Guns 2011-11.pdf - Jeffersonian

• MIKE “DUKE” VENTURINO • PHOTOS: YVONNE VENTURINO •However, in the last few years I’vecome to realize I do possess power. Ihave power mostly over teenage boysbut also to a lesser degree over somegirls. I have the power to get themto fetch things for me, to help mecarry stuff, even walk my dog. Mostimportantly I have the power to getthem to listen to what I have to say.What I have is machine gun power.That’s not power from fear of fullautosbut the power that arises fromyoung people’s desire to shoot mymachine guns. Promise a teenage boywho usually is focused on doing as hepleases, that by lending a hand he willbe able to shoot your machine gun,and you will have his full attention.This I learned early on after takingpossession of my first couple ofPower!A good kind.ntire volumes have been written about men’s desire forEpower over other men. Usually the result of someonegaining such power is negative. There is that old saying,“Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” I hope a quest forpower has never been part of my personality. I’ve usuallybeen quite happy just to go my own way, or perhaps bettersaid, to live and let live.World War II vintage submachineguns. Some friends have their ownprivate range where occasionally theyput on invitational BPCR Silhouettematches. It’s a weekend event withcamping at the range and a picnicatmosphere with kids, dogs, bikes, andATVs. The first time I took along mysub-guns the idea was to let some ofthe competitors have a try with themafter the match. However, when Iturned loose the first burst from one,parents from all over the range arealater told me that their kids stoppedin their tracks and collectively said,“What was that?” Then they droppedwhat they were doing and hot-footedtowards the firing line.As things worked out, very fewof the competitors got to fire myThis 10-year-old fellow, Sean Depaso,was not at all intimidated whenshooting this German MG42 with its1,200 rounds per minute rate of fire.Thompson or German MP40 thatweekend. The kids crowded them out!Almost all of them had their photostaken while shooting so they couldhave bragging rights with other kids.And every single one of them had ahuge grin on their face after their turn.Right here I want to stress thatI have let none of the young peopleshoot the guns without their parents’consent. Also I’ve insisted they weareye and ear protection. FurthermoreI hover in easy reach and prefer tohave another adult to their right andslightly back just in case. So far, notonce, never, has one of the kids donea single dangerous thing. All seem tohave intuitive respect for what is intheir hands.Come A Runnin’At the next invitational BPCRSilhouette shoot I showed up theevening before. Most of the kidswere off on ATVs in the foothills. SoI proceeded to let loose a burst fromwhatever full-auto I had brought.Later I was told that upon hearingthat sound one of the kids jumped onhis 4-wheeler and shouted, “Mike’shere! Let’s go.”In 2010 there was a cancer benefitin the form of a turkey shoot herein the Yellowstone River Valley. Idonated ammunition and let peopleshoot four of my sub-guns with alltheir fees going to the benefit. At theend of the day there was an auctionat some distance from the firing lineso most attendees drifted that way. Ibegan to pack up.However, two 14-year-old boyshung with me just asking questionsabout the guns. One of the boys wasson to one of the cancer patients soI knew his life was tough during thistime. I said, “You boys want to shootsome?” They looked sheepish andreplied, “We don’t have any money.”I said, “I didn’t ask you if you hadmoney. I asked you if you wanted toshoot some.” We plinked for another45 minutes with all four sub-guns. Iwill always remember their fun doingit. I hope they do too. That’s not all.Later I got a card from one of the boy’smother—the one battling cancer. She24WWW.GUNSMAGAZINE.COM • NOVEMBER 2011