Originally Posted By: Ricky BobbyOriginally Posted By: canislatrans54
There isn't a current friend that I have, that I would trust to use one of my guns, unless they were in my eyesight.
Mainly because I'm not entirely sure about there gun usage knowledge. (Ie: Using the proper caliber ammo in the gun, ect.)
I'd let them borrow tools, but not my guns.
I guess we're just the opposite ... I wouldn't hesitate to let any of my buddies borrow a gun. They would not be my buddies if I could not trust them.
No offense meant, Ricky Bobby...it isn't a matter of "trusting" them.
I know they would never intentionally do harm to my guns.
But they only hunt with bows, & I do not hunt with them. So I have no idea of their knowledge of guns.
Even though they are friends, they could be like one of my sons.
Due to a very nasty divorce (& other things ex-wife related), I didn't get to spend much time with my sons as they grew up.
Visitations were not easy to come by, so I never got to take them hunting, or teach them as much as I would have liked about guns & gun safety.
My 24 yr old spent a couple years in the Army (15 months of that fighting in Iraq), as well as the past 4 years in the Army Reserves.
He was taught the basics about a FEW weapons, & gun safety while in the Army.
HOWEVER, until recently, he didn't realize that each gun is designed to only use a certain caliber of ammo....ie: you can't shoot a .223 round in a gun chambered for .243; ect.
Evidently he missed that little nugget of pertinent info during training!!!
And it's not because he isn't intelligent...the boy is only TWO points (or whatever it's called) from actually being a genius. And he has very reasonable common sense, most of the time.
My point is that...unless you have seen your friends actually handle a gun several times...you really have very little idea what his knowledge level is.
For me it is about safety...NOT trust. I mean, you wouldn't want your friend to accidently load the wrong ammo, & suddenly have the gun explode in his face would you?