Story time: What got you into guns

[UrbanWolf]

Enough story about stupid professors from me. So what got you guys into guns? Obviously mostly of you got it from family tradition/gun culture, but what are some unique ones?

For me, been from China, there is no gun culture. Neither of my parents are not supportive of owning guns. I personally thought they are cool. About 3 years ago I dated a girl who was from a military family, her dad is really into guns, and she is a gun girl too. We went to the range many times, so she got me to the gun hobby. It's been a long time since we were together, but my gun hobby continued on.

[JM Ver. 2.0]

My grandfather got me a BB gun...

[generalmeow]

I think when I started following politics, I started realizing how screwed up our country is and how many bad people are out there that would like to violate my rights, or take from me what is not theirs. I came to realize that's its incredibly dumb to not own a firearm to protect yourself and your family from these people.

My first gun was a Springfield xd 40.

[cstone]

I am scared by guns. They kill people.Started shooting as a kid. Shot in Boy Scouts. Shot in the Army. My employers seem to think I need one, so they issued a P229 to me.

[sniper7]

I shot a hawken 50 cal muzzleloader and it bruised the crap out of my shoulder. Thanks dad! I was hooked for life between that and shooting squirrels with a river mk1 my dad had and still has.

[BuffCyclist]

Boy scouts.

Got to college though and had some money burning in my pockets so I got a SW40VE, shot it some and liked it. Now I have like 8 guns and just started getting into reloading, which opens a whole new door to spend money.

[Great-Kazoo]

Decided to apply for my full carry in NY. Then moved before my interview.

[hurley842002]

Enough story about stupid professors from me. So what got you guys into guns? Obviously mostly of you got it from family tradition/gun culture, but what are some unique ones?

For me, been from China, there is no gun culture. Neither of my parents are not supportive of owning guns. I personally thought they are cool. About 3 years ago I dated a girl who was from a military family, her dad is really into guns, and she is a gun girl too. We went to the range many times, so she got me to the gun hobby. It's been a long time since we were together, but my gun hobby continued on.

Very cool story OP, I definitely enjoy hearing from American's that grew up in different cultures, coming to the good Ol USA, and embracing the TRUE American way!

My story is boring, born and raised around guns in small town USA. Mostly due to hunting. The closest thing to an "assault" weapon my father owns is a mini 14, he doesn't like AR's and last time I checked all his handguns are revolvers, except a Ruger MKIII 22.

Nevertheless, he's a staunch supporter of the second (the true meaning), and raised me to be the same. I did a bit of pistol competition as a child, the slow fire accuracy type, nothing major just the local gun club.

[UrbanWolf]

Very cool story OP, I definitely enjoy hearing from American's that grew up in different cultures, coming to the good Ol USA, and embracing the TRUE American way!

My story is boring, born and raised around guns in small town USA. Mostly due to hunting. The closest thing to an "assault" weapon my father owns is a mini 14, he doesn't like AR's and last time I checked all his handguns are revolvers, except a Ruger MKIII 22.

Nevertheless, he's a staunch supporter of the second (the true meaning), and raised me to be the same. I did a bit of pistol competition as a child, the slow fire accuracy type, nothing major just the local gun club.

I can see his choice, bolt action rifles are mighty fun, except when you shop for ammo.......[Bang]

[wctriumph]

I don't know, it's just always kind of been there for me. Dad took me shooting when I was like 6 or 7. Even before that I always knew where he kept his guns, rifles in the closet, pistol under the mattress. Of the three guns we shot most when young, my brother has the Stevens 9 shot .22 revolver and the nail used to poke out the spent casings, I have the Remington 550 semiauto rifle. The third rifle was a bolt action, can't remember the brand and that went to one of the grand kids. I was on my high school rifle team, in the Los Angeles Unified School District, Westchester High School. How times have changed.

Here is a photo of the Remington. Dad got it just before he was drafted and sent to Korea.

[Trout Hunter]

Started at 8 with red Rider BB guns. Used to go slay pigeons with em at mygrandads farm. Would take 3 or 4 head shots to put em down and has grown from there. Got into reloading for my .45 colt addiction in high school and have a few guns around. Still got the red Rider too. The older I get the bigger advocate I become of gun culture , especially for women and self defense. Seems they tend to be the first victims in our eroding culture. Everyone should have the goal of inviting people that don't shoot to go out and shoot with them.

