Last weekend I took daughter Squinx, wife Squeeky, son Little Roo, and Wolf Dog out to my sister's rural environs for her husband's birthday. Their acreage includes an oak grove, pool, and something that looks like an old gravel pit—a perfectly safe spot to introduce Squinx to firearms.

As it happens, dove season opened that morning, and distant shotguns began cracking promptly at 6 a.m. So our little .22 rifle didn't even register as an echo.

I set up a sawhorse and propped empty soda cans on it, just as we did when I was a boy. Only, things have changed since the early 1970s. Aluminum cans, for example. A gentle wind blows them off the sawhorse. I should have brought nails. But then they wouldn't give me that satisfying jump when they're hit.

Which they wouldn't do, anyway: .22 rounds go right through them and they don't even twitch. The only reaction we got was from a full can of water. It ripped open and sprayed a good six feet sideways, which was exactly what I was hoping for.

Squinx has heard about guns from someone, and I realized I needed to show her there's nothing terrifying about them when they're properly managed. If kids don't learn that from parents, they get their info from movies, TV, and other sources that glorify or demonize firearms. You have to fill the sponge with pure water first or you may never get all the sewage out.

The demo went fairly well and we had a little talk about what bullets do, and what kids should do if they ever find a gun. We also looked at my .45 pistol, which she didn't want me to demonstrate. Probably a good thing, as the noise would have scared the bezabbers out of her.

There is no way to be photographed with a weapon, even a .22 rifle, without looking like a blistering psychotic, but I'm going to be brave and post these for whatever they're worth.

Weirdly, I didn't miss a single shot even at this range.

On the way back to the house, we came across the most terrifying spider I have ever seen.

And then Squeeky turned her masterful eye to the camera and captured the photo of the day. It's too nice for this narrow a space. Click to open.

Posted by: Michael Rittenhouse at 07:51 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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