FREAKED OUT by firearms

[kazaam]

Just kidding, I'm not freaked out by firearms. Seems like most people who haven't used one are, though. Which brings me to these questions:

Were any of you freaked out the first time you shot a gun?

I put off going to the range with my buddy for quite a while simply because I was kind of nervous about all the stuff I've heard on the news about shooting deaths. When I got to the range, I was probably even more freaked out since I started hearing gunshots (never heard one up until then) lol. After I started shooting, I thought it was the coolest thing ever and that's how I found these forums.

Were any of you freaked out about the first gun you brought into your home?

So now that I've had some experience with guns, I'm obviously not freaked out about them. So naturally I want to get a handgun. HOWEVER...I keep getting **** from everyone telling me all of these random statistics about most firearms deaths being from the persons own gun, higher rates of suicide amongst gun owners, about no matter how careful you are "it only needs to happen once" and a bunch of other things.

I do know owning a firearm is a large responsibility, which I'm confident I can handle, but I'm curious about your (first) experiences with firearms.

 

[Sylvain]

No.I had the proper training and qualified instructors.

No.(see above)

Im freaked out by idiots and criminals with firearms though.

 

[Fishersjohn48]

I was too young to remember.

 

[leftsock]

No. As a child, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I wasn't freaked out.

No. A gun in the home predates my existence. Some of the guns I now own are the ones that predated my existence.

 

[indyjoe]

My father did not shoot a bunch after I was born. He used to load and shot when they lived in Arizona. But he took me out to shoot .22 rifle when I was 6 or 7. He also brought along his Ruger Black Hawk .44 Mag, with full house loads. And some melons. Before we started shooting, he explained that guns can be fun, but they MUST be respected.

We shot some .22 rifle (the same Marlin 39A that is still in my safe). I remember him setting up some bowling pins and having a contest to see how many we can shoot down with one shot. I knocked mine down and he put one pin behind the other and grazed the top of the pin so the bullet would hit the second. Worked like a charm and took me a while to figure out what he did.

Then he setup some melons and said something like: You can't stop a bullet, once it is let loose. You don't "play" with firearms. These melons could be you, me, mommy, or your sisters. Then he blew them to smithereens with the .44.

I didn't have fear, nor was I freaked out by firearms. What I had was respect for them and how much destruction they could do when misused.

 

[Irishcs05]

No and no.

Guns were a part of my childhood. BB, 22, etc.

I was taught their purpose and learned to respect it.

 

[badmac183]

I was too young to remember.

This.

 

[jgreiner]

Just kidding, I'm not freaked out by firearms. Seems like most people who haven't used one are, though. Which brings me to these questions:

Were any of you freaked out the first time you shot a gun?

I put off going to the range with my buddy for quite a while simply because I was kind of nervous about all the stuff I've heard on the news about shooting deaths. When I got to the range, I was probably even more freaked out since I started hearing gunshots (never heard one up until then) lol. After I started shooting, I thought it was the coolest thing ever and that's how I found these forums.

Were any of you freaked out about the first gun you brought into your home?

So now that I've had some experience with guns, I'm obviously not freaked out about them. So naturally I want to get a handgun. HOWEVER...I keep getting **** from everyone telling me all of these random statistics about most firearms deaths being from the persons own gun, higher rates of suicide amongst gun owners, about no matter how careful you are "it only needs to happen once" and a bunch of other things.

I do know owning a firearm is a large responsibility, which I'm confident I can handle, but I'm curious about your (first) experiences with firearms.

nope, not at all. My dad took me out to the new shooting range he had jsut built on our farm (I was 7) and let me shoot his Ruger Single Six. I was hooked.

Bought my first rifle shortly after that.

 

[Cannon762]

I got into firearms after some junkie tried to push their way into our apartment around tax refund season a couple years ago. I'd been around guns since I was 14 or so, taking shotgun/rifle/muzzleloader classes at the local conservation club, but had never thought of buying one for the sole purpose of defense until that particular incident.

From what I remember, I was a little nervous for a couple months and dealt with a lot of what you're talking about from my absolutely anti-gun parents. (Thanks, daytime television) But the best combatant for all of that was education and practice. It's easy for people to sit back and criticize something they don't understand, especially when they've already been filled with anti-gun information like what seems to take place in the US. I have a genuine sense of pity for those people now. Arm yourself with knowledge and safe practice and strong-thinking people will recognize that.

 

[eldirector]

Grew up with a rifle in dad's closet. My uncle taught me to shoot when I was under 10 years old. Shot with several friends and family growing up, so wasn't a terribly big deal. Mom was (and kinda still is) rather anti-gun (more anti-violence of any sort), but that didn't stop family from teaching me.

