[Edmond]

For me, it was my Hapkido instructor. He's also my employer and we just started talking about guns. He has a bunch of them and got me into them. We've gone to the range and I got hooked. It wasn't that long ago. I bought my first gun less than a year ago and I already have two pistols and a rifle.:D

Let's hear your stories...

[Ktulu]

It all started when I was very young. My dad was an avid outdoorsman. He took me hunting, fishing, camping, etc. I always liked shooting and he always found a way to get some shooting in. Bought me a Rossi pump .22 when I was... s$%^, can't remember. I still have it and it's now my daughter's rifle. Some day, hopefully, she'll give it to her kid.

Currently he wants me to split the cost of a single shot 22 for my sister's oldest boy's birthday this month.

Guns are an American tradition and that tradition is alive and well in my family.

[JesusCow]

shooting BB guns at my dad's beer cans "back in the day"

going hunting with my friend with .22s

although i must say, the internet played a part in what my collection looks like today!

[Dbl0Kevin]

I don't remember ever "getting into" guns when I was a kid. It seems like I just always was drawn to them. When I was 4 or 5 my favorite toys were always toy guns, and the more real they looked and worked the better. Was always into playing "war" and building forts and whatnot with my neighbor. Had all kinds of cap guns, water guns, toy replicas and etc. Every time we went on vacation my favorite part would always be getting a new toy gun lol. When we would go to williamsburg, VA almost every year I would get a new revolutionary style toy each year. Started out with a musket pistol, then rifle, then double barrel shotgun.....all that fired the stick on caps that were pretty loud. I would stock up on the things cause they were hard to find up here in Jersey and play with them the rest of the year.

Then my dad got me an electric water gun that was a model of a Beretta 92 and I was forever in love with modern guns. I got the electric model of an M-16 with grenade launcher and have the pics of me soaking my neighbor with it as proof! I think my favorite all time toy gun was a desert camo Beretta 92 "Desert Storm" model. When you fired it the gun had batteries and would make the sound of a gunshot plus the slide would actually move back.....and if you pulled the slide back it made the sound of an actual metal slide being racheted....I took that damn thing with me everywhere.

Then when I was 14 my dad finally got tired of me bugging him and took me to the range. First gun I shot was my 1911 .45 that I still own to this day and I was hooked for life. The rest as they say.....is history. :D

[Werewolf]

Well - when I was a boy I used to go dove hunting with my father which really wasn't that big of a deal - just never got into shotguns. Then 33 years ago the Army taught me to shoot the M-16, a 1911 and an M3 grease gun (along with a 105mm Cannon on an M-60 tank). I was hooked.

But with 3 daughters and a wife I never really had enough money to justify owning more than a 1911 or the occasional .22 when I wanted to indulge myself. Then matters took a drastic change for the better.

About a year and a half ago the last of my daughters was grown and out of the house. Shortly thereafter I found myself with a spare $600 or $700 a month that I'd never had before. Yeehah! I decided to buy me a semi-auto pistol chambered for .40 S&W. Hunted around, researched it and ended up with a Glock 22.

5 Long guns and 7 handguns later I'm still going strong and get me a new one every other month or so. The Glock is long gone and so is a Bushmaster XM15E2S I thought sucked but I shoot all the rest each and every month and don't see things changing any time soon. I even got my wife and eldest daughter into firearms and my wife regularly shoots a CZ75B 9mm and has been bugging me to buy her a 2" BBL 38 Spl or 357 Mag (which I will soon). My eldest daughter is into Cowboy revolvers and shoots them when ever we go to the range together.

Life is grand. I love my daughters but I sure can indulge myself more now than I could when they were home.

[readyfire]

It started when i was a kid i guess,watching old war movies and runnin around in the woods playin war,i never was much for video games.My parents didnt like guns much so i had to wait till i was of age to buy my first gun.My first was a mossberg 500 with 18 inch barrel,that did it.After that it was a british enfield ,then a chinese sks,a jap arisaka,and other shotguns .Ive always liked the combat style shot guns the most,ive had several ,the mossy 500,mossy590,benelli nova tactical,and now a rem 870 project.I didnt get into handguns till i was 25,first was a ruger p90,then a sigma 40,ruger p97,and then i caught the 1911 bug and bought a charles daly and fixed it up,then onto 2 springfield GIs and a bersa 380.All i have now are the GIs ,the bersa,and a remington 870.Im gonna be getting some form of AK,a savage 308 tactical rifle,and a 30-30.I liked the thread about the tactical lever action.Theres my history,ill shut up now!

