What made you a "firearms enthusiast"

[451_Detonics]

Both sets of grandparents were coal miners, Dad's people in Harlan Co Ky and Mom's people in southern Il. Guns meant meat on the table to them, they passed that along to my parents and my parents to my brother and I. Dad also shot on the Air Force Bulleye Team and that is were I got my love of competition

 

[indyjohn]

I would say it started with my dad. His lottery number won him a trip to eastern France for the winter of 1944. I had gun experiences from very early, I think I was 7 or 8 when I had my "The Worst A Gun Has Hurt Me" episode when I got my thumb caught in the slide of a Steyr 1912 brought home by my dad from Europe. He told his younger brother (but not me) he took it off of a dead Wehrmacht soldier. The first pistol I shot was a Colt 1903 when I was 10; the first rifle was a Springfield Stevens Model 56 the same year. By the time I came around, we were no longer a hunting family (though there are pictures of my young father with various game). The only animals I've ever shot were for mercy's sake.

But I think the turning point was some years after my father's passing I decided to buy a WWII rifle in his honor. I soon realized at that time I couldn't afford an authentic WWII M1 Garand, so I settled for a similar rifle -- the Springfield Armory M1-A. I asked the LGS owner where I could shoot this newly acquired tool and he directed me to the Central Indiana Highpower Rifle Shooters. That was 1997 and the rest is recent history.

 

[croy]

Shot one once, that was all it took for me.

Same here. I grew up in a household with zero guns. I had several guns until the boating accident.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

I would say it started with my dad. His lottery number won him a trip to eastern France for the winter of 1944. I had gun experiences from very early, I think I was 7 or 8 when I had my "The Worst A Gun Has Hurt Me" episode when I got my thumb caught in the slide of a Steyr 1912 brought home by my dad from Europe. He told his younger brother (but not me) he took it off of a dead Wehrmacht soldier. The first pistol I shot was a Colt 1903 when I was 10; the first rifle was a Springfield Stevens Model 56 the same year. By the time I came around, we were no longer a hunting family (though there are pictures of my young father with various game). The only animals I've ever shot were for mercy's sake.

But I think the turning point was some years after my father's passing I decided to buy a WWII rifle in his honor. I soon realized at that time I couldn't afford an authentic WWII M1 Garand, so I settled for a similar rifle -- the Springfield Armory M1-A. I asked the LGS owner where I could shoot this newly acquired tool and he directed me to the Central Indiana Highpower Rifle Shooters. That was 1997 and the rest is recent history.

How times have changed... I wish I could find an M1-A for what I paid for my Garand!

 

[stephen87]

Well, video games played a big role in getting me into firearms. I based a lot of my buys on guns that I thought were cool guns from TV and games. I still do it to some extent, but a lot more from INGO. I'll see a thread, drool over a gun, and start saving for it.

 

[RND]

What made me...? False hope.

 

[Cemetery-man]

Childhood and the need for that Crossman Powermaster BB gun.

 

[FishnHunt]

I'd been interested in shooting for quite a while before I ever owned a gun. I remember watching old episodes of Shooting USA with guys like Max Michel and Rob Latham, that planted the seed early for USPSA and competitive shooting I think. Hunting got me my first gun while I was in college, which snowballed into a few more hunting firearms. Finally picked up my first handgun a few years back, not long after that I was shooting 3-gun and USPSA. About that same time I started carrying for self-defense.

 

[Lees]

My brothers say that I was raised by wolves, and by "wolves" they mean "brothers." We grew up shooting, but never near enough to satisfy us. It's really fun, I can't imagine anyone shooting guns and not enjoying it (provided it's safe and some jerk doesn't think it's funny to get a laugh at their expense by having them shoot a gun that's not appropriate for a new shooter).

 

[indyjohn]

How times have changed... I wish I could find an M1-A for what I paid for my Garand!

I should clarify, back then I didn't know of the CMP. The Garands I was looking at were collector pieces on Gunsamerica.com for $2K - $4K. So, a Loaded M1-A was a bargain!

 

[Bennettjh]

Born into a firearm family. Always enjoyed shooting so I've always had guns. Now I realize how important they actually are to freedom and safety.

 

[Twangbanger]

Not born into it. But I liked to grow things, and there was a g-damn bastard rabbit that kept eating up my garden. We lived on a farm and I read seed catalogs all winter, planning for spring. Dad had a single-shot Sears & Roebuck .22 rifle that never got fired. With some encouragement, in 4th grade he showed me how to fire it. He had one little box of Remington .22 shorts (the kind in the Green and Yellow box), and I sent the first one flying through a Campbell's Soup can. I saw the hole it made all the way through...and wondered what that would do to a rabbit. A nasty evil thought pierced my mind, and my garden problem was solved.

