Try this...
Back in April, I purchased my first personal defense firearm the day after receiving my CCW permit. A day or two after that, I took my girlfriend with me to the shooting range. She was raised in an anti-gun family and was a little apprehensive about me carrying a gun on my person, but accepted that it was my personal choice and my right to do so, and was a bit curious about the whole "gun thing" since she's never seen a gun fired in person before. About the first half-dozen times she's come along to the range with me, but refused to try shooting the gun herself when I offered. I did however teach her gun safety right then and there so she new how the revolver worked and have also shown her how to check and unload automatics as well. She was impressed with my ability to keep the shots in the 10 and X-ring consistently though (I've been a marksman for over 12 years now, since the age of 15) and even told me she feels safer being able to go out for walks at night with me knowing I have the means, training, and ability to defend us should the "day (or night) of truth" ever dawn upon us.
One day, she complained and griped about how much she hated dealing with some of the idiot co-workers she has, so I set up my indoor backstop, got out my old Crosman 357-6 air pistol (call me a kid at heart, I still love shooting that thing once in a while), used 8 1/2" x 11" sheets of paper with Caricatures of her co-workers drawn on them for targets, loaded a fresh CO2 and 2 10-round clips, and kept plenty of ammo next to me for reloading.
I proceeded to teach her the primary rules of gun safety (again), showed her how the pistol worked (safety, loading and unloading, and how to aim and shoot both single-action and double-action), then let her take aim and "blast away".
Suprisingly, I ended up using two CO2s and about 200 rounds of ammo that afternoon. Since then, she laughs like Hell along with me reading the HCI Parody site, as well as starting off some very interesting 2nd Amendment conversations with me after reading information on Oleg Volk's site and various handgun magazines I've purchased to read (Handguns, American Handgunner, Concealed Carry, etc.). She's even gone as far to tell any gun control advocate that they can take their anti-gun propaganda and shove it up their self-righteous posteriors, including her own family!
She understands my reasons for carrying a concealed weapon whenever I may legally do so, and also understands why I enjoy shooting sports and firearms in general. She has changed from, "Who cares? It doesn't concern me," to supporting my decision and choice of shooting sports.
She even has agreed to learning how to shoot my .38 snub-nose which is my carry gun. I told her that should an emergency ever happen that I am rendered unable to access my weapon and she could, she should know how to use that gun, ANY GUN for that matter to save her own life or both of ours. She is not of legal age to carry a gun yet (I'm 27 and she is almost 20), but so far I have also taught her hand-to-hand combat, knife, and tactical handcuffing so that until she does reach the legal age to own a handgun, she has at least SOME means to protect herself when I'm not around, and that these techniques should be applied first against an attacker before resorting to a firearm, if at all possible.
I don't know if when she reaches age 21 that she'll want to obtain her CHL and/or buy a gun of her own, and I support her choice either way, for I feel that those who aren't comfortable carrying the ability to end life shouldn't. Whatever her decision, I'm confident that she's going to make that decision informed, educated, and trained, rather than placed into fear or confusion about guns from all the anti-gun, pro-gun control biggots who mostly haven't touched a firearm in their life.
Therefore, my advice is this: If you haven't already done so, take your wife or significant other to the range with you and give them the oppurtunity to learn about guns and maybe shoot one or two. You may be suprised to find that their viewpoints may change once they've been given the oppurtunity. I've taken a good friend of mine to the range with me recently, someone who never held or looked closely at a gun, let alone shoot one. I taught him about the gun, the rules of safe shooting, and let him shoot it. That first shot brought a big smile to his face, enlightening and somehow liberating him. He also understood though the force of that shot that he was holding something capable of taking a human life. If he ever had a doubt before, he now knew very clearly that I completely understood the ability I carry in my holster and the great deal of responsibility I swore myself to when I received my CCW permit. He has grown an even greater respect for me, seeing how I accepted that responsibility and use that responsiblity to educate others on their 2nd Amendment rights and responsible firearms ownership.
What the heck! The next time you get the itch for a new gun, she may ask to come with you and say, "Make that two!"