[41mag]

Hmmm,that's a tuff one.Single parent inner city family w/no money for frivolous things.No gun expierienced father figures.My interest wasn't fulfilled(first gun)until I was almost 22.& that came only after reading all I could get my hands on for at least a year.

I'd say that the colorful stories in first the outdoor magazines followed by the gun specific rags were enough to ignite & hold my interest.

[Knives]

My father got me started around age 8. Been a fan ever since. :D

[ny32182]

The only person who got me interested in firearms was myself...

From the time I could walk, onward (no joke) I was facinated by anything that could launch a projectile. But since my mother is an "all guns should be banned" liberal, and my dad only owns one gun that gets fired about once every 10 years, I was never able to get any real experience with firearms at a young age. Even after I got to college, I had to wait until I was:

a) moved off campus (state law)
b) no longer living on Ramen noodles

... before I was able to get ahold of any firearms. That happened for me about a year and a half ago, at which time I started buying. I now have several firearms, along with a CWP and some other gear. Works for me, for now. :D

[Doug Add]

The first one is me. Like most boys I loved toy guns. My favorite plastic gun was a Colt Government Model, which was also the model of BB gun I purchased when I saved up enough money from delivering newspapers. My uncle let me shoot his shotgun, as my first experience with a real gun. But I did not have much opportunity to build on that until another young boy came along about twenty years later.

The other boy is my son. A couple of years ago he was, like most ten year old boys, into guns in a big way--always wanting to buy a new plastic gun, playing army/gun games with friends, drawing them in art class, even designing his own.

I wanted to teach him the difference between toys and the real thing, and make sure he knew proper firearm handling. I bought him a Ruger 10/22, and myself a Walther P22, to go along with my Remington 870. The rest, as they say, . . .

We love shooting together. My father-in-law gave my son a .410 shotgun, and I have picked up a few more handguns along the way. His favorite gun of mine to shoot now is the 4" S&W 686, while mine continues to be the Browning Hi-Power.

[Lennyjoe]

My step father got me into shooting sports.

Duck, pheasant and rabbit hunting when I was a youngun in Ohio.

[Majic]

When I was a baby I had a bottle in one hand and a toy gun in the other. :D

[Edmond]

Then my dad got me an electric water gun that was a model of a Beretta 92 and I was forever in love with modern guns. I got the electric model of an M-16 with grenade launcher


Yep, I had one of those M-16's too, bought by my father. He also got me an MP5 version of those water guns. Wow, I forgot all about those toys until you brought them up.

The old man used to take me hunting and I remember the first time we went. He shot a squirrel and I was scared as hell because I wasn't expecting anything and I hear the loud boom.

I should scan and load those pics of me holding his Smith & Wesson .357 when I was a kid.:D

[Sisco]

My Dad. He was raised during the depression and the term "One shot one kill" had real meaning when hunting for food for the table.

[JPL]

Mike Irwin introduced me to this site, and he's working on getting me out to the range.

He keeps threatening to show up at my house and set up a target in the back yard.

I don't think my wife would be pleased if that happened.

[Sam Adams]

George Bush (41), PRNJ Gov. James (Flim Flam) Florio and, to a lesser extent, Billy Jeff Klintoon (Lying Rapist, NY).

Let me explain: I always had a bit of a fascination for guns, and was always pro-gun, but until 1987 I was unable to buy them (having been a perpetual student until then, and thus without the means and/or without the ability to justify the purchase to my folks, who were supporting me). The folks had a few revolvers and 2 10-22s, but we never went out to the range (they were bought in '68 at the time of the rioting, and promptly became expensive dust collectors in the back of the closet). Anyhow, for the next 2 years or so I didn't buy anything due simply to a lack of money (buying furniture and new suits, plus repaying loans and buying a car). Then along came that nutjob Patrick Purdy and before you knew it, Bush 41 had banned the importation of lots of foreign guns by Executive Order a couple of months later. Knowing little about guns, I shortly thereafter got a wundernine and a Ruger Mini-14 (I still have the first, and have dumped the second and a ranch version of the 2nd - I HATE the Mini-14). Then that phuktard Florio crammed a real ban on "assault weapons" down our throats in NJ.

