How'd you get "into guns"?

[theken206]

"wasn't ever into guns to the extent i am now til my house was broken into, however."

well maybe thats a good thing, I know from others that having one of your firearms stolen,let alone a bunch of them, REALLY SUCKS.

 

[AirplaneDoc]

Dad gave me a Springfield Trapdoor 45/70 when I was 13, then later in the day felt it was a bad decision, and gave me a 1903 Springfield that night at dinner. He thought the 1903 migh be more useful to me.

 

[phaed]

"wasn't ever into guns to the extent i am now til my house was broken into, however."

well maybe thats a good thing, I know from others that having one of your firearms stolen,let alone a bunch of them, REALLY SUCKS.

i was very fortunate it turned out the way it did. i'll never let myself be unprepared again.

 

[weisse52]

My father, uncles, neighbors, and most likely the postman all went hunting and shooting. It was a much a part of my life as going to school.

Great life....

 

[Rule556]

When I was younger, my older brother bought me a semi-automatic BB pistol, one of the ones operated by a CO2 cartridge. It was shaped and sized like a Desert Eagle and was gold in color. I must have shot thousands of BBs through that thing, mostly at soda cans in my back yard. That started it for me. Eventually I wanted a real gun and I got my first, a semi-auto .22, when I was 13. I've been accumulating and shooting firearms since.

 

[rcmodel]

Dad gave me a Springfield Trapdoor 45/70 when I was 13, then later in the day felt it was a bad decision,

Who got the Trapdoor?

Want'a trade even for an Chinese SKS PARA-Trooper with 2 30 round mags?

O.K>! You got me!
I'll throw in a Hi-Point 9, and, a Mossy 500 Shottie!



Nevermind, cause you know I'm Lie'n!


rcmodel

 

[AirplaneDoc]

I got them both, and had to clean them both. And even thou I know you are lyin, the answer is still No. The trapdoor my g-great uncle carried in the Spanish American War, It also came with his medals, canteen, and discharge papers.

Happy New Year

 

[davera]

It's kind of hard to pin down. Mine is a suburban background, not rural but I grew up when it was still OK to have toy guns (and westerns ruled the TV hours). I remember shooting granddad's .22 at an early age and have gun books dated back to when I was 10 years old ... given to my by grandparents.

I recall owning my own 20 gauge and having free use of the aforementioned .22 around 8th grade. Some friends and I could just take off and go shooting in the woods without any adult supervision. They had repeaters but with my single shot Stevens/Springfield Model 15 I could hit in one shot anything they could.

Friends in college got me into deer and bird hunting after a hiatus of the shooting interest and this lasted into my mid 20s. Early on here I bought a Win. 70 in 30-06, and an Ithaca model 37 in 12 gauge. I was kind of pore back then and cannot remember just how I could afford what were probably high end guns at in the 73-74 timeframe.

Another long hiatus until about 2002 when the desire for a defensive handgun came up, a few purchases happened to cover certain niches (medium autoloader, big revolver, .22 auto, small revolver) and I couldn't stop. Some rifle niches had to be covered - defensive carbines; a Marlin 1984 in .357, an AO M1 Carbine, a .22 autoloader for plinking, a 30-30 just because everyone should have one... and I still couldn't stop, a few milsurps came home... and of late ... vintage .22s like a 1956 Win 61 and a 1959 Marlin 39A.

Right now, more collector and tinkerer than shooter but that could change in the next year toward more shooting and less acquisition.

It's a fun hobby. Any firearm acquisition will seldom be worth less than what is paid (though sometimes you can buy a gun too early). It's fun to shoot them, fun to study them in detail, fun to tinker and restore. It beats gambling lots other types of "recreational" activities.

 

[Owens]

Raised with them on the ranch. Have always been attracted by the 'massive cool' (whatever that is) factor. Can't really explain it. Remember many family get togethers that turned into shooting contests and 'look what I brung!' stuff.

Sometimes I think it is genetic - sort of like the Sonic add about men and bacon being imprinted or some such.

 

[ZeSpectre]

It's funny, I also grew up on a farm and for me (as a youngster) there was no particular attraction to guns. They were tools we had to use from time to time, they had a LOT of rules and restrictions, they were noisy (I hate loud noises) and had to be cleaned every time you used them, and the aftermath/cleanup (for varmint control) was nasty. Not much attraction there for me so they got used when needed and not much more.

So I grew up and moved out and started working in LE...again it was just another part of my tool assortment but I decided that I really needed to give my choice (of a career involving danger and firearms) the respect it deserved so I started practicing more and then joined a group for some fairly casual competition (just to give it an edge).

WHAMMO... THAT is when I started to really love firearms! The social group involved was decent, polite, and fun to be around. The competition was there, but low pressure. And I discovered that I was reasonably decent with a pistol.

I then embarked on a long, semi-scientific, quest to see what firearms (and what I) could achieve under various conditions and that's mostly what I'm still doing today.

(Enhancing my self defense capabilities doesn't hurt either)

 

[rbernie]

Boy scout camp was my first experience, but it didn't last and was soon forgotten. Then my rich uncle gave me a select-fire rifle and a fancy green outfit to wear around town.

