There’s been a lot of talk about guns, gun laws and the future of those both in New York and this country, especially with the NRA heavily promoting this gun outlaw Armageddon with Obama as president. I’m not really going to get into my side of this yet, but I will comment on that my family has always had guns. Typically hunting rifles, shot guns etc.
My Great Grandfather lived in San Jose, CA. I know this well because I have a pocket book from him with most of his personal information, thoughts and life. He’s marked down all the items he’s owned (vacuums, cars, guns and other electronics), prescriptions (drugs and there chemical nature, glasses), bills that need to be paid, news stories, bank account records, stock portfolio and just comments, quotes or passages from the bible.
I thought I would continue to add comments from his book to the blog for record and my own history. The first page I turned to was a record of the gun he owned: The Colt Automatic 32 Caliber Rimless, Smokeless Pistol. This hand gun has an original patented date of April 20th, 1897 and was last patented on Dec. 22, 1903. The number seems to be low, but I won’t post it here.
Pictured above, he sold the gun on November 21st, 1960 to a Jack R in San Jose, CA for $17.50. Today that same gun in mint condition is worth $550. Although no other remarks are made in his black book, I wonder of the history. I know these guns were issued to men in World War I, of which my GGF fought in. I think about where that gun has been, who might have held it, shot it and what it may be doing now (sitting in someone’s collection presumably). The gun had lived its course for him, and he kept a record of it’s release for any unfortunate event there was a need.
My Great Grandfather wrote in the beginning of this black book:
“God grant me the serenity to accept things I cannot change,
the courage to change things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference.”