How I grew up.....

If you were raised the way I was, you were raised around guns.  Guns were part of our families history.  Family traditions like an annual deer hunt or opening day of dove season were something that we all looked forward to.  We often shared these experiences with other families who had the same interests.  Guns were part of who we are and what we do and I've always been proud of that.

My dad was a competitive shooter, recreational shooter, hunter, gun collector as well as a gun smith.  At any given time you walked into my dad's shop, there would be a shotgun or rifle in the vise being worked on.  You probably see 2 loading presses set up, bags of buck shot, wads and empty shells.  Even with this ever presence of guns, guns were no big deal to me.

Being raised around guns, you have a better understanding of what guns are, what they can do and how they operate.  You are taught gun handling skills from the very beginning.  You were drilled on gun handling rules.  You were drilled on your responsibilities and obligations when you had a gun in your hand.  Everything around guns was about safety first.  All of this was what you discussed every single time you were going to have a gun in your hand.  You had to know these rules and be able to exhibit safe gun handling skills.

Every one of my buddies that I have been hunting with received the same education.  They listened to the same speeches, went over the same drills, and had to exhibit the same safety standards.  There are no exemptions.  And if you ever found yourself in the presence of someone who wasn't being safe with a gun, you left the area immediately.  Following these rules are the reason we are all still here today!  It's not a mystery.  It isn't by chance.  It's safety, every single time you are around guns.

Between me and everyone I have ever hunted with or shot with, there would have to be tens of thousands of opportunities for the potential of something going wrong.  There were tens of thousands of times triggers were pulled, shots rang out and not 1 individual was hurt or killed.  There were tens of thousands of safe gun transports to and from the field or the shooting range.  There were thousands of times a buddy got a new gun and let you check it out and in the end, nobody ever got hurt.  This is a testament to safe gun handling being taught from generation to generation and it is the responsible thing to do.  This was how I was raised.

If you were raised the way I was, you were raised to be respectful of everyone and every thing.  You were taught to take responsibility for the things you did.  You were taught manners.  You were taught to brush your teeth.  You were taught to clean up after yourself.  You were taught to give a good handshake and look a person in the eye.  You were taught everything almost everyone else was ever taught plus you were taught to live around guns.  It's no big deal.  It's how we live.