[sandman76]

My dad had a .22. Like a cowboy gun but was a double action. We went on a vacation to Nebraska where he grew up when I was about 13. Shot it every day. That did it for me. Shot some with the Scouts and with a .22 rifle with my dad before that. Shooting that handgun got me hooked though.

[ChunkyMonkey]

The muzzy back home did.

[spyder]

I shot a hawken 50 cal muzzleloader and it bruised the crap out of my shoulder. Thanks dad! I was hooked for life between that and shooting squirrels with a river mk1 my dad had and still has.

I have a very similar story, but it involves a 300 wby, me at the age of 7, "doing some growing up", a long scratch across the hood of his car, and a dislocated shoulder. My mother used that against him in court later........

[TheBelly]

Terrorists + WTC = me doing something about it. I got pretty 'into' guns then.

then, my rifle stopped working when I REALLY wished it woulda kept on going. It was my own fault. I'm thankful every day that we all walked away from it, but I have a pretty sweet bout of the after effects. You could say that I got REALLY into guns after that go-round.

[XC700116]

First a bb gun at about age 5 and by age 6 my grandpa had me shooting a 22. Hunting was pretty much a birth right where I come from, I had my first shotgun by age 10 and rifle by age 12 (first age it was legal to hunt big game in MN) and it's been between an passion and a hobby every since. Never was much into AR's and such until a couple years ago when I finally started to play with them. Now I've built 3 of them and have started researching and learning more and more.

[blacklabel]

Turned 18, had never held a firearm and had a couple of buddies that decided to change that. We took an SKS, AK and an AR out to shoot rabbits near Casper, WY. I bought the SKS, a beautiful 1953 Tula, the next weekend and I've been hooked ever since.

[Irving]

Dad had a BB gun I messed around with when I was little, but nothing else. One day when I was about 23-24 I thought to myself, "I've been 21 for years now, why the F don't I have a gun?!" I got on the internet and looked to see if silencers were legal and found SilencerTalk.com. That's about all there was to it.

[SAnd]

When I was in high school and for a while after that I was into airplanes full time. Everything I did was airplane related, both work and play. I had a 30 carbine and a Blackhawk chambered in 30 carbine for personal protection but that was it as far as guns went. Then in the space of a week I had 3 people, all airplane nuts like I was, tell me that I needed to get a hobby or something outside of airplanes. They all thought I would be in deep caca if I somehow wasn't able to stay around airplanes. About that time I walked into a hobby shop that had a area in the back that had black powder guns and stuff. They had some kits. I thought about it over night and the next day bought a flintlock rifle kit and started shooting it regularly. A few years later I got tired of being broke and have no real job security working on airplanes so I found a better paying job away from airplanes. I figured I could still play with them as a hobby. After a couple tries of a casual involvement with airplanes I soon discovered it was all or nothing. I couldn't be around airplanes unless it was 24/7. My interest in guns grew from there. I'm more of a tinkerer than a shooter but it's all fun.

One thing that guns and airplanes have got in common is that they are both highly regulated. I got into guns in the mid '70s when the gun regulations really started to taking off. It definitely sucks that way.

[ray1970]

My first love and hobby was drag racing. Don't get me wrong, I had a few firearms and grew up around them since I was a kid but just wasn't really "into" them. After pouring every dime I made into the race car I just decided one day that I could have a lot of nice guns for what I was spending on car stuff. Sold the race car, bought some cool rifles and pistols, and that's about it.

[jerrymrc]

My first love and hobby was drag racing. Don't get me wrong, I had a few firearms and grew up around them since I was a kid but just wasn't really "into" them. After pouring every dime I made into the race car I just decided one day that I could have a lot of nice guns for what I was spending on car stuff. Sold the race car, bought some cool rifles and pistols, and that's about it.

Kind of the same. Always had guns, Grandfather was a reloader. First one I remember having was a target master hand me down I got in 67-68. Everybody in the family was in the Military from WW1 on up. Grew up racing. Raced Karts, Midgets, FF and then I realized what a money pit it could become. After the Army somewhere around 96 or so the itch to own more started.

