Great story! Nice to see at least a little common sense exists on the other side of the fence.

My parents did not like toy guns, but that never stopped me from playing"war" with my friends, it was our favorite game and we preferred sticks to to guns anyway, your imagination could make the stick what ever weapon would be correct for the time period we were "fighting" in. So when on a camping trip a fellow camper asked if I would like to shoot with him and his buddies, I did. 30years and a mix of a few dozen rifles, shotguns and sidearms and here I am. I guess my point is that you are who you choose to make yourself.

Kids (boys in particular) have a natural curiosity about guns. It's much better to satisfy that curiosity by letting them play with toy guns and, when mature enough, provide them with training in the safe handling and proper shooting fundamentals of firearms.

I remember seeing a home video from one of the Columbine killers taken in their home. At one point they pass by a locked gun case and make some comment along the lines of how the guns are “off limits”. The reference made the impression (at least in me) that their parents (probably the father) had guns but made them Taboo to the kids instead of raising their kids to respect the guns and handle them properly. Failure to recognize that little boys these days are much more men than modern metro-sexuals and the tofu and crackers males, and accommodate even their “violent” tendencies in a constructive way, seems to too often either result in emasculated males or whack job killer types.

Ha! I'll tell him. The poor kid's not going to know what to do with his life. He's already told me he doesn't want to be a "writer" when he grows up because thanks to daddy he already knows there's no money in that, either...

When my son's interest in shooting grew, my wife and I signed him up for a gun safety course through the local 4-H. He learned gun safety and shooting fundamentals and his interest grew even more. He discovered that he was a good shot and has been a competitive shooter ever since. My daughter saw all of the female competitors and decided to give it a "shot" herself. Since both the kids were shooting, I became a certified instructor. It has been one of the most satisfying volunteer activities that I have been involved in.

Even though I could have taught my kids the basics of shooting and gun safety, they were much better served by going through an organized program. I would encourage other parents (whether or not they are gun owners) to have their kids go through a firearms program designed for youth. The NRA, 4-H, Boy Scouts and others provide quality firearms training programs.

By they way, these worthy organizations are always in need of volunteers. I have worked with several different youth organizations and found that, as a group, the young people who are involved in shooting sports are the most disciplined, respectful, coachable kids I have ever been around.

good, the guy turned out normal. i think i would too if didnt have a gun loven republican dad, republican mom, brother, and sister who i would vote for presedent

guns were a part of my childhood too. from an early age I was taught safe handling and responsibility when it comes to firearms.

Sea dog your right ,. if your not you should be,.
but I know damn well you are and from the sound of it so do you.
To me this is one very interesting topic, Yet has always been a source of confusion to me especially within this blog

As a kid in my neck of the woods ( close to a major city ) it was almost exclusivly Democrats ( in no particular order, guys in the trades laborers,.truckers , skilled workers and craftsmen cops, firemen etc) who were the gun owners and hunters.
The ones ( aside from unifirms) who wore flannel shirts,.blue genes and boots ( not cowboy boots ) work boots.
Which if you think about it are boots similar to what you wear in war.
Never saw a modern day soldier wearing cowboy boots to a fire fight Then again never heard of Doc Holiday Wyatte Erp etc, using an M16.
Anyway these work boot wearing guys (Democrats) who had a seat with there name on it at the local labor temple
( not really but you take my meaning )
were mostly WWII vets.
Who did not take kindly to someone telling them, that due to their political persuasion directly realted to occupation that they were one thing or the other.
Having had occasion to witness that point made eminently clear more than one time . YUK YUK to what i have always called the putter twirlers.

It was the Republican contingent,.( in my neck of the woods) who,.. while twirling their putters like a bunch of Drum majoretts ( figuratively speaking of course) After Thurday afternoons at the country club and three hours in the bar trying to get lucky with the waitress with the giant headlights.
The ones who came careening home in their land yahts cussing their wives and kids that essenially and consistently.
Looked down upon the others (Demoractes) as gun owners and hunters.Hunting and or camping being an activity for the coarse and unwashed Democrates.

Which is why Im a Democrat ,. albeit a concervative Dem ,. A Dem none the less.

