Okay, this appeared in my Medium daily digest for December 8, 2018. It was originally posted on Medium nearly two and a half years ago. Was it a slow day for submissions?

On to the article itself:

I don’t have a problem with Mr. Paul’s article. In fact, I think it’s pretty darn good. Mr. Paul’s father sounds like a marvelous parent and a dad of whom most any young man could be very proud. He is also an example of a truly responsible firearm custodian.

I am a gun owner. I am a member of the NRA. But I can still appreciate another’s point of view and Mr. Paul expresses his very well.

But I think what I like most about it is that it is a very personal story about experiences that shaped his views. I might not share them but I would never try to make him change them.

I do hope his family has preserved that special Winchester, though. Not so much as a gun or for its potential value but as a tribute to his father and his father’s service to the community.