Well, guess what: when the bucking fastards in the gubermint - ESPECIALLY the uber-nannies in NJ - didn't want me to have something...I wanted it more! I went on a big buying spree over the next several years, including lots of trips into PA to buy stuff that was on the "we-so-seriously-disapprove-of-it-that-we'll-toss-you-in-jail-if-we-catch-you" list in NJ. My knowledge about guns, gun laws and shooting increased by leaps and bounds with the great help of a buddy that I met in early '93 after writing an anti-anti-gun letter to an extremely left-wing (and, naturally, anti-gun) religious paper that I happened to receive. We and a few of our buddies made lots of trips out of state, and thoroughly enjoyed seeing the "Welcome to Pennsylvania, where America starts" sign upon entering Pennsylvania on 78 West. We even have pictures standing next to the sign with guns at our sides. :evil:

Fast forward a few years to the present...I've escaped the PRNJ (without serving prison time :uhoh: ) and now live in Texas, Free America. I have a safe full of guns (several of which would get me free room and board in a "guest facility" in NJ), many ammo cans filled to overflowing with a wide variety of ammo, a reloading setup to make more ammo at my leisure, a concealed carry license and a C&R license on the way (if the JBTs would get off of their arses soon :fire: ). I also have 2 kids who WILL be shooters starting at about age 7, and who will also have a few guns that they can call their own at the instant they turn 18 (and some hand-held ones at 21 - what a stupid rule, as if one couldn't murder with a shortened long gun if sufficiently motivated). My kids will get the early start that I never did.

I must say, that I owe my ownership of guns to Bush 41, Florio and Klintoon - thank a bunch, guys, for introducing me to a throughly enjoyable sport that has the side benefit of limiting your power and that of similar scumbag politicians. Only my wallet curses you.

[GunnySkox]

When I was 13 or 14, my dad and I visited my brother up at Virginia Tech. While we were there, my brother's friend Kevin offered to take me to the range to learn to shoot. I couldn't hit jack squad with his P11, SKS, or anything else he let me shoot, but I had fuuuun. I've been a gun-nut ever since ^_^

~Slam_Fire

[ZeroX]

Movies, probably. Just want to be sure not to use movie-grade gun handling, of course.

[Mastrogiacomo]

I was just looking for work and noticed that armed guards got good money. I quickly became hooked and of course, Hong Kong movies and my Italian heritage, keep me interested in Berettas which later expanded to Glocks, Sigs, Walther and other guns. :D

[yy]

I always liked guns and explosions. Such power. But my research took an unexpected turn and got me shooting at indoor ranges. I needed better marksmanship, got practicing, and really enjoyed shooting.

In Dharma,

[Tom Servo]

When I was a baby I had a bottle in one hand and a toy gun in the other
So did I. A bottle of Jim Beam, and a Rossi .38, that is...

OK, I was a weird kid, but not that weird. As an adult, I prefer to be called eccentric :p

[trubluedog]

According to family stories my dad put a lever action bb gun in my hands when I was three, the first one I remember is him letting me shoot his Llama .380. One shot in the gun at a time when I was 7or 8. I always had several bb guns,the old dart guns( the ones with hard plastic shafts). I went hunting when I was 14 for the first time. So I guess it has been a non-stop thing for me forever.I have been lucky enough to always have at least a couple of firearms.Right now with a young family of my own it is tougher than when I was single, but they will grow up sooner or later then my wife will really hate my collection.

[telewinz]

Serving overseas and picked-up a copy of the June 1972 American Rifleman in the USO. The rest is history.

[JimJD]

My father did.
He got Me into firearms when I was about four or five years of age.
At the same time He got Me into knives and martial arts.

Good 'ol Dad. :D

[Hkmp5sd]

I was born addicted.

Then came TV shows like Combat, Gunsmoke, Have Gun, Will Travel, The Rifleman, Bonanza, Big Valley, The Rat Patrol and everything with John Wayne in it, which made sure I would grow up to be a gun fanatic. Then about 1st grade, my parents bought be my first BB gun and the rest is history.

[dave3006]

Rodney King.

I am trained and armed now. No one will burn down my neighborhood.

[ilike9s]

My dad when I was five. Boy, I sure wish we could go shooting with him.


I miss ya dad :(


Ilike9s

[FPrice]

The United States Air Force. They taught me to shoot in 1967 and I haven't stopped yet.

But I am going to teach my sons and give them about ten extra years.

[Jake]

It's a family tradition.

[Lt. G]

My Dad,he took my brother and me into the woods. set up old TIN cans in front of a berm. We shot them with a Daisy BB gun first, Then an old bolt action 22 cal. rifle, (mossberg?). Dad also taught us archery with long bows.

My uncle, (Uncle Sam) taught me how to not only shoot multiple weapons but how to survive when unfriendlys were shooting back.

My dad (74 years old) daily carrys either a 38 derringer or a Ruger SPS101 and mom, (also 74) carrys another Ruger SPS 101. Both shoot 357s not 38s out of them. I remember taking them to the range and my mom shooting the Ruger with a full power 357s. Fire shot out of the barrel about 6" to 1', She turned around to me and said "I really like this gun!" Bought her one that day, gave dad mine. I'm glad I got those weapons for them!!!!

