Gun porn

[EstimatedProphet]

Repulsive, isn't it? I own guns, and I believe strongly that responsible ownership of guns is one of our blessings of liberty. But what I've never understood is the fetishism of guns. Case in point:

Today I saw on local TV an ad for a gun shop that made my skin crawl because of the way they presented the ad.
1) They focused almost exclusively on military-style rifles, as far as the rifles went. Lot's of AR-15s and similar styles - external magazines, plastic stocks, "militarized" looks. Not that I am opposed to them, they are just cosmetic differences when it comes right down to it but when that's about all they show it has an overall militaristic effect in the ad.
2) They were putting up 'bullet points' (pardon the pun) on the screen, and each one of them came with the sound of a gunshot and what looked like a bullet hole in the screen.
3) The capper, they close with a 20-something blonde female model proudly holding and working the slide on an AR-15 in front of her breasts!

The whole thing turns my stomach. The people that do that kind of crap, promoting guns not as tools or sports equipment but as sexy and exciting fetish objects have done more damage to the movement they espouse than anyone who wants to regulate guns in any way. It would be easier to ignore if it weren't so prevalent, but it seems too often that ad campaigns go for the porn aspect more than they do the useful aspect.

[Poll_Blind]

1. I know what you mean. It's sick. It sells a firearm with the promise....

...of enhanced virility. I can think of few things that hold the promise of trouble like mixing some half-cocked concept of virility and firearms.

I'm a gun owner too.

PB

[Kiouni]

2. sounds like the presenter was

over compensating...

[EstimatedProphet]

4. My thoughts too

And it does a disservice to the idea of gun ownership in the US to have people that mix up their masculinity with guns. Also, IMO those are the people that cause trouble.

[Bitwit1234]

3. MN lets you carry guns

but you never see any ads for them. And you see signs on malls, stores, hospital etc saying guns are not allowed inside. So I suppose some people have sense. Some places guns should not be allowed

[Wiley50]

5. Wanna See Gun Porn?

This is my gun:


I bought it 'cause it folds up, easy to fit on sailboat

This is my gun sexualized:












A Chorus Line:



Star Of The Show:



Sick Isn't it?
( photos courtesy of members of ktog.org)



Better?

[EstimatedProphet]

7. Put a model behind it fondling it and you'll really have gun porn!

[Renew Deal]

22. Here you go

[Warren DeMontague]

10. Yeah, to be perfectly honest

I like the last picture a lot more.

[Touchdown]

11. Damn! This is what I shoot with.

And without one of these, you can't see Miss Texas permanently without marrying her.:evilgrin:

[Wiley50]

12. I've Got a Nikon Too, and I love it

But some of the bad guys aren't scared of it

For them I need the Kel-Tec

[Porcupine]

6. And then the Cialis ad came on.........................

Reality's a bitch isnt' she?

[-..__...]

8. Was that ad for "Dons Guns"?

[EstimatedProphet]

9. Very possibly

I don't remember the name, but I know it was a local business.

On edit: no, it wasn't.

[silverojo]

13. They sell cars with the sex thing, too

It's perfectly asinine how they sell Hummers by implying that those gas-suckers will make you more macho, or take a photo of a sports car from a low angle while a woman stands in front of it, spreading her legs.

It's no surprise that this frat-boy mentality has spread to gun advertising, as well.

That said, I firmly defend people's right to bear arms. It's just there are always those idiots who have to abuse every right we have. :mad:

[EstimatedProphet]

14. Yeah

It's a manipulation of people's psyche that IMO is unfair

[EstimatedProphet]

15. A similar example

Flipping through the channels this morning, I saw a show on ESPN Outdoors called Get Wild With Cindy Garrison. It was exactly what I figured it would be - 20something blomde model type in outdoorish, often bizarre outfits going around the world doing 'extreme' hunting and fishing, where she gets down on the ground with the animals or in the water with the fish and wrestles them all before she kills them. Kinda like Croc Hunter but with emphasis on the breasts.

What gets me is that the Crocodile Hunter showed that outdoor action footage has a market, so why do they feel the need to sexualize it?

[TangoCharlie]

16. It got your attention, didn't it?

Would you have watched as closely if the rifle-holder was a middle-aged overweight guy? I'd guess not.

Sex sells.