[cofi]

Coming from Jersey they were always forbidden fruit I shot a shotgun once growing up.... my dad is a liberal hippy so guns were very taboo in our house

Moved out here and bought my first pistol a xd 40 and just fell in love with shooting

[Whistler]

Grew up hunting squirrel & dove with my Dad & uncles. Got my first gun for Christmas (about 10-11 years old if I recall) a H&R "Topper" .410. A couple years later Dad bought a .38 revolver and shooting that set the hook.

[Stone83]

It all started with the Daisy Red Ryder...duck/phesany hunting in W. Nebraska with my cousins,
and here i am...

[mikedubs]

The Marine Corps

And a healthy dose of curiosity

[Holger Danske]

Dads old .22 bolt action. age 7.

[palepainter]

Grew up in Northwest PA, hunting all my life. Always had a pistol for self defense, but did not start adding to inventory until I moved to Colorado. At that time, somebody broke into my shop and stole 6500 worth of customer guitars. Then I bought a shotgun and alarm system. It just grew from there.

[Skully]

Been around it my entire life since I was a little boy growing up in a rural farmland, family were all military, Park Rangers, hunters or just cowboys. There was a gun somewhere in the truck or the house, grandpa even kept one in his fancy tractor.

I remember shooting a .22 while I was in Kindergarten, because I remember doing a show and tell in class about my target shooting. I was also in a rifle match team in school.

Unfortunately two different worlds now. How I grew up and the current brainwashing that is going on. :(

[TRnCO]

I was born and raised on the farm in KS. Hunting is/was a way of life. Been hunting and shooting all my life.

[Rabid]

My dad brought me dove and duck hunting since i was sucking my thumb with stuffed animal in tow, i was hooked before i ever shot a gun. However all my guns were destroyed in a fire and i do not feel like spending the endless hours training a new gun not to shoot people so i come here for the conversation.

[BlasterBob]

Before I got my Red Ryder repeater, had a Daisy single shot BB gun. Would take a whole mouth full of BB's and spit them, one by one, down the muzzle/bbl after each shot. Then first shot a .22 at age 8 on the same day that Pres. FDR died, April 12, 1945. Loved guns and shooting enough to enlist in the Army to be assured that I'd get to attend the Small Arms Repair School at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, MD and the Army did keep their promise and sent me to APG for that schooling.
Been into guns, shooting and reloading ever since. Probably will have at least one tossed into the casket with me when the plant me (most likely only a Saturday nite special so don't want anyone to plan on digging me up to retrieve it).
[blaster]

[airborneranger]

I grew up shooting and so have my daughters :)

[JoeT]

I would hunt a couple times a year. One day a year on deer and 1 day a year pheasant. I had an FID (firearms ID card) card that was issued "for life". Then Massachusetts decided that these lifetime FID cards would expire and people had to reapply for cards. It was the same procedure for another FID or a license to carry so I just filled out the form for a license to carry. and if I had the license I might as well carry. The rest is history

so the very state that wanted to limit guns was responsible for one of my hobbys. I would have been very content borrowing my fathers 870 for the 2 days a year I needed a gun, and probably would have never shot a pistol or centerfire rifle in my life. I hope they're happy

[OtterbatHellcat]

I'm thinking about some stuff, a piece from here and there.....looking carefully. I might be wrong, but I am paying attention.

[mcjhr]

Long story short, I wanted to exercise my 2nd Amendment Right, protect my family, and have fun.

[Ronin13]

I can't recall the age, but brother and I had bb guns as kids, then graduated to .22s then shotguns in our early teens. Then I turned 21 and bought my first pistol, joined the army, learned how to shoot all kinds of guns (M16, M4, M9, M249, M240B, M2, Mk19- ya know, all the fun stuff that's illegal for common folk to own)... got out of the Army, bought an AK, then an AR, haven't looked back since. So basically, I blame my dad and the army. [Beer]

[Ridge]

Battlefield 1942 and Counter Strike Source

[SouthPaw]

I was interested in getting my CCW right out of high school for protection. After obtaining a few years later, I started to get more interested into the hobby. It probably did not help that Jim at the time, was at my work place with cool toys for sale once a week :). Dad always had a few when we were growing up for hunting and some of the jobs he did as well. I do feel though that my experience and sharing my toys with others has gotten a lot of my friends involved that were never interested in them before.