[Holly76201]

When my Dearly Beloved and I first started dating, he'd take me to the range and I fell in love with the sense of empowerment I got from accurate shooting of handguns.

[MountainPeak]

I was born in an area where just about everyone owned guns. Born in 1951, before all the anti-gun b.s. really spread. I probably was 13-14 before I realized, some people didn't enjoy, participate in shooting, and hunting activities. I thought they were strange. Still do!

[natedog]

I'd always been interested in guns, and my family has always owned them. I'm the only avid shooter, though. Everyone elses' attitude is that the guns are there if we need them. Anyways, I first shot clays with the Boy Scouts, and I was hooked. Later, an internet search turned up www.ahumanright.com , which eventually led to TFL and THR, and the rest is history. Thank you Oleg!

[Wolfy]

Sam Adams

We and a few of our buddies made lots of trips out of state, and thoroughly enjoyed seeing the "Welcome to Pennsylvania, where America starts" sign upon entering Pennsylvania on 78 West.

The signs are long gone PRNJ got upset becaus PA didn't consider them Americans and raised a stink.

An exgirfriend got me into guns when I was 24. My family 2arents and 5 kids did not have anyone interested in guns. So I didn't care either way but when I went away to school and started exploring boundaries I had a curiousity about them but never researched them. When my ex and I were engaged we moved in together and when we broke up she took an apartment out in a seedy part of Pawtucket and decided to buy herself a gun for self defense. Well when I saw how easy it was (back then in RI you took a safety quiz at the gun shop that consisted of multiple choice questions) I went down to the gun shop within a week. The toughest question on the quiz was what is a hangfire? For someone who didn't know a thing about guns I guessed and got it right. She had bought a Raven arms 25 with the ivory grips it didn't work half the time. I bought for my first gun a P85 because being a typical guy it was 9mm which was the rage and it held 15 rounds very cool. Typical male thinking I know.

I then got lucky because I called up a ramge to join and I still didn't have the P85 so the RO who was going to meet me down there brought some of his guns. He started off my training with a S&W 38 and we hit it right off and became close friends. It was good to have a friend like him because he knew everything and he was a good teacher. I ended up trading in the P85 for a S&W 25-5 45LC with an 8 3/8" man that was a sweet gun and doing reloads with his presses the ammo was so cheap. When I moved back to NJ I dropped out of the sport for about 8 years until my sister got married 3 years ago. My brother in law is a gun nut like me and I hate to say it I call him more than my own sister. I am lucky with him because the Sherriff's department sent him to S&W armorers school for pistol (his issue piece is the 4506) and he has attended the Glock armorer class on his own. So if I don't know something I pick his brain.

I can't wait until 8/28 we plan on going to the Phila. Armory gunshow and then heading up the street to rent an M5.

[motorep]

Both parents were Marines. Ditto all relatives, neighbors, etc. It's in the genes.

[Zark-9]

My desire for ethical integrity.

[Standing Wolf]

I spent at least as much time shooting pool as going to classes all the way through school. One passion for accuracy led to another.

[Zach S]

I honestly dont know. When I was little I had an ex-military neighbor, I think he showed me his old beat up 1911, which would probably have an influence on my collection today. But I've been interested for longer than I can remember. When I told Mom I was thinking about getting the thompson on consignment at the range I frequent, she said she wasnt surprised, I could recognize a thompson on TV when I was three or four.

The more I learned about the AWB the more intrested I got. Which might be why I have more interest in EBRs than other rifles.

[Barbara]

Bill Clinton

[P5 Guy]

When I lived in NJ I did a little duck and bird hunting.
Hurricane Andrew got me to thinking about how we would keep our hurricane stash of food and water. Now I'm a Garandaholic.

[Linux&Gun Guy]

I used to be a bit of an anti(not very much so) because my mom would constantly talk about Gore, gore, gore and leftish stuff. Then as I was browsing the net I found ahumanright.com and started to think for myself about personal liberties and freedom. About 1 year passes and now I am the proud owner of an M1 Garand; my first gun! I have been on this forum for along time and I only got the gun a few days ago. Now I feel very much like part of the gun community as a member here has already offered to send me some free starter ammo and enbloc clips for the gun.(not sure if he wan'ts his name public)

Libertarian gunowner; thats me

[mcmoyer]

My grandpa...took me duck & pheasant hunting, bought me my first .22 when I was 10.

I wanted a BB gun real bad, but he said "guns aren't toys..when you're old enough you'll get a gun". Next Christmas I got that .22. Later on got a 20 gauge shotgun. Used to do a lot of hunting and plinking (grew up in Western Colorado).

