Huckleberries Online

Wild Bill’s First Gun Show

March 3, 2009 5:34 p.m. • 35 comments

My father gave my first gun back in 1956, a single shot .22, and I’ve owned guns ever since. But until two weeks ago, I’d never been to a gun show. Since I’ve been writing about guns and firearms legislation of late, and gun shows often came up in the comment sections of those articles, it seemed like my professional and civic duty to see what was really going on there. So I did it. What I found surprised me, and it probably would surprise a lot of people. First off, and no surprise here, gun shows are big business. I tried to find a total number of shows or sales, but couldn’t find a figure, but rest assured, it’s huge. Every state has gun shows, and nationally, those hundreds if not thousands of shows generate many millions in sales/Bill Schneider, New West. More here.

Question: When did you get your first gun?

35 comments on this post so far. Add yours!

JeanC on March 03 at 5:58 p.m.
Hmmm, let me think…. I think probably about 1996 or so. Definitely before 2000. A Ruger Blackhawk in .357. Followed shortly by a Ruger Vacquero .357.
Dennis on March 03 at 6:08 p.m.
1968…….Marlin .22 bolt action bought at a Coast to Coast Hardware store. Price out the door???? $29.95.

Passed it on to my son a few years back. Shoots just as straight today as the day it was purchased.
Duffer on March 03 at 6:33 p.m.
My Dad gave me a 12 gauge Stevens pump shotgun when I was 12 years old to hunt pheasants and ducks throughout the Treasure Valley in Southern Idaho. As a family, we used to hunt deer in the Owyhee’s and I shot my first buck at age 12 with my Dad’s 7mm which I now have. Good times then!
Cindy_H on March 03 at 6:47 p.m.
Haven’t got one yet. Don’t much like them. But after my Pink column ran in the SR, I got a couple e-mails from folks wanting to sell me pink handguns.
I’m mulling it over.
Kage_Mann on March 03 at 7:02 p.m.
I have a saying: I’d rather hunt with dick, than ride with ted. ;-)
Sam on March 03 at 7:03 p.m.
I got my first gun, and my only gun, when I was 12 or 13 I believe. it was a .22 rifle, it was the kind where you could load 11 bullets into a tube in the gun and it would spring-feed each bullet as I fired.

I believe that gun was pawned probably within a few years. I haven’t had a gun since and haven’t had much experience with them. However, my brothers have had guns and I’ve had a chance to fire them just so I understand them. Kind of a science experiment and for the experience. I probably won’t own my own gun because I see no need. Personally for self defense I’m confident in my own self-defense abilities through the training I have. Of course, that means that if a gun is involved i’m probably dead, but whatever.
Sam on March 03 at 7:04 p.m.
Kage, you mean you plagiarized a saying, right?
Cindy_H on March 03 at 7:06 p.m.
((Sam)) See. This is why I missed you :-)
Kage_Mann on March 03 at 7:09 p.m.
Sam, I stole that one from Joe Biden. ;-)

Actually, Michael Savage is selling t-shirts with that saying on it.
Sam on March 03 at 7:22 p.m.
right back, Cindy! This place is great. I can tell that at least for awhile I’ll have catching up and addiction to do. It’s nice I can still follow my fitness stuff and check in here. I was unclear about that, but it seems I easily can do that.
cantyoureadthesigns on March 03 at 7:31 p.m.
“But after my Pink column ran in the SR, I got a couple e-mails from folks wanting to sell me pink handguns.”

This is going to make some Bryan Fischer types rather afraid:

“There are now over 45 Pink Pistols chapters nationwide, and more are starting up every day. We are dedicated to the legal, safe, and responsible use of firearms for self-defense of the sexual-minority community. We no longer believe it is the right of those who hate and fear gay, lesbian, bi, trans, or polyamorous persons to use us as targets for their rage. Self-defense is our RIGHT.”

http://www.pinkpistols.org/index2.html
Cindy_H on March 03 at 7:46 p.m.
Oh my! Who knew pink handguns could be controverisal? I just think they’re pretty.
Stickman on March 03 at 7:48 p.m.
I experienced my first gun in action in 1968, and I used it to its maximum. One was a Quad 50, you don’t want to know what that thing can do. The other was a twin 40mm, again, such power was that for a 19 year old. Now, I am against any and all guns, period. If you want to argue, take it somewhere else, I have had my fill of guns. If you want them, go for it. Fill your house with them, as one never knows.
Stickman on March 03 at 7:54 p.m.
Sam; Thanks for coming back, though I may have overdone my affection for one such as you. It must be your mom.
PDXPup on March 03 at 11:23 p.m.
That guy on the big red tractor a few posts down (St. Joe Gothic) made me a gun when I was younger. It was his job and we’d always catch hell when playing in his shop in the basement of his house. The guns were locked up, of course, but all the mechanisms that go into making them were there for us to play with. I think he made all of his grandkids guns; at least he made the grandsons guns, I know that for sure. I’m not sure how many of my girl cousins have guns made by him, but I have a pump action pellet gun, I think, that is in the garage of my parents’ house under 8 feet of something or other in a storage locker. No idea what kind it is. I learned to shoot well enough on the St. Joe at dog food cans from 30 yards when I was 10 that when some friends wanted to go to the local gun range a few years ago, I grudgingly obliged and was a better shot with a handgun than they were…even after not shooting in over 15 years.
Sam on March 04 at 6:15 a.m.
One such as me? That sounds ominous, Stickman.
Stickman on March 04 at 7:28 a.m.
Sam: I am definitely not the writer Bob is, and sometimes I use words that may or not fit the sentence. It’s good to see you writing again and visiting the blog regularly.
Cabbage Boy on March 04 at 8:13 a.m.
Stickman, I don’t see that anyone could reasonably argue with you about the use of guns considering how you came by your opinion. Those who are excited to go to war probably haven’t been there, or have been there too long.

Many a young boy has gone to war and came back a changed man.

I hold the 2nd amendment to be the one that keep all the rest safe. But I thank you for your service and respect your reasons to not like guns.

« Back to Huckleberries Online

You must be logged in to post comments.
Please create a profile or log in here.

About this blog

D.F. Oliveria is a columnist and blogger for The Spokesman-Review. Huckleberries Online was judged the best 2008 Idaho newspaper blog by the Idaho Press Club. And the best 2007 news blog in the Pacific Northwest by the Society for Professional Journalist. Print Huckleberries is a past winner of the Herb Caen Memorial Column contest by the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. The Readership Institute of Northwestern University cited this blog as a good example of online community journalism.