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A lot of guys have hobbies, a lot of guys are collectors. What we collect, or what our hobby is, can communicate a wealth of information about who we are.
I love action figures, in particular, 6” DC Multiverse & Star Wars action figures. I am constantly on the lookout for new and interesting ones to appear in each new wave. I don’t collect them because they are useful in any way other than to my personal delight in acquisition and display. I rarely remove them from the original packaging. I am that guy.
My son, who is still of an age where he might play with action figures has started, like myself, developing a collection of his own. It’s something we bond over. He has his favorites, typically Marvel Legends. He’s working on collecting the Spider-Verse so he can assemble Venom.
Now, as I’ve said, I think action figures are cool. I don’t collect them because they have any real use, I collect them because I like them. If someone broke into my home, they wouldn’t be useful in home defense. As a responsible collector, I keep them in their packaging. I don’t leave them lying around with my kids or their friends to have easy access. I can’t use them for acquiring food. Impractical to say the least. You may see where I’m going with this.
My hobby, collecting action figures, has no purpose other than my own entertainment. It’s not about The Constitution, my safety or feeding my family. It’s a hobby. I love them.
That’s it.
If you collect semi-automatic weapons, you are doing the exact same thing I am. For the exact same reason.
You think they’re cool, you love them. That’s it.
Only, I can’t kill a church full of people or 50 people at an outdoor concert with Grand Admiral Thrawn. And God forbid, my kid or one of his playmates can’t blow their heads off with a Justice League Aquaman, which I might leave lying around the house, or in my office.
My hobby wasn’t designed to kill anyone. Can you say the same?
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Photo Credit: Getty Images