Gun collecting friend who is afraid of chainsaws

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I have a friend whom I've known for 15+ years, and he's an avid shooter, gun sportsman, and all around collector, yet, he has a horrible phobia of chainsaws. At a young age, he watched his uncle get severely injured while he was cutting a dead tree down in his front yard, and a chainsaw was involved, and even to this day, as a grown man, he can't be anywhere near them. Hell, he can't even look at them in hardware stores. It's that bad.

And the real kicker is this is a guy who teaches firearms safety classes and helps people get over their fear of firearms.

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People have irrational fears. It's just the way it is.

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Phobias are treated by gradual exposure with nobody getting hurt. It induces a memory process called "extinction" that eventually results in the irrational fear disappearing. In order to treat your friend, the best way to start would be by going to the hardware store and looking at chainsaws. After a while, have him pick one up, get familiar with its workings. Eventually, get to the "cut a log with it" point.

It takes a while, but it's the same thing you do to de-phobicize (now I'm just making words up ) someone with firearms.

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Yeah, it's honestly pretty bad. He was saying that his neighbor was having a tree service company cut down some trees and he had to go inside his house and leave his deck, because he feared that someone was going to get maimed or something. He really needs some therapy when it comes to that.

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A chainsaw is capable of doing as much damage in the hands of the careless or unskilled as a pistol is. A man's gotta know his limitations (that's what Clint said so it must be true).

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I wonder what he would think of this little number...

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GoldCoaster wrote:

A chainsaw is capable of doing as much damage in the hands of the careless or unskilled as a pistol is. A man's gotta know his limitations (that's what Clint said so it must be true).

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Chainsaw 1

Guns 0


I've got a small scar on my left arm that is a reminder that even a small electric chainsaw can be dangerous when handled stupidly. Fortunately, it was slowed by my gloves, flannel shirt and watch, and just barely got me.

No gun related injuries.

Not afraid of either one.

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I would bet that chainsaws injure more Americans than guns do each year. I know of 3 injuries that happened in the last year. My brother in law had a kick back and nearly cut his leg off. He only lived because his wife was in the front yard and she heard him yell out when it happened. A guy was falling a tree for a fire while on a four wheeler ride with a big group of us. The top of the tree broke off and "speared" him. Fortunately, it missed his head, went down the side of his body, and through his foot. We rode him out on the back of someones machine and drove him in. He is ok now. Last year the tree service doing the neighbors tree had an accident too. A guy on the ground walked under the guy cutting up in the tree. A huge branch landed on him and he was really messed up. He had some definate head injuries, and could not stand or walk on his own. They took him to the hospital and when they returned several days later to finish the job he was not with them.

Chainsaws are nasty, and the use of them is inherently dangerous. Much more dangerous than people think.

Weaz

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I agree with the last post. I wonder what the numbers are... I had a friend that was walking with one, tripping over a log and when he landed, his finger started the saw and cut into his face and nose. He still has the scars 20 years later...

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Little Weaz wrote:

I would bet that chainsaws injure more Americans than guns do each year. ...
Weaz

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According to the CDC:

"Each year, approximately 36,000 people are treated in hospital emergency departments for injuries from using chain saws. "

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ak56 wrote:

Little Weaz wrote:

I would bet that chainsaws injure more Americans than guns do each year. ...
Weaz

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According to the CDC:

"Each year, approximately 36,000 people are treated in hospital emergency departments for injuries from using chain saws. "

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If accidental gun injuries are compared to accidents with chainsaws, chainsaws are far more dangerous. I can't think of one suicide by chainsaw and very few assaults. Shopping carts are also much more dangerous.

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NotSteve wrote:

ak56 wrote:

Little Weaz wrote:

I would bet that chainsaws injure more Americans than guns do each year. ...
Weaz

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According to the CDC:

"Each year, approximately 36,000 people are treated in hospital emergency departments for injuries from using chain saws. "

Click to expand...

If accidental gun injuries are compared to accidents with chainsaws, chainsaws are far more dangerous. I can't think of one suicide by chainsaw and very few assaults. Shopping carts are also much more dangerous.

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that's because most who commit some kind of assault or homicide use a firearm because it's quick and easy. Only sick and demented people would use something like a chainsaw in an assault. Plus a chainsaw is not something that is logical to conceal around.

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Little Weaz wrote:

Chainsaws are nasty, and the use of them is inherently dangerous.  Much more dangerous than people think.

Weaz

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Me and another guy were working up some rounds w/saws. Using the forks on a 'Hoe like a sawhorse buckin' them up at a good clip. This kid "who knew everthang" got a little too close to me and my saw. I had to bebop away from his saw and as I did so my bar brushed across my leg between upper thigh and my left knee. This particular saw always idled with chain moving not with chain stopped. Luckily for me I was wearing my Kevlar saw chaps. The Kevlar seized up the chain and took the hit NOT ME.
IMMEDIATELY after that I had our resident mechanic Dennis adjust the idle speed DOWN. I never got within 30 feet of that kid again with a chainsaw in his hands.
Moral of this story: Keep away from idiots when running a chainsaw.

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V8 Chainsaw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvAI7-Qa2Io

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CHAINSAW FTW!

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Bader wrote:

I have a friend whom I've known for 15+ years, and he's an avid shooter, gun sportsman, and all around collector, yet, he has a horrible phobia of chainsaws. At a young age, he watched his uncle get severely injured while he was cutting a dead tree down in his front yard, and a chainsaw was involved, and even to this day, as a grown man, he can't be anywhere near them. Hell, he can't even look at them in hardware stores. It's that bad.

And the real kicker is this is a guy who teaches firearms safety classes and helps people get over their fear of firearms.

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Hell I fear spiders, sneaky devil bastards, but I digress, having a fear of chainsaws although uncommon Kanalineophobia seems to be growing.