Poll: Who else literally grew up with firearms?

[dinky450]

I

 

[Kf338]

I don't know anything else besides guns it's my hobby

 

[orygun]

My dad would slap our hand for pointing our fingers in the shape of a gun at someone.

Geeze, my mom would cut sponges in the shape of a handgun for me to play with. We called them Sponge guns.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Growing up...I was told to not point my toy guns / cap guns at others....Squirt guns sure...but not toy / cap guns.

I remember getting a BB rifle one summer....
Dad went over safety rules as well as what / when and where I could shoot at / with it.

We had a nice hill in our back yard which served as a back stop....many a tin can and plastic army man served as a target.

I was taught the value of life and that I now had the power of life and death when I was shooting...the only living things I could shoot were starlings as they were invasive and a "pest" bird that stole nests and such from native birds.

Shooting the BB rifle one day ....Mr. Robin lands on a fence post.....
For whatever reason...I took aim , and shot the robin.
I re-load and walk on up the dead robin....

I "see" my dad's shadow behind me...and hear him state :
"Nice shot...and glad to see that you re-loaded before walking up to the bird."
He then asks : "What are our rules about shooting live things ?"
"Not to...unless I am in danger or am going to eat it" , says I.
"Were you in danger from that robin ?" he asks...
"No." I say....
"Enjoy your lunch", was his reply.
I did not enjoy the cleaning of , the cooking of or the taste of robin.....

I also could not shoot that gun ( or any gun ) for a month...I couldn't go to the gun show that dad went to the next weekend...or read about / talk about / or watch any movie that had guns in it....
Dad said I "Broke the trust of the gun. "
That was looooog thoughtful month of re-thinking what and how I do things with guns.
Andy

 

[rdb241]

LOL.....before I could walk

 

[fredoesway]

one of the best hunters i knew only had one eye, his brother shot out the other one with BB gun, he was one of my dads best friend and hunting partners. back in the good old days... 60's.

 

[Trask55]

Yup, first gun was a single shot breech load 12 gauge shotgun my dad bought me sometime in grade school. Grew up in Forest Grove Oregon on the edge of town so it was a short walk to farm land and hours of hunting. Got my first pheasant, quail, mallard, Canadian goose and wild pigeon with that shotgun and still have it 50+ years later. Sure do miss those days.

 

[whiskeybill]

Grew up in Montana and guns / hunting were a way of life. I really didn't know anyone that didn't have at least one of some kind. Dad always took me out shooting rabbits on weekends to start, and I still have that old Remington 512 Sportmaster (and a few of my dads other old rifles). Going to college in the early '70's it wasn't unusual to see guys walking through the student union with hunting rifles in the fall. High school on Friday afternoons during hunting season, pick-ups all had rifles in them, and even teachers would come out to discuss hunting and rifles in the school parking lot. And no one freaked out.

 

[Alexx1401]

Grew up in Montana and guns / hunting were a way of life. I really didn't know anyone that didn't have at least one of some kind. Dad always took me out shooting rabbits on weekends to start, and I still have that old Remington 512 Sportmaster (and a few of my dads other old rifles). Going to college in the early '70's it wasn't unusual to see guys walking through the student union with hunting rifles in the fall. High school on Friday afternoons during hunting season, pick-ups all had rifles in them, and even teachers would come out to discuss hunting and rifles in the school parking lot. And no one freaked out.

Isn't it just amazing that no one shot anyone with those guns? The grabbers never want to talk about that and the "what the hell happened" here.

 

[voodoo71349]

I was born and raised on a small horse outfit outside of Moscow, ID. My biological dad was a writer for Field & Stream, owned a chain of gun shops in the region, and was a Marine sniper. Stepdad was a rancher, then a cop, then FBI, then Chief of Police.

I got my first .22 at age 10 and was let loose in the Idaho woods alone with my trusty firearm. By age 13, I was riding horseback 50 miles a day in the mountains with a .22 Ruger Single-Six on my hip, alone, and would camp out in the woods occasionally.

I don't remember ever not knowing about guns or having one handy.

Seems a lot of folks these days grew up without firearms and got into them later in life.

I admit to sometimes not understanding their perspectives or issues with firearms and being a bit insensitive about certain subjects with folks like that.

