks after Templeton Police arrested Scott Tardiff, 37 , after he turned over 16 firearms, ammunition, and an expired license to police when they served him with a restraining order.
Tardiff was charged with firearm possession without an firearm identification card, possession of a large capacity firearm, improper storage of a firearm, and improper storage of a large capacity firearm.
Tardiff, a former Leominster resident, was arrested within yards of Baldwinville Elementary School.
This concerned many parents, who said they were upset by the fact that the guns were not locked away.
While not talking about this case, area hunters and gun collectors said it is not unusual for a person to have more than one gun.
Different guns are needed to hunt different types of animals, shoot different targets and collected.
Hiding their guns away
"I think the stigma is somewhat caused by the laws," said Jim Wallace, the executive director of the Gun Owners Action League in Northboro. "By law we have to hide our guns away."
State laws require all firearms to be "secured in a locked container or equipped with a tamper-resistant mechanical lock or other safety device, properly engaged so as to render such weapon inoperable by any person other than the owner or lawfully authorized used."
Wallace said he thinks many people have a false sense of security and believe it is someone else's job to "protect me and feed me."
And while state gun laws regulate the sale, the possession, the carrying and the types of guns a person can own, they don't regulate the number of weapons someone can own.
Gun owners, including Tietgens, say many of these law are confusing, poorly designed and cause more harm to legal gun owners than criminals.
"Laws don't always make sense, they don't cover all the what ifs," Tietgens said.
A person needs to have a firearms identification card in order to possess a license in the state.
The cards can be obtained through the local police department. Applications are available in local police departments and a person must submit proof they have completed a safety course.
Police can refuse to issue the cards if someone has been convicted a felony or a misdemeanor that carries a sentence of two years or more or have been confined for mental illness, drug addiction or habitual drunkenness.
Still, many law-abiding gunowners say criminals will find ways to get guns.
"There is no way you are going to stop the average crook from getting their hands (on guns)," Wallace said. "If you are not going to stop the illegal drugs and the gangs, you aren't going to stop the illegal gun use."
Philip A. Madonia, III, the president of the Fitchburg Sportsmen Club, is a hunter.
He said he owns more than one gun but would not specify how many.
The 50-year-old Fitchburg resident said it is important to teach people to respect firearms, both to control their use, but also to remove the stigma attached to owning guns.
"I think it is a misperception of how guns are used by sportsmen and why they are used," he said. "I got introduced to it as a Boy Scout on issues of safe handling and use."
Richard Freel of Clinton agrees older generations did a better job of teaching their children to respect firearms.
"I think that used be something handled by parents years ago," he said.
The Clinton man said he owns about 10 firearms, including shotguns, rifles and pistols, which he uses in competitions.
"I shoot holes in paper," he said describing his interest in guns. "The goal is shooting a perfect target."
The different weapons allow him to perfect his shooting, depending on a variety of factors.
"I am protecting your second amendment to keep and bear arms," Freel said. "I think our forefathers, who wrote our constitution, were wise."
Chris Tietgens has a nice collection.
"We got guns! They got guns! All God's chillun got guns!"
If you start losing track of them, you have too many.
How many pair of underwear is too many? You generally only wear one at a time...
LOL!
We jess gotta make shure ourn is bettern' thern!
You only "NEED" one gun :) (those are for fun)
But you should have as many "Weapons" as you want.
On the other hand, with 1 proper weapon (and a sh!t load of ammo) you could probably get by (but why just have one?)
That is an essential point.
It also happened in Australia and New Zealand.
The signficance is that the the gun confiscation laws were extreme and precipitous (they did not evolve, they happened all at once). The effect was that violent crime went up immediately and a lot.
The reason that this is so essential is that the gun control debate has never had such a clear, controlled experiment about the effects of gun control. The gun grabbers can argue all the theory they want, but there are now clear data about the real effects.
Yep i agree. Its non of there damm business how many guns me or my family owns. We have a lot of guns and a ton of ammo and there is always a gun readily available to defend life, liberty, and property.
A person never has too many guns. Each law abiding citizen should own at least 1 gun. However i recomend many many more than that. Like others have said- Buy as many as you can afford! Oh, and NEVER EVER register your guns with any gov't.
Anybody own a Model 70?? Any feed back on it?
Since Ted Kennedy's body guard was found to be in posession of one hand gun, 2 machine guns and 147 rounds. I think we found the number of just right guns.
Why would there be a special category for having and collecting guns?
Stalin once said "I won't let the people have the vote. Why would I let them have guns?"
Geez. I thought Maryland was bad.
X = SQRT("None of your damn business!")
Burt Gummer is my role model ;-).
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