The important thing is they taught you safety! Nothing to be embarrassed about! Some people don't care to have them around and they are well within their rights. Your parents no doubt saw some ugly things; war is always ugly. So I am sure they had their reasons. My husband's father was a police officer as well, so he was taught early on to respect firearms. My mother owned a gun shop before I was born, and her and my father sold guns at gun shows where I was sitting under the table in a carrier, so guns have been in my life all my life. I am glad you learned how to use one; it is good knowledge to have, and could save your life at some point. Carrying a gun for me is necessary; I live very far out and any police response is going to be at least 30 mins, and DH works overnight. I have a responsibility to protect my 4 young children as well as myself. For me, a gun is like a parachute, I would rather spend my whole life not needing to use it, than spend my last seconds wishing I had one.
