You Know You Are Old When

[MossRoad]

Yup! When I was in the 8th grade, we had this. Still have a small box that contains all the NRA achievement pins.

Ahh. those were good days...

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I was on a YMCA rifle team in the 70's. It was a 17 and under league. I brought my .22 in to high school for a presentation for a public speaking assignment. I just had to leave it at the office with the bolt removed until class time, and return it after the presentation. Every Monday that rifle was in my trunk in the school parking lot waiting for after school practice.

 

[MossRoad]

In Indiana, it's been state law since 2010 to check ID for every person regardless of appearance for liquor sales. If one suffers, we all suffer.

Really, your wallet is open anyway to pay, so just hand them the ID.

More recently, our local grocery chain has started scanning your driver's license for all liquor sales. They scan it and it immediately tells them your age. That eliminates, or at least cuts way back, the possibility of the cashier letting underage people through, as well as the possibility of them reading your age incorrectly.

 

[masseyrider]

I was on a YMCA rifle team in the 70's. It was a 17 and under league. I brought my .22 in to high school for a presentation for a public speaking assignment. I just had to leave it at the office with the bolt removed until class time, and return it after the presentation. Every Monday that rifle was in my trunk in the school parking lot waiting for after school practice.

We're close in age.
I brought a .177 pellet gun to school for someone who wanted to buy it.
I don't know who saw the transaction at my car but they reported it to the office.
Coming out of my next class I was grabbed by 2 officers, thrown face down and handcuffed. Two officers to the side with weapons drawn.
I was suspended for the rest of the week and threatened with expulsion.
Same with the guy who bought it.
Didn't even have any pellets for it.

 

[MossRoad]

We're close in age.
I brought a .177 pellet gun to school for someone who wanted to buy it.
I don't know who saw the transaction at my car but they reported it to the office.
Coming out of my next class I was grabbed by 2 officers, thrown face down and handcuffed. Two officers to the side with weapons drawn.
I was suspended for the rest of the week and threatened with expulsion.
Same with the guy who bought it.
Didn't even have any pellets for it.

Yikes!

When I was 14 I learned to shoot at a Boy Scout camp. Apparently I was a natural, as the instructor at the camp asked to speak to my father when he came to pick me up at the end of the week. They talked for a while and it was suggest I come back the following weekend to shoot some targets to finish up some awards, and he put us in touch with the rifle instructor at the Y. They also set me up with a gunsmith, and they determined that due to my small stature (I was 4'9") I'd be better off with a smaller rifle instead of an adult target rifle.

So we went to a local sporting goods store and picked up a Remington 580. The clerk asked if I wanted him to wrap it or would I prefer to carry it out.

So there I am walking down the street in downtown South Bend, IN in 1975 carrying a rifle walking around the block to our car. People looked and said "That boy got himself a new rifle!"

Today, try that, and people would say "That boy has a rifle!!!"

Yikes!

Anyhow, the gunsmith installed some peep sights that cost more than the rifle, did some trigger work, and helped my father mount a sling.

I had great fun with that rifle. Shot almost weekly for 4 years. They kicked me off the team when I turned 18. Our team regularly placed very high in NRA mail in tournaments, and I was ranked 38th in the country for under 18.

I still have the rifle and try to get out and run a box through it every year or two for old times sake.

 

[MoKelly]

In Indiana, it's been state law since 2010 to check ID for every person regardless of appearance for liquor sales. If one suffers, we all suffer.

Really, your wallet is open anyway to pay, so just hand them the ID.

Ha! You know you are old when you carry a wallet.

A significant number of younger folks at the club now pay using Apple Pay with their phone or watch. It’s not unusual for them to have to go back to their locker to get their IDs.

So, it can be a pain and I need to be reasonable in my requests.

Those that actually carry their wallet to the register rarely need to be carded.

 

[jjeff]

You appreciate and wear a wrist watch, of any quality i wear one 24/7 I'm completely disorganized and lost without one. Was asked rather recently by someone not much younger than me why I don't just look at my phone.

 

[orezok]

When I was 13 or 14, I would go up the local grocery store and a buy a box of .22 ammo. Go home, pick up the single shot rifle, walk up the street to the woods and go target practicing. Nobody cared.

 

[orezok]

Our Boy Scout leader was a National Guardsman. In the basement of the armory they had a rifle range. I got good enough that at 100’ I could usually put 9 of 10 in the 1” bull with iron sights. Always got 1 flyer never hit 10.

 

[ning]

My wife has a phone cover which has a few slots on it, she carries her ID, credit card, insurance card on the phone.
She still carries a purse...

 

[MossRoad]

When I was 13 or 14, I would go up the local grocery store and a buy a box of .22 ammo. Go home, pick up the single shot rifle, walk up the street to the woods and go target practicing. Nobody cared.

Yep. Ben Franklin stores sold 50 for .99

And pick up a pack of smokes for the lady across the street while you're there.