Started shooting as a kid living on the farm a long time ago. Hunted and plinked some with an old single shot 22 crack shot-26. If I wanted to use it I had to keep it functioning, so you figure out how it works and do your own smithing. If most people knew how little sear engagement there can be in a firearm they wouldn’t have to be told to keep their finger off the trigger. Later I got a 410/22 over and under so bird hunting was added.
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I started in the military. I never thought one way or the other growing up. Once I was in the military and found out were not as safe as most think. Opened my eyes plus I was good at it so now I own many.
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I always had guns in the home I grew up in. I can’t remember the first time I shot one. We never locked them up and we never messed with them either. My dad started us playing dog bird hunting at a young age. At 12 we took the hunters’ safety course and started carrying a gun on the hunt.
After I got married and moved out, I didn’t have a gun in my home as I didn’t have a place to hunt. At some point my dad stopped hunting and the shotgun collection got handed down. After my son was born, my wife was home alone. Someone came to the door, knocked repeatedly and was very slow to leave. She didn’t open the door. This was a harmless thing, but the “what if” question haunted her. We had a Remington 870 20 gauge in the house, but she had no idea how to even load it. Soon I had a pistol. Problem was that she didn’t have hands big enough for a double stack 9mm so we had to go buy her one of her own. I got my concealed carry permit not too long after that. I spent significant time at the range. Then a few years back I got some real training from qualified instructors. It’s been two years since my last class. The class I signed up for last summer (MAG40) got cancelled due to Covid. I’m overdue for more training.
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Uncle Sam’s Canoe Club let me play with the M-14 and the 1911 when I was an Enlisted Man. I can remember during shore qualifications, I would skip lunch just to be allowed to get extra time so that the Gunner’s Mates didn’t have to carry any ammo back to the Armory at the end of the day.
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Was in the third grade when I shot my first bb gun, was an old pump action, not the kind you can pump ten times for more power. Graduated to a Remington 4 10 the next year . My father was a hunter he instilled that respect for nature in me until I was old enough to go on my own. Joined the military when I was 17 took my basic in ft Benning Georgia. They taught me how to handle the more modern rifles, been an owner ever since
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The basics happened a long time ago. Father provided to tools but not the knowledge. I was loosely taught by friends and family until as a young man a pioneer of the SWAT concept took me under his wing. Then some formal training and then some very talented high level mentors and then more formal training.
My current state is a product of training, a LOT of personal research, ridiculous amounts of practice and drills and ongoing evolution because I’m never going to be happy with where I am. There is always something new to learn.
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Got a Daisy Red Rider when I was 7 or 8 years old, then my grandpa gave me a Winchester model .06- .22 when I was 10 or 11.
My dad bought me a Mossberg 12ga when I was 12 years old so I could go shoot trap with him. About the same time I started using my brothers 870 for pheasants. Been doing it ever since.
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1968 in the foot hills of San Diego County my older brother’s took me along and taught me gun safety first then how to hold and shoot the six gun , then 22 rifle, then a 410 shoot gun. Which led me to really practice and was a plus when I when into the military. But about a year before I when into the military I bought my very own first gun a Ruger 1022 which I still have it.
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