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Comment by madengr | Hacker News Reader

Probably has more to do with age. 20 years ago retirement was 40 years away; now it's only 20, and have kids college to save for. Though I'm making 3x what I did 20 years ago, I'm a lot more frugal. Nothing impresses me anymore either. A used car is just fine. I don't need any more guns. I buy my clothes at Costco. Really nothing to spend money on, despite being in upper 5% income bracket.

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"I don't need any more guns."

Haha, that's not a phrase you often hear at a dinner table in Dublin :)

Well I didn't say I didn't "want" any more.

My grandmother lambasted that I only had 2 hands, and didn't need so many guns.

I only need more when some politician is trying to take them.

I only need more when some politician is trying to take them.

That sounds so strange from the other side of the Atlantic.

It sounds strange on this side of the Atlantic as well, and I own a few firearms myself.

Well Obama was the best gun salesman ever, so I'm not alone.

I'm sure it does, but there is a gun culture in the USA. You can go to a large gun store on a Friday night and just hang out and discuss guns. There will be 80 and 18 year olds there all chatting. Gun shows are not even about buying guns, it's a cultural gathering. When you attack guns you attack the culture, and there will be pushback. Same can be said for fox hunting, confederate flags, whaling, etc.

Having served and learned to use weapons in the military. With a hell of a lot of training both as a solider then as an instructor, being around civilians and watching how badly/unsafely so many of them use weapons, I always find myself slightly nervous. Though as military I would also same the same about police :)

Totally agree. The two NDs I have seen in classes are cops, but only 10% of cops are probably gun enthusiasts; teh rest just shoot the minimum required per month, which is probably 25 rounds. I had my NRA instructor certs years ago, but won't teach due to insurance costs. Then again, the chances of civilians using weapons defensively in public are pretty low, so it's really not a risk worrying about. Just don't go to public shooting ranges. The number of holes in the ceilings tell it all. I feel perfectly safe doing IDPA, etc. and shooting on private ranges and clubs.

I strongly recommend, at least once in your life, having a discussion or listening to gun enthusiasts. One on one. Not electronically.

As far as an anthropological opportunity there are none better.

Rarely does a subject rise to faith and rarely are discussions anything but binary. A rare opportunity i always enjoy with my gun friends.

How does having more guns make it harder for "them" to take the guns away? We're at the point that every neighborhood could arm a decent-sized militia anyway.

Easy, it makes it a tougher problem for "them" (note I wrote "politicians") since there are simply more guns. It also expands the industrial base. I estimate the AR15 industry alone is probably $1B; shutting down that alone won't go over well.

It's also just basic civil disobedience. If they want to ban encryption, you encrypt everything. If they want to ban guns, you buy more guns. If they want to ban pot, you have a smoke out on the capital grounds.

The $13 Costco jeans have a terrible fit .. but $13!

Car shopping these days is: "What can I pay cash for, and will likely last 3 years without unanticipated repairs?" A 10 year old Lexus is often still in it's prime.

Let me ask you this: would it not be a good way to spend $30 more for a good Levi's, that fit well and last at least twice as long, besides looking very good?

I don't expect to change your mind, just to present alternative views on utility and money. Personally, I love the fact that an excellent quality jeans (Calvin Klein) can be had for less than $100 in today's world. My point is that even luxury goods are not that unaffordable today, and maybe people should give more thought to their purchases than just the price.

Another example: I've been buying Hanes/Fruit of the Loom underwear all my life (I'm a guy). Recently I invested in luxury underwear. The difference is just staggering; the new ones are so much more comfortable and fit so snugly. I couldn't believe I had lived so much of my life in the discomfort of cheap underwear.

My wife has been buying these lightly used jeans on eBay for $15, the ones with all the crap studded onto the pockets. She says they cost +$150 new. I joke she can probably wear them out and sell them again for much more. I keep telling my kids to buy jeans, cut and tear holes in them, through on some bleach, and sell them 2x what they paid for them.

> Let me ask you this: would it not be a good way to spend $30 more for a good Levi's, that fit well and last at least twice as long, besides looking very good?

No. Levis are made on the same factory as Old Navy. A few of their lines are completely the same. Old Navy jeans can be had for $15/each in a store or $10 at discounters.

I don't understand this line of reasoning. Are you saying that they are basically the same jeans with different branding? If that's the case, then yes I agree with your statement. But if they're just made in the same "factory"... well Tesla makes both Model S and Model 3 in the "same factory".

Sure, but what's the big difference between the S and the 3, other than the insane mode (at +100k)? The S will cost 2x much for not much added features.

They are made on the same factory, using the same material. Top level levi's include a single magnetic anti-counterfit thread.

It is missing from the Old Navy ones. Buttons that are added are different.

That's the difference.

Meh, I don't even own a pair of jeans. Just don't like the way they feel. I just buy the Kirkland khaki styled pants for $20. Then 2XLT polos from J.C. Penny outlet for $6. Now I have no problems buying a couple of $40 Iron Maiden world tour shirts; go figure.

Recently bought a 2015 Nissan Leaf EV with 19k miles for $8,500. I though that was a good deal. Compared to the old Toyota truck, it's essentially free to drive and should have near zero maintenance.

> A 10 year old Lexus is often still in it's prime.

So is a 10 year old Toyota, which is a heckuva lot cheaper.

You're not wrong. But the local Toyota dealer's service department is .. bad.

I like the guns part :) Which ones do you have already?

Several AR, FAL, misc battle rifles and carbines, 1911s, shotguns, etc. Let's just say more than I have fingers and toes to count them. What I don't have is any east block guns, other than an old Mosin Nagant; I'd like a few good AK. Also a Fostech Origin 12, and maybe SCARs. The gun industry has grown so much over the last 20 years there is just too much to choose.

Don't worry, all securely in safes, except for the 1911 on my hip.

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