When did you start using guns?

Last Fearner

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I grew up in a farm community (big time hunters), and my father was formerly the chief of police who later ran his own guard service. We had all sorts of guns around the house. When you walked into our house through the kitchen door, there was a stand-alone broom closet that always contained three or four shotguns with the ammo in boxes on the top shelf - nothing locked up (this was in the 1960's - a practice I would not recommend these days). As kids, we were taught that if our parents were away, and someone tried to break in the house, "you know where the guns are!"

Every year, we had a huge New Year's Eve party at our house with dozens of friends and family. Just before midnight, everyone would gather outside the back door of our farm house, armed with loaded shotguns and revolvers (a really good idea for a bunch of drunk people), and at the stroke of midnight, we would fire the guns into the air toward the wooded farmland behind our house. My first time shooting was probably at age 5 (1965), and it would have been my dad's .38 snub-nose service revolver, and the 4-10 shotgun (the type that folds completely in half).

I began hunting at the age of 9, in 1969. We could get a hunting license at that age back then, but it soon began to go up, however I was "grand-fathered in" so to speak, and could renew my license every year regardless of the newer age requirements, and I never had to take a "hunter's safety course." In the following years, I also hunted with a 12 gauge single shot, a 20 gauge bolt action, and a police riot gun. When I was older (20's), I bought my first rifle - - a winchester 30/30 with a scope (there's a story in itself).

Ok, so I'll tell my squirrel story instead (if you don't like blood & guts gory stories - don't read this - - yeah, like you're not gonna read it now!) :lol:

I was 9 years old, on my first hunting trip into the back woods of our farm. My dad sat me down on a fallen log with my 4-10, and went of with my older brother to another part of the woods. A while later, I saw a squirrel running across the branches from tree to tree. I took aim - fired, and down it came. I ran up to where it had fallen, and had its head on the ground with its hind legs running frantically in circles. I didn't know what to do so I nervously reloaded, took aim and blew its head clean off. My dad and brother came running, asking "what happened?" When I told them, my dad laughed and said next time, just stomp on or hit it with the butt of your gun! :eek:

By 1981, it was the Army for me, and I was using the M-16 rifle, M-60 Machine Gun, a Grenade launcher, and the M-72A1 LAW Rocket Launcher. Of course, after Basic, I was in the reserves during the "Reagan Era" so I did not get any combat experience like our brave American soldiers today (Salute, and bow!) :asian: I support you and your mission 100% folks!!!

Take care everyone!
Play safe - - stay safe!

Be responsible - lock up your firearms! :ultracool

Last Fearner
 

OUMoose

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Hmmmm... First shooting experience was probably 5 or 6. BB gun. Man I loved that thing. heh.

I think around 12 I shot my first .22 LR. It was a Jr. Sharpshooter's club, which is how I spent a couple years doing amature sharpshooting. Ahh, the good ol' days. :)
 

Jade Tigress

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My son has bb guns that I have shot frequently. (I'm a good aim with the rifles...the pistol...not so much. :p) My husband has a 22 that I have never shot. I did shoot a 357 magnum a few times at a shooting range back in my early 20's. A friend of mine had one. Knocked me on my *** the first time I fired it. lol That is the extent of firearms for me, which is to say, virtually none.
 

INDYFIGHTER

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I was very young. I'm going to say eight or nine. Got my finger in the way of the hammer on a lever action .22 Winchester, kinda put a dampner on my first shooting experiance. A few years later I was in the Boy Scouts and most my time and money was spent at the firing range at summer camp. They were .22 cal bolt action Winchesters. For a dollor you got a container with five bullets and a place on the line. It was ran like a military firing range. We were aloud to shoot from a seated position or laying down. Three instuctors watched the line of ten shooters. I'll never forget when a kids gun jammed and he started to turn the gun inside the line to ask for help. Man did he get jumped on and reamed out fast!!!

I learned enough about guns from my Dad that when I was at a friends house in jr. high and we found his dad's .38 we were smart enough to not mess with it.
 

Dave Leverich

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Ok then... BB gun around 10-11 y/o. Revolver at 14, Semi-auto and auto at 17 and still going-n-going-n-... :biggun:


The sign behind me says, "Welcome to Iraq" this was just after a SVBIED fire truck hit our base entrance in 2005 (Camp Gannon) :uhohh:


Yours are a lot nicer than mine :)
Thanks for making this a country where we can do what we do, I for one do not take my liberties for granted. Words seem inadequate when it comes to that.
 

Cirdan

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Fired a shotgun assisted by my big brother around the age of 8. Didn`t hold it correctly so my shoulder hurt afterwards as I remember.
Used the rifle a year or two later. Got to fire various military weapons in sergeant`s school at 19 (G3 assault rifle, MP5 submachine gun, MG3 light machine gun, Browning 12,7mm heavy machine gun, Glock 17 9mm pistol, HK 79 grenade launcher and M72 rocket launcher.) Finally got a chanse to fire the Carl Gustaf 84mm recoilless rifle when I was 27. It put a big grin on my face.
 

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