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Got some really bad, depressing news a couple of weeks ago I stressed and worried about it since, even “improvements” in my situation, does not bring relief, if anything it brings more worry. I just realized that I need to stop “worrying about things I have absolutely no control over”, and I need to unwind and relax..... Decided last week, for the first time in many years, me and (and this time) my 13 year old daughter are going to reach to the back of the "closet" and breaking out a bunch of "items of historical interest" They are from several famous designers. Some of you may know some of them...
In no particular order..
Paul Mauser, Samuel Colt, Carl Walther, Sergei Mosin, Leon Nagant, John Browning, Gaston Glock, Sergei Simonov, Mikhail Kalashnikov, John Garand, John Lee, Arisaka Nariakira, Jan and Jaroslav Kratochvíl
Time to let some of my historical artifacts that are from all over the world, ....speak once again... Time to teach her, about all of them, where they came from, why they where built, who used them, and why, and how they differ, ....and how they can be properly and safely operated...
She is now of age, size, and maturity to handle the "full power battle rifles" now. Time to learn how to "run them all".. Time to let her understand the great gift, and responsibility that owning firearms is. Time to build a understanding just what this means, and that some people wish to restrict this freedom. She has long ago, started taking part of politics, and political events, and she is just as much an activist as her father is *Grin. Now it is time to give her a great appreciation of the historical artifacts that are part of the families collection.. Time to see if she will be a gun rights activist, like her father..
I am proud to report that she exceeded all expectations greatly last week!!
She has had much practice with her M1 Carbine (her first center-fire rifle) over the years, and was expressing a interest in the rest of my arms for a while now. So we started with the SKS Carbine. Not much different than the M1, but different enough, she took to it like a duck to water. Than we moved on to the AK series, which the was most pleased with, and shot reasonable well with. After a few magazines, she wanted to try one of my full power military bolt actions... O Boy...
I was a bit nervous at first, but I gave her my Long Branch No4 MkII Lee Enfield .303, After a few minutes explaining the “manual of arms” for this WWII veteran, and the peculiarity’s of loading it's rimmed ammunition. It was off to the races! After her first few shots, she lost all of her nervousness of the “big” bolt action, and settled down to as she said, too “do some shootin' ” In a few minutes, she was hitting 2 lt bottles and gallon milk jugs I had placed about 75 yards away! She chewed thru about 30 rnds in that rifle, and only stopped when my ammo ran out! I did not expect her to take to it like she did, and only brought a limited supply. I was amazed to watch her, skillfully work the bolt, just as if she had been doing it for years.
Than on to the Mausers, and others! She did well with them as well, but she excelled with any rifle, that had peep sights (like her M1) After some more couching she even had a date with the M1 Garand! WATCH THE THUMB!!!!! You should have heard her giggle when after her first 8 rnd clip “pinged” out when the rifle ran dry!
Than it was on to the pistols!
I started her out on a 9MM Walther P38. After another long training session on the “manual of arms” and proper stance it was off to the races again. She chewed through about 50 rounds and than wanted something “bigger” To me, this said “It was time!!”
I got out her great grandfathers 1911 .45 pistol. The one he carried in the pacific during WWII...
After I demonstrated with a few rounds, and explaining the functional differences and similarities between it and the P38. It was her turn..
Watching her holding her great grandfather's .45, (almost 25 years after his death) skillfully aiming it at a target, and on her very first shot “HITTING that target” was one of the most proud moments of my life. I had finally complied with that solemn promise that I had so very long ago made to them.
She shot a box of 50 rounds through that ol' warhorse. By the second magazine, she was loading it, charging it, and firing it on her own. I was so proud to explain to her about that guns unique history in our family. About how her great grandfather carried it in war, than how he carried it in has car, and during labor troubles and strikes, he kept it hidden in his jacket, for self defense. I showed her the worn spots on the gun where it was carried in it's holster all those years.
I told her about my father, her grandfather, how he kept it on top of the dresser. And how as a small child, I remembered him running through the house with it and outside, when a drunken neighbor was beating his wife in the road with a board, and how he dared him from the porch to “swing that 2x4 again”
About how my father, and grandfather explained to me when I was young, about how this gun would be mine one day, and they wanted me to "hand it down" and see to it, that its story got handed down with it. I pointed out that many politicians, and people, wish to see her great grandfather's pistol taken away, and melted down. That under no circumstances is this to happen. And that we must resist those that wish to do it, vehemently, an unending...She agreed!!!
We put up the old .45 and got out my new one. She fired it too, but she found the old one better to her liking. I was not surprised at this, the old timer is much more pleasant to shoot than my Glock 36 subcompact. I explained why this was: It being lighter, and with a short barrel and action made recoil much more pronounced and the short action meant the recoil springs are much stiffer than the almost 75 year old ones in grandfather's pistol.
I have a new Civil Liberty advocate on my hands! I am so proud of her..At 13 she has excelled in softball, is one of the top students in the county (she brings home report cards with not just A's, but 100%'s on them, as in perfect assignements and perfect test scores), not just her grade, volunteers at nursing homes (weekly), enjoys going with her dad to political rallies, and as a hobby, taken on learning 3 foreign languages.
And while all the while remaining keenly aware of her roots hailing from the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia, with a love for Bluegrass music.
We must teach the children, so they can take up the torch when we no longer can.
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