Thoughts on education and the Second Amendment, from Glenn Reynolds.
2 thoughts on “The Power Of Old Men”
There’s no doubt that boys need mature men in their lives. I’m glad I knew both my grandfathers. One lived in the country and taught me to shoot. The other lived in the city and took me to ball games. My Dad was also a huge influence. Cherished memories. It’s tragic that so many young men today have grown up without the influence of a father or grandfather.
My Dad taught me to shoot when I was eight, and gave me my first firearm (a Remington Targetmaster .22) when I was 10. Somewhere around that time, he taught me how to disassemble, clean, and reassemble every firearm he owned (rifles, shotguns and handguns) blindfolded. That might seem odd, but it is a skill that can be life-saving out in the wild, at night. We hunted some, mostly birds. I quit after two experiences where mortally wounded game either got away, or survived much too long unbeknownst to me. If it came down to my wife’s and my survival, those memories wouldn’t stand in my way.
I taught both of my sons gun safety, and it stuck with them into adult hood. But they live in a state where gun ownership is extremely difficult for the law-abiding, and so easy for anyone else that the murder rate is horrific.
My Dad left me his gun collection (he was a collector with an FFL), which, though somewhat depleted by sales, is heftier than most. I’ve bought a few along the way myself, and picked up a concealed carry permit as well. My sons don’t have the same inclinations, and that’s fine as long as they stay away from the bad areas.
In a few years, my wife and I will be moving to Tennessee, in a part that has an even more ingrained gun culture than the Missouri one in which I was raised. Heck, my great nephews carry openly pretty much everywhere they go. They keep the extensive family well-stocked with venison year round.
I can’t wait to get there, and hope that my sons will take our offer of some of our acreage and build their own homes near us.
There’s no doubt that boys need mature men in their lives. I’m glad I knew both my grandfathers. One lived in the country and taught me to shoot. The other lived in the city and took me to ball games. My Dad was also a huge influence. Cherished memories. It’s tragic that so many young men today have grown up without the influence of a father or grandfather.
My Dad taught me to shoot when I was eight, and gave me my first firearm (a Remington Targetmaster .22) when I was 10. Somewhere around that time, he taught me how to disassemble, clean, and reassemble every firearm he owned (rifles, shotguns and handguns) blindfolded. That might seem odd, but it is a skill that can be life-saving out in the wild, at night. We hunted some, mostly birds. I quit after two experiences where mortally wounded game either got away, or survived much too long unbeknownst to me. If it came down to my wife’s and my survival, those memories wouldn’t stand in my way.
I taught both of my sons gun safety, and it stuck with them into adult hood. But they live in a state where gun ownership is extremely difficult for the law-abiding, and so easy for anyone else that the murder rate is horrific.
My Dad left me his gun collection (he was a collector with an FFL), which, though somewhat depleted by sales, is heftier than most. I’ve bought a few along the way myself, and picked up a concealed carry permit as well. My sons don’t have the same inclinations, and that’s fine as long as they stay away from the bad areas.
In a few years, my wife and I will be moving to Tennessee, in a part that has an even more ingrained gun culture than the Missouri one in which I was raised. Heck, my great nephews carry openly pretty much everywhere they go. They keep the extensive family well-stocked with venison year round.
I can’t wait to get there, and hope that my sons will take our offer of some of our acreage and build their own homes near us.