The answers are many and varied to be sure. When you boil it all down, past the investment, the tradition, the sport, the symbol, the heritage and the hobby, you finally come to its base value as a tool. That tool may be used to hunt or punch holes in paper. It may be used for defense of ones self, community, or country.
There is nothing more beautiful than a well cared for but well used tool. The object made by human hands that well fulfilled its intended purpose. Be it a hammer, a saw, a plow or a rifle the objects were made to be used. For it is in there use that they are beautiful. They reflect the beauty that is our ingenuity and our desire to live better lives.
Looking at a well used hammer or saw, whether in granddad’s tool shed, the local pawn shop, or flea market, you can almost see the dog houses, sheds, decks, and houses they helped people to build.
When you see a horse drawn plow in some old fellow’s barn you can see the hours of sweat and work that went into smoothing out its handles. You can feel where the blisters and calluses would have developed on the farmers’ hands. The crops that it helped the farmer pull from the ground can also be glimpsed. Whether for his table, to sell for hard cash or possibly to barter for other goods, the crops are before your eyes. The corn, potatoes, beans and tobacco are close enough to smell. The good years with plenty of rain as well as the long dry summers can be felt in the plough’s smooth dry wooden handles and seen in its well-worn blade. Sitting in the old farmers barn the plough retains some of its glory. It almost asks you to give it one more lap around the field. “Come on, hook me up to ‘Old Stomper’ and lets’ cut some ground” it might say. “I can still help you pull food out of this earth” almost pleading.
At the auction, the plough goes to an upper middleclass couple. They will take it home; paint it red or yellow and green. Then they will set it in their front yard with a small flower garden around it. You can almost hear the plough cry. It knows its teeth have been pulled. It will never again be useful. It will never again bite into the soil. It is now it is just something else to mow around. At best, the plow has been reduced to a symbol (of what is for you to decide). This is a fate worse than death.
People have similar relationships with firearms. Often the emotional attachment to firearms goes deeper due to the immediate and dangerous nature with which the firearm is often called into play.
The history that firearms are testament to is what draws many of us. Hold a well-worn Colt single action revolver and your imagination will run away with you. Lawmen, outlaws, shop keepers, gold miners, and of course cowboys will parade through your mind. Their lives good, bad, and mediocre will all be yours to see. Every time that gun was bought, sold, lost, stolen, cleaned, fixed, or fired can be yours. From grabbing those grips in the middle of the night for defense to target practice, from the favorite gift on a sixteenth birthday to putting down a cherished horse you can see it all.
Heft an M-1 Garand and you will not be able to keep its history out of your mind. Every nick, ding, scratch and rub has a story. Did it bite someone’s thumb? Was it dropped on a beach? Did it help teach some one to shoot? Did it save someone’s life? Has it harvested a deer? Has it been passed from father to son? Regardless, each of those stories end “I have more to give”.
Do not let all of your gun’s history be locked in a safe. Take it out and shoot it. Better yet, take it out with a friend and shoot it. Tell it’s stories to your kids and let them shoot it. Take your guns out and add to their history. A carry gun with no holster wear is a piteous thing. Remember guns are tools and were intended to be used. Do not relegate them to the flower garden.
By neglecting to exercise your guns another tragedy will befall you. Your skill in the use of that gun will slip away. Gun handling and marksmanship skills are perishable. Keep your skills sharp and help hone other peoples’ skills. How many people can still rig and use a horse drawn plough?
Where many of us lose our way in this regard is our focus on the dollar value. Most of us must save for along time to buy the guns we really want. After spending a significant amount of time saving the money, we do not want to “destroy” the investment. However, with a firearm, as with any tool, we are not making a purely financial investment. Part of our investment is utilitarian.
