“It’s Just A Tool”

The Gun Thing

Every time someone says this about guns, I grit my teeth.  I know it’s usually said to placate some foaming gun-grabber, I see why someone might say that, but…

It isn’t just a fucking tool.

Oh sure, it has its uses in terms of household maintenance, e.g. removing goblin filth (okay, violent burglars), squirrels that infest your attic and so on.

But nobody does this to a screwdriver:

…or this to a ratchet set:

…and certainly not this to an anvil:

To take it even further, nobody field-strips, cleans and oils their impact drill after each use.

The nearest gun that I would describe as a “tool” would be something fugly and/or utilitarian, like this:

…or this:

But you’re never going to take a hammer and drive 500 nails into a 2×4 just for fun, although you would absolutely do something similar with one of these:

So don’t give me that “tool” nonsense.  Tools are used, but a gun can be loved.

Even if it hasn’t been engraved with anything more than its maker’s name or model.

Beautiful, innit?

6 comments

  1. I believe the Met had an exhibit on carved and engraved guns a number of years ago. How they got that many guns into NYFC would be an interesting exhibit in itself.

    I like seeing engraved firearms. I wish I could add one to my collection but that’s low on my list of acquisitions.

  2. I get the difference.

    My Browning Hi-Power is more than just a tool. It’s a work of art that has been a companion for over 40 years.

    However, using it in self defense would likely put it in an evidence locker for who knows how long, and replacing it is functionally too expensive for me these days, and you can’t replace a Belgian build Browning at any attainable price.

    So now my EDC is a Glock 17, a tool. Is gun, is shoot. And almost instantly replaceable at a reasonable price, new or used, at just about any Evil Merchant of Death in the area.

    My BHP is now my BBQ gun. Not engraved or anything fancy, just the understated elegance.

  3. I have a new Glock 45 MOS in 9mm. It was purchased 6 months ago just after the closest range was closed. Yesterday was the first time I shot it. It only took 5 shots to dial in the red dot. I shot 100 rounds through it and I had 4 stovepipe rounds. This is a new gun and this ammo works fine in the 1911 that is my primary range gun.

    When I shot my 1911 it reminded me that pistol skills are fleeting. It had been almost a year since I last shot the pistol. At 25 feet I no longer had a tight 4 inch bullet pattern as it had spread to a foot with a few flyers.

    1. My aesthetic sense has been warped by my decades of being an engineer. Yes, I’m a retired engineer now, but even having been an engineer once is like having malaria, you can be in remission but never cured. That engineeringly warped view says that I could easily love any tool that did me a major good. For example, if someone with evil intent noticed that any firearm printed through my shirt and changed his mind about his immediate course of action, I could absolutely love that firearm.

Comments are closed.