When I was 13 years old, I had a desire to go hunting. I lived in Owensboro, Kentucky and small game hunting was very popular. Rabbits, squirrels, dove were popular to name a few. I had never hunted before but the pull was very strong. There is something about walking in the country during the fall of the seasons.
I believe man,(men) have a strong affinity to the outdoors because we (men) were created from the dust of the earth. There is an attraction there that is sometimes unexplainable. (Women were created from the rib of Adam, therefor they have a strong affinity for men.)
You can find hunting in the bible but you do not find bowling, football, baseball, Foosball, soccer,....etc. in the bible.
Men are warriors;
Psalm 18:34 " He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken in my arms."
Psalm 144:1 "Blessed be the Lord of my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight."
You say you don't believe in God? That's ok, this God you don't believe in wants you to buy a gun:
Luke 22:36
Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.
You say, "Jesus said by a sword not a gun!" Well today you would look pretty silly taking a sword to a gun fight. (Have you ever seen "Raiders of the Last Arc"?)
Jesus talks about hunting:
Prov 12:27
The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man is precious.
Jesus talks about fishing:
John 21:6
And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.
And you should be a warrior:
Judges 6:12-14
12 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.
13 And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.
14 And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?
So my father, who taught me to shoot and about guns, (tip there), borrowed a 20 ga shotgun from one of the guys at work and I went hunting with the purchasing agent of the plant in Hawsville, Kentucky. The plant was under construction. There were several hundred acres we could hunt on. It was exciting and I enjoyed it so much I desired to purchase my own shot gun.
So one day I asked my dad, "What kind of shot gun should I buy." My dad said to, "Ask Ted he know more about shotguns than I do." Ted was the purchasing agent.
So I called Ted and was informed that you could not go wrong with a model 12 Winchester.
The next time I went to town I went to several gun stores. I found one store that had several Winchester model 12's. There was a 12 ga. Wow! I thought I bet that kicks. There was a 20 ga. I wonder if that would be too small, I thought. Then I saw it, a Winchester Model 12, 16 ga, mod. choke! That was it! I picked it up off the rack and looked it over closely. The thought of owning my own shotgun excited me. I could visualize my self next fall walking the farms and fields looking for game.
$85 was listed on the tag. From what Ted had told me that was a fair price. So I carried it to the counter and asked if I could lay it away. The gentleman said ,"that would be fine." He put it in the back room with my name on it and I gave him a few dollars.
As I left the store my mind went to work on how I was going to earn money to pay for the shotgun. I only have a few months and we were moving back home to Oregon. I had no source of income at that time. I was a student at the local Jr. High School.
I ran out the door excited to go tell my parents who were shopping down the street at another store.
Wait, you ask. Didn't the store owner want your parents consent? And I ask you what for?
If a young man is in a store buying a gun his parents should already know that, or else the young man would not be there. That is what it was like when I grew up.
I had many memorable days of hunting over the years with that shot gun. I still have it and plan to hunt again, and someday, leave it to a grandson who in turn will use it and pass it on.
And you know, that gun has never killed any one. That gun has never been violent. In fact I have watched guns most of my life and have never seen one get violent. Hmmmmm? I wonder if the tern "Gun Violence" is an incorrect term.
Now, People violence I have seen, It happens every day in our country. Maybe we should make some laws against people violence. Oh! Wait! I believe there are already laws against people killing people.
Hmmmmmm?
By the way, my favorite bumper sticker is:
"Rayguns don't vaporize Zorbonians, Zorbonians vaporize Zorbonians."
