Happiness Is a Warm Gun?

Anyone who knows me can attest that overall, my political views run to the left. I was president of the student labor union in college, have voted Democrat in every election except one (that will be the subject of another Irk!!) and have even travelled overseas and spent time working on a collective farm picking plums in what was then the Soviet Union.
So would you be surprised if I wanted to get my Firearm Owners Identification card?
Conservatives that I have known over the years often would comment when they learned of my liberal leanings.
"You're a Democrat?  You want to repeal the 2nd Amendment!"
Thanks for the sweeping generalization.  You hit the nail on the head there!
Seriously, though, I do not have a problem with people owning firearms.  And like any other issue, there are varying degrees.  My view is I can understand owning a gun for protection, and for sport hunting.  I question some people who feel the need to have an arsenal under the guide of being a "collector".  Personally I have a hard time rationalizing why anyone outside of the police or armed forces would need an assault weapon and armor-piercing bullets.
So my interest runs towards practical knowledge and the technology of firearms.  I don't want to start a collection.  I don't even hunt, thought I know plenty of people who do, and I can see the appeal.  Just like I know plenty of people who fish.  God bless them.  I do not have the patience for it.  I just want to gain a familiarity with guns, now that I have the means and the interest to access them.
So, over the years, I have acquired several friends who own guns, are smart about their use of guns, and make a strong argument for gun ownership and gun stewardship.  They enjoy guns in a controlled setting, keep them locked away safely, and make a point of passing their knowledge and safety practices on to their children.  In a word, responsible.
Does this mean I'll be a card-carrying member of the NRA and adopt every plank of their platform?  Hell no!  Just like I can't follow blindly any other political or social cause.  (Christ, I'm a Democrat that voted Blagojevich into office.  Look where that led!  Let that be a lesson!  That is a whole another Irks by itself.  Stupid hair helmet idiot.)
So weigh in on this one.  My application is being processed as we speak.  For $10 and a passport photo I'm on my way to gun ownership.  I'll be curious to see how this develops.