:D :D

[Onmilo]

I grew up in a small town in northern Wisconsin and the girls were really ugly!

[JuniorG]

Yep, I was born into guns, shooting and hunting.
Thinking about it now there was never a choice really, learning to feed yourself, tie your shoes and shoot were all just a natural part of growing up back then. I can't remember ever NOT having a gun whether real or imagined, we didn't get cap guns and fancy water guns when I was a kid, we were left to our imagination, so every stick had the potential to be a gun.

Ah...those were my 'good ol' days'

[Persnickety]

I was never interested in guns or 'the gun issue' at all. One day, wandering around on the Internet, I came across Seth Waxman's letter to some guy about how the second amendment applied to government-approved organizations, not to individuals. This worried me, because I'm rather fond of the US Consitution and Waxman's interpretation is very wrong and dangerous. Seth Waxman was solicitor general (I think) under Clinton.

Then Al Gore started running for Pres, and was eyeballing Janet Reno as his running mate. Yikes!

& a couple things occurred to me: (1) If I was ever going to want or need a gun in my entire lifetime, better get one now, just in case, 'cuz if Gore/Reno got in, I might never have the chance again. (2) I needed to spend money in the gun arena, because money talks. One more attendant at the local gun show, one more gun buyer, adds to the financial stream that says "We're here! We matter!"

So I toddled off to the flea market and bought a gun. THEN learned how to use . .did it all backwards, as usual. Joined the NRA and SAS to add to their numbers and give the politicians something to think about.

I'll probably never be a genuine gun nut, but I'll always like that ol' constitution.

So you could say Al Gore made me buy a gun.

[Duke of Lawnchair]

My old man.

[Bullet Bob]

I was always into rifles and shotguns, it's just the way it was in a small town in the South (I was born in 1951).

But handguns, that I owe to TSgt Jack Armstrong, the "all-American Boy". He was my second supervisor in the Air Force, and was an avid handgunner. Fortunately he infected me, and it's been downhill ever since.

[Highpower1]

The greatest man that I have ever met and my personal hero. My father, my he rest in peace.

[neoncowboy]

I had BB guns and a .22 when I was a kid...my dad took me to shoot his shotgun (an ancient 12ga double-barrel that he got from his grandfather). Those were some of the best times of my life.

I've lived in Hawaii since 1993 and don't hunt. Handguns are totally impractical here since if you ever used one in self defense you'd probably go to jail for manslaughter. Our home isn't really secure enough that I feel confident I could keep my handguns out of the hands of criminals, so I don't have any.

But we're moving to Georgia this fall :)

So, I'm sort of rekindling my interest in firearms in preparation for living in a state that respects my rights to self-defense and RKBA. My brother in Georgia is itching to get me into deer hunting (sounds like fun to me) and I'm really interested in getting into pistol training for self/family/home defense purposes.

Thanks for having me.

[Shadowman]

A friend took me shooting a couple times. Planting the seed...

[Edmond]

My father took me shooting a few times back in the 80's. This is from our Wisconsin vacation: .357 and a shotgun (unknown gauge):

[Min]

I have always liked guns, as a kid even.

Only now I can buy them...:)

[Piney]

I grew up in the northern mid-west and I just grew up with guns. There were no restrictions and everyone had one and everyone shot them. Our schools would shut down for opening day deer season and we never thought a thing of it. I’ve been shooting and mucking around with guns for over 50 years. I play the game now with all the permits and right to purchase cards, etc. It’s a pain, but I’ll survive. I still shoot at least twice a week.

[GigaBuist]

Always had an interest I suppose. I bought one of those M-16 squirt guns when I was like 8 I think -- maybe younger. Dad took me to Rambo III in the theatres when it came out.

Dad didn't shoot much though. Owns a 20 gauge pump action shotgun and that's it. Grandpa tought me how to shoot (actually I'm not sure he taught me much -- just gave me a gun and a target to shoot at. I remember a .410 shotgun, a black powder pistol, and a 22 rifle. Nobody had a 20 gauge in the family that I could shoulder when I was like 9 years old. Arms were too danged small.

Our family quit talking to eachother when I was about 10 and I didn't shoot a firearm until I was 19 again. Just plinking with my old wrestling coach at his house and a bunch of kids. I thought owning an SKS with a 30 round detachable mag was a bit nutty at the time. Guns were always for hunting in our family. If you didn't hunt you didn't have much of a reason for a gun and nobody owned handguns. All guns unloaded, always. Never kept at the ready for SD.

