I wasn't raised around guns, wasn't scared of them either. A crowning achievment in my memory was finding the .22 pistol my brother had hidden under his bed. It was a Jennings, and i successfully field stripped it following the manual in the box. even put it back together with no leftover parts. Fairly certain it still fired when i was done with it.
Occasionally a friend would bring up the subject of guns. Like when I was 18 a friend bought a glock 17, and was all hyped up about it. I wasn't all that thrilled, so I didn't give them much thought. Other friends talked about their guns and for some reason it just didn't occur to me I could own one.
Until I was 25 and helping some friends move. Buddy had a gun, and had been recently convicted of a felony, so he had to sell his gun. It was a piece of crap Kimel AP-9, almost identical to a tec-9. I wouldn't have cared what kind of gun it was, I would have bought it, because a) i had the money on hand, and b) i couldn't figure out why I hadn't bought a gun yet.
Cost me an exorbitant $350. So I started doing some research online, found more products by Kimel, and bought a mini-ap9 off auctionarms or gunbroker, i forget which.
Eventually I found TFL, and started my learning process. I was apprehensive at first about my gun, I asked my landlord if he minded having a gunowning tenant, and he was thrilled I had a growing interest in guns. I thought there was waiting periods to buy a gun, thought I had to register it, and was convinced that if my gun wasn't kept out of sight at all times it would get up and kill oodles of children.
Eventually I bought a few other guns, a Mauser, Steyr M9 and M40. Through my research I discovered that the Brady center was wrong, and my mind was changed completely. I started looking into the regulations for carrying concealed, and eventually took the course. My 'break-through' gun was the Steyr pistols, because with them I learned I could have buckets of fun plinking at the range.
Later still I discovered the 1911, and the Kimber TLE had captured my heart. Soon I dedicated all my efforts into the .45acp and sold off my 9mm's and .40s&w pistols.
The last gun I bought is a Remington Varminter, in .308, with the fluted barrel. While it would make a great hunting rifle, its probably going to be a range-toy.
As you can see, my tastes in guns evolved. My purposes for owning them changed as I learned. Now I have but one handgun, the Kimber. I don't own any .22's anymore, I have simplified my hobby. I might even wind up selling my yugo m48a's, after all i have a m98, thats sufficient, and holds much more nostalgia (did the soldier carrying it give it up with or without a fight?). heck, i dont even really have a use for that single shot 20 gauge. And the only reason I hang onto the 12 gauge is because I'll be using that as bear protection during the summers.
