Have You Always Been Pro-Gun? If Not, What Changed?
- Thread starter ArfinGreebly
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Yes. My father was a game guard. I used to shoot competions since the age of 10. I served as platoon leader in armed infantry later. Returned to shooting after a long break in my later thirties. Since then shooting and handloading have become mine many passtime once again.
effengee
Member
Always been pro-gun
I grew up with an old break action shotgun hanging from the mantel. I've been into guns ever since before I could point my finger and say BANG!
I'm teaching my children to love guns so that they will teach their children and they will teach theirs...
My one great hope is that phasers and blasters will be available to be owned by my many-great grandchildren...
The anti-gun people are uneducated sheep and I will NOT tolerate them deciding what constitutes the definition of "arms"
I'm a raging patriot and a certified gun nut, and I approve this message.
I grew up with an old break action shotgun hanging from the mantel. I've been into guns ever since before I could point my finger and say BANG!
I'm teaching my children to love guns so that they will teach their children and they will teach theirs...
My one great hope is that phasers and blasters will be available to be owned by my many-great grandchildren...
The anti-gun people are uneducated sheep and I will NOT tolerate them deciding what constitutes the definition of "arms"
I'm a raging patriot and a certified gun nut, and I approve this message.
kyhuntsman94
Member
My story is not unlike others here. My dad had several shotguns and a .22. We got to shoot them on special occassions, lived in the burbs and were too into sports to really get into shooting and hunting. After high school I bought my first shotgun when I was 18 and was hooked ever since.
Now my wife's story is much more interesting. Her father was a drill sergeant and trained many a soldier for Viet Nam, but they did not have any firearms in the house. The reason being is that my mom's grandfather got ill and decided it would be easier to swallow a shotgun than continue living. To top that off, her uncle (only 6 years older than she was) was a very smart man. One of his exceptions was where the fairer sex was concerned. He had a girlfriend for a long time and then they broke up. Well, after a period of time he simply could not handle it and went to wherever she was and decided that murder suicide was the answer. That really took a toll on her family.
Fast forward 15 years or so and she met me. We started dating and I made it known to her that I loved to shoot and hunt, both were a vital part of who I was and am. She told me abut her family history and decided a gun safe was the way to go. Fast forward a few years after we got married, she looked at me one day and said "as long as there is a gun in our house, I really should learn how to handle them safely." You could have knocked me over with a feather, but I seized the opportunity and took her target shooting. I taught her how to handle a firearm properly and she shot all three of my pistols. She loved it and wanted to go again. After the second time, she turns to me and says "this is fun, but I need a gun for myself. All of your guns are just too big." I'm 6'6" and she is 5'8", so I totally understand. I took her gun shopping and sat back and watched her make up her own mind on what gun to get. We did not rush out to just get sometiing, we took our time shopping until she found what fit her properly. She ended up getting a very nice handgun and really enjoys shooting. I just wish our schedule permitted us to go shooting more often.
Now my wife's story is much more interesting. Her father was a drill sergeant and trained many a soldier for Viet Nam, but they did not have any firearms in the house. The reason being is that my mom's grandfather got ill and decided it would be easier to swallow a shotgun than continue living. To top that off, her uncle (only 6 years older than she was) was a very smart man. One of his exceptions was where the fairer sex was concerned. He had a girlfriend for a long time and then they broke up. Well, after a period of time he simply could not handle it and went to wherever she was and decided that murder suicide was the answer. That really took a toll on her family.
Fast forward 15 years or so and she met me. We started dating and I made it known to her that I loved to shoot and hunt, both were a vital part of who I was and am. She told me abut her family history and decided a gun safe was the way to go. Fast forward a few years after we got married, she looked at me one day and said "as long as there is a gun in our house, I really should learn how to handle them safely." You could have knocked me over with a feather, but I seized the opportunity and took her target shooting. I taught her how to handle a firearm properly and she shot all three of my pistols. She loved it and wanted to go again. After the second time, she turns to me and says "this is fun, but I need a gun for myself. All of your guns are just too big." I'm 6'6" and she is 5'8", so I totally understand. I took her gun shopping and sat back and watched her make up her own mind on what gun to get. We did not rush out to just get sometiing, we took our time shopping until she found what fit her properly. She ended up getting a very nice handgun and really enjoys shooting. I just wish our schedule permitted us to go shooting more often.
