Were You Born Into the Firearms Culture?

I don't know?
At age 4or5 we were given an old bolt action 22 and a handfull of shells and told to go kill armadillos and snakes.
Nothing much has changed since.

 

There were firearms in the house when I grew up (an old iron sight single shot .22lr Lithgow bolt action, and a .177 air rifle.) and an uncle had a scoped sporterised .303 SMLE bolt action, a .22/250 bolt action, and a .22lr. I was shown how they worked, and took on board that they were not toys to be played with. We were permitted to do some target shooting (under supervision) with the air rifle. (mind you, I did some illicit (unsupervised) shooting of feral birds (Sparrows, Starlings, Indian Mynahs), which put me in good stead for when I joined the local Australian Army Cadet Corps company that my local high school hosted. Australian Army Cadets - Wikipedia

When I joined the Australian Army Cadet Corps at the age of 14, the standard issue firearm was the .303 SMLE.(many of WW1 vintage) I qualified as a marksman at age 14 1/2 at the unit's annual range practice. I joined the Australian Citizen's Military Forces (CMF) at age 17 whilst I was still in High School. I was probably the only student at the school who could legally drink alcohol at the time. (military canteens are under Commonwealth jurisdiction and are not subject to State liquor laws)

Apart from my military training and experience, I have, over the years been an hunter, and have shown my own children how to safely use firearms. I took my family to a very large sheep station out west and allowed my 3 sons (the eldest was 14 at the time) in conjunction with the property owner's 2 children to camp out some kilometres away from the homestead. The camp site was near a water tank (dam) and the boys accounted for about a score and a half of feral goats with the .22wmr I left with them. The property owner was happy with that...it left more feed for his sheep. The boys had a utility vehicle, and a CB radio for communications back to the homestead.

Being born into a gun culture, is probably less important than being educated into the safe use of firearms, and having opportunities for furthering a use of firearms, by hunting, target shooting; or through service as a LEO or military employment.

 

I didn't get my Stevens Mdl 5A .22 until I was 6. Dad bought it off a guy for 5 bucks. I still have it.
My first purchase was out of the back of an NRA magazine....a British Enfield in .303cal. $12.95 shipped to my door, no paperwork.....ahhhh....those were the days !