That pretty much sealed the deal.

 

[Eric F]

went hunting with dad at 6 it took off from there

 

[politicalgeek]

Scouting....BB's as a Cub Scout, later .22s at Boy Scout summer camps. Scoutmasters would also get their stash out every year and take us out to a farm for a weekend of fun.

 

[YZR]

A close friend wanted her CCW since she was working in a rough area. I took the class with her and her husband and the rest, as they say, is history!

 

[TimM]

Grew up hunting in WV.

 

[arflattop]

Don't really know. I grew up just outside of Washington DC on the Virginia side in a close, Christian, but non-gun family. My brother has turned out to be an anti and has passed that down to his kids. I have had a love of firearms ever since I can remember, although no one in my family or extended family (or friends) had any interest. My father was a tolerant man and recognized my inclinations and enrolled me in a junior NRA club and was taught safety along with a weekly dose of indoor range time with a .22 rifle. He bought me my first .22 rifle for Christmas when I was 12. My grandmother then gave me grandfather's WWI 1911A1, and there's been no looking back. Sorry for rambling -- but one thing that sticks in my mind is that I was in complete control of my weapons at that age. I had them in my room with ammunition, etc. What trust! Off the subject, the above also applies to motorcycles, which is another passion. I consider myself a living example of genetic predisposition versus environment. Mom just says I'm the "black sheep"..........

 

[Noxx]

I grew up in a very anti-gun environment. I decided for myself in my college years that I would have to be responsible for my own protection.

Unfortunately NO ONE I knew was a "gunnie", I had to teach myself the safety rules, the basics of marksmanship, etc etc from what literature I could dig up. No kids here yet, but if they come along, they'll grow up in a much different environment than I did.

 

[Legionnaire]

Grew up in the city and my family didn't own guns. Played with toy guns (still PC back then), shot a couple of times at a friend's farm, etc. Never had much opportunity to develop an interest. Went out for the rifle time in college (still had a team back then) and did well. That's probably when I first got the itch. But subsequent grad school, getting married, new job, etc ...

My father-in-law, however, is a great outdoorsman--hiking, hunting, fishing. He and my wife conspired to buy me my first gun, a Mossberg 500 with vent rib and slug barrels. That got me started. I started exploring handguns as an alternative to shotguns for deer hunting (shotgun only area of NY). As my interest developed, I fell in with a guy at church who was big into the 2A. He got me started started taking defensive handgun courses at LFI.

So now I pass it forward. There are a lot of young people who are shooting enthusiasts because of my years as a hunter safety instructor and my standing invitation at church, "If you want to learn to shoot and hunt, I'll take you." And my own kids have grown up with guns. They are not all interested in hunting, but they all know how to shoot.

 

[esq_stu]

When I was 9 I went to a day camp that had riflery as an activity. We started with BB guns and graduated to .22s. We joined the NRA as "Junior Members." I still have the embroidered NRA patch somewhere. I don't know if junior membership is still offered. It should be. Riflery at camp remains one of my most vivid memories of childhood.

 

[doc2rn]

Dunno

My folks aren't anti- but they are not pro either. I got the mandatory BB gun at 7, Crossman pellet at 8, then when I should have gotten a Marlin .22 at 10 but dad was out of work. At 11 instead got a Ruger MKI Then I used every bit of allowance on ammo. Must have gone through alot because dad still scolds me on buying too much. At 12 my great-granpa put me against a tree with a SXS 10g and had me shoot both barrel at the same time. He thought that would cure my "gun fancy". 3 weeks later when I asked to borrow it again he laughed and said you know where it is have at it. I bought a Sears 12g in high school, which fit every need I had to occassionally hunt as a city boy, on the family farm, (notice the shotgun theme). Next came college, a dead fiancee from a drunk driver, and the loss of too many friends, so I joined the military. Shot sharpshooter with pistol first time out, expert rifleman, expert SAW, and 500 proficient with AT-4. Here I am back in school now and cant wait to buy an old Sherman to rebuild.

 

[AlaskaErik]

My father was really big into shooting, so it was only natural that I followed suit.

 

[M60]

I was basically born with a .22 rifle in my hand...

 

[Limeyfellow]

I got into guns by using my dad's ones in the backyard mainly in England. Back then that was a not too uncommon sight. I went through a number of firing teams and activity places as well mainly using .22s and air rifles with the occasional use of an SLR and Lee Enfield and when I moved to the US I went all gun crazy.

 

[Essex County]

Toddler. Very rural N.H. Farm. Early '50's. Rifles and shotguns were kept loaded next to the door. Homemade bread and Hoppe's no. 9 were odors of my early years.........Essex

 

[Deanimator]

When I was a little kid I didn't have the slightest interest in guns. Then one night the family and I were watching "The Man from UNCLE" and my then fanatically anti-gun mother saw one of the "UNCLE Specials" and said, "Look at that funny looking gun!" From that night on, I've been deeply fascinated with firearms, frequently to my mother's great displeasure. Oh well, she created the monster...