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I've always been pro-gun. Grew up around them and learned the safety rules before I ever laid a hand on one. One of my uncles taught me to shoot a pellet gun when I was 5 or 6, and he and my father taught me how to break down and clean a firearm before I was allowed to shoot one a few years later.
Nicky Santoro
Member
After the Army, I was indifferent. I didn't mind if someone else had guns, I just wanted no part of them myself. After getting married and having a family I realized that protecting them was up to me and that is when I encountered the obstructionist tactics NJ uses to discourage gun ownership. When a government doesn't want you to have something, you can bet that it is for the benefit of that government and not you. That is when I got heavily involved with the RKBA issue. It's a bit lonely. The small minority here who aren't outright hoplophobes and actually own guns are, more often than not, what are usually called Fudds.
General Geoff
Member
My mom was slightly anti growing up; my dad never really expressed an opinion other than guns being very serious tools. I didn't really have a political opinion on guns growing up, as I was never exposed to them until I was a teenager.
My mom's brother (my uncle), though, was not only a gun enthusiast but keenly interested in military arms of the 20th century (1903 Springfield, M1 Garand, M14, M16, etc), and he had a Garand and a couple of M14 pattern rifles (one Springfield M1A and one Norinco) along with an AR-7 (.22lr survival rifle). He took me to the range for the first time in Autumn of 1999. I was 14 at the time. Got me hooked and I fell in love with the M14 pattern rifle. Fast forward to 2004, I was 19 and bought my first rifle, an M44 Mosin Nagant carbine for $90 at a local gun shop.
It took time and unrelenting patience to convince my mom that my rifle wasn't going to jump out of the cedar chest and shoot someone on its own. But after explaining the basic operating function of the rifle and keeping the it in my room for several weeks with no ammunition in the house, she finally came around to my side of things.
The rest, as they say, is history. And I managed to purchase my own M1A in 2007. Haven't looked back since that cool autumn day in 1999.
My mom's brother (my uncle), though, was not only a gun enthusiast but keenly interested in military arms of the 20th century (1903 Springfield, M1 Garand, M14, M16, etc), and he had a Garand and a couple of M14 pattern rifles (one Springfield M1A and one Norinco) along with an AR-7 (.22lr survival rifle). He took me to the range for the first time in Autumn of 1999. I was 14 at the time. Got me hooked and I fell in love with the M14 pattern rifle. Fast forward to 2004, I was 19 and bought my first rifle, an M44 Mosin Nagant carbine for $90 at a local gun shop.
It took time and unrelenting patience to convince my mom that my rifle wasn't going to jump out of the cedar chest and shoot someone on its own. But after explaining the basic operating function of the rifle and keeping the it in my room for several weeks with no ammunition in the house, she finally came around to my side of things.
The rest, as they say, is history. And I managed to purchase my own M1A in 2007. Haven't looked back since that cool autumn day in 1999.
Nushif
Member
What a great question, and it took me a while to think about it.
Lemme first give you a little background.
I was born and raised in Germany, not on base, not as a son to a (rather Anti and hippyish) GI, but rather to an American (hippyish and Anti) expat. So "on the economy" as you would say. I learned German before I learned English and to this day I am one of the dreaded "Hyphens." (Sorry, you may not like it, but all my formative years and my entire youth has been spent somewhere else you don't just shrug something like that off like a cheap coat.) On top of that I was raised very solidly on the left side of the fence in terms of politics. This puts me on the far left fringe of American politics. I went to a very prestigious school learning the humanities with a mild smattering of science and a lot of language.
