A recollection of my first step into gun ownership, and the love of shooting.

In 1982, when I was 10 years old,
me and my brother got BB guns for Christmas, and apparently
not much instruction on gun safety or etiquette. 

I didn't grow up with firearms.  Yes, I fired a 10/22 long rifle now and then as a boy scout, and mostly shot a BB gun when I was a teenager.  But my Dad wasn't a hunter, nor into firearms by any means.  That's why I was shocked to find out after he died that he owned 5 firearms.  He didn't have a safe, and trust me, I was quite the sneaky kid stealing candy out of his closet or lockbox he had in his bedroom.

This was Cathi's first time shooting a gun as well. She
was turned off not by our 10/22, but by the overwhelming
bang of the AR-15 being fired by another patron in another
lane. Even with the hearing protection.  The concussive
sound from that really made that experience
a negative one for her.

I could have sworn I knew every secret place to look for goodies in our house growing up. Just ask my Mom, I was very assertive and inventive breaking into his lockbox, one day showing her how to do it when she didn't have the key. So good job Dad keeping the firearms completely out of my knowledge. I wish he was here so I could ask him where in the heck he hid them so effectively.

My Sister, Elayna, and Mom.
Mom is making a face here
because she admitted to feeling
really out place at the range.

After my Father passed away, the next summer at Scout Camp,
my son Isaac earned his rifle shooting merit badge and really enjoyed it.  He asked if we could get a 22 rifle for the family so he could shoot for fun rather than only do it at scout camp.  I didn't own a gun at all at that time.  I asked my Mom about the 22 rifle that I knew my Dad owned when she revealed he had 4 other firearms in addition to that one.  It was decided that each of my brothers and me would inherit one of my Dad's guns.  I chose the 22 rifle to satisfy Isaac's interest, and my brother's too selected their firearm of inheritance.

Something seemed to change within me once I had that rifle.  A sense of responsibility.  I now had to get a safe.  I had to learn how to properly maintain the rifle, safely operate it, and teach my children those principles. I have a responsibility to impress upon them to appreciate the rifle for what it is. A tool, something to be respected, and if the rules of safety were not followed, something very dangerous.  The curiosity factor had to be eliminated.  They now are fully familiar with them and know and honor the rules of safe gun use.

I was not going to be irresponsible with its storage at home so I bought a very modest rifle safe.

Helping support my Mom,
reassuring her that pulling the
trigger on the 38 special
wasn't going to rip her arms
 from their sockets.

I shortly scheduled a visit to the range with not only Isaac, but most of his other brothers, and even my Mom and sister Elayna joined us.  My Mom brought her "Cowboy gun" that was one of my Dad's 5 guns that she ended up keeping for herself.  It was a 38 special Smith and Wesson Revolver. It was the gun my Grandfather carried during his career as a US Postal Inspector.

She had never shot it before and as I was explaining the basic safe gun handling rules as she was preparing to shoot, she was so overwhelemd and nervous she started to cry. She had never experienced this before and she was fearful to the point of tears.  I had to physically encourage her and provide support as she felt like she was shooting a bazooka or something. Given the size of the gun and cartridge, firing it

The crew of new shooters at the Red Dot Firearms range.
This was such a fun experience for me.
In fact I would consider it life-changing for me. 
It was the first inch of the pebble rolling down the hill.

did provide an appreciable amount of kick. The experience ended up making her more fearful of firearms. It wasn't until later that I invited her to shoot my Walther PPQ 22 lr pistol that she learned that shooting was fun and not an overpowering dreadful thing.


To be continued....