ok, i have been into guns forever... BB guns when i was little, long guns at 18 and handguns at 21. My parents on the other hand, not huge fans.

::background on my parents::

both attorneys, both started out as Philly public defenders, now my dads in corporate law and my mom runs a legal clinic for disabled women who are in severely abusive relationships they can not get out of. While at the PD's they saw a LOT of gun crime and had to defend the scum who were behind the guns. In my moms new line of work... well lets just say my family has had multiple death threats against them from the black panthers and other extremist groups (usually the husbands of her clients are affiliates w the groups)

Guns with my parents have always been an out of sight out of mind deal... they dont ask, i dont tell. Recently one of the black panthers called my mother at her office and said "i know where you live, i know where your kids live/ go to school, etc. etc." the next day i went to my parents house and put spare "NRA member" stickers on each door ( i thought they would take them down but they did not).

A week or so later my dad asked me "how many guns do you own?" i responded "a few" he asked me what i do with them "mostly go to the range, its become a pretty serious hobby to me" "do you have your license?" i responded "no" he asked me why, and i didnt really have an answer for him... Without another word out of me he said "i think you should get it, if for no other reason, to make going to the range easier"


WHAT!?!?!?! did that just come out of his mouth?!?!?!

i didnt ask if he was serious, but promptly had my license within the next 48 hours... when i told him he congratulated me and we had a beer. Today i get a call from him (keep in mind he RARELY calls me during the business day) and he said "i have been talking to your mother" (SHIT i think to myself, thats never good) "we want to come shooting with you soon"

WHAT?!?!?!?!! did THAT really just come out of his mouth?!?

when i asked him why he wanted to come, he told me "your mother and myself have seen that you are not only taking this sport (yes he called it a sport) seriously, you are doing it responsibly. We both may have a chip on our shoulders in regards to guns from our past work experiences, but seeing you take such a liking to it and being so passionate about it has really made us second guess this.

I know this seems like a lot of rambling, and maybe it wont make anyone but me smile. however it made me really happy to see my parents, two people originally ADAMANTLY opposed to guns, opening up to the idea that not all gun owners are criminals who shoot police officers and other gang bangers in the course of committing felonies.