[strm_trpr]

I grew up in an anti gun home, however, I decided I wanted to enter law enforcement. I had always been interested in guns, just never had the money or time to peruse it as I was in school. Once I finished College I bought my first gun for POST academy, XD45. I learned to shoot it well, finished academy, got hired into Law Enforcement and the rest is history, with more disposable income and time and encouragement of friends I started to build my collection. I sold off some guns along the way, kept others. And now I am proud to say I converted both my mom and dad into gun owners and defenders of the second amendment!

[HoneyBadger]

My dad had an epic collection that would probably be worth $50k+ nowadays back when he was in college, but he sold it all to pay for my mom to go to nursing school. My dad is getting back into guns in his retirement, but he's really limited to smaller calibers because his old shoulders can't take the recoil.

I went out with him on my 18th birthday and bought a Winchester 1894 made in 1994 in brand new condition in .30-30. I've bought and built a dozen ARs since then, along with a handful of other rifles, shotguns, and handguns, but the Winchester 94 is still my favorite gun.

[Drucker]

Grew up in Texas, had a BB gun from before I can remember. Got interested in real runs when my Uncle came back on leave from Vietnam in '68 and taught me to shoot his Colt Officer up the hill at the quarry. Later, my other Uncle, Sam taught me about Rifles.

[Dlesh123]

Dad bought my brother and I a BB gun around age 8, he had a Marlin 22 bolt rifle that we got rid of the coyotes with on the farm. When I got divorced, needed a stress reliever and started buying handguns and rifles and reloading. Been buying them ever since. Also have that Marlin 22 of my Dad's. Started my son shooting around age 4, daughter wasn't much interested.

[02ducky]

Great thread, I started hunting with my dad when I was 6 years old. Dad was a gunsmith for many years and the interest has always been there for guns/ammo. My first real gun was a Ruger 10/22 and then a Winchester 1300 shotgun shortly afterwards.

[Dave]

Never picked up a firearm until I was in the Army at age 18. My mom grew up with guns that my grandfather owned and her brother hunted with and was a supporter of 2A rights for the most part, but would never allow one in the house. Dad never shot anything but a 20 gauge a few times in his life so he didn't care. After I joined and got to use a few guns I got hooked, and was a decent shot in basic training with a 34/40 for my qualifying, which ended up being my lowest score ever during my enlistment. I volunteered for the armorer's course even though I wasn't in supply so I could learn more about all the Army's small arms and qualified on the M9, M2, M249, MK19 and aerial M60 in addition to the M16. During my time in I was buying cheap guns while on leave to go shooting with a buddy from high school like a Lorcin 9mm, EAA Witness .40 and a Hi Point 9mm carbine just to get some plinking in. After I got out, moved here and the AWB expired I grabbed up an AK-47 variant cheap and started building up a collection.

[UrbanWolf]

Battlefield 1942 and Counter Strike Source

Memories.....

[spyder]

Quote deleted

^How did this moron make it through this far? You must be one of those liberal trolls that just goes onto a place to cause trouble. Nothing he said, gives anything away that he would have to be remotely afraid of dip shit. Can't wait to see the moronic crap you post next! I guess in all honestly, stupid people like you are entertaining for a bit.

[spyder]

Also Chinese guy, China's economy is taking off faster than America, why? They don't ahve fucktard kikking themselves. Maybe one day I will move there.

Are you an inbred white supremacist? I mean, having no moral decency, common sense, or intellectual prowess kinda points me to believe this about you.

[ChunkyMonkey]

Also Chinese guy, China's economy is taking off faster than America, why? They don't ahve fucktard kikking themselves. Maybe one day I will move there.

Please do. I have distance family members who are still stuck in chicom. They won't e able to get their passport until they renounce their religion. I'll trade all 3 of them for thousands of you.

[Skully]

Please do. I have distance family members who are still stuck in chicom. They won't e able to get their passport until they renounce their religion. I'll trade all 3 of them for thousands of you.

