You never know who you've influenced...

[Larry Ashcraft]

Preface: We had our 40th HS reunion a couple months ago. One of my childhood friends, when he spoke a few words, mentioned "I remember shooting pigeons off the old drive in screen with Larry Ashcraft and his pellet gun". Kind of floored me that he remembered that (this would have been in the early 1960's).

I knew Gene was into restoring 1955-57 Chevies. I guess I assumed that was his only hobby.

I ran into Gene at a gun show today. He had a table with a nice collection of modern firearms, mostly Winchesters and Ruger single actions. I talked to him for a bit, he said he was selling off "extras and duplicates". (His table contained more firearms than I even own.)

I mentioned that I didn't know he was even into firearms. He said "Yep, ever since you took me shooting pigeons at the drive in".

 

[MIL-DOT]

well,hell, I'LL say it......that was a pretty cool story !!!

 

[Rembrandt]

Your influence resulted in a lucky outcome....according to the anti's Gene should have persued a life of reckless crime. One can only speculate what his future may have been had he played the violin and watched Seasame Street. He probably be driving a Volvo and dining with the wine and cheese crowd on a whale watching cruise.

 

[armoredman]

Well done, sir. I can only hope I have had a positive influence somewhere along the road half as good as that example.

 

[MachIVshooter]

Good story. I don't know if I've ever influenced anyone that much, but I can think of several poeple that probably wouldn't have gotten their CCW's without a firm push in the right direction. Heck, after only 12 years, I managed to convince my liberal parents to adopt my Ruger Security Six and actually learn to use it. (They had a rather uncomfortable situation while horseback riding in the hills, and finallly realized that maybe, just maybe, they shouldn't be counting on other people to help them)

 

[JohnBT]

"You never know who you've influenced... "

I wonder if the pigeons are still talking about you too.

 

[Don Gwinn]

John, to delete your post, you have to hit "Edit."
There'll be a delete button the Edit page.

 

[WinchesterAA]

Did you try to flex your prime mover muscles a bit and get a free gun out of it?

 

[.cheese.]

I think I influenced the former dean of my former university to be pro CCW....

just thought I'd throw it out there.

 

[Mr White]

I think I influenced the former dean of my former university to be pro CCW....

Did he become the "former dean" when he tried to pitch the idea of CCW on campus to the trustees?

 

[.cheese.]

no... I think he became the former dean when the current president demoted all of the deans of the schools within the University (Business, Engineering, Arts and Sciences, Architecture, etc.) in an effort to replace them with her minions.

I would imagine he saw it coming too. Those of us who were friendly with the faculty and administration knew it was going to happen. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have even tried to pitch CCW given that the President of the school is pretty vocally anti-gun. She worked under Clinton back in those years for crying out loud.

Also, just to update. I had the pleasure of meeting with him again regarding a letter of recommendation for law school. He loved my paper on Guns and Crime from an economics standpoint. It got handed in months ago, but I finally got some feedback even though I graduated back in May. I'd post it here, but to be honest, I don't even have anything other than a hard copy. The file is at the University where I imagine it will reside forever now.... probably to get dragged out the day I run for some kind of political office. Suffice it to say, John Lott Jr. has it right IMO.

But anyways, yeah... I did seem to influence him. Larry is right. You never know who you've influenced.