TexasCHLforum.com

jwp wrote:You might want to have them hide the hot pink ones first - four year olds seem to like bright colors without prejudice :)

No kidding -- we walked him past the bicycles today just to get a reaction, and he ran straight to the pink-and-purple "Dora" bikes.

Of those kids' rifles I've handled (including the Crickett and the Henry), the Savage Cub seems far and away the best made. Very slick, and good sights, too. But, it's more of a "youth" rifle, for about ages 8-12.

All the Christmas presents have been picked out, so his very own rifle will have to wait until Spring. But he'll definitely have one of his own.

Now I need to decide on a gun for his sister, who will turn 17 on 12/25. She's the only one in the family without a gun that is specifically hers (although we have quite a few "general use" guns). At the moment, though, she is more concerned whether or not she's going to get an iPod for Christmas (she is!)

Hmmm... BabyGirl is quite a good shot, and this might be a good excuse to add a 9mm to the stable....

nitrogen wrote:Ok, i'm being a bit silly, but I took this picture a while ago, and this thread reminded me of it.

My CAT has started to show interest in my guns!

Hmmm... black cat with a black gun. Is anyone else concerned?

With all the photoshop experts here I would be afraid to post any pictures. I am sure before long this cat will be holding a Glock under Longtooth's Christmas tree. ( the clock is ticking)

llwatson wrote:Hmmm... black cat with a black gun. Is anyone else concerned?

Scaling that cat against the AR, I'm more concerned that he's roughly the size of a small panther!

Tacticat reminded me of my seven-month-old kitten, Mia. I caught Mia attempting to enter my range bag before we headed out today.

bigolbigun wrote:With all the photoshop experts here I would be afraid to post any pictures. I am sure before long this cat will be holding a Glock under Longtooth's Christmas tree. ( the clock is ticking)

Hush bigun, after what they did to me, they dont need no suggestions.

wrightcrew,

It is good to hear about both you and your wife embracing self-defense. I will share your story with my wife, who is very supportive and comforted by my CHL. She seems to be edging closer to the point of CHL, but then CHL is a personal journey.

KBCraig wrote: And less than an hour after I wrote that, we were walking through Wal Mart. Totally out of the blue, after no conversation about guns at all, she said, "I think it's about time to start taking that boy to the range."

"That boy" just turned 4 less than a month ago.

4 is the perfect age to start. we were on the 100 yard range, and she managed to keep them all on the paper using that peep sight.

Beautiful picture chris. My youngest grandone is 6. He is the only one that is not interested in shooting.

Chris wrote:

KBCraig wrote: And less than an hour after I wrote that, we were walking through Wal Mart. Totally out of the blue, after no conversation about guns at all, she said, "I think it's about time to start taking that boy to the range."

"That boy" just turned 4 less than a month ago.

4 is the perfect age to start. we were on the 100 yard range, and she managed to keep them all on the paper using that peep sight.

Chris - is that your backup rifle that you keep in the cruiser?

Chris wrote:...
a lot of people have said i'm a 'nut case' for giving my kids guns at such young ages, and even teaching them to shoot that early. ...

"guns make me nervous." ignorance of anything will make you nervous.

Bravo, Chris.
I prefer to think of what you are doing as 'being a responsible parent.'
My father taught me the importance of gun safety, the proper handling, how to avoid improper handling, cleaning, storage, and enjoyment of longguns.

I remember fondly of taking the Win Model #70 .243 to my CALIFORNIA K-6th grade school, during 4th grade, for Show & Tell. {TRY THAT TODAY!}

Growing up in East Texas, at 16 riding my 10speed thru downtown with 'no-hands', holding my dearly beloved Rem. 12Ga autoloader in the left hand, and 3 boxes of shells in a bag in the right, heading to my buddy's house to go shoot crows.

Leaving deer camp, after my *(#$ cousin fired off a 12Ga 00 round at our feet between us as we walked into camp, in response to my question: "Bubba, is that shotgun unloaded?"
Dad always taught me to be discerning, and be intolerant of people that are careless around firearms. When in doubt, leave. I went straight to my truck and left that minute.
Sadly, Bubba's brother-in-law was not taught as well as I was, and the previous year killed himself with his shotgun climbing out of a tree. My Dad found him in the woods during the search at 2:30am...

I have a proper respect, fear of, and great love of guns!
My Father gave that to me, along with the responsibilities...

Writing this reminds me of how much I miss him. Doh.
Maybe one day your kids will tell someone a similar story...

~Bill

The Marshal wrote: I have a proper respect, fear of, and great love of guns!
My Father gave that to me, along with the responsibilities...

i never had that luxury until i was about 16. my parents had a little .22lr pistol that they kept above the fridge. it was a literal piece of crap. it was in about 4 pieces, and i really doubt it would shoot. i almost know it wouldn't shoot. it was strictly a HANDS OFF policy with my parents. the worst thing about it is that growing up, i knew it was there, and several times i remember climbing up there to check that thing out. fortunately there were no bullets for it, because i doubt i would have known what to do with them. my parents never taught me about guns, but i know i got into that one every chance i got.

my kids aren't as curious as i was because they are free to handle their weapons anytime they like on the condition that they tell me first. my kids also know how they work, and how to handle them.

i guess i'm rebelling now by having my small arsenal. my brother also has 3 or 4 weapons now too, and my sister joins us on hunting trips. i remember when i was little, my dad made a feeble attempt to take us fishing. i had to show him how to bait the hook. poor guy. at least he tried. thank goodness for grandfathers and their ability help you purchase your first shotgun, despite your parents' disapproval.

I remember a big turning point in my wife's attitude about guns. I had brought up the idea of having a gun for home defense, and she was pretty hesitant at first (but she still listened). In her mind, she saw the reasons for having one, but she was still very afraid. One day I asked her, "is this fear about something in particular, or is it a more general fear of guns?" She said she hadn't really considered it, and needed to think about the question before replying.

A few days later, she told me that she realized that her fear was primarily a general fear, not of something particular. She also realized that it wasn't a good reason by itself, since any specific concerns can be addressed. Our discussion changed at that point, and we began discussing what it would mean to safely have a gun in the house. We agreed on some ground rules, and have moved forward from there. It was a turning point, I think, because she was able to let go of this vague fear that had been given to her (by family, for the most part), but which didn't really hold up to scrutiny. Our discussions and actions regarding guns has been very positive since this point.

Growth like this excite me. Neither the wife or my Mom were ever anti, but over the last 10yr they have both moved from "that is all your business" to choosing & owning their own. Both have CHL, 2 handguns, & Mom hunts.