I was chatting with a mate over the weekend, an older chap, who told me he's selling his firearms.
It didn't surprise me considering his age and the requirements around ownership in respect of handguns; I could see he was a little unhappy about it but he's like me, decisive, and once committed to a course of action he stays the course, even though that course may not be a happy one to follow.
The guy was a Major in the Australian army at the end of his military career which spanned over thirty five years and he's gone back as a contractor/advisor on a couple of occasions. He's been deployed multiple times and is a legit leader...but everyone gets old and now in his late seventies he's decided it's time to stop pulling triggers after many years of doing so as a hobby and job - not that Majors in the army generally squeeze triggers, but he used to.
He wants me to buy a couple of his handguns and it's likely I will - He said, "I want them to go to a good home," and he seemed happy when I indicated I'd pick them up but I could see he'd miss them.
Here, one can own rifles and shotguns (with the right licensing) and there's no need to be involved in a club or range.
With handguns though one needs to shoot a minimum number of times annually at a licensed and registered range to maintain one's handgun license which is a category over and above rifle and shotgun licensing. This fellow is having difficulty maintaining the number of shoots required for the calibres, he has (age is an insidious beast) and without those sign-off's he legally cannot maintain the licensing and that means the guns have to go.
For a lot of his life firearms have played a pivotal role as a tool of the trade and hobby as well, the same for me, and I know that relinquishing his handgun license is a big deal and difficult to do; older folks have the same feelings when it comes to relinquishing their driving license as well, understandably. I'll be the same at some stage too - I have a lot of firearms and have to maintain a lot of 'qualification shoot' to maintain the licensing, at some stage I'll not be able to maintain the shooting tempo. I'm sad for the guy as it'll leave a big gap in his life and one that will be difficult to fill.
Have you ever had to let a loved hobby go because you cannot maintain it for some reason or other?
What was it and why? How did it make you feel and how did you deal with the gap it left in your life? Conversely, how do you think you'd feel if you had to let go of something you still currently do and enjoy? Do you think you'd try and fill the void with something else?
Feel free to comment if you'd like.
Design and create your ideal life, tomorrow isn't promised - galenkp
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Image(s) in this post are my own
