A Leave it to Beaver they'd NEVER make today

[Darrell]

So I'm feeling a little under the weather and decided to watch an old rerun of Leave it to Beaver, a show I enjoyed as a kid. In this episode, Beaver is invited to a party and finds himself the only boy among half a dozen girls, and he's miserable. He sneaks out of the living room and finds himself in the hostess's father's den, where the father is waiting, expecting Beaver to have made an escape. So here's the great part. The father has a collection of firearms, a Sharps rifle, an old six-shooter, and a gun rig that may have been worn by Billy the Kid. The father lets Beaver admire and handle the firearms and try on the gun rig.

Can you imagine? A TV show that shows a 7-year old boy handling ---- GASP---- guns?   A man letting a child handle those guns without the child's parent's permission?  Several firearms in a den inside a glass-door gun cabinet with kids in the house?  Now, I actually would never invite a child to handle a firearm without his parents' permission, but the point is how normal those things were in the late 1950's. Boys were expected to be fascinated with guns, adults were trusted to show a firearm to a kid, and people weren't going to freak out that there might be a gun in the house.  What a huge societal change since I was watching that show.

Edited February 16, 2022 by Darrell

[BJB]

Those “Good Ole Days” are gone 

shucks. Some of the boys today are “identifying” as girls. 

[Omega]

4 hours ago, Darrell said:

So I'm feeling a little under the weather and decided to watch an old rerun of Leave it to Beaver, a show I enjoyed as a kid. In this episode, Beaver is invited to a party and finds himself the only boy among half a dozen girls, and he's miserable. He sneaks out of the living room and finds himself in the hostess's father's den, where the father is waiting, expecting Beaver to have made an escape. So here's the great part. The father has a collection of firearms, a Sharps rifle, an old six-shooter, and a gun rig that may have been worn by Billy the Kid. The father lets Beaver admire and handle the firearms and try on the gun rig.

Can you imagine? A TV show that shows a 7-year old boy handling ---- GASP---- guns?   A man letting a child handle those guns without the child's parent's permission?  Several firearms in a den inside a glass-door gun cabinet with kids in the house?  Now, I actually would never invite a child to handle a firearm without his parents' permission, but the point is how normal those things were in the late 1950's. Boys were expected to be fascinated with guns, adults were trusted to show a firearm to a kid, and people weren't going to freak out that there might be a gun in the house.  What a huge societal change since I was watching that show.

Back in the late 80s, my kids were getting old enough to understand so decided on planning a range day.  Ended up with a mess of kids, and parents, and we all had a great time.  I started with a safety brief, and showed them what each weapon could do to a milk jug full of Kool-Aid, cherry, to impress upon them the gravity of the safety lesson.  Then rotated them through various different firearms, mostly .22, but had a 12g, 30-30 and a .270 for the older ones.  I still do that, and my youngest is over 30, but when friends want to introduce their kids to guns we head out to my land and shoot.  So far, I never had any friends or acquaintances that have been anti-gun, some didn't care for them, but didn't care if you did, and after getting to shoot, they were at least less apprehensive about them. 

 

 

[The Legion]

When I was in High School those who had pick up trucks had their rifles or shotguns in the gun rack on the back window of the truck.  Nobody cared or bothered them.  After school we went hunting.

[bobsguns]

41 minutes ago, The Legion said:

When I was in High School those who had pick up trucks had their rifles or shotguns in the gun rack on the back window of the truck.  Nobody cared or bothered them.  After school we went hunting.

As the saying goes, these days you would be put UNDER the jail for that. Sad.

[E4 No More]

Am I the only one here that never liked, "Leave it to Beaver"? I thought he was too much of a coño even as a kid.

[bobsguns]

26 minutes ago, E4 No More said:

Am I the only one here that never liked, "Leave it to Beaver"? I thought he was too much of a coño even as a kid.

I watched it for the Eddie Haskell episodes..........................   

[No_0ne]

And to put things in perspective, Jerry Mathers ("the Beaver") is 73 years old now ...

[bobsguns]

1 hour ago, No_0ne said:

And to put things in perspective, Jerry Mathers ("the Beaver") is 73 years old now ...

Tony Dow (Wally) & the guy who played Larry are still living. Everyone else is deceased. 

Barbara Billingsley HAD to have had THE best role post-Beaver with her role in Airplane, IMO. 

[Grayfox54]

During my time as a Boy Scout leader in the 90s, our troop did two special camping trips each year. One to earn the shotgun merit badge and one for rifle. It was always our policy that parents were always welcome to come along on any camping trip. On these two trips we often had just as many parents as boys. 

I'm not sure if anybody even still teaches these merit badges today.  

[bobsguns]

1 hour ago, Grayfox54 said:

I'm not sure if anybody even still teaches these merit badges today.  

Are you kidding? The soccer moms would taking up pitchforks & torches were they to do so, IMO. 

[Jeb48]

1 hour ago, Grayfox54 said:

I'm not sure if anybody even still teaches these merit badges today.  

