In addition to the pawn-shop pistol, Brown also owns a 9-mm. handgun, a two-shot derringer, and, her favorite, a .22-caliber rifle. “It fires just like a BB gun,” she says. She also keeps a machete, just for good measure. Although each firearm is kept in her room unlocked and loaded, she’s not concerned about her 13-year-old daughter Onna coming across them. This is partly because of Onna’s maturity — “She is 13 going on 57,” Brown says — but also because Onna has spent lots of time at the range with Mom, going back to when she was only 7 years old.
“There are some moms that don’t want their kids in the house that has guns in it. I don’t have them laying around the house,” Brown says. “What happens with some parents is that they shelter and taboo stuff so much that kids are curious.” When kids are properly trained to use firearms, Brown says, their mystique dissipates as well as their potential danger.
