TheBanyanTree: Antique Guns

[Mark Funk]

You may have a different view, which I respect, but personally I'm not really "into" guns.  But I do own a couple of them, primarily because they are "family heirlooms."
 
One is a double-barreled 12-gauge shotgun, which I don't believe was ever fired in my lifetime.  The other is an octagon-barreled 22-caliber pump rifle.  They both date back to the early 1900's.  
 
One reason I know how old they are is because I know my older uncle, who was born in 1900, used the rifle in his early teens.  In fact, the rifle has a broken stock, repaired with a band of wire.  My uncles told me that uncle Oscar broke the stock, when he was about 12 years old, by striking the butt of the rifle on a rock.
 
This was what you might call a "working rifle" on my uncles' farm.  It was used to dispose of all sorts of "varmints" that invaded the farm, killed the chickens; scared the other farm animals, or those they considered a nuisance.  Although none of us relished disposing of these critters, it was part of the job just as death was part of farm life.
 
I learned how to use a firearm and became a fair sharpshooter with that rifle and soon learned that, although small caliber, it could be very lethal.  I learned to treat it with care and respect.
 
I'm sure I could use if again, if need be, but I have no desire to do so, and I'm thankful I've never had to pick up it or any other weapon since those boyhood days. 
 
Soon, those who enjoy "sport" shooting will be entering the woods in large numbers.  And yes, I know to some it is a primal experience, renewing the ties to the traditional need to hunt to feed the family and to survive.  I also know that the annual thinning of the herd is a necessity, given the lack of natural predators, to prevent disease and damage to property.  Most hunters do so safely and responsibly, but a few will mix alcohol, horse play, and guns.
 
I hope all hunters return home safely.  I'll be waiting here in front of my fire.