Safety tip: cover up at the gun range. Hot brass is not comfortable on bare skin.

[EstimatedProphet]

17. It sells alright. It's still a manipulation

I don't care if it works or not, I still think it's a disservice to the people that own guns.

[Paladin]

18. Welcome To The Modern Shooting Sports Scene

If you'll check out our resident DU Gun Evangelists (don't worry, they'll be showing up on this thread before too much longer), you'll find that they all think hunting is icky, and that their gun collections consist of pistols, third-rate military surplus weapons, and assault-style rifles---firearms designed to kill people rather than game. It's all part of the relentless juvenile trend in shooting sports, which, coupled with the right wing's overwhelming co-option of the movement, are reasons I have found other ways to spend my leisure time......

[EstimatedProphet]

19. See, I don't mind owning military-style weapons

What I mind is fetishizing them. I believe they can be owned without turning them into a tool for a he-man bloodbath daydream.

We were just at Gander Mountain, and looking around in the firearms section, I saw yet another example of gross firearms pornification: they had a rifle for young girls, and it was pink.

[Paladin]

21. As I Never Tire Of Pointing Out.......

....a couple of generations ago, the shooting sports were represented by respectable types like Ernest Hemingway and Clark Gable. Nowadays, their most prominent representatives are.....Ted Nugent and Dick Cheney.

[EstimatedProphet]

23. Good point

And a rationale for not joining the NRA, too...

I really do think the NRA is doing more to ruin the 2nd amendment than anyone else. Maybe people wouldn't be afraid of guns in the hands of citizens, if the people that spoke up for them weren't raving evil bigoted hatemongers.

[michreject]

20. It sure is pretty though!

[-..__...]

27. But...

would "Ernst Hemingway" or "Clark Gable" approve of it?

:sarcasm:

[krispos42]

25. Gungeon checking in! :-)

The problem here is that the Guns forum is only about gun politics. Actual discussion of the uses of guns in a sporting environment, like hunting or target shooting, is done in the Outdoor Life Group, which is a pretty quiet place.

Gun politics centers around 'assault' weapons and handguns, so that's what the hot topics are are concentrated and discussed, often heatedly. In fact, gun users were recently able to help a nice lady buy her first rifle in the OLG. About 20 posts were made on the topic, and the user wound up using one of my suggestions.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=271&topic_id=1129&mesg_id=1129

[Paladin]

28. The Gungeon Can Be A Pretty Quiet Place, Too

I've noticed it goes for days without any new posts, sometimes. Guess it gets boring down there, with just you gun-centric types vigorously agreeing with one another.

And I don't for a minute believe that you pistols-and-assault rifles guys represent anything close to the majority of gun owners in this country---you're just the most vocal, radicalized and attention-hungry fringe, and you ought to be treated accordingly.....

[krispos42]

29. He he he... agreeing with each other

Ah, that's funny. I'll mention that to benEzra; that'll give him a laugh.

Well, what goes on down there is vigorous, I'll grant you that. Try out this thread.

And most people that own gun don't use them for hunting. The ratio of hunting licences to guns is something like 8 or 9 to one.

Regardless of that, even people who own guns ONLY for hunting generally get pretty cranky when people talk seriously about banning so-called 'assault weapons' because most of them feel that the anti-gun Democrats, after banning assault weapons, will be join forces with animal-rights activists to start taking away hunting weapons. Kind of like how pro-choice people get all fired up when the freepers decided to put a waiting period on abortions. Yanno?

[Ron Green]

24. This marketing makes perfect sense.

Sex, aggression and fear all operate in the same "lizard brain" area targeted by savvy marketers who skip over any appeal to reason, features, benefits, etc. and go directly to what makes people afraid of each other, themselves and reality itself: "You're not OK, so you need to copulate and kill, or at least think you can." The 18- to 35-year-old white male demographic seems particularly ripe for this message.

[mitchum]

26. That marketing works because their wallets are bigger than their cocks

[WVHillbilly]

31. Boy! You guys sure know how to attact a diverse electorate.

A little over-generalization, throw in a little racism and name calling, and Presto! High minded debate.

[Guaranteed]

30. Yup, they're selling the power. But the power involved should be humble.

It's not a glorious thing to exert that kind of will over someone.

[pinto]

32. Locked.

Sorry, but the thread's not appropriate. Thanks.