I do not know what you conceder old but I am in my late 50s so I most likely fit that description.
I do not fit the mold as I carry a Glock, own an S&W MP9, Springfield XD9 and run ARs, AKs and FALs for rifles and I only own 1 bolt action and it was my dad’s 22 that I inherited.
I have owned a number of 1911s over the years and even shot competition with them and they do nothing for me.
Before I respond to your questions I will give you some basic info on me. I work weekends at a medium size privately own sporting goods store in the gun department and we sell an average of 20 firearms a day so we see a lot of traffic. I have taught Hunter Safety so I have worked with youth from 10.5 to adults that need the course to get a hunting license. I have served in two branches of the military first the Navy and then the Army (never said I was smart).
All this does not make me an expert at anything it has just taught me to observe people and their actions and reactions.
Corpral_Agarn
It seems that playing video games as children is believed (by some) to be the cause of an inability to be responsible with firearms.
So by that logic people who played video games = not responsible with firearms.
My wife and I even before we had kids have owned every Nintendo system out there and currently own a PS3 and have played multiple first person shooter games with my boys who are now in their late 20s.
To a degree it is true and has been proven that movies and games can have an effect on people but only in a small percentage of folks will it have a true negative effect. These are the folks that cannot tell reality from a game.
Example:
When my boys where in day care Thursday was movie day and they were allowed to bring in a G rated movie for everyone to watch. Well at the time the Teen Age Mutant Ninja Turtles where the top movies and shows for the kids so several of us parents taken in the movies for them to watch.
Well it was not long after that we all got a note to stop bringing in these movies because after watching them it seems that the kids wanted to portray the turtles and tried to Ninja kick and Karate chop each other during recess. They portrayed what they seen the good guys doing.
Some of the post talked about when you where kids you played with cap guns as I did. We played cops and robbers or cowboys and Indians but why did we do this, was it because we watched Raw Hide, Gun Smoke, Dragnet or one of the other many shows on TV at the time?
So now in the gun shop I have young guys and gals that can tell me every part of every gun in Modern warfare but yet when I hand them a firearm they might sweep me several times before I stop them. Why do they sweep me, IMO no formal training! When I explain what they are doing wrong and why most seem to be willing to learn and when they have come back they do not repeat the mistake. I will give them business cards of different firearms instructors and suggest some formal training and most take me up on it.
Now on the other hand I have had old guys come that inform me that “they have been shooten for 40+ years” who sweep me and when I say something they start the riot act on how they know what they are doing and that is when
I stop them and asked them to leave as I feel they are unsafe with a firearm and a threat to my life and when they go to my boss he backs me up.
Truth be told I have more problems with the “Know it all old guys” than I do with the young ones willing to learn and who are there to ask question and not tell me how much they know.
Corpral_Agarn
Older generations have been complaining about newer generations since the beginning of time, but when it comes to the firearms community we need to be on the same team. Now more than ever.
This will never change when I was young in the early 70s the complaint was my long hair, jeans and a t-shirt and now I see many folks my age complain about tattoos and gages in the ears and so on and so on…
But I do agree that we need to stick together and realize not everyone likes the same thing I mean just read the posts on this site some like 1911s, some Glocks, some ARs and some bolt actions but they all have a common thread that links them, they are all firearms.
Young or old we all have different levels of training, different backgrounds and I have yet to meet any one that knows everything even though they think they do. So instead of us complaining about others why not try in a friendly, non threatening manner to help each other out.
Instead of point blank telling some they are wrong first ask them about their firearm to break the ice then work your way into some training hell what’s the worst that can happen you make a new friend and shooting buddy.
Whether you like ARs, bolt actions, shotguns, 1911s or Glocks we need each other if we are going to win this fight because in the end the ANTI’s want to ban them all, no questions asked.
But what do I know I am just a dumb old guy