How did you get involved/converted in the RKBA?

[Drjones]

Bought my first guns last summer. Started asking lots of firearm-related questions on bladeforums.com, they directed me to TFL.

I can honestly say that I am a different and better person because of TFL and now THR.



I have always loved guns and was never an anti by any means, but there's always room for improvement.

 

[MikeK]

I liked guns as a kid. Had BB guns and a pellet gun. One uncle in PA owned guns and we would often shoot when we visited (.22's). Lost interest in my late teens (too many other things). Occasionally shot at a freind's place in the country in VA during my late 20's / early thirties. Bought a couple of .22's. Went to the range on occasion.

In 1999, Y2K and all that I was making decent money and bought a 9mm, then another, then a .357 etc. etc.. Couldn't shoot that well (still ain't great) so I started doing research on the Internet. Re-joined the NRA, local groups, a range or two and got much more involved. The loss of gun rights was a real eye-opener for me. I need to do more.

I've introduced all of my nephews, my daughter and wife, two neices and 3 of the in-laws to shooting. Also volunteer at Women on Target and other events designed to introduce people to shooting. They all have smiles on their faces when they shoot!

 

[Archer]

I was born in NYC but grew up in the Adirondacks. I had a large "backyard" where one could practice with rifle or shotgun without worry, and my father was an enthusiastic deer hunter.

I distinctly remember learning the fundamental firearms safety rules, culminating with shooting a lever action Marlin .35 Rem deer rifle at the age of six (one shot was enough to impress me sufficiently that I recall it clearly), started shooting archery at the age of seven, had a Walther air pistol at 8, and I got my first .22 at the age of 12, a Ruger 10-22.

For a few years there were no safe red squirrels in a 400 acre area

Like most people, I took all of this for granted. I never really thought much about it because I had always known my way around firearms, and having them around the house seemed perfectly normal. For whatever reason, pistols never struck me as something anyone would have that much use for- not that I thought about it much.

In college I shot competitive rifle.

At no time during this period (late sixties through early eighties) did the RKBA become an issue I was conscious of or particularly concerned with.

Then I moved to a large city in New York State (not NYC) where I learned that I had every reason to be concerned about the subject. First, I learned that pistols do indeed have a place in society. Then I learned that New York is a difficult place for someone with that point of view. The hoops I had to go through to obtain a carry permit weren't too great- I had friends in high places. But my awareness of the issue started here.

Then I moved to Los Angeles, and really learned how infringement of our rights can affect us directly. A small incident known as the LA riots brought me fully into the issue.

 

[Monkeyleg]

I grew up in the 50's in a family with lots of guns. Started shooting real guns when I was about 13.

In the early eighties I joined the NRA and wrote a letter to the editor from time to time. As the "assault weapons" lie unfolded, I became more agitated and thus more involved.

When they passed the ban in 1994, I realized they were going for all the marbles and really got politically involved.

 

[MeekandMild]

I wanted to buy a trapdoor Springfield for $2.00 at the antique store. I didn't have any money with me and my father wouldn't buy it for me. By the time I got back with the money the law had been changed and suddenly the guy wouldn't sell it to a minor. By the time I was "old enough" to buy one they were over $100 and now they are over $1000.

The more I learn the more I think that not only should the RKBA be sacred but citizens should be REQUIRED to carry.

 

[Norton]

Grew up with BB guns and playing Army a lot, yet somehow I was trapped into the belief that real guns were bad and that it would be good to get them away from the common folk for their own good. Graduating from college and coming of adult age during the Clinton administration, I believed all of the stuff that were fed about assault weapons, street sweepers, etc, etc.

Then about the time I was 30 I just started feeling like something wasn't right. Sort of like in the Matrix, how what you see saw going on around you didn't seem to jive with what you were being told was the truth.

I realized that my father in law had a lot of guns around the house and, surprise, no one had died as a result of them. His children were maniacs taking guns to school and shooting kids. I noticed that I liked living in VA a lot more than MD....less crime yet more guns. I noticed that the kids I taught in VA who went hunting with their dads had a healthier respect for their parents and nature than the non-hunters.

When I came back to MD at the age of 32, I found that I had entered the twilight zone. The criminals were the poor misfortunates who society had mistreated. The politicians know who the criminals are and where they ply their trade, yet in the name of political gain refuse to attack those criminals. My parents, who have lived in the same house for 31 years, have a drug dealer on one side of them and a prostitute and murderer on the other side of them, yet the police won't even investigate. (The murderer was eventually arrested and convicted purely on account of his own drunken mouth).

So who is to protect them the next time that someone breaks into the shed and being emboldened decides to take a chance at entering the house? My parents are part of the herd that believe guns are bad.....so they just sit there and take it.

