Did your parents own a gun?

Parent(s) didn’t own a gun, but weren’t really anti.

I dont recall Mom ever having one, but she wasn't an anti.

My father owned/owns several, but never was around, so he doesn't count.

I grew up in (very) rural north Louisiana, with my mom and grandparents. Firearms were, and are, a part of life in Lincoln Parish. Until I was a teenager, I didn't even know there was such a thing as an anti-gunner. You'd may as well talk about being anti-walking! By the age of six, I had my own .22 and .410 singleshot, and was hunting alongside my grandfather, uncles, and cousins. By about ten, I was hunting alone, for deer and everything else.
Guns were for hunting and protection. I didn't live in an incorporated town, so there were no police. The Sheriff could conceivably come, but it would be hours. You protected yourself. As a teenager, my mom successfully used her .38 (which she still keeps on the nightstand) to fend off intruders from our land. In the eighteen years I lived there, I never once laid eyes on a game warden, but no one poached---or even hunted on Sundays!
Now, as an adult, I live in a decent sized city in east Tennessee. It's amazing the different attitudes here. I'm trying to instill in my daughter some of the same attitudes about self reliance and conservation that were taught to me.

We have been hunters in my family.....

for at least four generations, probably longer. Shotguns and rifles, of course, with a few handguns thrown in.

My parents never owned any guns, but weren't anti-gun either. We just never were into hunting or guns and just never owned any.

Years ago my brother-in-law had an older 9mm and a group of us went out to some private property and shot some bottles and targets and such. Not long after that I bought a LNIB Ruger P89, which was my first gun and only gun up until this year. I never used it much and a guy I work with inquired about it and I sold it to him. But then I went right out and bought a new P95.

I guess I have to thank Obama and the current environment because after having grown up with no guns and then only owning that one P89 for a dozen years, I now own 5 guns, all of which I bought this year. It also helps that a buddy of mine has several acres and I've been able to shoot there and there's also a new local range that is very reasonable.

eh, my dad is moderately anti. he supports ownership of rifles and shotguns for hunting, but " there's no need for semi-automatic handguns and 'assault rifles'". we have some interesting discussions.

My dad owned guns but didn't really shoot them, so I'd go with didn't own guns. He definitly wouldn't be classified as a shooter. All he owned was a Kahr .40 for defense, which I did the main shooting of, and a 100 years old shotgun that's been passed down. I don't know where I got the shooting thing from though.

And my mom, she was somewhat a fence sitter leaning to the anti-ish. But dad was the word of the house, so I was able to shoot.

Dad owned numerous rifles .. 22's and such .. not sure of type .. also owned a Walther PPK .. first handgun I ever shot . now the collection has grown considerably .. Firearms for Fathers Day .. how can you go wrong ?

I voted "didn't own a gun, but weren't really anti", as they owned a gun that was stuffed away in a closet, never shot or taken out. My dad bought it 30-something years ago just to have it, since he wasn't allowed to have a gun in the house he grew up in - a result of my grandfather coming back from WWII.

That being said, I took my dad out to the shooting range (he'd only been once before) and he had a good time. My stepdad and my mom also took my mom shooting, and she also had fun. My stepdad gave my mom a Ruger MkII since she liked it. So now both my parents are gun owners - albeit rimfire gun owners.

My dad owned a couple of rifles and a small pistol. Mom and dad would let me shoot when we down to grandpa's farm and I remember "squirrel hunting" with grandpa and starling and crow hunting with dad. I knew what a gun was and had respect for them from an early age. I never remember fearing a gun, I know several people that are scared of them, my Gf wouldn't even follow me into the sporting goods section of walmart at first... now she has her own.

My folks were 1st gen Americans,Dad was very progun,Mom indifferent.Learned to shoot at 5 or6, Uncle gave me his AC41 P38 souvenir when I was 10.

The 50's and 60's were a different time, we would take our bikes and with .22's across the handlebars, make a day of hunting woodchucks.($.50 bounty from farmers, enough for a box of shells)

Times have changed.

My folks were 1st gen Americans,Dad was very progun,Mom indifferent.Learned to shoot at 5 or6, Uncle gave me his AC41 P38 souvenir when I was 10.

The 50's and 60's were a different time, we would take our bikes and with .22's across the handlebars, make a day of hunting woodchucks.($.50 bounty from farmers, enough for a box of shells)

Times have changed.

Dad sold guns and ammo in the same building where Mom ran the local Post Office. Try THAT today.

I can remember no one in my family that did not own guns. I was born and raised in Biloxi Ms and hunting in the 40's & 50's was a necessity not a sporting thing. All my kids, 3 girls and 1 boy, all own handguns & long guns today and the boy and oldest girl have a CCP.