The exterminator got him and all of his insect droppings. Thanks to which ever MOD that was. [Beer]

[RblDiver]

Ironic that as he started trolling, I came across this page talking about internet bullying (bonus points for them linking Penny-Arcade): http://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/11/world/internet-trolling/index.html?eref=edition

Anyway, as to my story, each year we'd go camping over labor day weekend, and the highlight for me was getting to do target practice with the 22 the last day (shooting our milk bottles et al). Never did much shooting (well, any that I can remember) besides then as a family. In college I went once to a range to shoot pistols (it was ironic that my friend was a better shot at 30 yards than he was at 10 yards).

So I was never really in a big gun-culture growing up, but lately I purchased first a hunting rifle and then two weeks ago my first AR. I suppose the reason is part that it is a constitutional right, an obligation to be prepared in case something happens, and also a big "eff you" to those new regulations.

[SuperiorDG]

Back on topic. Daisy Red Rider in the wood behind my house everyday all summer.

[UrbanWolf]

^How did this moron make it through this far? You must be one of those liberal trolls that just goes onto a place to cause trouble. Nothing he said, gives anything away that he would have to be remotely afraid of dip shit. Can't wait to see the moronic crap you post next! I guess in all honestly, stupid people like you are entertaining for a bit.

I actually want to read what he said.

[SuperiorDG]

I actually want to read what he said.

I'll give you my ex-wife's number and you can talk to her for a bit and hear everything he wrote.

[Skully]

I actually want to read what he said.

Chunky and Spyder have it in their quotes. None are really worth the read.


I'll give you my ex-wife's number and you can talk to her for a bit and hear everything he wrote.

Ha ha ha that is funny, knowing what you told me about her. [ROFL1]

..................... dude! maybe it is your wife, is she in Ft Collins?

[UrbanWolf]

I'll give you my ex-wife's number and you can talk to her for a bit and hear everything he wrote.

LOL, WTF!!!

[islandermyk]

I shot a very few back home.
After the race season... I needed something else to do since the race tracks here weren't accessible but for twice or even once a month.
Bought this for my first gun sometime late in 2010... I gotta admit.. I didn't know how to shoot back then...
http://i418.photobucket.com/albums/pp261/brutaltlr/The%20Guns%20and%20shoots%20and%20%20all%20related %20to%20it/2010-11-17083824.jpg (http://s418.photobucket.com/user/brutaltlr/media/The%20Guns%20and%20shoots%20and%20%20all%20related %20to%20it/2010-11-17083824.jpg.html)

... and the addiction started... anyone wanna join me for some Ramen [Coffee]

[Ronin13]

Back on topic. Daisy Red Rider in the wood behind my house everyday all summer.
Hate to admit it, but thanks to the Daisy BB gun company, many squirrels, birds and even elk were terrorized by my brother and me. Ah those were the days... now if you put a BB in an elks hind quarters the liberal neighbors call the cops. [Mad]

[spyder]

I shot a very few back home.
After the race season... I needed something else to do since the race tracks here weren't accessible but for twice or even once a month.
Bought this for my first gun sometime in 2011... I gotta admit.. I didn't know how to shoot back then...
http://i418.photobucket.com/albums/pp261/brutaltlr/The%20Guns%20and%20shoots%20and%20%20all%20related %20to%20it/2010-11-17083824.jpg (http://s418.photobucket.com/user/brutaltlr/media/The%20Guns%20and%20shoots%20and%20%20all%20related %20to%20it/2010-11-17083824.jpg.html)

... and the addiction started... anyone wanna join me for some Ramen [Coffee]

Nice first gun! My first was a 91. Gota love Hk's. I would totally join you for some noodles, but, alas, we are too far apart! lol

[dorsum]

My dad. Got my first BB gun around ten years old and got to shoot his 30-06 when I was twelve. Been shooting ever since.

[DingleBerns]

I wasn't into guns until I had to get one for my job. I'm way late into this game...

[Irving]

I wasn't into guns until I had to get one for my job. I'm way late into this game...

Are you a personal shopper?

[WETWRKS]

My parents grew up during the hippy peace loving era. They decided that I would be raised in a home free from violence and weapons. At 2 years old I got to play with some other kids. The next morning at the breakfast table I picked up my spoon and went "bang, bang" with it and my parents looked at each other and decided to give it up. Went out and bought me a toy gun. Been all down hill from there. Was shooting the real thing in grade school and 12 gauge at 9 years old. It tried real hard but it failed to put me on my rear. Bought myself my first gun at 21 and been buying ever since.

