I have never been a big fan of guns. I still am not sure how I feel. In fact when I first married Jeff, I made him sell his guns before I married him, Even though I grew up with guns in the house.
Over the last few years, Jeff has worn me down with his opinions about the importance of having your own guns, for all kinds of reasons. It started out with paint ball guns, and has progressed from there.
I appreciate how careful he is and all of the safety precautions that he has taken to keep them locked up, and to teach Clint all about gun safety, and how to shoot properly. All the things that his father taught him.
Clint has become I really good shot. And as the only girl in the family, I feel like I have to make some decisions about whether I want to be excluded from all of the guy stuff that goes on in our house or not. I draw the line at shooting birds, or other living things. And I do not allow Jeff or Clint to shoot at any living thing. But as food prices skyrocket, and the economy plummets, am I doing my family a real diservice by not teaching my sons some wilderness and survival skills? Isn't it better to be prepared and learn some of these lessons in case we ever need to know how to hunt for ourselves? Jeff knows how, and I am grateful that he could provide for us if he needed to.
I think it would be wrong
not to teach Clint and Derek the same skills, and I need to learn them myself too.
I also have been thinking about my Dad and Grandfather, and how they would go hunting every year. My Dad rarley brought anything home. I think he preferred not to shoot anything. Animals in the wild are so beautiful. But it was more of a time for them to be together. My Grandfather was really quiet. He rarely said anything, and my Dad was kind of the same way. (Kind of like Jeff). But I think that when they were hunting together, it was an amazing time for them, and they didn't have to talk to stay close. It's just something guys do, that I appreciate. I may not understand it, but I will be supportive. And target practice is really fun. Are you impressed, Dave?