A politically vocal fellow, one of Uncle Sam's Misguided Children, at my first job got us out to a range one day. After shooting a few handguns and an AK I decided it was time to pony up and join the club. Three years and 16 firearms later I own a whole bunch of politcally incorrect stuff, most of it has seen miltiary duty at some time in history by one country or another. Basically I was worried I'd never be able to own a proper gun if I didn't get off my butt and do it at the age of 21 -- so I did. then I became slightly addicted to the hobby.

[Sam Adams]

The signs are long gone PRNJ got upset becaus PA didn't consider them Americans and raised a stink.

I'd have told the PRNJ to stuff it, and posted 24-hour armed guards.

[NORM]

I was born and still live in North Dakota need I say more?

[manwithoutahome]

Honestly. I was "into guns" since I grew up with them and had them in the house (my fathers guns).

I was happy with a few, wasn't planning of becoming a "gun nut".

Then the anti's really started, and that's what made me really get into guns.

So I will say, my father and the anti's.

Wayne

[stevelyn]

I must have been genetically predisposed to be a gun nut. I've liked them ever since I can remember. I grew up in WV and guns were household appliances that everybody owned a bunch of. Started shooting at 6 or 7 off and on. Didn't really get into hunting until I was a teenager although I was always exposed to it from an early age. I became interested in the "gun issue" sometime during my high school years when I realized there was a political war being waged against gun owners. The next few years were spent in the military and due to deployments, moves, overseas assignments and work schedules my participation in shooting was limited pretty much to semi-annual qualifications and an occassional hunting trip I could sneak into my leave time. It was after I got out of the Army about the time the Klintoon regime began that I became really active both as a shooter and gun rights supporter.

[myopicmouse]

My Pappy got me into the army/R.A.F as a child so guns naturally followed.

[WalkerTexasRanger]

My Granddad. He was a PT boat captain in the Pacific during WWII. He taught me, and all my cousins, about firearms including safety and respect.

He would not hunt as he told me that he had seen enough killing to last many lifetimes, and I will pass down his feelings, however he did love to shoot.

He also told me, NEVER GIVE UP YOUR GUNS!! It was one of the last things the German citizens did before Hitler started killing them. He felt he would never have had to go to war if the Germans would have been able to defend themselves from their government.

They teach us in school we should learn from History, how poinient.

Good shooting!!!!!

[autumn_faune]

growing up, my family was gun-neutral, but a lot of boys and their fathers in my homeschool group were hunters, as well as my father's boss. I developed a bit of a taste for game meat and decided I'd really like it if my husband were a hunter (if/when I met him).

Lo and behold, I met trapperjohn and he took me duck and dove hunting with him. I didn't do the shooting- I did the cooking:) but a combination of that with being stalked at the time and having been raped- "never again." I got into guns with him from several aspects.

Now, we are both gun nuts:D

[Tharg]

My Dad had guns when i was small - he taught me the rules and was there to laugh at me the first time i fired a 12ga.

Always wanted one of my own - but joined the delayed entry program at 17 and two weeks after i graduated i was in the Navy.

In the navy if you had a firearm it had to be stored in the armoury (if you lived on base) and i never saw a use for that so waited till i was out of the military to buy my 1st...

I've since gotten rid of that POS, but up to many handguns/rifles current. Its amazing to me that anyone would lilke me to NOT have my guns.

J/Tharg!

[fastbolt]

who or what got you into guns?

My father ... when I was about 5 ...

[bigjim]

It seemed like a logical reaction to hip-hop culture

[beemerb]

Like many in my generation my father.I got a 22 rifle for Christmas when I was seven.

[Gus Dddysgrl]

Daddy did it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Then I got my husband into it. He really likes the 22 I bought him as a wedding gift. I like it too. :evil:

Gus

[Black Majik]

Playing Cops and robbers as a kid.

Got my first gun rag in 7th grade. Dad was not too happy about that. :o

My gun hobby stopped when I saw the look on his face when I received my first subscription to shooting times.

Gun hobby picked back up when two of my friends dragged me to the shooting range few days before my 21st birthday. I got a Colt Government as a 21st birthday present to myself.

[reagansquad]

living in the ghetto with a glass front door.

[Old Dog]

Grew up in the sixties watching the great B & W cowboy shows and Lone Ranger and some of the other movies on Saturdays ... The Colt SAA was the first gun I lusted after (before I even entered grade school)
... Mom's dad was a serious deer hunter who introduced us to rifles. Back then, we could hunt pheasant in a field next to our house (SE Michigan).
... Many years down the road, the military sent me to cop school and introduced me to Mr. Colt ... the 1911A1 and me: love at first sight ...

