The Missus and I an ongoing disagreement. Disagreement is probably too strong of a world. It’s more like a difference of opinion–when is the right time for a child to have a gun, shoot a gun, be around guns, etc?
We both have a healthy respect for what they can do, but hers is more like a fear. She sees them as weapons, but I see them as tools. I think this difference of perspective comes mostly from the fact that she’s never been around guns, but I’ve been around them my whole life. In my mind, this experience gives me a much more educated opinion.
It came up again when we were watching Superbad and saw the scene where the kid is fascinated with holding and shooting a gun. To me, a 16 year old who’s full of adrenaline over the prospect of holding a gun is a much scarier proposition than an 8 year old who thinks it’s no big deal.
She asked once when I first shot a gun. I honestly don’t even remember when that was. To me that’s like asking when you first used a screwdriver. But I do remember being drilled constantly by my dad on the rules of gun safety. Those rules went for any gun at our house. When I hear people now talk about having BB gun wars as kids, I can’t help but imagine what would have happened to us if we’d done that. Honestly, punishment would have been the least of our worries–we could both actually shoot. There’s no way I’d want my brother drawing a bead on me.
I remember. 11 years old. I wanted to shoot my dad’s 12 gage. He said, ok. I held it up to my shoulder loosely, aimed at the fence post with the can on it, closed my eyes, pulled the trigger and then my dad picked me up off the deck.
I signed up the next week for the Hunter’s safety program offered by my scout troop, went target and skeet shooting and have enjoyed guns ever since.
When playing at my friends’ houses (we were all rednecks…so everybody’s dad had a gun or two)we may have come across where a gun was being kept, and didn’t think twice about messing with it…I always remembered hitting the deck.