This is primarily a thread for martial artists who use and/or own guns. Anyone may add their stories and opinions.

How did you get started with guns? Which came first for you, the martial arts or the guns?

- Ceicei

My granndfather and father used to be in the Air Force. My father also hunted. My siblings took the gun safety course for kids under P.A.L. (Police Athletic League inn New Mexico). As a result. I'm no stranger to seeing/touching guns.

My childhood shooting experience was limited to BB rifles. When I got to college in Utah, I bought into the idea that gun registering, like vehicle registering, is great. That year, I started taking up martial arts (American Kenpo).

That changed when I took Statistics class. I learned that statistics more often could be manipulated to fit the views ofwhoever interpreted the hard data. I found the hard data did not match the statistics of what Gun Control proponents said. I looked carefully at the hard facts.

I no longer felt that registering and banning guns is an effective strategy. Criminals will always break laws. That's my view when I graduated from college.

My boyfriend invited me to go hunting with his family. He proposed on opening day of the season when he caught a deer.

After he and I married, my husband bought a gun for protection because he travelled extensively. I also worked nights as a college instructor and days as a State government worker. I looked into concealed carry laws and we both took several classes from a Provo City Police Lieutenant. We both got our Utah Carry Permits.

Our handguns are Rugers and Glocks. We keep them in our gun safe along with the hunting rifles.

All four of my children are aware of guns. My oldest two are trained how to handle/shoot guns too and they also share my passion for Kenpo karate.

- Ceicei

I started martial arts first by about 16 yrs. If youdon't count firing a couple of guns for fun and experience, I started with firearms Right after college. My fiance' graduated with a forensics degree and I suggested that she may need to know how to use a gun sometime for her job (for bullistics study purposes). We took a couple of courses (NRA and local police). Since then shooting is a light hobby of sorts.

My handguns include a glock 19, a Springfield mil-spec 1911, an S&W .357 revolver and a Beretta .40. I think there is an H&K or a Sig in the future somewhere, but that is most likely as far as I will go. I also have a scoped Remington 710 .30-06 and a Mossberg 500 12 ga. shotgun.

I keep them trigger locked and in a locked safe with the ammo kept separate.

I personally think that Glock is the best current manufacturer, due to ease of use and maintanance and durability.

Guns first, by many years. Part of growing up in the counrty before every town had a M/A studio.

My uncle 1st got me interested. I was already well involved with MA.

I only know enough about firearms for safty purposes, and general use. I am interested and I would like to improve my aim with a sidearm, and learn more about shooting tactics in general.

When I was 10, my brother came back from 'Nam. He soon became a cop and one day took me out and taught me to shoot both pistols and long guns. That same week he took me shooting, he took me to the movies to see "Enter the Dragon", and the rest is history ;)

Family tradition growing up in a rural area. I started shooting a .22 rifle and revolver under close supervision of my father when I was 7. I'm 37 now. Same year I received my first pocket knife.

I now favor 1911 style pistols and bolt action rifles in general, along with plenty of training and shooting.

In a household with firearms in it. My father was a Cop, and then a Forest Ranger, and always had firearms.

I was an Infantry Soldier in the ANG, and, before I left for Basic, my father bought me a Rifle... It started there...

Here in Finland, we have a conscript army, so basically all men go to a period (up to one year) of basic military training (for more info, if interested go to: http://www.mil.fi/english/ ). After completion everyone is assigned to a reserve unit and they have to go to combat rehearsals/exercises every 2-4 years or so depending on the unit you are assigned to in the reserve (some units train a lot less often).

Most men don't think much about the army stuff after the initial service and only attend the mandatory training, but some of us, like me, become active reservists and go to lots of voluntary extra combat training. This means lots of combat shooting practice with different weapons, and usually it means that you buy at least some weaponry of your own.

Here we don't have a professional army, so we - the reserve - are the army, and many of us take it seriously enough to buy guns and keep practising combat with them. Heck, most of the training is free, because it is supported and co-produced by our military, so why not? :)

Originally posted by Pyros
Here in Finland, we have a conscript army, so basically all men go to a period (up to one year) of basic military training (for more info, if interested go to: http://www.mil.fi/english/ ). After completion everyone is assigned to a reserve unit and they have to go to combat rehearsals/exercises every 2-4 years or so depending on the unit you are assigned to in the reserve (some units train a lot less often).

