For me it was when I was around ten and one of my friends had a pellet gun and he and I would go out in the late afternoon looking for frogs to pop. Begged my dad for a gun of my own. Finally got a Crosman pump pellet rifle. Loved that thing.

Few years later got a Ruger .22 pistol. Shooting tin cans and an occasional rat at a local sand and gravel pit on a Saturday was nirvana. Sure was more fun than punching holes in paper along with people on both sides of me.

A love of history.

I got deep into WW1/WW2 military history in my early teenage years, which led to an interest in WW1/WW2-era small arms, which then led to an interest in guns in general.

My Dad was a gun nut/reloader before I was born.

He started me out shooting when I was around 8 or 9, wingshooting and reloading when I was 9.

Been doing it ever since.

1 - I was male.
2 - I liked to blow crap up.
3 - Guns accomplished #2 swimmingly.
4 - The more I blew up, the more I wanted to blow up.
5 - And here I am today still enjoying blowing crap up.

My father is a retired PA State Trooper. He got me into archery and target shooting. I fell away from it during college but my interest was rekindled by ROTC.

I joined a local gun club after buying my first rifle myself. My friends at the club increased my interest, which led to acquiring more rifles and pistols. I got my instructor certification through the club and have served as one of a team of instructors for our basic pistol and personal protection courses.

Shooting is a great hobby and a great way to spend time with friends.

Just my own experience,

Mike

History and I love mechanical “things”. I also enjoy the peace when target practicing - was shooting mainly .22 as a kid and some precision shooting with rifles for fun. The history of guns/weapons, and the innovation and impact are amazing. From a history perspective, our right to bear arms is unique and of amazing value to this country.

Had a BB gun when I was young. Then when I was 11 I joined Boy Scouts and the troop took the NRA safe hunter course. I got to shoot a .22 and a 12 guage that day. I was hooked. I had an uncle that was an avid shooter and he fed my enthusiasm. My parents let me invest in guns with my mowing money so I was off to a good start early.

Hurricane Katrina.

But it ended up being really fun. Not to mention the incalculable number of hours wasted here.

80’s action movies and video games.

Growing up in suburban or rural PA, guns are something we are around from an early age as we have a lot of deer hunters here (or used to).

I was given a .410 shotgun at age 10 and a .35 Remington Marlin lever action at age 12

Went into the Army and was surrounded by guns

Got out and wasn't really into them again until I decided to get into pistols in my late 30's.

Hunting as a child.

For me back in 1981, I picked up a browning .25acp and been in love with firearms ever since.

getting my first gun (dad's first gun given to me) at 8.

We rabbit and squirrel hunted often.

Still have the sears 20g, it's a piece of shit gun. Extractor is missing and spent shells removed with a pocket knife. Love the bastard.

Never had a BB gun. When I was around 7 or 8 my father bought himself a Crossman .22 cal pump pellet rifle. Well, he thought it was his. I only remember a very few times shooting with him when I was small. Mostly, that rifle was MINE! Laid to rest so many squirrels and birds over the years. Eventually it wore out. No idea what happened to it. For most of my adult life I really didn't mess around with guns. I did acquire a new Winchester Model 94 when I was 22 but rarely ever fired it. Then, in 2009, several of my buddies got me interested in target shooting with handguns so I bought my very first handgun, a Browning BDM 9mm.

I grew up with my dad and brothers wanting to pheasant hunt on local dairy farms. So, I had exposure to .410, 12 and 20 gauges. My dad had a fun Browning .22 that we used for plinking.

As an adult, I didn't own anything until I kept admiring my brothers' Sigs (sheriff and the other a Fed).

I started with a P229 and then a Sig 516. Now trying to finagle a P365XL in California.

My dad and local uncles were bird hunters, but I did not participate with them. When I was commissioned 2Lt in USAF out of college, I was supposed to qualify with the handgun (1911 at the time). However, I'd been assigned to locations that did not have tha ability to train me in that discipline and it was 5 years before I successfully managed to quality (with .38 revolver). My inability to meet my service requirements (qualify) caused me to purchase a couple of firearms in an attempt to get "better" at it. However, my real interest did not develop until I'd been in 12 years and was assigned to Shaw AFB, SC. One of my subordinates went shooting at a sand pit every weekend and was a reloader, and he got me into doing it with him. I've been hooked on big handguns (and muzzle flashes) ever since.

flashguy

My dad was terrorist in his youth - mind you, the word had not been invented back then. Americans would rightly call him a patriot, since he fought to free his country from almost 800 years of oppression by an occupying nation.

He had a great fondness for guns that he passed to me as soon as I could get my hands around his Colt M1911 that he had somehow retained - a .22 rifle was also in the bag, and I still have that.

We sat down on the shingle, he wrapped his hands wound mine, holding the straight-back grip of that lovely old slab-sider, and I fired off the magazine-load, scoring a perfect hit on every incoming wave on the beach.

I was six years and four months old.

I have no history of firearms ownership in my family. In my extended family, I only know of one cousin who owns any guns.

I was raised to believe that you don't need guns unless you live in a rural area and to depend on the police for protection. That all changed for me when I watched the 1992 LA Riots live on TV.

I think that was the defining moment when I told myself, "When I'm old enough and can afford it, I'm getting a gun."

Grew up in Kentucky, it's the law.....

Watching re-runs of old TV westerns.