Yesterday was our Pack's "Arrow of Light" ceremony. In a nutshell, this is the "graduation" ceremony for the WeBeLos II where they finish their tenure as Cub Scouts and, should they choose, cross over into Boy Scouts.
Part of the ceremony includes the boys all shooting an arrow at a standard archery target, a literal embodiment of the Arrow that is the Cub Scout aiming for the figurative target of Boy Scouts. During this part of the ceremony, I overheard one of the dads using terms like "dry fire" and joke about wanting to "crank off a few rounds when the scouts are done". Being, as we are, in Mass-a-fucking-chusetts (with tip 'o' the keyboard to Kim for the phrase), hearing gunny-like talk is out-of-the-ordinary enough that I wanted to follow-up with the dad. It's much like being a Christian in ancient Rome, although I didn't draw a bullet in the sand...
Talking to him when the crowd thinned out after the ceremony, it turns out that he's not a shooter - his only exposure to firearms was the single-shot .22 he fired as a Boy Scout many years ago. Sensing a chance to bring someone back to the fold, I offered to bring him to the range. He looks at me, all serious, and asks,
Do you own any guns?
Squelching the urge to cackle maniacally like Snidely Whiplash (thanks DT!), I calmly asserted that I might be able to find a gun or two to bring...
One new shooter at a time.
That is all.
15 comments:
Do you own any guns ?
I nearly fell out of my chair while laughing hysterically when I read that comment.
Good thing you have lots of control. . . and I am assuming the kid is not in earshot.
If that happened to me near me my older daughter would probably have gone off about her last trip to the range and shooting the WASA (or AK as we call it). . . she loves to shoot. . .
You know you are in MA when getting someone to go to the range sounds like you are a dealer. . . start them on the .22 to get them hooked, then move up to the fun stuff. . .
PSST, hey, got any .22 on ya? want to shoot some?
; )
was he scared sounding?
he may talk the lingo jay, but you've got to play it like you're "in the closet" as it were... your analogy of christians back in the day and secret symbols is apt.
you never, ever know how other parents will react to you being a self proclaimed gun nut. i have no problem with it, and think you're a stand up guy...
but there are moonbats that walk amongst us. so be most careful with whom you share your hobby.
and... dude. you shoulda told everyone how awesome you were in your story telling.
i'm glad geoff had just a smidge of time with you on board as his assistant scoutmaster. wish you were up with the big boys.
:-)
As my mother would say, "JayG has more guns than Carter has liver pills."
I, still to this day, have no idea what that means.
*snort* Yeah, a gun or two. Nice one, Jay! Now... reel him in, gently, gently...
Breda, there used to be (or may still be, for all I know!) an OTC medication called Carter's Little Liver Pills. No, I have no idea what they were taken for.
YOU HAVE GUNS?!!! AND THEY LET YOU RUN THE PACK'S PINEWOOD DERBY?!!! AND THE STATE LET'S YOU KEEP YOU OWN CHILDREN AT YOUR HOME?!!!!!!
The horror...
brad,
Yeah, I had to hold back wet, horse-like snorts of laughter...
jd,
The boy was not present for the ceremony. One of the other Tigers had a birthday party at Laser Craze. Apparently running around shooting other 7 year old boys with laser guns trumps listening to dad give boring speeches.
Go figure. :)
amusings_bnl,
I'm pretty sure this dad was okay with it. :)
And thanks for the compliment - I noticed a couple of the boys looking bored during the story, so I was afraid I was putting them to sleep...
With any kind of luck, I'll be moving up to the "big boys" in a few years. But I can wait, for now... :)
Breda,
Yeah, I might have a couple.
Gross, that is... ;)
ross,
That's exactly the plan. I'll bring him to Bob's, bring along a .22 & .38 for starters, and get 'im hooked. I figure he'll be on NES by the end of the year... ;)
Bolt,
My kids aren't homeschooled. Yet.
So for now they'll let me keep 'em. 'Course... they have their moments... Sometimes I doubt even the state would take them... :0
"As my mother would say, 'JayG has more guns than Carter has liver pills.'"
I'd never heard that until this weekend... now I've heard it twice in a few days.
It was explained to me that "Carter's Liver Pills" was a medicine of some sort. That's all I could get out of the guys that said it.
GOOD on you lad- get 'em into the fold.
And BTW- it's "Snidely" Whiplash...
more .... than Carter has liver pills.
You guys must all be youngins.
Don't you remember Jimmy's brother Billy?
Billy Beer?
He was a bit of a drinker you see...
The slogan was
"It's the best beer I've ever tasted, and I've tasted A LOT!"
http://www.the-forum.com/advert/billy.htm
So the liver pills were because of the drinking.....
Jay, you need to post a photo of all your guns together. That is if they all fit in the frame.
I'd need to climb on the roof...
One of the best parts of summer camp, the rifle range. Still have the NRA patch I earned somewhere...
Where did the time go?
Might even have my own little Cub Scout next year. Don't they start in first grade?
"Might even have my own little Cub Scout next year. Don't they start in first grade?"
You got it. First grade is the cutoff for Tiger Cubs. Then off to Wolves, then Bears, then WeBeLoS 1 & 2. Then Boy Scouts.
It's a trip. Encourage your son to join - he (and you) will love every minute of it...
One at a time.
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