Like many of you, I had the opportunity to spend time with my family over the Thanksgiving holiday. Due to the distance, I only see my family once or twice a year, and, working at NAA, I usually try to bring one or more of our guns with me to show them. This year, I brought a 25 NAA Guardian that I had just purchased. Everyone agreed that it was a very "cool" little gun.

     On Saturday, we went out of town to shoot. We took one of my nieces and my son with us. Both kids had been shooting before and were eager to shoot the 25 NAA. As the kids got ready to shoot, they realized that there's a big difference between shooting a .22 Mini-Revolver and semi-auto pistol.

     Too many of us have learned the hard way why you don't put your finger, thumb, or any part of your hand near the slide, esp the back of the slide. After we cycled the slide a couple of times, both kids got the idea and kept their hands & fingers away from the slide.

     The long trigger pull on the Guardian was too much for my son. After watching him try to aim and pull the trigger, we helped him shoot. My niece got it after a while, but the trigger pull and the anticipation of the recoil are both very different from a .22 and took some getting used to.

     We did the usual yelling at the kids to "stand way behind the shooter", "always assume it's loaded" and "don't point". Kids learn by repetition - but they also learn by example. We're around firearms so much that it's easy to get comfortable and careless. While shooting that day, I resolved to be more careful around firearms to avoid setting a bad example.

     While reloading, I asked about some of the places we used to shoot and was sad to learn that the area where my father taught me to shoot was no longer available to shooters. A big part of the problem was the mess people were leaving behind, especially broken glass and shredded cans. We talked with the kids about why we clean up after we're done and had them help us pick up our targets.

     All in all, it was a very enjoyable trip. We spent time with our children instilling in them a love and respect for firearms, in much the same way that our father did with us over 20 years ago. My holiday wish for you is that you'll have similar opportunities to pass on your love and respect for firearms to your children and grandchildren.