Why do I oppose anti-rights advocates at every available opportunity? If they had their way, moments like this could never happen:
Just got back from the range. Took my Garand out for her maiden shoot. Damn, I am in love with that rifle. But that is not what this thread is about.
I noticed an old timer standing behind me watching me shoot. During one of the breaks in firing, he struck up a conversation about the old M1. Told me about the his time in Korea and how much he liked the M1. Believed that without the old Garand, we would have lost a lot more boys over there.
I offered to let him shoot my rifle. He seemed hesitant, but I think the thought of reacquainting with an old friend finally got the best of him. He said he’d take a couple shots. I handed him a full bandoleer and told him to shoot as much as he wanted.
The look in his eye after that first shot went off was worth more than the cost of ammo could ever be. It was like he had just lost 60 years and was a youngster again. He ended up shooting of all six clips.
When he finished, he handed me back my rifle with a tear in his eye. Told me that shooting the old M1 brought back a lot of memories, some good and some bad, but everyone of them worth holding on to.
Letting that old timer have that experience made my day.
Thanks to the private ownership and use of not only military-style firearms, but firearms that literally once served in the military, an elderly combat veteran had the chance to vivify some of his memories, some of his friends, some of the experiences he went through in the course of his life. No one was injured by this rememberance. No one was threatened. No one was endangered. There was no chance of any of that even happening. And yet anti-rights advocates would just as soon it had never transpired.
This is but one example of one very small reason to oppose those who would strip us of our rights, but for that veteran, for those few minutes, it was everything, and I will not be one to stand idly by as that gets taken away from him and his bretheren.
(Courtesy of Say Uncle.)
recent comments