One of my best friends is a died in the wool concervastive and a syiu may immagine we have had sonme dooseys
This dude has never held or shot a gun in his life,.. and is pushing 60 REAL hard. NEVER HELD OR SHOT A GUN.!!
Our commonality is that both of us like to eat drink and cook. I quit golfing so I didn't kill someone or myslef and he dosent hunt ,.. but the ocasional Sunday with a couple grills stoked up ,. a ball gane on and a few beers keeps us in touch

I would not want him after me with his "driver" at close range , but no danger of him shooting me casue he does not know basic firearm operation.

So its good to hear some one like Sea Dog who appears in print at least,. to be concervative.
Bring some levity to the "we v/s them venue .
As I have said,. and will again

It is my one of fondset wishes that i fwe could we could.
Get up all the fanatics,.. the one so far one way or the other ( right or left) that in any practical sense they don't know where in the " H " they are anyway.
To go to war with one another . And I mean on a real honest to God conventional field of battle.
With small arms,. granades tanks and cannon.
Give em all the bulletts their little hearts desire
Especially the ones (who some how do most of the pontificating here in ) who have not seen combat.

We would soon be rid of most of em.
Because in a real life (not virtual pontificaton life ) situation, they would be pi$$ing them selves and shooting their own in the first five minutes of the first fire fight.
Such is my opinion of that bunch

Two weeks later after we had honorably laid to rest these puffed up pontificating perveyors of accusation retribution and recrimination.( From both sides )
The the rest of us could get something done.
That didnt cost the country twice as much as it should becaus we would be rid of the career blood sucking ( or should I say money sucking ) "crats" of what ever ilk.

Shoot straight and shoot often

Yall have a good weeked

Shoud say I am not refering to Mr Love or anyone in particular ,.. as to the people I would like to see go to war,.. (crat fanatics of what ever ilk )
and when I say within this blog I mean more generally the composit of blogs. This one in particular is more sane than what mental waste that slides down ther drain in others here in .(here in referring to Field and Stream blogs in general)

There that aughta stir the pot!

Good story. I'd wager that even if the gun had never been invented and the most dangerous thing was a stick, people would be banning sticks and saying 'I shouldn't have let little Johnny play with sticks. Look how he turned into a serial stick attacker......'

My generation grew up with all kinds of toys and cartoons that were 'violent'. I don't think I turned out bad. Then again I don't think everyone gets the same amount of common sense or 'walking around smarts' as my Granddaddy used to call it.

Wonderful story. Kids will respect guns if they are taught to. Kids don't just naturally have the urge to go and shoot-up a school...

Jasonmarinevet
Fist congratulations ,. you survived ,. that is step one.
As a combat vet I would always listen to you ,may not always agree but certainlty listen.And defend your right to your opinion.
Having read your post you appear to be one that thinks ,. rather than some ranting drooling concervative
"jehodest" (like crm 30-04 1/2 " acorn "D" that he must be)agianst anthing that dosent have an R or GOP in front of it .

So Im curious,. would it matter to you if what you fought for. Which in my own expeinace after a time becomes simply your own life and those of your brothers in arm.

If your rights ( and privilages ) as you percieve them with regard to the entire constitution, not just one or two amendments.
Were preserved by a combination of centerist thinking people on both sides . Or does it have to be one party or the other.

This is not a trick question,.. it is a question spawned by reading ( I think ) between the lines here.

Said reading between the lines,. thusly leading me to believe just recently that certain values held .
Which are so close to being identical, it is just plain scary.
Believed in one section of the country to be purly and by Gods will only,.. Republican.
Yet the same values being stamped Democrat in other sections of the country .

If thats true we all ought be scared to death ,.
As the political brain washing such that we fight among outselev is not only working . But based on the age group represented here in,.. has been in place since just after WWII,.or hell,.. who knows,. maybe before.
It is true ( meaning documented ) that in the two previous administrations the greatest (largest) wealth transfer (from your pocket and mine meaning the masses to to the few) in recorded history did occur .and that as of the middle of the last Bush administyration 20% of the wealth in the U. S. was conrolled by 2-3 % of the population.

Having faced the the bad guys at 30 feet ( do not know how i didnt buy it that time) I don't scare easily ,.
But the thought we have by design been pitted agaisnt one another .
With from what I can only surmise as having one purpose That being to divide and weaken the citizenry as a whole
simply scares me spitless,..

