Ryan outfits 10 yr old daughter with deer-hunting gear (gave her rifle as gift at age 9)

[sweetapogee]

273. ok

My oldest sister was a member of a 4 member small bore rifle team that won our states indoor 50 foot Jr. championship in the early 1970s. Two of the other team members were in her high school class, the fourth went to another HS. Both of those high schools yearbooks had photographs of that 4 member team, shown with all of the gear.

The very next year, my brother and I and two others, both from different High Schools (entering as Freshman), won our state indoor sub-Jr. 50 foot team championship. Two of the three schools had yearbook photos of us with our gear. That same year I was selected "News carrier of the Month" I had a paper route, and the picture of me in the Asbury Park Press had me with my Anschutz Match 64 and misc. tackle and a rather large grin on my face. Yes, this was in New Jersey even back then one difficult state to be a gun owner in.

I have in my collection a Marlin (Sears Ranger) bolt action rimfire that my Dad bought from Sears through the mail when he was 11 years old, this was in the late 1930s. Mailman delivered it right to the house. My Dad used that gun to teach literally 100s of kids firearms safety and through his efforts running the Jr rifle club there were 6 students that received full college scholarships and 1 a West Point assignment. That gun, I have it on the wall in my house has the rifling worn off completely. I don't think it is too far fetched to say it would take a half a million rounds to shoot the rifling out of a rifle barrel.

When a kid in our town or surrounding town wanted to learn how to shoot a gun, the parents usually somehow dug up my dad's name, either from the Police Chief or the local sporting goods stores or a newspaper article and next thing they knew they were on the firing line. This was what we did growing up. Firday nights, off to the range with a car load, usually several cars full of kids off for a night of shooting. Never did we view this as unusual and my kids, both in college today have years of firearms experience.

To my knowledge, not one kid that handled that Marlin over the years has been involved in any firearms related crime.