site banner
PaperclipPerfector  1d ago (text post)   1417 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for April 26, 2026

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

2
Top Bottom Old Controversial Comments
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

Any European(or Australian, or Asian, etc) gun owners here? What's your experience of dealing with regulatory authorities- is it hostility, or general bureaucratic culture, or what?

To be clear, I am not asking for non-gun owning Europeans to post a link to wikipedia and explain how their system is superior, which is usually what clogs up such threads. I can read the wikipedia article on gun politics in the EU.

Sweden. Generally fairly relaxed. I got my hunting license in three days through a course and they guy who administered the test was the same guy who gave the course. He pretty much fed us the answers. I have sent in paperwork and gotten a yes on my 6 applications within a few weeks. The rules are wonky but following them strictly usually leads to consistent results. The main complaints are the nonsensical rules. But as long as I stick to them there are no problems.

What kind of guns are you allowed to buy? Just bolt-action hunting rifles or shotguns? Anything semi-auto?

Hey I went to a gun range yesterday and thought of you because they had full-auto stuff for rentals. I'll have to try it sometime and let you know how expensive it is.

For $10, they let me rent multiple pistols in the same caliber for an hour, though ammo was like $25 for 50 rounds. I rented a Ruger Security 9, a Sig P365 in .380, and a S&W Bodyguard 2.0. The P365 was the real winner, it shot just like a full size gun. Only issue I had was that the magazines were hard to load. The Ruger felt pretty cheap and I didn't like the sights. The Bodyguard was very tiny! However, similarly, the sights felt very bad, I couldn't hit very well with the shots I took. I like shooting .380, but from my experience yesterday, it appears I don't really have too much use for a pistol in that caliber since I can shoot 9mm just fine.

Hey, given how hard it'll be for me to visit the States, and how rare an occasion that would be, I'm willing to shell out for some... shells. While I'm happy to give handguns a try, do keep an eye open for anything intermediate caliber or larger! If I don't mag dump an AR-15 once, I don't think I've really lived. Thanks!

Well, many ranges won't let you shoot rifle calibers indoors. But some do. Whatever city you visit, search the gun ranges nearby to see if they will let you do so or not. At the one I was at, you could shoot an SMG, and maybe even a full auto SMG, which is probably fun in its own way. Good luck.

Thanks! Would they make an exception for frangible ammo or is it a blanket ban? Not that I particularly mind going out to a more rural range, shooting hogs from a helicopter is something I'll absolutely sign up for if I end up in Texas.

Almost every range has A Policy on ammo, and enforcement varies. Generally steel case ammunition is on the no no list, tracers are flat banned and will get you banned from that range, and some ranges don't like FMJ.

often it's that they don't allow FMJ ammo in rifles, and that is usually because it's hard to distinguish standard FMJ from some of the more exotic rounds with greatly-increased penetration, like rounds with a steel core or bronze solids. stronger backstops are more expensive, and shooting through the backstop would generally be a very bad thing for everyone involved.

What is this place?

This website is a place for people who want to move past shady thinking and test their ideas in a court of people who don't all share the same biases. Our goal is to optimize for light, not heat; this is a group effort, and all commentators are asked to do their part.

The weekly Culture War threads host the most controversial topics and are the most visible aspect of The Motte. However, many other topics are appropriate here. We encourage people to post anything related to science, politics, or philosophy; if in doubt, post!

Check out The Vault for an archive of old quality posts. You are encouraged to crosspost these elsewhere.


Why are you called The Motte?

A motte is a stone keep on a raised earthwork common in early medieval fortifications. More pertinently, it's an element in a rhetorical move called a "Motte-and-Bailey", originally identified by philosopher Nicholas Shackel. It describes the tendency in discourse for people to move from a controversial but high value claim to a defensible but less exciting one upon any resistance to the former. He likens this to the medieval fortification, where a desirable land (the bailey) is abandoned when in danger for the more easily defended motte. In Shackel's words, "The Motte represents the defensible but undesired propositions to which one retreats when hard pressed."

On The Motte, always attempt to remain inside your defensible territory, even if you are not being pressed.


New post guidelines

If you're posting something that isn't related to the culture war, we encourage you to post a thread for it. A submission statement is highly appreciated, but isn't necessary for text posts or links to largely-text posts such as blogs or news articles; if we're unsure of the value of your post, we might remove it until you add a submission statement. A submission statement is required for non-text sources (videos, podcasts, images).

Culture war posts go in the culture war thread; all links must either include a submission statement or significant commentary. Bare links without those will be removed.

If in doubt, please post it!


Rules


Recommended Posts And Communities

Recommended Realtime Chats