[DutchmenSport]

Talking about guns? My dad had a couple shot guns, I fired one of them, only once. So, basically, I was not trained or schooled or coached on guns at all, other than, ... keep away from them (so I did).

When I was about 14, my dad's friend let us use his cottage in Southern Indiana. Actually, this "cottage" was a 2 story house in the forests of Brown County, absolutely beautiful, completely decked out. My dad left my mother and me there and he had to return back to work. We were there alone for about 5 days.

Well, the owner had quite the gun collection, including several riffles and shotguns, and nothing in locked cabinets (especially back then).

Well, I was fascinated by these guns and talked my mother. I found a BB gun and she said I'd be OK playing with that one. So I did.

So, how do you load the BB's???? I ended up dropping one in the part that loads (you know, that lever thing). And I could not get the BB out. I ended up cocking the gun and the lever was open. Stupid me, I was trying to get the BB out looking real close inside there when the trigger snapped... and so did that cock thing, right across my nose!

Well, that was the end of that. The BB fell out, I put the gun away, and my nose swelled up about 3 times it's normal size. I had 2 black eyes, and my mother decided to tell my dad when we saw him the next time, that I slammed into end of a door at night, in the dark, going to the bathroom. Actually, my dad bought that story.

I never picked up another gun until I went into the Army, and I've had sinus problems every since I was 14 years old. I'm am 100% positive that blow across the bridge of my nose, broke my nose. Breathing has never been the same.