My wifes great, great uncle was born in Spain but came to Biloxi as child in the 1860's.
He became prosperous in the cannery business.When he died in Rome on a pleasure trip in 1902,the family ,on his wills instructions, managed to bring him back to his beloved Biloxi by boat, a difficult feat in the early 20th Century!
He is buried right at the edge of the cemetery off U.S.90 under a big oak tree.I visited twice.
A wonderful city with wonderful people.You can be proud,chuck.

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My grandfather & grandmother were also buried in that cemetery on the beach. The cemetery was mostly destroyed by hurricane Katrina . My ancestors on my fathers side are from Spain also.

My parents are refugees from the Khmer Rouge reign in Cambodia.
They've seen many people killed with guns and have been emotionally scarred.

They didn't like it when I grew up and found that I liked hunting and shooting. My dad can accept it, but my mom still hates the idea.

I tried to reason with them that having guns is a good thing because it could prevent a crazed group from taking over, but emotional scars are hard to mend.

I'd like to also add that directly after the Khmer Rouge takeover, they had a campaign of collecting guns. They convinced people that they didn't need guns because the government would keep everything safe and would provide food for everyone.
Many people who owned guns never went home after turning the guns in...and those who were found with guns were executed. Gun owners tended to be more affluent, better educated, people who could undermine the Khmer Rouge government.

My parents didn't own a gun. My dad was pretty anti, but he's coming around now. My mom wasn't really an anti, which is probably due to the fact that her dad had guns. She didn't have any herself though as she thought that having guns is basically a male thing.

What got me into guns? You can credit G.I. Joe with that one.

kamagong said:

... What got me into guns? You can credit G.I. Joe with that one.

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Same here.



And I'm passing along both Joe and a love of firearms to my own son...






Yes my parents had guns, but not many and Dad (despite retiring as a Major General from the USAR) is not a firearms enthusiast like I am.

But he and Mom both still CCW and have for years...

Growing up my dad worked part time for the sheriffs office. I can remember the argument between my anti-gun mom and my dad when he told her he was going into the academy. It eventually settled down, but my mother did not like the idea of a gun being in the house at all. My dad took me out once when I was 13 to shoot, I didn't really think much of it at the time. But I do cherish the memories of sitting at the table cleaning his .357 and the smell of hoppes, that is the one time guns could be out in the house. Later on I would become really interested in firearms, due to a visit to Nevada and a full auto firing range. Life is kinda funny that way.

My dad owned a revolver, then it got stolen. When the cops found it and asked my dad if he wanted it back, he said no. As far as my mom goes, she wouldn't even allow me to own a BB gun, which explains why I went nuts with guns after I moved out.

Yes, but

I only saw it about two times, and I don't believe that my father ever fired it as an adult. It was an old .22LR revolver that belonged to my dads grandfather. It stayed hidden away from us kids, and regretfully, at some point my parents turned it in to the local PD to have it disposed of!!!!:banghead:

Hence, I will never own my great grandfather's gun.

I have been told that he used to use it on rabbits around the farm in upstate NY.

wish I had that darn thing, even though I have been told that it was basically a no name/ store brand cheapo revolver, it would be nice to have a peice of family firearms history. Rant over.

-JM

My parents were not anti but never got into guns until I did. I took my CCW class with my father and brother. My mom just recently got her CCW. The whole family came late to the party but we came together.

My father had some guns, but I was too young to shoot them. He did get me a BB gun, though.

My mother had a gun because of my father, but I did not know where it was. I also did not want to find it because I knew I might accidentally shoot myself or my sister. I did not know enough about guns at the time.

My parents did not own any guns. My Grandpa had a shotgun on the farm back in Italy.

But since I've gotten into guns, my dad now owns one and if I have my way, my mother will too!

Mother had a model 10, .38 for CCW. Father has a small collection of shotguns and rifles. Thats where my intrest in firearms started.

I forgot one of the poll options: #6 One didn’t own a gun but wasn’t anti, other was anti.

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That's me. My father is a doctor who trained in Detroit. He wasn't too keen on guns after training in the ERs down there. I'm headed down the same career, and I can say that he is the rule not the exception, although I've met more than expected numbers of medical types who are pro gun. He cites seeing gun violence in Detroit in the early 80's and the fact that someone shot his dog when he was 12 as his anti gun feelings.

My mom on the other hand is ambivalent, and bought me a ruger 10/22 when I was 16.

I've taken them out shooting and my dad is now more neutral, and my mom wants me to take her out shooting again as soon as I can