A friend, at least up till the world shut down, spent 6 weeks every Summer at the local Boy Scout camp teaching rifle and shotgun to scouts for their merit badge. Not sure if they will open up this year or not.

[WindHawk]

Tennessee 4-H also has an extensive youth shooting sports effort.  Depending on each county's interests we offer programs in rifle (BB, air rifle, and rimfire), shotgun (skeet, trap and sporting clays), archery and hunting/outdoor skills.  It's one of, if not the largest, 4-H activities in Tennessee.  Participation is about equal to all the livestock programs combined.  All disciplines offer the opportunity to compete at the state and national levels for those that qualify.

The UT website is:  Shooting Sports | Tennessee 4-H Youth Development

4-H also offers a "Target Smart" camp.  As of now, it's scheduled to happen this summer: 

"4-H Target Smart Camp is a program of Tennessee 4-H Shooting Sports. It is for youth who are enrolled in grades five through nine as of the date of the camp. This resident camp is located at Clyde Austin 4-H Center in Greeneville, Tennessee. At camp youth learn appropriate skills to succeed in a variety of shooting sports and related areas such as archery, riflery, shotgun use, muzzleloading, and outdoor skills. Programs emphasize safety, correct form, and responsible use. Campers should receive prior training before attending this camp. 

Dates – July 11-15, 2022
Location – Clyde Austin 4-H Center, Greeneville
Cost – TBD"

 

 

[No_0ne]

23 hours ago, WindHawk said:

Tennessee 4-H also has an extensive youth shooting sports effort. 

Cool, I didn't know they were still doing that.  In the 70's, I worked a few times as a camp counselor at the old Milan 4-H camp while I was still in high school.  My favorite assignment back then was as the "range counselor", basically the safety officer in charge of either the shotgun or the rifle ranges we had there.

[JustEd]

In todays fantasy, he would have snuck out to the surgeon out of guilt,  Snip, Snip Brenda now

[No_0ne]

1 hour ago, JustEd said:

In todays fantasy, he would have snuck out to the surgeon out of guilt,  Snip, Snip Brenda now

 

 

 

 

Edited February 18, 2022 by No_0ne

[Capbyrd]

On 2/16/2022 at 7:33 PM, Grayfox54 said:

During my time as a Boy Scout leader in the 90s, our troop did two special camping trips each year. One to earn the shotgun merit badge and one for rifle. It was always our policy that parents were always welcome to come along on any camping trip. On these two trips we often had just as many parents as boys. 

I'm not sure if anybody even still teaches these merit badges today.  

Both rifle and shotgun are still open at summer camp as far as I know. 

And I've been thinking about registering as a MB Counselor to teach them.

[Grayfox54]

Good for you Capbyrd. The Scouts always need good MB counselors.

The fact is that for most Boy Scouts, the only chance they ever get to go for Rifle or shotgun is at Summer Camp. 

I often did the classroom teaching. I don't know if the requirements have changed, but for the actual range shooting, the rifle or Shotgun merit badge counselor had to be an NRA Certified Instructor. Fortunately, for my troop,  we knew one who was happy to help.  That's why we could teach those merit badges on our own. 

[Capbyrd]

19 hours ago, Grayfox54 said:

Good for you Capbyrd. The Scouts always need good MB counselors.

The fact is that for most Boy Scouts, the only chance they ever get to go for Rifle or shotgun is at Summer Camp. 

I often did the classroom teaching. I don't know if the requirements have changed, but for the actual range shooting, the rifle or Shotgun merit badge counselor had to be an NRA Certified Instructor. Fortunately, for my troop,  we knew one who was happy to help.  That's why we could teach those merit badges on our own. 

Im NRA pistol and will get rifle sometime soon.  I worked at our summer camp for several summers.  I loved those days.  

[JT59]

I was a scout leader for about 15 years. Our troop was very active in many outdoor sports including shooting. I was NRA certified for rifle, pistol and shotgun. We had several adults with different certifications so that we could stage troop level shooting weekends. I have been out for a few years, but I saw the newer boys and parents becoming less active in outdoor sports even before the covid. Scouts would be sort of lame if you are not going to shoot, ski, canoe or backpack in the wilderness.

[Luckyforward]

On 2/16/2022 at 3:43 PM, The Legion said:

When I was in High School those who had pick up trucks had their rifles or shotguns in the gun rack on the back window of the truck.  Nobody cared or bothered them.  After school we went hunting.

In the early '70s I would show up for class at Chattanooga High School with my Ruger .44 mag carbine in the gun rack after having hunted before school and ready to go back to the deer stand after school.

[Darrell]

2 minutes ago, Luckyforward said:

In the early '70s I would show up for class at Chattanooga High School with my Ruger .44 mag carbine in the gun rack

I had a similar experience in that one of my coaches would pick me up before school for a little duck hunting, we'd drop the ducks and his shotgun at his house on the way home, but my gun was behind the seat of his pickup and I carried it home after school.