I'll give my 2 cents (which is probably an inflated value) to this interesting topic. Maybe a bit of a different perspective -
I am a teacher of elementary school and the mother of 2 teenage boys. I find that children are easily interested in things we show enthusiasm for on their level. I love history, and as such, I teach history to my students with the same love and appreciation that I feel. I have rarely had a student that doesn't embrace this sentiment.
Antique firearms, whether of little value or invaluable are not a separate category of our history. To hold an heirloom, relic, or artifact connects us to our past. To understand what our ancestors used them for gives us insight to ourselves. Survival, freedom, sport- this is our identity as a culture.
Children identify with the past when they can make personal connections. Unfortunately, all firearms have been grouped together in a negative light as of late.
I believe we should speak about these treasures with the reverence we hold for them in a context that commands respect- one that includes identifying who we are today tied to the history of our ancestors -how they lived, what they ate, what tools they used, how they protected their families...it all connects to these guns. Each is unique in its historical value, even if only for the story it tells.
Kerilynn
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