why did you purchase your first firearm? have you ever pointed one at a human?

Originally posted by sailormon
Most farm kids in the 50's had guns, both rifles, shotguns and pistols. nuf said.

remember the days when we took the 22's to school for after class hunters safety class..
yep

I started shooting at age 8 in the NRA junior rifle program.

By 10 I was shooting in matches. by 15 I was wining matches.

At 19 i joined the US Navy at shot top score for the month in boot camp.
later i shot in Navy and Marine corp matches.

I have not lost my touch.

And yes i have pointed at gun at a human and fired

reply to post by rubbertramp


Mt first gun was a Ruger 10/22 given to me by my father. I have purchased many more and will continue to do so as it is my constitutional right to. Being a Marine and combat veteran I have used weapons in real world situations.

My advice for you is to asess your situation. It sounds like illegal hunters is your main concern. First thing I would advise is to read your local firearm and hunting laws to make sure you know it better than the hunters you encounter. Here where i live we are required to post no tresspassing/illegal hunting signs every ten feet around our peoperty line to be legally covered. As far as a weapon suggestion goes, whatever your most comfortable with is always best. Me personally if I were in Montana or open country I would want something that could shoot a little distance and fire multiple rounds fast. An M-14 with a nice scope would do the trick, or there are many AR platforms out there that would be good in that country. anyway hope this helps.

I got my first firearm when I was 9 years old. It was a single shot Stevens .410 shotgun (which I still have 37 years later)
I have many, many now and carry a 1911 .45 ACP.

I had to pull my Sig P226 back in the 80's to protect myself. It ended badly, worse for him.

I will not rehash bad memories again, the story is on ATS somewhere. Look it up if you need to.

Never carry an unloaded gun and never point it at someone unless your willing to kill them. period!

They are not mad3e to scare or intimidate people, their made to kill.

I bought a Taurus .45 after my home was burglarized while I was at work several years ago. The people were caught and did it for drug money. I got the gun in case some drugged-up idiots ever tried that again I could defend myself and family. I never even used it for two years that I had it and then finally got into defensive pistol shooting with friends. Now I have an AK47 and am getting into tactical rifle and pistol training as preparedness for a SHTF situation. I've never had to point it at anyone, pray I never have to, and will train in case I do.

At 5 years old my father got me a Springfield single shot .22 to teach me how to shoot.In desert storm I was a scout but all engagements were indirect and vehicular,my weapon was not fired in combat.Other that that I haven't had the need of a firearm against a person......yet.

First gun: 16gauge. when I turned 10. had to practice and prove i could handle it safely for 2 years before i went hunting alone.


Last time i pointed a loaded weapon at a human with finger on trigger and safety off was thanksgiving night 2007 during a home invasion, by two random crankster gangsters. AK47 They ran, actually pretty fast. Might have been the meth though. One of em might have peed a little. Not sure if it was the gun so much as the bizzare horror movie pop up tactic lol.

I gave $3.00 for a single shot Stevens Model 15A when I was 12 years old because it is something a kid in Texas will do as soon as they can... When I was 13 I ordered a Moisin Nagant from Sears Roebuck and picked it up at the mail order desk of the Sears store on Jefferson Blvd in Oak Cliff just west of the Texas Theater where Lee Harvey Oswald was captured.. The rifle and 50 rounds of ammo cost me $13.20 ... When in high school ROTC I was one of two students that became the battalion armorers and disassembled the M-1 Garrand rifles and cleaned them before upper echelon inspections... I never pointed a gun at anyone until I was an 18 year old Marine in Vietnam but mostly I was ground to air liaison for an infantry company and directed air strikes, helicopter resupply and medevac missions... After Vietnam I lost interest in hunting but I still shoot at targets on occasion and will at times kill a wild hog or two when they are in the yard tearing things up... I have taught my wife to shoot and she carries a scoped Marlin .22 semi automatic rifle when out walking with the dog and taking pot shots at squirrels... I don't think she has ever killed one but likes to see them take off from tree to tree... She is hell on empty tobacco cans and paper targets with the .22 and her Model 38 S&W Air Weight... Someone would have to really need to shooting before I would throw down on them and squeeze off a round at them...

The way I grew up we always had guns around Me and my sisters would take turns hunting and fishing for the pot. We were very poor. The first gun I bought was when I was 8. Mowed a lot of lawns at $2.00 a lawn to get it. It was a German WWII 7MM Mauser. That gun took down a lot of Michigan white tales. It also started my life long love of WWII era fire arms, wich I still have to this very day. I still have the Mauser plus a 303 British and a Mosin nagont. Several 1911's hand guns as well. one for each member that use to live in my house.

As for pointing it a people yes I have on many occasions but only in combat and used them as well. Ime proud of doing my duty but the thout of ending another persons life still haunts my dreams. My wife was a gemologist for many years. She always had lots of money on her and lots of loose gems and settings. She would go from store to store giving demonstrations on setting stones and other jewelry related things. She carried one of my 1911's and unfortunately had the occasion to not only point it but use it permanently destroying a lung of a hoped up crack head. Yes she meant to kill as I had taught her if you pull it use it to kill or you might get killed your self.

Had the first responders not been in the apartment upstairs of ware the shooting happened the crack head would have died. Its a bad thing to end a human life even that of a crack addict. but he was armed with a knife in one hand and a broken bottle in the other. He was warned three times by my wife to back off and leave or he would be shot. He chose to press the issue and to this day he only has one lung.

My advise yes get a fire arm especially for mature children who can respect it and teach them its proper use. Teach them if you pull it in defense first make sure your in the right and second use it to kill not maim. But if you or the children can not grasp the seriousness of the power of the fire arm don't bother. a fire arm is not a equalizer. It is a tool like a hammer or screw driver. It depends on the ability and knowledge of the user for its proper use. Now here is the podium back and my 2 cents is in the kitty. Live long and wisely and you will never have to use it.

reply to post by 1947flxible


Been there done that, and if your a good man, I and you should feel like it was only the last resort.

It's not an experience that one hopes to deal with.

Good post

Is it just me or are some of these accounts scary?

Scary as is some of the people should not even have a gun.

The first firearm I ever purchased was a Walther P99. After that I got a Charles Daly .45 and I love that gun. All I have now is my SW Sigma, which I am looking to get rid of for something better. I am thinking of getting a Sig or an HK...undecided.

I would also like to build another AR-15 soon.

As far as me ever pointing it anyone...well I was in the Marine Corps deployed to Iraq twice.

And what would you do if you ever needed a gun? Survival is expecting the unexpected and being prepared for anything you can be. Can you predict the future? Nobody can so you don't know whats going to happen all you know is what can happen.

And what would you do if you ever needed a gun? Survival is expecting the unexpected and being prepared for anything you can be. Can you predict the future? Nobody can so you don't know whats going to happen all you know is what can happen.

One of the ten commandment's of gun safety --- Never point a gun at anything you do not intend to destroy.... including yourself.

When I dry-fire at home, I occasionally point my gun at people on my TV screen. No.... I have not destroyed my TV yet.

One of the most biggest and frequent gun range violation's, is when people take their gun's out their guncases while pointing the muzzle of their gun's at someone else. ALL GUN'S MUST BE POINTED DOWN RANGE WHEN YOU ARE ON THE FIRING LINE WHEN YOU CASE OR UNCASE YOUR GUNS!!!

The most classic dumbkopf response is: Don't worry.... its not loaded.

A gun store owner commented --- That if had recieved a dollar, everytime he had a potential gun customer point a gun a him he would a rich man.

Remember ---- Treat all gun's as if they are loaded.