[RocketMan]

Some years ago a friend and coworker told me about some M1 Garands for sale by a kitchen table FFL aquaintance of his.
I had confused the M1 Garand with the M1 Carbine; always thought the carbine was cool and kind of half wanted one.
I went with him to see the Garands, money in hand, and was initially disappointed that the Garand wasn't the carbine. But I fell in love with the Garand that night, and it went home with me. It was my first firearm purchase.
Now I have a carbine, too. It was my second purchase. :)

[hjaeger]

HK. HK. HK. Rheinmetall.

[CAPTAIN MIKE]

One summer while attending Boy Scout summer camp at Mataguay Scout Reservation in eastern San Diego County, I was introduced to archery and shooting, and came to enjoy them both very much.

Later, a school teacher cousin in rural Oklahoma introduced my younger brother and I to hunting, and from there it just became a natural part of life. I often take my young son with me to an outdoor range near where we live, to shoot his BB-gun and his small-fry .22. He gets the 'full safety briefing' everytime, and we go over the basic firearm safety rules every time so that it becomes second nature to him at a young age.

I think we who support firearms ownership and use should volunteer our time to youth organizations such as the Scouts, to encourage kids to learn safe firearm habits and to introduce them to the ENJOYMENT of archery and firearms.

[CAPTAIN MIKE]

One summer while attending Boy Scout summer camp at Mataguay Scout Reservation in eastern San Diego County, I was introduced to archery and shooting, and came to enjoy them both very much.

Later, a school teacher cousin in rural Oklahoma introduced my younger brother and I to hunting, and from there it just became a natural part of life. I often take my young son with me to an outdoor range near where we live, to shoot his BB-gun and his small-fry .22. He gets the 'full safety briefing' everytime, and we go over the basic firearm safety rules every time so that it becomes second nature to him at a young age.

I think we who support firearms ownership and use should volunteer our time to youth organizations such as the Scouts, to encourage kids to learn safe firearm habits and to introduce them to the ENJOYMENT of archery and firearms.

[CAPTAIN MIKE]

One summer at Boy Scout Summer Camp at Mataguay Scout Reservation in the mountains east of San Diego, I participated in archery and .22 shooting for merit badge activities, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Later as a teenager, my schoolteacher cousin in rural Oklahoma taught my younger brother and I about hunting, and we were hooked.

I think more of us who support shooting and firearms ownership would do well to volunteer some TIME to help youth organizations such as the BOY SCOUTS and the GIRL SCOUTS learn Firearms Safety and Firearms Enjoyment.

Very Respectfully,

[Spieler]

British MP on the Berlin duty train when I was 7 showed me his issue Browning HP and I was fascinated. That same summer my cousin took me shooting with his single shot .22 rifle on some family property in upstate NY. There was no turning back after that summer.

[SlowStar]

I must have been born a gun freak. I was shooting a .22 rifle before I started school. Six years old and less. I wore out many gun catalogs and Shooters Bibles before I got out of high school. The USMC really gave me a boost by letting me shoot all the fine guns available at boot camp. Plus, providing a small but steady income. I bought my first pistol in a Salt Lake City hock shop for $35. My first 1911. Wish it were still mine. Oh, yeah, the USMC furnished enough 45 cal ball ammo to finish shooting that barrel out in 6 months. And they promptly gave me another new one that our armourer installed. I think I nearly filled the great Salt Lake with lead.

Slowstar

[Sindawe]

Caribou Ridge/Ruby Creek drainage, Idaho and Waco, Texas.

[cfabe]

The first time I shot was .22s at boy scout camp, and I just shot at camp each summer and enjoyed it but it didn't go any farther. Then when I went to philmont in new mexico when I was 17 one of the camps was a rifle camp where we did reloading and shooting of bolt action .30-06s. That's what realy got me interested in guns.

[atek3]

I started with one gun, an M1 Garand, all because of our gratious host Oleg's page http://www.a-human-right.com
Which got me into highpower rifle.
Then I read Uninteded Consequences, which turned me into a gun nut.

I realized IPSC would be fun so I bought a 1911. The I realized I needed a 22 to teach new people. A battle rifle for SHTF, a match rifle for long range shooting, a .........
and things rapidly spiralled out of control. Then I sold every gun which I didn't "need" paring me down to five:
22 lr pistol, 40 S&W pistol, 223 rifle, 308 rifle, and 7.62x54R rifle. Now I can't do EVERYTHING, but those things I can do, I can do pretty well.

atek3

[Nathanael_Greene]

My Dad (God rest his soul) was a small-arms expert in the Korean War. He'd had enough of guns and killing in the Army, and being a city kid, never hunted or fished. We never had guns around when I was growing up.

