[Jay24bal]

In some regards I fit the "stereotype" pretty well:

1. 6'1" and 240 pounds, so not exactly "slim."
2. 27 year-old white male.
3. Generally rather conservative on both social as well as fiscal government policy.
4. Christian.
5. Drive a pick-up truck daily even though my job does not require it (I do a lot of home repairs as well as being a hunter so the bed comes in handy about once a month for me).
6. I do occasionally wear camo when not in the field, although it is a function of them being old clothes that I wear on weekends for yardwork and such.
7. If you saw my basement, I would look like a gun nut as I have two safes full of guns (bolt action rifles, semi-auto EBRs, military surplus rifles, pump and semi-auto shotguns, most handguns are semi-auto, but there are a couple revolvers mixed in), I handload ammo so I have a workbench and supplies, and I have a shelf full of camo and duck decoys.
8. If you know me, you know I am outspoken in support of the 2A.
9. I carry daily.
10. I do love Copenhagen Southern Blend...

In other ways, I do not:

1. Very short crew cut, (I get asked a lot if I am a police officer or veteran, but I am not), no facial hair.
2. Did not grow up around guns, gained interest on my own once I was old enough to buy them myself. I grew up in suburbia where guns are not part of everyday life. At least to my knowledge, there is not a gun to be found in my parents' house.
3. I sell software for a living and interact with two "traditionally white-collared" industries depending on the product: large accounting firms and private country clubs.
4. I volunteer and help coach a youth baseball team in the summer (I played college baseball) even though I do not have children yet.
5. I am a college graduate, and spent 2 years in full-time study in law school before I decided I did not want to do that for 40 years.
6. I am a competitive amateur golfer and I spend a lot of time at various tournaments and in country-club settings and fit in quite well.
7. Married to my grade school sweetheart (yes, you read that correctly as we started dating in 8th grade) who is a tiny little woman and does not have a interest in guns although she does know how to handle them safely and use one if she must.

When people do find out that I have an interest in guns and that I hunt, most are surprised for some reason, but generally those are people that do not know me very well. Maybe it is why I enjoy sales, but I feel that everyone is different and can not fit into one mold. Every person has a different personality, preferences, history, hopes and dreams, and a different outlook on life, you just need to get to know them and go from there. I feel as comfortable sitting down with the Managing Partner of Big 4 CPA firm as I do the "good-'ole boys" at the range or in deer camp. While we all have these labels we like to attach to ourselves, we are all so much more complicated than that.