When I was a kid growing up I remember being a bit of a loner, it wasn’t that I didn’t like being around other kids, I just felt awkward at times. I’ve never been a huge conversational type person even if the subject is one of interest to my somewhat scattered brain. I think that’s one of my many difficulties, trying to keep and hold one thought at a time while maintaining an interest on one subject even as I talk about that said subject. Anyways, I always held an interest in guns, firearms, weapons, any description you feel good with. The whole idea of the way this great country was founded and how our pioneers struggled to build their lives in the face of extreme hardship and at great risk to themselves and their families is the true measure of human struggle and victory. I, as a kid loved history and reading mostly of the years around the Civil War and later the gunfighter era, to be more descriptive the years of the cow towns and the unruly deeds and behavior of the times. I remember immersing myself in books that I had and actually still have, they are within my reach now! It was an escape from school and being the new kid for awhile. When I was about 13 my family moved about 2 hours from my birth town which doesn’t seem like anything now but then, damn! It may as well been to the moon! So being the loner I read many books about the history of this great country, the Civil War, the Cowboys and the move west as people began to leave their eastern roots and travel cross-country. Wow, those people were visionaries in the way that the people that designed and built space vehicles that took men to the moon. The one constant that continued for many years and beyond is that when these determined folks set out into a dangerous and unknown land they, in many cases were armed. Usually with a shotgun or a rifle, for hunting primarily. But also for defense for there were many dangers to possibly be faced. Can you imagine putting your wife and two or three kids in a wagon about twenty feet long drawn by two horses and traveling 2000 miles or so against weather, Indians, bandits and robbers, possible starvation and the total unknown of the destination? I think I enjoy reading about it more than I would ever attempt giving it a go but as I have said, growing up it was very interesting reading and I kind of put myself there, well, in my fantasies. So that is one of the reasons I have always had a fascination with guns. The history of our country is very rich and exciting to read about if we could take the time to do it. I did, it was before computers and mobile devices and what-not but it’s kind of a shame that folks don’t sit down and read books anymore. I’m sure there are many that do, but I’m just saying this as I type this from my iPhone. I have this really cool book that I checked out from the high school library, I never returned it(shit!) but it’s really cool, it’s all about guns that people who were lawmen owned and also bad dudes, I’ll have to write a blog soon on that and include some photos from the book. I have to say I’m learning a little more each time I do this and I want to give a shout out to a website I recently discovered. It’s Amylynnandrews.com and there is a ton of useful information there and I will continue to refer to it in the future. So as usual, take care everyone.