Just wondering who else here had a proper upbringing like New to the group and man, can I relate. Grew up in Winston County, Mississippi, way back in the woods. At eleven years old I was roaming the Tallehaga swamp, armed with a Stevens Model 15-A and a handful of .22 shorts. Back then, if you didn't catch it, kill it or grow it, you didn't eat. At 13 years of age, I got a Remington 552 Speedmaster, a fine rifle it was until I actually wore the rifling out. Nowadays, it's a Ruger 10/22, and about 25 more rifles, pistols, revolvers and shotguns of various calibers and gauge . I feel being introduced to firearms at an early age, along with gun safety, maintenance and respect for what it can do makes a real difference as we grow older. Seeing those 'city' hunters shooting every squirrel nest they see or a hunter sitting in a deer stand drinking alcoholic beverages makes me glad I'm not like them, and a little fearful about hunting lands open to the public. Wearing all kinds of orange and having a broadhead imbed itself into a tree about 6" from your head gives one a whole new perspective on just who is hunting the same set of woods. Not at all like coming upon a black bear, a herd of Russian boar or a buck in rut that's just looking for love. Teach them young and teach them well and they will grow to be a responsible gun owner, not some paranoid gun phobic trying to instill their fears into anyone who would listen. So to all my brothers-in-arms who hunt, or just carry, watch your bubblegum.

 

[lucky guy]

When my mother passed I got my "baby book". My two year old christmas entry was I got a pair of six shooters w/holsters and spent the next week drawing on and shooting everybody. I didn't get a real rifle until 10, a Rem 514. Before that I had bb guns. My first game bird when I was 8 or 9 was a quail with a sling shot throwing 25 cal steel balls. Might still be my best ever wing shot. lol

I also had uncles and older brothers that all shot so guns were always around. I remember one uncle coming in one day with his new Winchester chambered in the "new" 308 cartridge, they all seemed to have Pythons. I've mentioned before but I'd also get model gun kits for Christmas and bdays. I remember the Savage 99 and Win 100, seems like there were a couple others along the way. it was a fun time.

 

[NobullSKS]

I didn't, my parents were against weapons in a way. Had a weird Nieghbor guy buy me a pellet gun around 9 years old. Tried to hide it in the house but I wasn't good at hiding stuff at that age, the mom found it real quick. But anyway; I started a family with a wife who respects and appreciates firearms. So our entire family will respect them.
Including my children….. hence the thought to share my daughters' first range day at 7 years old…… she shot better than I could have expected. We've shot BB guns in backyard for a year or so at home but Renton Fish and Game club hosts a kids day once a month during the summer. I appreciated the fact that the Range Safety officers there were actual instructors, and honestly I was relieved that they took the initial first shot steps with her. So that they felt comfortable with her shooting there the first time. I'd say she shot 90% missing roughly 15 out of 200 rnds…… mostly at 25 yards but I moved her over to 50. Given these were decent scoped rifles (.22lr) but still I was proud. Hopefully it helps her with focusing. The young boy is right behind her but still just fascinated with Eddie Eagle.

 

[chukar]

I guess I would qualify. I received a BB/pellet air rifle at probably age 8. I killed Starlings and carrots perfecting my skills as a junior marksman. My father didn't beat into my head the basic safety fundamentals. I graduated to a 10/22 around age ten or so. Still unsafe with a firearm. Always had access to firearms in a variety of delivery devices and calibers. Then I went into the suck. A wide variety of firearms and probably better safety training (Sorry about that Dad)... SMAW anyone?

 

[It-That]

Didnt grow up shooting, was in my mid teens before I got taken to a ratty range in north nj... But when I was little .. my dad sat me down with an oily leather rag in a grocery bag in his lap and he started the serious talk.
He unwrapped the leather and put a Dan Wesson 357 on the bed next to him. I think he just got it back after giving it to a friend to hold onto after a long fit of depression. He told me it's gun and it's his gun, and it's going to be in the house with us, but he didn't want me to find it alone or by accident.
He wanted me to know what it was if I found it.
He wanted me to know it's dangerous.
He pressed the switch that swung the cylinder over and showed the empty chambers and told me this is where bullets go.
He had me pick it up and get get any curiosity out of my system I guess. Never saw it again until many years later when I figured out how to work my way up my closet wall and get into the attic covertly. Found it by accident but I made sure it was empty, tried to hold it up steady, couldn't, and put it back. Then I went to look for more avionic stuff up there.

 

[3putts]

Grew up in Montana and guns / hunting were a way of life. I really didn't know anyone that didn't have at least one of some kind. Dad always took me out shooting rabbits on weekends to start, and I still have that old Remington 512 Sportmaster (and a few of my dads other old rifles). Going to college in the early '70's it wasn't unusual to see guys walking through the student union with hunting rifles in the fall. High school on Friday afternoons during hunting season, pick-ups all had rifles in them, and even teachers would come out to discuss hunting and rifles in the school parking lot. And no one freaked out.

We never brought our guns into school in Toledo Oregon, but would have them in our cars during deer season. Had a couple of successful hunts after school. Good times!