Most men don't think much about the army stuff after the initial service and only attend the mandatory training, but some of us, like me, become active reservists and go to lots of voluntary extra combat training. This means lots of combat shooting practice with different weapons, and usually it means that you buy at least some weaponry of your own.

Here we don't have a professional army, so we - the reserve - are the army, and many of us take it seriously enough to buy guns and keep practising combat with them. Heck, most of the training is free, because it is supported and co-produced by our military, so why not? :)

Are private citizens allowed to possess or carry guns in your country?

Started shooting through an NRA firearms safety course taught at the local police department - let's say 7th grade? Continued shooting in Boys Scouts. Did some very irresponsible things with firearms as a teen. Came close to getting shot with a 30.06 while cutting class to shoot jack rabitts. Thought I could shoot my 22 in my room and trap the bullet in a role of toilet paper (nice hole the wall from that one). Snuck my Dad’s 9 mm Luger out for a little plinking. Was with my buddy when he poached his first deer. P.S. I was a good kid in Honor Society, played two Varsity sports, went to church on Sunday, no drug use etc etc

Stayed away from firearms for about 10 years and grew up (a lot). Returned to firearms after studying MA’s for 3 years and going to Grad School in Alaska – we had an indoor range in the gym and the Nanooks won the NCAA rifle championship that year. Mostly limit myself to bird hunting plus clays and plinking. Would like to take some training on combat handgunning for personal growth, but really don’t see defensive firearms as a need in my life right now.

double post.

I don't know quite what spawned my interest in weapons, but I started reading firearms magazines long before I could acually own guns. I corrupted my father, who rediscovered his interest in guns thanks to mine, and it was my father who eventually trained me to shoot.

I grew up around guns and hunting. I started shooting at a young age and was trained by my father and uncles how to handle a rifle and how to hunt.
Pistols I learned in my 20's. Never owned a pistol till I was in the L.A. ,CA. area, but learned it was a good investment to own one there.

Originally posted by OULobo
Are private citizens allowed to possess or carry guns in your country?

Yes, you can own weapons, if you are active in some organized weapons activity (hunting clubs, sport shooting clubs, military reservist units, weapons collecting clubs, etc.) or work in a profession with weapons needs (police, military, private security, etc.).

Even though you can buy and own guns, you can't carry a gun in public without a valid reason. "For self defence" in itself is not a valid reason.

When you want a gun, first thing you do is join a club that suits your needs. Then you attend their gun handling courses and continue practicing shooting with weapons owned by the club. Later, when you have a documented history of your gun hobby, you may get a licence from the police to buy your own gun. Each buying licence is valid for one weapon, so each time you want a new kind of gun, you have to apply for a buying licence and document your history with weapons activities. It is all pretty tightly controlled. But all people with no criminal records do have the possibility to acquire guns legally. Only security professionals can carry them in public though.

It is easiest to start either with very low range guns like .22 pistols, or to start with large hunting rifles or reserve military weaponry (not assault rifles or other fully automatic types) because they are seem as the most "hobby" kind of guns. If your first permit request is about a combat machine pistol, like MP5 or Uzi, or even just a powerful handgun, your request will be thrown straight to the trash can.

I was doing martial arts before I could lift a gun. I started with guns when I was 6. My Dad took me out and started teaching me about them so I wouldn't get "curious". I am still an avid shooter and hunter. I have also received police and military training.

We had 2 hunting rifles hidden in the house when I was a kid, but other then that, I was never able to use them.

I learned how to shoot a little in boy scouts and from an unlce of mine. I learned basic safety, but that is about it. I know how to work em', but I am no marksman.

One of my best friends just went to Iraq, and he has me watching over his Russian SKS. He told me to feel free to take it to the range, which I plan to as soon as spring hits!

I am not a big gun owner or user, but I respect them, and I realize that it is an important consideration for combat and self defense.

I plan on learning a lot more in the near future.

PAUL

Firearms and martial arts are much alike in many ways. To become competent requires lots of practie and competent instruction.

Originally posted by Seig
Firearms and martial arts are much alike in many ways. To become competent requires lots of practie and competent instruction.

Amen to that...

Its a shame that there are not more competent firearms instructors...
At least for the private citizen.

My interest in firearms came from meeting my husband who has enjoyed hunting all of his life and became interested first in hand gun competitions and then in air rifle/.22 and now long range. Both my girls started competing in Air rifle and recently I have started too.

