|
My parents weren't 'gun people', but they kept this POS .22 revolver, that was in about 3 pieces and had electrical tape as a grip, in a box above the refrigerator. As soon as my parents started leaving my brother and I home by ourselves, of course we got it down and played with it. We put it together, but I honestly don't even think it would have worked. That was my introduction to guns.
When I was about 15, my grandfather got my brother and I BB guns; which made my dad irate. When I was about 16, the first two guns I ever shot were a Colt 1911, and a full auto Thompson .45 that my uncle had from the Sheriff's office where he worked. Talk about a baptism by fire. My parents divorced when I was 17, and my dad moved out. We lived in the country, and I remember my mom waking me up one night because she heard a noise outside. Being the newly ordained 'man of the house', I had to do my investigation with the only weapon I owned at the time, a compound bow. I remember telling myself I would own a gun as soon as I was old enough. When I turned 18, I bought two shotguns, then a year later bought a rifle. I got into the police academy at 20 years old, so that's when I started buying handguns. My collection exploded to around 50 firearms, but I've since whittled that down to about half of that now.
Because of my experience as a kid, my daughters have all received their own .22 rifle at the age of 4, and they've been taught to use every firearm in the house. I don't want their introduction to guns to be like mine.
|