Now, how has this changed? Not entirely too much, to be honest. I am still on the far left when it comes to US politics, still believe anti-intellectualism and a fear of science as well as religious zealotry is a great problem here and yet somehow still manage to be a rather vigilant, if not rabid supporter of the second amendment. How does this happen? Well, lemme go on.
When we moved here to the US (I was eighteen, then) and took a massive economical hit I left the house and joined the US Air force. While weapons training wasn't very prevalent (read: very, very basic) the notion of deadly force, force defense (and with that personal defense) was never a strange one to me. After all, what we did was "kill people and break their <stuff>" as we chanted endlessly during most training. seeing as I worked in Air Mobility Command it was not exactly rare for me to walk aboard an airplane full of Grun- Marines, Soldiers or bombs, go about my business and launch it to its ultimate destiny, which was to well ... kill people and break their <stuff>.
I did this for about four years and left the Air Force because I wanted a different job. Now, those familiar with the Air Force probably know that an AFSC (or MOS, as the Army puts it) change is nigh impossible, I told my Chief I'd gladly sign another contract the moment they crosstrain me. They didn't, ergo, I didn't.
I spent a few years in College, drifting around majors and met this Jewish farmer's daughter and we somehow got married. she encouraged me to get my degree and become an Officer, seeing as (this is how she put it) "you hate being a civilian, you need to get your ass back in or you're just gonna rot. And I don't marry losers who rot."
That sent a message home. In any case, I looked into the program that would be the most assured source of comissioning. The Air Force has ridiculous requirements, which my GPS simply didn't support, the Navy while very nice had left a bitter taste in my mouth, as I was in the Navy Reserve at the time and was pretty much going to drill once a month to do some random paperwork for lack of a real mission ... and the Army was the only one left over.
I remember quite clearly walking into the office, talking to a Green Beret Captain about my options, when after he reviewed my files looked at me and said "Here's a uniform. Class is in three hours and in three years you'll be commissioned. are you in on this?"
I was. I commissioned about a year ago and am a Signal Officer for a MedEvac Battalion in the National Guard.
So it's safe to say that the notion of deadly force as a protective measure has never really been far from me. This wasn't really a big deal though, because it didn't really affect me. I had (and still have) a sturdy bseball bat that serves me quite well in small apartments, but a few years back in the sleepy college town I live in there were two murders. One was three doors down about, the other smackdab on my way to school and four doors down from a house me and the wife regularly went to for drunken debauchery. She said she wanted a self defense weapon. I wasn't particularly opposed and we walked down the street to buy a Mossberg 500, then walked back up the street home with it slung over our shoulder. And frankly while being odd (being from Germany and all) it felt good, as in right, this is something that does make perfect sense.
Two shooting sessions later I was sold on the loud boom and smell of campfire and my collection started there. Couple that with the notion that all people's revolutions require a good set of civilian arms and you have the recipe for a far left gunnie, hyphen and import American. These days I spend most of my persuasive energy being an Officer or in academic and "dirty liberal leftie" circles talking guns, freedoms, people's arms, people's duties (to include being armed) and plinking at organic cafes. Or I am actually plinking and taking Handgun classes.
Have I joined the NRA? No. The reason should be obvious. But I believe it would be blind to ignore the contribution gun owners much like myself are making.
Whew, what a monologue. Time for a break, no?
Lemme first give you a little background.
I was born and raised in Germany, not on base, not as a son to a (rather Anti and hippyish) GI, but rather to an American (hippyish and Anti) expat. So "on the economy" as you would say. I learned German before I learned English and to this day I am one of the dreaded "Hyphens." (Sorry, you may not like it, but all my formative years and my entire youth has been spent somewhere else you don't just shrug something like that off like a cheap coat.) On top of that I was raised very solidly on the left side of the fence in terms of politics. This puts me on the far left fringe of American politics. I went to a very prestigious school learning the humanities with a mild smattering of science and a lot of language.