This is a good thread, figured I would bump it back up and see if any of the newer members could share. :)

I do not hunt, unless you count people. I am not against hunting and I'm not a tree hugger, I just dont do it because I dont have time. I have been into martial arts for years, never worried about firearms other than the occasional shooting trip my uncle would take me on. Then came the military and I got real big into projectile weapons. In Nami Ryu and the resulting System of Strategy, we believe all weapons are related. My primary wpns in battle are an M4 rifle and the M9 pistol. As a back up I carry a Hissatsu OR a folder. You have to train with whatever wpn you have. I look at it in the same way my martial arts have progressed. I went from TKD to MMA to JSA. I utilize them all daily. As for quality instruction, it not hard to find if your in the right place.

The Boy Scouts was where I started, learning how to shoot paper targets mounted on hay bales, with an air rifle. At first, disappointing indeed, since my mechanics were terrible, but after some kind-hearted instruction from one of the counselors, I ended up peppering that bullseye more often than not.

Once everyone was familiar with air rifle training (and qualified in terms of safety and accuracy), we moved onto .22 LR training, using bolt-action rifles, one cartridge at a time. That was some of the most fun I had when I was that age.

Boy Scouts for me as well. We started with 22LR bolt action and blackpowder rifles. When I was an Explorer (LE) Scout the officers taught us to shoot on Colt Pythons, running target .38 loads. Just to be funny, they'd toss in a .357 magnum every once in a while. This was late 80's, by '90 the department had converted to S&W autos.

Lamont

Definitely, guns were first! I was raised around guns. My father owned several guns when I was a young child and we would go and target shoot with them. I was taught about gun safety (initially) using a BB gun (daisy pal), later it was pellet rifles, then shotguns, high powered rifles, handguns, and military surplus guns. I enjoy them all. The martial arts came along far later for me. My 11 yo son has been around them since he has been old enough to hold a gun. At 7 yo he was shooting my SW .45ACP and Ruger 1022 at the gun range and later the SKS. He enjoys shooting them all as well. Now it is paintball, he has his own marker (gun).

Was an MA first..The guns came later when I became a cop..

Grew up in a firearms household. Father, uncle on my fathers side, uncle on my mothers side, cousins close to my age,younger nephews, were all avid shooters. Martial Arts started maybe 6 years later? Together they take up a majority of my free time. I will be teaching my daughter soon using my old 10/22 that my dad taught me how to shoot with.

I grew up with guns. In fact, my dad (ex-military, ex-LEO) taught me to shoot before I learned how to ride a bike (I think I was about 6 the first time I fired a "real" gun, I'd shot air rifles before that). I've been doing it ever since.

Martial Arts first. Guns later, when I became and instructor and discovered that many of our students were afraid of them. It made sense to me that we should understand them if we were to successfully defend against them. Now I own about 10 guns and soot regularly. I have my carry permit and a couple of great instructors. In the next year or two I intend to enjoy some of the practical pistol tournaments.

It's a lot more fun than I thought it would be ... kinda like MA and golf mixed together with really loud noises.

My father collected guns, so I ended up having and shooting my first rifle, a .22 rolling block, when I was four years old. So guns first for my by a long shot. I didn't get involved in the martial arts till I was about 13 and started Shorin Ryu, then Kyokishin Kai after moving. Then was in the U.S. Army for a number of years and that just kept my interest in firearms growing. Now I primarily work with firearms as injuries I sustained while in the Army are keeping me from practicing the Japanese Ju-Jitsu that I'd been studying. I have a pretty good collection now, ranging from hunting rifles, handguns of all sorts, and tactical carbines and rifles, a couple of automatic weapons, and one obligatory shotgun.

JeffJ

I was brought up with guns in the house (rifles) and hunting was something I learned early in life.
I started shooting handguns when a student of mine who was a police officer asked if I wanted to learn.
I bought my first handgun during the LA riots ( many emts carried on their person or in the cab during that time)

It's funny to see this thread and see my responses from years ago. I've spent quite a bit of time shooting and training since then, and I have aquired more equiptment as well, I am happy to say. :)

Started MA around the same time I got a BB gun - does that count? :)

I used rifles and shotguns as a kid a little bit - just enough to be able to hunt with my dad once a year, but when I turned 21, I was required to learn to shoot a pistol for my Bando Blackbelt. I'm still not a great gun expert or anything, but I am a competent shot and I like it. I want to shoot with my wife - who is a LEO, but all we have at home is my shotgun and her service piece, so we're looking to get another pistol to shoot with.