[DingleBerns]

Are you a personal shopper?

I guess you can say I shop for stuff...

[Rabid]

I guess you can say I shop for stuff...
Donuts?







[Sarcasm2]

[Wulf202]

Started at 5 with my dad. Grandpa used to entertain the kids by handing out red riders and a quarter to each of us. We'd race the quarters by hitting em with the bbs. By 14 nobody would go against me unless I got a nickel.

[LippCJ7]

My Dad did three tours in Vietnam, when he got home guns were not allowed in the house, he never wanted to see one ever again, but when you see what he saw I couldn't argue with the logic. Anyway as i grew up I was very close to my uncles who were all close to my age more big brothers then uncles and they were all into guns and motorcycles and that stuff, the only thing I didn't pick up from my uncles was drugs, I guess I didn't want to hurt my dad but I wasn't allowed to have guns and motorcycles, I moved out of my parents house the week I turned 18, I wasn't forced out it was just something I wanted to do, I bought my first handgun a couple weeks after my 18th birthday, first rifle a month or so after that and my first motorcycle right around my 19th. I started working for a two way radio firm before I turned 18 in the summer and when I turned 18 I had a fulltime job waiting for me, by the time I was 21 I wanted to become a Police Officer but I had my first child around 23 and found out how much Police Officers made and I made a lot more so that was out the door, anyway I kept buying guns and motorcycles and now my kids are in College (except my youngest and she is a Senior in High School) Company went under and now I am in the Law Enforcement Field, Hope to be a Deputy in the next year.

That's me in a tiny nutshell, my Dad has always been my Hero and he has never spoken a word about my love for guns, only that he could never hold another one.

[DingleBerns]

Donuts?
[Sarcasm2]

[ROFL1] touche

[Ronin13]

[ROFL1] touche
Actually on that subject- I was talking to my ex's roommate (still friendly with the ex-GF) about my decision for the academy and he said "Oh great, you love donuts, way to fill that stereotype!"

[SamuraiCO]

Lived in Iowa until the age of 13. We had a local teacher (my six grade science teacher) who was very involved with Peasants Forever, had a local hunting show, enjoyed all things outdoors. He ran an afterschool kids program called the Hawkeye. Club. He would teach hunters safety each fall and we had to pass to participate. Kids my age got to learn to reload. We did shotgun shells then we got to go out and shoot sheets. The older kids went on pheasant and deer hunts. He would bring back the deer for us to help skin. In the winter months we would shoot air guns in a school classroom, 25 yards. In the spring he brought in fishing pole blanks and he taught us to tie on the eyes and do some fancy scroll work. Then the last day of school he took us out fishing and camping overnight.

Father always had guns. He shot and hunted more with my older brother. He pissed away my teen years being an alcoholic so we missed a lot of bonding at that time. We still did some fishing and shooting but our relationship was strained at times. I had a high school buddy who guided salmon trips with his dad so I spent more time fishing with them. Spent two summers at their fish camp in Alaska.

When I moved to CO I was introduced to pheasant hunting. Got the bug bad. Bought a springer spaniel, trained him and enjoyed the sport. I now hunt behind English setters. By the time my dad sobered up and quit smoking his body was too broken to ever go out with me. Our relationship repaired until his death two years ago. We missed a lot but I am very grateful of the times we did have. I think he would be proud of me.

Have inherited most of his firearms. I have learned to reload for my .45 and AR. Went black powder elk hunting last year with his musket and he possible bag.

I do not have kids of my own and miss this in my life. We are too old to conceive and I am working on the wife for adopting. If my work schedule did not have me working every other weekend and several evenings each week then working with local PF or similar would be an option.

[hatidua]

So what got you guys into guns?

I was five years old when my dad was finishing up his biology PhD at Arizona State (this was over 40 years ago). His research involved trapping animals in the desert. Invariably, drunk yahoo's would shoot up some of the live traps which made them unusable to him so he'd hand me a Ruger Single-Six, a box of ammo, and let me have my way with the already shot up traps. I was five years old doing that, he simply told me to shoot in a specific direction and left me alone while he went about checking the rest of his traps. In addition to running with scissors and not wearing a bicycle helmet, it's amazing I'm still alive.

That, is what got me into guns, and the sweet smell of Hoppe's No. 9.