Cultivating a gun-nut harvest

[effengee]

Over the years, I have made it my personal crusade to turn as many people into gun-nuts as I can. I manage to bring guns into the conversation during darn near every first encounter I have. If I end up becoming friends with them, we almost always end up at the backyard range I have.

I have several friends from cities where gun ownership by the general public is ridiculed at the least, and almost impossible at the worst. I have some who, without me, would probably never had the chance to shoot, simply because they didn't have anyone ever offer them the chance to fire a gun. It has always been my honor and pleasure to help with this. I have even converted a few people who didn't like firearms, or didn't own firearms, into people who can appreciate firearms for their sporting purpose or historical value, or into actual gun-owners themselves!

Many years ago I met a guy who had moved from NYC to VT. He had lived here a few years without ever knowing that all he needed to buy a handgun and carry it around was his driver's license and the right amount of money. No silly police involvement, no mandatory training course, no concealed-carry permit, no hidden fees, or charges. Also, that he could buy guns person-to-person with little more than a handshake. He now owns a small arsenal.

How much do you share your enthusiasm for shooting?

For me, it's every time I meet a seedling, which if properly nurtured, has the potential to become a full grown gun-nut, just like me.

 

[grumpy66]

I too have planted an orchard of gun-nuts.

It's wonderful to see the little seedlings come to full fruition.

My neighbors 14 year old daughter spends more time at the range with Uncle Grumpy than she does with her own father.
AND she is a crack shot, she bounces golf balls all over the pasture with her .22.

 

[The_Next_Generation]

effenge, I feel exactly the same way! Several of my friends and neighbors had never been properly introduced to firearms. Now, I've taken most of them shooting. I have even converted my mother from a gun-fearing liberal to one of those range ladies that'll hit most anything they can see, with pleasure. One day I got to talking about firearms with the girl who sits next to me in my AP Physics class. She said that she has, "Always been afraid to shoot a gun."..Range-date scheduled for next Friday

Oh, by the way, I am doing an extra-credit project for my physics class that involves a .30-06, and a pendulum

Even ran into my AP Calculus teacher on the trap range on day!

By all means, convert as many sheep as possible

- The Next Generation

 

[orionengnr]

I try to take one "newb" per month. I invite a good number. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes not.
Of those I take, my sucess rate at minting new shooters is pretty good.

 

[effengee]

"I pa-tinged it!"

One of my favorite shooting related quotes of all time.
A good friend once brought his boys, ages 7 and 9 with him to visit and happened upon me and my kids in the backyard with our BB guns and a bunch of soda cans and plastic bottles. After going through the basics with his boys, one of them hit the old 55 gallon drum the targets were on and the BB made a very distinct "pa-ting!" sound, and the above quote went down in history. Those boys are still using the Red Ryder's me and their dad picked out for them.