The capstone event for me, much like many other Americans, was 911. Even then it took a year for me to finally get it through my thick head that I had to be responsible for my own safety in my home. After weeks of research here and on other forums, I felt like I had the information that I needed to start my search for my first gun.

I went to a bunch of bozo gun shops (don't ask, I won't tell ) in the Baltimore area before ending up at one where the clerk talked to me like an adult without being patronizing. I walked out with a Taurus .38 special the day before my 35th birthday.

Nearly a year later, I have 5 handguns (OK, really 4.5 since the Navy 1851 is a complete mystery to me). My wife shoots with me regularly as does my brother. Heck, my wife got expert on her Navy shooting quals.....

 

[JohnBT]

I was a sheltered child. They never told me there were people in this country who refused to own a gun or simply didn't see a need to have one. Seriously, nobody ever mentioned it - parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins - maybe they too thought every family had guns around. I must have been 6 or 7 when I found out that there were gunless closets in America.

John

 

[MeekandMild]

His children were maniacs taking guns to school and shooting kids.

 

[RNS]

Bought my first gun to clean out the ground hogs when I moved to the country four years ago. One gun led to another and today I preach 2nd. Ammendment Rights everywhere I can.

Wish I had started a long time ago.

Rich

 

[22x9]

I turned 30. realized that I was stuck in a rutt and need a change. Bought my Steyr M-9 in September/October 2000 and haven't looked back.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Born to it. I try to thank God every day for it, and to thank him for all of the brave souls that made it possible.

And Happy Bob, all I can say is that If I lived a thousand years, I couldn't state the reasons why better than you did.

I love this place.

 

[redhead]

I was pretty much neutral about gun ownship all of my life until just a few years ago. I had always taken it for granted that I could own a gun if I wanted one. My dad had guns, he gave me his deer rifle before he died. I didn't hunt, so it went into a closet for over 20 years.

Around 1999, some women had been abducted near Yosemite National Park and were missing for some time. They were found murdered. A naturalist in the park was found murdered and beheaded. As a woman who spends time on the road by myself, I was concerned for my safety. I decided it was time to buy my first gun.

Imagine my surprise when I went to the gun store, and after picking out a .38 revolver, finding out what hoops I needed to jump through. Well, I took the test for the BHSC (Basic Handgun Safety Certificate), passed, paid my money, and waited 10 days to pick up my revolver.

Now it's worse. There is a different certificate and test, and the certificate is good for 5 years. You have to give a thumbprint each time you purchase a firearm. There's still the waiting period. California has a list of "approved" handguns. If it's not on the list, you can't have it. Period. But, of course, it's for our own safety! And, it's impossible to get a ccw unless you are a personal friend of the sheriff, a movie star, a politician, or a big donor to the sheriff's reelection campaign.

Ooops. I'm starting to rant. I don't want to turn this into a "my state's gun laws are worse than yours" thread. The result is: I've become involved. I write and call the congress critters. I give money where I think it will help. I talk to people I know about the RKBA whenever I can. They think I'm a nut bar sometimes, but oh well.

It was my desire for self-defense, and finding out what roadblocks are put into place that got my involved in the RKBA.

 

[Norton]

whoops....need to edit more carefully.....should read. "his kids weren't maniacs...."

amazing the difference two letters make....

 

[trooper]

I was born into a family in which guns played no role at all. Dad was an former army officer but he never really cared about guns. My mom wouldn't even buy us toy guns because she thought we would develop violent fantasies. So I ended up building my own toy guns from pieces of wood. Mom was pissed at first but later she sorta acknowledged my creativity

I was interested in firearms from an early age without knowing why; I just found them fascinating. My first chance to actually shoot came when I joined the police. I found that I enjoyed shooting; it also felt rather natural to me.

Present time: member of our local gun club and anxiously waiting to get a firearms license next year. Might consider starting hunting in a couple years.


Regards,

Trooper

 

[Sven]

First, pops gave us BB guns. Then let us shoot tin cans.

Then, 10 years later, Oleg stopped over with a briefcase and took me shooting.

 

[FireInTheHole]

My Dad.

Learned to shoot at age 12, .22lr as a boy scout. Then a mossy 500 at 15. Then a ruger 95 and ruger mini-14 at 17. Then got my beretta 92 at 18. Dad and I still shoot together when possible.

Sadly I think TRTKBA is going to die. I plan on being prepared for that eventuality.

You know you are too.

 

[Spot77]

Had a Glock 17 in my late teens/early 20's. Bought it from a friend and only shot it once; on the very day I bought it. Got rid of it and stayed mute for about 10 years.

Then Norton gave me the best Christmas gift in the world: an all expenses paid night at a local range, specifically to shoot the HK MP5 they had there.

I'm now the proud owner of a BERSA Thunder 380, CZ40B, and Ruger P95.

And of course I get to play with Norton's toys too