I remember being excited as a child any time I got to go shooting. Anything from bb guns to rifles.

I will admit to being a bit "on alert" the first time at a public range as an adult. I was fairly self conscious, and the "range etiquette" of other there didn't exactly install confidence. Many range trips and several thousands of rounds later, and I'm feeling fine!

I'm no more freaked out about guns in the home than I am about my fireplace, kitchen knives, or even the bathtub. Those things "kill" just as many, of not more, people than guns. Learn good safety habits, and don't fret it.

 

[TopDog]

Just kidding, I'm not freaked out by firearms. Seems like most people who haven't used one are, though. Which brings me to these questions:

Were any of you freaked out the first time you shot a gun?

Nope, different generation. Everyone I knew when I was kid had at least shot a gun if not gone hunting by the time they were 10.

 

[badmac183]

Nope, different generation. Everyone I knew when I was kid had at least shot a gun if not gone hunting by the time they were 10.

I'm 17 and feel the same way, I'd say its more of just a different part of the state.

 

[TopDog]

I'm 17 and feel the same way, I'd say its more of just a different part of the state.

Maybe but I grew up on the east side of Indy. Not exactly a rural area.

 

[netsecurity]

I started shooting shotguns and 22's when I was about five, probably younger. But I still get "freaked out" a little when I enter an active range. I guess it is mostly out of respect for the weapons, but also because I'm hyper-focused on getting my gear safely up to the lane, and not forgetting anything or getting distracted. Basically, it is always a bit of a rush at first, and it always takes me a few minutes to calm down at the gun range because of all the noise and activity. When I shoot at a private range it is much more comfortable to ease into it.

Guns are dangerous. If you are not scared a bit then you don't respect them properly.

 

[looney2ns]

Nope, different generation. Everyone I knew when I was kid had at least shot a gun if not gone hunting by the time they were 10.

Heck at about age 11 or 12, I used to ride through town on my bike with my dad's 22lr rifle slung over my shoulder. Many a time.
My destination was the local stripper hills for shooting. So it was a 2 or 3 mile ride.
No one ever gave me a second glance, and no one ever called the swat team.

 

[Pooty22]

I would say that the first time I went shooting, since it was a BB gun, I wasn't freaked out. I took a Hunters Safety course before I did Safe Shooters in 4H, which was when I first learned the four safety rules. However, when it came time to shoot my Dad's 20 ga. I was nervous because I'd never shot it before then. Took me a couple shots to get used to it but I was fine after that.

My next real experience with firearms was in the Marine Corps. I was definitely nervous then for two reasons. 1) I didn't know what to expect from an M-16 and 2) I knew there were guys there that had never handled a weapon of any kind and it was evident by the way they acted with a rifle. Again, range time took away my fears.

Now, I have my first pistol in a safe by the bed. I'm still trying to convince my wife that they are necessary and that I know what I'm doing. I want to get her in a class and on the range so she's more comfortable with it in the house.

 

[Archaic_Entity]

I wasn't nervous. I was probably about 12-13 when I shot my first rifle. My step dad's AR-15. But my brother was. He was probably 8-9.

I went and shot up on my shoulder and did fine, I'm sure. My brother couldn't hold it up so my step-dad held the butt for him and he just went full-on shooting as fast as he could. Freaked him out a bit. So he went back inside and played Duckhunt instead.

 

[TopDog]

Heck at about age 11 or 12, I used to ride through town on my bike with my dad's 22lr rifle slung over my shoulder. Many a time.
My destination was the local stripper hills for shooting. So it was a 2 or 3 mile ride.
No one ever gave me a second glance, and no one ever called the swat team.

Well sir that might just have been because there were no Batman movies yet, he was still in comic books.

 

[JDvader]

My father and grandfather were Marines, then dad went on to be a police officer. So I grew up around firearms. I don't believe I was ever nervous as a kid shooting 22 rifles. I got real nervous the fist time I shot a 12 gauge with deer slugs, I think I was 11 at the time. That's the only time I can remember ever being scared to pull the trigger. My wife is still freaked out just being around guns.

 

[actaeon277]

I think the study you are referring to (guns more likely to hurt yo than protect) is the Kellerman study, which has been debunked.

Editorial: Deconstructing Kellermann | The Truth About GunsThe Truth About Guns

Basically, he only counted defensive uses that KILLED the bad guy. Wounding, or only presenting a weapon, don't count.

And for accidents, he includes suicides.
Etc.