Later I realized there were other kids at school whose dads had guns, so we began trading pilfered cartridges and starting our own cartridge collections. Believe it or not, some of the school library books had guns in them (war weapons, etc.) & we checked every one of them out again & again. I started riding my bike up to the Walgreens and buying stuff like the Guns & Ammo Annual buyers' guides. (I still have those books!). About High School age, we started having shooting parties where we'd borrow our dads' guns and show up at somebody's house to shoot stuff. Everybody got exposed to different stuff we hadn't shot before, and it just kinda went from there. I remember shooting one friend's dad's Colt SAA .45 LC, how when you cocked the hammer, it clicked and pinged, and then the pop of the wrist when you fired it. Up until then, guns were tools to me, but that Colt was the first centerfire gun I had shot. I haven't ever gone a day without thinking about shooting guns after that.

 

[Drakkule]

I was lucky enough to be born into a very pro gun family. I was raised with them, started shooting at 4, or 5. I received a Daisy pump bb gun for my 6th birthday, shotgun for my 9th, also was given a Ruger Security Six, .357 magnum to carry around my grandfathers farm at age 9, which I still have. My brother and I used to work for money during the week, and on Friday, we would get taken to the closest gun shop, and spend our own money on ammo for the weekend. We would normally shoot 1000 rounds of. 22lr a week, throughout the summer. As I got older I continued my love of all kinds of weapons, but firearms have always been my favorite. I bought my first handgun that wasn't a gift, on my 21st birthday. I have continued to be involved with firearms ever since. I now have my FFL, and continue to love firearms, and enjoy doing gun shows, and talking about firearms with people, and learning more about them, and teaching new people about them. I'm passing my love of firearms down to my children, and find my love for firearms reinvigorated through my kids.

 

[RobbyMaQ]

I was 9. My grandfather had mice under his garden shed, handed me an air rifle and said I bet you can't get him.
His plan was to keep me occupied for hours. It took about 45 minutes. I missed the first time. Nailed him through the neck the 2nd shot, 50 ft out. I was hooked.

 

[markiemark]

Grew up in a home with zero guns. Started with a BB gun and it grew from there. No the rest of my family are gun enthusiasts but not as much as me yet!

 

[DoggyDaddy]

I should clarify, back then I didn't know of the CMP. The Garands I was looking at were collector pieces on Gunsamerica.com for $2K - $4K. So, a Loaded M1-A was a bargain!

Ah, okay gotcha. But I still wish I could get an M1A for what I paid for my Garand.

 

[dhamby]

My grandfather got me a pellet gun when I was about 5. It was a single shot break action that was a pain to load and ready to shoot the next one. When I was around 8 or 9 he gifted me my first 22 that was a youth Henry lever action. While my step father had guns, he did not shoot them very often so most everything I learned from my grandfather. He has always been into firearms and has owned and still owns many. He was also the first to introduce be to reloading. I remember helping him cast lead bullets when I was younger and eventually getting to prime brass and stuff wads. At that time he mainly reloaded .45-70. I still have both the pellet and .22 Henry that were gifted by him and will pass them down when I have a child of my own.

 

[bigus_D]

Was out to dinner one night when a few dudes came into the restaurant. When they shoved their silver hand cannon in my face I thought, "that thing is cool... I gotta get me one of those." The rest is history.

 

[Hohn]

Never had guns in our house growing up. Shot a couple at friend's farms now and then. Did a little bit more shooting in the USAF: M9/M16.

Honestly, never thought about really, really wanting or needing a gun in the home (or on my person) until Sandy Hook--or, more specifically, the gun grabbing actions initiated afterwards.

Nothing makes me want to have something more than being told by those of unearned moral superiority that I can't have it.

Got a G22. Shot it a couple times. Decided it was more than just a necessary skill, but one where the training was pretty fun.

The rest I blame on INGO.

 

[worddoer]

Sort of both born into it and movies.

Growing up my dad had a .22 and a shotgun. I shot them plenty and even got I think 2 rifle badges in Boy Scouts...as best as I can remember. So I was born into the long gun side of things.

However, I had never shot nor even held a handgun until I was 30 yrs old. It was after an incident at our church and I started thinking of how vulnerable my family was. My first handgun purchase was a Glock 19. And honestly, it was all due to Sam Gerard in U.S Marshalls "Get yourself a Glock, and get rid of that nickel-plated sissy-pistol." So that was due to movies.

I find it quite interesting how many of those who have posted in this thread have said that movies/games have brought them into the sport. I have seen on TV that there are ranges in Las Vegas that rent full auto guns for people to shoot. And some of them have "Packages" of guns. These packages are often based on movies or video games.

I wonder if we could bring more people into the sport by having range days once or twice a year where we can have the general public (under strict, strict, strict supervision) shoot the guns they see on TV or in games. The more people we have in the sport, the better protected our rights will be. Not sure about funding and logistics, but rather a curious idea if that would actually work.