Now, how has this changed? Not entirely too much, to be honest. I am still on the far left when it comes to US politics, still believe anti-intellectualism and a fear of science as well as religious zealotry is a great problem here and yet somehow still manage to be a rather vigilant, if not rabid supporter of the second amendment. How does this happen? Well, lemme go on.
When we moved here to the US (I was eighteen, then) and took a massive economical hit I left the house and joined the US Air force. While weapons training wasn't very prevalent (read: very, very basic) the notion of deadly force, force defense (and with that personal defense) was never a strange one to me. After all, what we did was "kill people and break their <stuff>" as we chanted endlessly during most training. seeing as I worked in Air Mobility Command it was not exactly rare for me to walk aboard an airplane full of Grun- Marines, Soldiers or bombs, go about my business and launch it to its ultimate destiny, which was to well ... kill people and break their <stuff>.
I did this for about four years and left the Air Force because I wanted a different job. Now, those familiar with the Air Force probably know that an AFSC (or MOS, as the Army puts it) change is nigh impossible, I told my Chief I'd gladly sign another contract the moment they crosstrain me. They didn't, ergo, I didn't.
I spent a few years in College, drifting around majors and met this Jewish farmer's daughter and we somehow got married. she encouraged me to get my degree and become an Officer, seeing as (this is how she put it) "you hate being a civilian, you need to get your ass back in or you're just gonna rot. And I don't marry losers who rot."
That sent a message home. In any case, I looked into the program that would be the most assured source of comissioning. The Air Force has ridiculous requirements, which my GPS simply didn't support, the Navy while very nice had left a bitter taste in my mouth, as I was in the Navy Reserve at the time and was pretty much going to drill once a month to do some random paperwork for lack of a real mission ... and the Army was the only one left over.
I remember quite clearly walking into the office, talking to a Green Beret Captain about my options, when after he reviewed my files looked at me and said "Here's a uniform. Class is in three hours and in three years you'll be commissioned. are you in on this?"
I was. I commissioned about a year ago and am a Signal Officer for a MedEvac Battalion in the National Guard.
So it's safe to say that the notion of deadly force as a protective measure has never really been far from me. This wasn't really a big deal though, because it didn't really affect me. I had (and still have) a sturdy bseball bat that serves me quite well in small apartments, but a few years back in the sleepy college town I live in there were two murders. One was three doors down about, the other smackdab on my way to school and four doors down from a house me and the wife regularly went to for drunken debauchery. She said she wanted a self defense weapon. I wasn't particularly opposed and we walked down the street to buy a Mossberg 500, then walked back up the street home with it slung over our shoulder. And frankly while being odd (being from Germany and all) it felt good, as in right, this is something that does make perfect sense.
Two shooting sessions later I was sold on the loud boom and smell of campfire and my collection started there. Couple that with the notion that all people's revolutions require a good set of civilian arms and you have the recipe for a far left gunnie, hyphen and import American. These days I spend most of my persuasive energy being an Officer or in academic and "dirty liberal leftie" circles talking guns, freedoms, people's arms, people's duties (to include being armed) and plinking at organic cafes. Or I am actually plinking and taking Handgun classes.
Have I joined the NRA? No. The reason should be obvious. But I believe it would be blind to ignore the contribution gun owners much like myself are making.
Whew, what a monologue. Time for a break, no?
Been a gun nut since I can remember. Once I got married I spread the disease to my father in law, my father (at least hand gun part, he's always had rifles), my wife, one of my best friends, and currently working on my mother in law
My mission is to let everyone who is mentally stable and can pass a background check to get a gun
My mission is to let everyone who is mentally stable and can pass a background check to get a gun
mortablunt
Member
When I was a kid, I was a total banner. I was always a gun nut, but didn't see the need. I hadn't yet hit upon the novel idea of protecting myself. Gradually, my gun nut tendencies grew, I did research about gun laws, and I came around when I was about 15.
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