You’re chatting with a new guy and you get that surge of butterflies. But wait—does that mean you’re already falling for him in a big way, or are you just nervous because he keeps bragging about his large at-home gun collection? These could be the flutters of love at first sight, or the adrenaline rush of fearing for your own bodily safety. Here’s how to tell which one is for real:
When your stomach turns at the sight of his smile, is he describing his guns?
Sometimes your belly will do flip-flops when you see that charming smile appear on his face, making you giddy about a possibly future with him. But if the man in question is smiling about how he “owns more guns than the local police department,” you may be feeling nauseous about the question of why he owns quite so many guns. What is he planning on doing with them, seeing as he is not a hunter and does not work in law enforcement? The possibilities are singularly terrifying. If the guy is describing his home armory with creepy glee, run away. There are no heroes in the dating scene.
Is the gleam in his eye related to his feelings for you, or his feelings for guns?
If the guy seems really taken with you and happy about having you in his presence, then great! If he seems happy about how many guns he owns, the feeling of power, and the overcompensating sense of masculinity he gets from owning an arsenal of killing machines, than this may not be the guy for you, especially if you are not into cohabitating with a collection of deadly weapons.
Are you currently imagining a future together, one that doesn’t involve a gruesome death?
Maybe you’re buzzing with imagined scenarios of the two of you spending more time together in the future. If those scenarios are loving, romantic, and involve lots of hand-holding then great—you’re into this guy! But if every scenario you picture involves him pointing a gun at you or anyone else who has wronged him in any way, then this is just a reasonable and palpable fear of the possible deaths that could result from associating yourself with someone who gets a thrill from owning a variety of death machines that serve no practical purpose. Don’t let your feelings fool you! Drop down to the ground, combat-crawl to a new apartment, and pray he doesn’t feel slighted. Breaking up is hard to do, especially when you’re not yet dating and he has tons of guns!
It can be easy to confuse signals when you meet a potential mate, especially when the conversation is filled with gun talk. Consider the possibilities above when ascertaining whether you’re nervously into a guy, or nervously scared about the possibility of becoming a statistic. And remember: When you know (he has a ton of guns), you know (he has a ton of guns)!