However, I heard a lot of stories from him (especially about his favorite assignment, commanding an M-16 halftrack with quad-fifty machine guns), and that fueled an interest.

I'm not sure where my interest in hunting came from; my maternal grandfather was a big-time outdoorsman, but he died long before I was born. Maybe I inherited a "gun gene."

[Edward429451]

What a great place for a Fed DC joke but I wont go there...It was my dad.

:p

[TonyB]

My Father..he's a real jock,and I wasn't...after he tried(unsuccessfully)to get me into any sport,he took me shooting....we really connected...and of course now I can out shoot him(mostly because I shoot a ton more than him)..Not only was it a bonding thing,but it has become my "passion"..:cool:
some of my fondest emeories growing up,is of us skeet shooting on the weekends..non-shooters don't realize what a family thing shooting can be,it really can bring people closer..:cool:

[Billy the Kid]

I was 22, my parents nieghbor is a pretty okay guy, he is an investment banker, but on the side he tests new guns and whatnot as a private contractor for thye government. He invited me and my brother one day to try it out, i dont even know what we were firing but they were all illegal to buy he said, but he had a special lisence to get them.

He had a wierd gun it was gray and black it shot .45 calibur slugs and it was some kind of "tactical" israeli urban fighter gun he said i dont remember exactly. we were shooting melons at 400 yards with another gun he had.. it was so cool i was instantly hooked. I went to my local police department got the forms filled em out, took the NRA course on safety and had to wait 6 or 7 months for my lisence to go through. Ive had it for less than a month now and i bought a .38 special Taurus (snubby) im working on getitng some rifles next.

[AZ Heat]

I was always slightly interested and had an old Star 9mm Largo but rarely shot it.

Then a couple of years ago my aunt was shot and killed a couple days before Christmas by a 16 year old kid in an attempted carjacking wanting to drive somewhere to buy some drugs. I have a family and decided then and there that I would do everything I could to protect myself and my family. I bought a Kimber Ultra Carry II and started practicing alot, reading these forums and studying the laws in my state. I got my CCW, a membership at the range and a big safe.

Then of course the more you shoot and the more you learn about different guns, the more you gotta have. And you gotta get a 9mm to add to your .45, and then that .40 was a good deal. And the Makarov is fun, the Seacamp easy to carry, NAA was a good deal, gotta have a shotgun, and that 30-30 is nice. Everybody's gotta have at least a couple of .357's and don't forget the .44 Mag. A couple different types of .22 is a must! And that's not even counting the 1911 addiction. But I think of myself as more of a kind-hearted man that is offering a nurturing and loving home to all these lonely guns! Ya... that's the ticket!

So protection for my family got me interested which later turned into a hobby.

[JohnBT]

My grandparents gave me a BB gun, cleaning kit and wall rack combo along about 1955, and my father already had me shooting by then, but my uncle was the gun trader in the family and always had something interesting for me to shoot.

Everybody had one or more guns - uncles, cousins, great uncles, etc.

John

[SunBear]

Grew up in the 50s.....Dad didn't shoot but we had every kind of toy gun there was and later BB guns.....watched Combat, Wild, Wild West. ets.but Roy Rogers on Tumbleweed Theater on Saturday afternoon TV really got me started. First pistol was a repro blackpowder- too messy.....then in mid-70s Blackhawk 357 shooting Super-Vel about 1600 fps (thank you Lee Jurras) Every primer was punctured :what: and I was on my way. Happy trails, Roy. : :D

[Bainx]

My father always had a modest gun collection.
But, it was the yapping and drivel of the anti-gun Klinton regime that got me started 'head-long' into firearms and CCW. I simply can not stand being told how to live my life by some elitist.

It is the only positive thing I can thank Klinton for.:)

[Kar-el]

A Mom who would never let me shoot one..........

[45R]

A friend of mine showed me his Sig when I was younger. Wanted one ever since. When I was able to afford one. I snatched it up!!

[OneFireStick]

I moved from a big city to the family farm (fruit trees, grapes, etc.) when I was 9. Since there wasn't much to do other than school, I got to know an older schoolmate that had a BB gun and he would let me shoot it from time to time. I really enjoyed shooting it! I then talked my family to giving me one for my birthday and spent countless hours shooting it.

That is how it started. I then purchased a 12gauge & a .22 rifle when I turned 16 and when I turned 21, I bought a .357magnum revolver. I still have the shotgun & .22 but now have a Glock 20 instead of the revolver and only other rifle I've added is a Remington .300Ultra.

I moved out of the family farm to a city when I was 25 and really miss being able to walk out onto 1000 acres and hunt rabbit and flying game. Those were the days.