Our guns, in photos: Stories, reasons and beliefs behind our firearms

By C. Lee Brooks

I grew up in a family of military veterans, hunters and coal miners. The proper use and care of a firearm is taught to many children at an early age in this area. Going squirrel, turkey and deer hunting in the fall is considered a normal rite of passage.

Like many Americans in southwest Virginia, I continue to be an avid outdoorsman and hunter, and have firearms of several calibers, as hunting different types of game will require ... more 

By C. Lee Brooks

I grew up in a family of military veterans, hunters and coal miners. The proper use and care of a firearm is taught to many children at an early age in this area. Going squirrel, turkey and deer hunting in the fall is considered a normal rite of passage.

Like many Americans in southwest Virginia, I continue to be an avid outdoorsman and hunter, and have firearms of several calibers, as hunting different types of game will require different types of weapons. For squirrels, I prefer to use a .22, although some will use a shotgun to hunt squirrel and use a shotgun to bring down turkey and grouse. For deer, I prefer a .30-.30, although my wife prefers to use slugs in her .410.

In my family, we use our firearms for both hunting and self-defense purposes. A few years ago, two men broke out a window in my home while my wife and then-young children were there, alone. Despite my children seeing them and screaming, these two men continued to try to climb through the window into the same room with them, and only stopped when my wife ran and grabbed a shotgun from the other room and returned to aim at them. A few years later, these same men were convicted of robbing and raping an older woman in her home.

I strongly support the Second Amendment. I believe any attempt to limit Americans purchases of firearms and ammunition is unconstitutional, and I vote accordingly. less