Your thoughts would be welcome

All the best

Yohan

I think that TV and Parents have more influence on kids than the toys we buy them. If you teach them right hopefully they turn out to be honest self disciplined gun owners/users.

I bought a bb gun to teach my youngin to shoot and for me to practice within a subburban setting without gettin the neighbors panties in a bunch. A lady in front of me asked if the bb gun was for my son and I said of course it is. She said don't you think he's a little young.. My reply as long as he is directly supervised by me a responsible parent and only has access when I get it out of my gun cabinet then NO he's not too young. She huffed and walked away. To this day my son has muzzle awarenesss, the gun is on safe and he has not gone into my locked gun cabinet to get it out.

Unlike childhood I play Soldier everyday. I've been deployed and back. I've hunted and shot as much as as I can on my schedule. I plan to take my child to and he has shot a bow as well. Damn the liberals and their views.

We need to continue to pass our traditions and values to the next generation.

I think that we often and unfortunately are too quick to place labels on each other. Whether its "Liberal" or "conservative", "Republican" or "Democrat", it is simply a moniker and doesn't really reflect what our core values really are. I for example am a registered Democrat because many moons ago as a young man in northeastern NC there were very few if any Republicans, and if one desired to vote in local or state elections, one had to be a Democrat (a registered Independent could not vote in the Democratis runoffs).
I have voted Democrat and I have voted Republican, but mostly I vote for the one who closest matches my values.
I have stayed a Democrat because it gives me audience with other Democrats to discuss important issues such as gun control from an alternative perspective. I am just speaking for me, but I have been amazed at the some of my acquaintances who would be classed as typical liberals who have supported hunting programs and are very much in support of the Second Amendment. Now I can'y vouch for their voting recoed on other issues however the ones that I deem important finds us on the same page. I must admit that I was shocked and surprised (pleasantly of course) when I was invited to attend a week long workshop sponsored by a national and prominent conservation organization. I expected a bunch of intellectual anti-hunters. What I found was that most of them (they came from all over the US for this workshop)were hunters and my roommate had been turkey hunting prior to the workshop and took a 20 lb. tom with a 10 inch beard. We all had a couple of evenings swapping hunting stories and I had to eat a good size portion of roast crow for pre-judging these people. I got a second helping another evening when I was invited out west to shoot feral hogs and was told they would even put me up while I was there. I have found that as I have aged, I tend to eat more crow than I eat chicken.
Oh well, that's just an old guy's two cents.

I had so many toy guns in my house as a kid. The thought of that making me more likely of a killer is rediculous. This is worse than the notion that video games make kids killers. Jeez o Pete.

I hav been around guns all my life my parents gave me toy guns as long as i can remember beck probably when i was old enough to pick it up I had toy guns up through the first few years of elementary school. My parents told me that when i started k-garden i could get a bb gun for christmas i got one i was told propper gun safety and handling from the time i got my first toy gun. When i was growing up i never touched a gun toy bb or real gun unless my parents told me it was ok. If i saw a gun out somewhere i would immediatly tell an adult. i was able to start hunting about the age of 7(with parent subervision) and hav ever since my family has always been gun owners/users and responsible ones. if anything being around guns when little and being tought the rights and wrongs of guns has probably made me even less likely to be a killer(not that i would of been). when you hear of shootings and murders with guns it is always someone that was never allowed to even look at a gun let alone learn about it, or someone that was already a criminal and then was able to get their hands on a gun. If they want to outlaw guns because they are dangerous and cause killing then they would also have to outlaw cars, knives, bows, arrows, hammers, most tools, chairs, pillows, water, etc, etc, etc, all of these have been used to kill people but their is no way in H#*L that they could be eleminated as they are part of our everyday life, it is the same with guns, and if they do outlaw guns then all you are doing is making it easier for criminals to kill people, because most criminals own their guns illegally and taking it from non criminals would spike crime because they would no noone could defend themselves. But like i hav said before... I want to see someone tell me i cant own my gun anymore i hav to turn it in to them.. i want to see them take it from me cause it'll be a could day in H#*L before i am without my guns.!!!