Remember these kind of ads?

I'm a hunter/shooter/fisherman, always have been, always will be. I strongly believe in my 2nd amendment right and will defend them with everything I have. I spent 11 years of my life behind a counter selling firearms, 9 years at a gun shop, and 2 years before that selling behind a counter at a Woolworth store at a mall. Anyone remember Woolworth's?? Yes folks, at one time there were stores in the mall that carried firearms! We had the usual variety of shotguns and rifles, but we also had military surplus. AK47's, SKS's, M1 Garands, M1 Carbines, 98 Mausers, Chinese Arisaka's, and a few more that I can't remember. (c'mon, that was 22 years ago lol) All behind the counter with simple locks, or on the sales floor with a cable lock through the trigger. We didn't sell handguns there at the time, but they did there before. Several of my dads handguns came from Woolworth's, as did a lot of his early reloading supplies. Think of things in today's view, then imagine walking into a store in a regular shopping mall. Imagine picking up a Ruger Blackhawk in .357 mag, a set of dies for it, 5 boxes of 30 carbine ammo, and a can of H110 to reload some .44's when you got home. Hard to imagine isn't it? Think about this one: I remember taking in my dads 10 guage double barrel to show the store manager who was also a hunter. The back doors to the store were locked till the place opened, so the only way in was through the main mall entrance. YEP...I walked right in the main doors carrying a gun case, through half the mall and into the store without a single odd look or a swat team showing up.
Back then, EVERYONE sold these things. Almost all the major stores at the mall sold things like this, as did other large chain stores. Sears, Kmart, Wards, Woolworth's, JC Penneys....all had a REAL sporting goods department with guns, ammo,and fishing gear. Most even had their own brand of rifles and shotguns. We would hit the local Acme-Click every Friday to go to the bank and go grocery shopping. Mom & sis would head off for those things, and dad and I would head to sporting goods. We could be there for a few hours looking around and picking up a few things. I bought my first (with my own money) hunting knife there, my first teenage size hunting vest there, hell I even bought my first compass there. What do they sell now? Nothing but groceries.

I learned to fish as soon as I could walk. I learned to shoot and hunt at about age 6. My first .22 rifle was in the crib with me and saved till I was old enough to shoot it.( I have a photo to prove that one! LOL baby Chris with a lever action Marlin 39a Golden Mountie!!!) I was cleaning fish at age 5, rabbits at about the same, and ducks at around 9. Other kids spent saturdays in front of a tv watching cartoons while I was out with dad either chasing rabbits, jumping pheasants, or sitting in a boat catching bluegill and bass. My dad was good friends with a taxidermist, so I have my first fox squirrel, first pheasant, first mallard, first wood duck, and a 7 1/2 pound bass I caught at age 14. I even still have my first rod and reel.....and it came from Montgomery Wards. Not long ago, I went into a chain store to get a few things before I picked up Lisa. It's right next door to her work, so it was convienent for what I need. I wont mention names, but it starts with a T and ends in arget, lol. I got the few things I needed, and decided to walk around. OK...this is the MOST un-manly store I have EVER been in!! The "sporting goods" section is about the size of my basement. Maybe 4 fishing rods on one small rack, less camping gear than I have in my room here, and mainly workout equiptment and bikes. The tool section of this place was smaller than my medium size rollaway box.....wow. I felt my man parts start to shrink, and got out as fast as I could, running past the fancy-schmancy coffee shop inside the main entrance. I still have the scent of "mens" body wash, scented oil deoderizers and frapalattemochchinojava on my skin. I may have to shower with bon-ami and some steel wool. Geez........I'll never go there again. I found my kryptonite.
What happened to these places? Why are people like me shoved aside and forgotten? Why are we labeled hicks or gun-nuts? Why is it we have to go to a specialty shop now to get things we used to get anywhere? Is it the liability issue? Is it the fear of feeling responsible for something? Is it the fear of lawsuits? Is it the fear of upsetting some soccer mom who came in for a cappucino machine and is offended by seeing hunting items? I wish I knew the answers, but I don't. Don't get me wrong, I love Gander Mountain, Cabela's, and all the local shops around, but why do I have to drive out of my way?

What once gave me a sense of pride now gives me a small bit of fear. I have to lock up the things I own now that were once proudly hung on the wall or in a glass-front cabinet. I fear buying anything that requires paperwork, so I don't. I fear the ammo-coding law that our nation is pushing. I fear the prices rising through the roof on everything that I love. Part of me is even nervous about writing this hear, thinking of some agency writing down a discussion of firearms and raiding my house like the gustapo. I even fear shooting at dads place where we have since dad lived in the area since he was born in '37. The last few times I shot there, the new neighbors called the police. Sure its legal there, but the hassle is rediculous. I don't want the PD checking out what I own, it's no one's business but my own. Again, city people moving where they don't belong.......but that's whole other rant and rave.
On top of all that, I have to think about the animal rights people. They're spreading across this country like a plague, and are totally clueless. I remember getting a letter at the gunshop once from a peta member, stating how she thought it was SO wrong for a gun/hunting store to be listed under "sporting goods" in the phone book. "Killing is not a sport, blah blah blah...." The silly woman left a return adress, so she recieved a free sample of deer jerky, hehehe. But seriously, I've seen people picket shooting events and dog trials. I've seen these people walking through public hunting land banging pans and blowing whistles to scare deer. I've seen these people write angry letters about thinning the deer herds in the park systems. (apparantly we're supposed to CATCH them and spay & neuter them like pets, wow) Funny how the same people have no problem poisoning hunting dogs or feeding them food laced with ground glass....apparantly bambi's life is worth far more than ole' yellers. I'll stop this one here as I could go on for hours about these people.....maybe another time.
Thanks for bearing with me folks, sometimes things really get to me and I just can't let go. I'm tired of being an outcast. I'm tired of the labels. I'm tired of the pointing and whispers from some guy in a matching shorts set and deck shoes. Maybe I'm just tired of the society as a whole.................................