What I found here is rare.

The gun community is a generous community.  It is unlike any other I have been associated with.

Yes, good find.

Great post, well said.  That's my favorite thing about the gun community; you can't find a nicer group of guys.  They'll not only *let* you shoot their guns, but if you express an interest, they'll almost *demand* it.  Kingkeoni's AK comes to mind.  I looked it over, but I didn't want to ask to shoot it, especially since I didn't have any ammo to offer in return.  He wouldn't let it go until I ran it, not because he was trying to sell me on the gun, or stood to gain anything from it, but just because he loves his AKs and just genuinely wanted me to experience Comrade Kalashnikov's wondrous invention.  It's been my experience that guys like him are more the rule than the exception.

Solid find.  I've done a lot of things in my short life and I have a lot of interests and activities I participate in but none of them have the same camaraderie that I find here in the gun community.  I surf and the aloha there is different there than it is here.  Here people just seem more accepting of outsiders.  Like Cougar stated we share or guns often times we get just as much joy if not more watching others shoot them.  I will definately have my girl read this.

It's funny, two weeks ago when I was at the range with my son, the guy next to me was asking about my SIG.  Asking what I liked and disliked about it, all the usual stuff.  So I told him to try it out.  He politely refused because he didn't have rounds, but I had a couple boxes so I just handed him two loaded mags and he shot it.

My son was a little shocked, asking why I let a stranger shoot my gun.  I didn't have an answer for him, other than "he said he was thinking about getting the same gun so I let him try it".   Until I read this thread, I didn't even realize how many times strangers let me shoot their gun asking for nothing in return.  One time at the range during a cease fire my son asked me for money to buy a drink but I only had a $20.  Complete stranger sitting next to me didn't even offer, he just grabbed a can of coke from his cooler and asked if it was OK for my son to drink coke.  That one blew me away.