Susan, I grew up with a bunch of guns, too, so it doesn't seem strange to me. My dad had a bunch of shotguns, my mom had one antique rifle, and they had a handgun. The hunting guns were locked in a cabinet while the shells were locked in a metal box in my dad's closet.

The handgun? I had no idea where that was until I was 19 and staying home for 2 weeks alone while my parents went on a vacation. Turns out, they kept it in my dad's sock drawer. Loaded. They did keep the first 2 chambers empty, so you have to fire 3 times before bullets come out.

Interestingly, a cop gave the handgun to my mom when she went to the police station to register our dogs. She was verra pregnant and had 4 other kids in tow. The cop found out that my dad travelled a lot for work and he gave it to her for protection when she is home alone. The gun was evidence from a case that had gone to trial already. The serial number is shaved off of it.

A cop once let me hold his gun.

While he was on duty.

I was 16.

Dumbass.

A cop once let me hold his gun.

While he was on duty.

I was 9.

MONDO dumbass.

He was a dumbass.

The cop who gave my mom the gun did take her to their shooting range and teach her to use it.

Oh, my parents never let us touch the guns. Didn't teach us to shoot, nothing. It was a Serious Thing to leave them alone. I'm scared to think what would have happened if we touched them.

I was 9.

Always gotta one up, dontcha?? Huh, huh?? *w*

Well, another cop let me hold her gun when I was 29, but she was off duty, and I was the dumbass, because my mother walked into the line of fire while I was sighting. There wasn't one in the chamber, and there was no reason my mother expected to come round the corner to that visual.

But I gave the gun right back.

It occurs to me I've never touched a real gun that wasn't a cop gun.

I can outshoot my husband. He started bragging about it when he got over the macho-hit.

I've held an AK47 and a sawed off shotgun. I haven't shot anything but a BB gun.

The only guns I've ever fired were an off-duty cop's. Quite probably because the only one of my guy friends who ever took me shooting is a cop.

I want my daughter/son to be the one who says "I already *know* guns are dangerous" when one of their friends shows them "something cool" they found under their parents bed.

Guns aren't common around here (though I suspect they're more common than most peeps in this blue corner will admit to), but yes, this.

That said, I *still* want the one gun in this house sold, as I'm nervous having it in the (exceedingly safe combo + lock gun safe notwithstanding) house and we never go out to the range and shoot it anymore.