 

[Mikej]

Didnt grow up shooting, was in my mid teens before I got taken to a ratty range in north nj... But when I was little .. my dad sat me down with an oily leather rag in a grocery bag in his lap and he started the serious talk.
He unwrapped the leather and put a Dan Wesson 357 on the bed next to him. I think he just got it back after giving it to a friend to hold onto after a long fit of depression. He told me it's gun and it's his gun, and it's going to be in the house with us, but he didn't want me to find it alone or by accident.
He wanted me to know what it was if I found it.
He wanted me to know it's dangerous.
He pressed the switch that swung the cylinder over and showed the empty chambers and told me this is where bullets go.
He had me pick it up and get get any curiosity out of my system I guess. Never saw it again until many years later when I figured out how to work my way up my closet wall and get into the attic covertly. Found it by accident but I made sure it was empty, tried to hold it up steady, couldn't, and put it back. Then I went to look for more avionic stuff up there.

This ^^ is interesting. Somewhat similar to guns in the home I grew up in. But different. I don't know at what age, but dads old guns had been hung up on nails pounded into the mortar of the brick fireplace in the basement. And also 3 more on the covered heat duct near the ceiling next to the fireplace. I don't recall dad ever telling me much about them. He also had some metal cabinets in his basement shop where he had his step dads S&W pre M 15 used by him as a policeman in the L.A. area. And a couple real old pistols. The rifles hanging on nails were mid 1800s to early 1900s and presumably acquired from surplus barrels when dad got out of the Navy in 1947.
I must of had a good helping of common sense. I fondled those hanging guns. But I never got the urge to get in the box on the shelf in the shop and mate up the live .40-82 cartridges with the Model '86 Winchester. Or the .30-06 rounds in the Model 17 that dad sporterized to the nth degree for his deer rifle, that was in a soft case in the back of their closet.

 

[ma96782]

It's NOT only about growing up with guns. It's also about, "What did your parents teach you, while growing up with guns?"

A preliminary investigation indicated that the 27-year-old instructed his child to shoot at officers, police said.

Taken from.

MSN

OMG!!!

Aloha, Mark

 

[SurlyJohn]

Grew up in suburbs of Portland Oregon, NW in the hills. Dad was ex-military, served 8 years in Korea and state side after the conflict. He bought me a Ruger 10/22 when I turned 10 years old. Mom was not happy, complained about it just about every day. Dad had me take the Hunters Safety course twice and he did brow beat into me that a gun is a device that can kill just about anything, and to respect it. Taught me how to focus and become more accurate. Dad did not say much, he was a man of action but I listened to what little he had to say and never shot anything that wasn't an invasive species, like Starlings and Nutria.
My son is just about to turn 10 years old, but he is autistic so he shows interest, but I will wait until he asks me to go to the range before I will take him to learn to shoot. Wife is good with a gun, I will teach my son respect for firearms as I was taught.

 

[Tony617]

I had a few cap guns when I was younger. I got a chance to shoot a bolt action 22 rifle in a 6th grade summer school class down in San Jose, CA. We got one lesson in a classroom for gun safety and how to aim at a target. Then were were issued a 22 cal rifle, carried onto a school bus and went to the local national guard armory to use their indoor rifle range.

I did buy a few BB guns and most of my friends had BB as well so we set up targets in the grass areas around out neighbor and do some target shooting with BBs. I saw several of my friends dads were into hunting and shooting waterfowl. They had a nice collection of firearms inside a glass gun cases back in those days. I also recall back in high school most of the pickup trucks had gun racks and people would go hunting after school. The area where I grew up had lots of grasslands when I was a kid but that is not the case anymore.

 

[It-That]

Grew up in suburbs of Portland Oregon, NW in the hills. Dad was ex-military, served 8 years in Korea and state side after the conflict. He bought me a Ruger 10/22 when I turned 10 years old. Mom was not happy, complained about it just about every day. Dad had me take the Hunters Safety course twice and he did brow beat into me that a gun is a device that can kill just about anything, and to respect it. Taught me how to focus and become more accurate. Dad did not say much, he was a man of action but I listened to what little he had to say and never shot anything that wasn't an invasive species, like Starlings and Nutria.
My son is just about to turn 10 years old, but he is autistic so he shows interest, but I will wait until he asks me to go to the range before I will take him to learn to shoot. Wife is good with a gun, I will teach my son respect for firearms as I was taught.

I know autism isnt expressed the same universally, but I have a very close friend who's non-verbal son virtually unlocked communication with other people via the Lego people that were in a bag I dug out of my closet when they were over to hang out for dinner. I know it can be hard, maybe it'll work, maybe it'll be something else that will help find a way to connect him him with whatever his struggles are. I have some here still you can borrow before emptying your wallet on modern Lego kits