I ran a trap line after school. I would get off the bus at a farm up the way, and chase the creek home, cleaning and setting my traps. That necessarily means I carried a .22 pistol (for dispatch on the line) in my pack dang near every day to school. And yeah... I was about 12. Maybe even 10...
You obviously don't come from the country. Guns are just a part of living. As are knives. I have never spent a day one since I was a lad without at least one knife in my pocket... School rules be damned.
I’m what you can get about one generation removed from the country. My family is from Waco, TX, and Salida, CO. My grandfather rode his horse to school from his dad’s farm — which is still in the family. We went back annually for “Homecoming†at the family cemetery. I grew up on the TX NM MX border, about five minutes into the country. You bet my dad had protection. My sister owned a pecan farm and kept a sawed-off under her bed and a couple of big dogs for protection — she never ended up using the shotgun, but one of her dogs wounded an intruder who later returned just to killthe dog. We never traveled without a gun in the car. When my mom moved to Los Angeles I had to warn her about driving around with it. Same with knives. I had to explain to my sister why my son couldn’t carry a pocket knife to school.
I grew up around guns, but I was always too busy reading to be really interested. I am trying to educate myself, and since my family has all died off, you are the intelligent people who have the same background as my family and discuss these issues. There are a lot of Americans out there who no longer have that connection. I, for one, am trying to bridge the gap. I am here to learn.
Sorry I wasted your time.