I got my first gun a Mossberg bolt action 410 gauge shotgun for Christmas when I was eleven years old. I would receive my second when I was a few years older. My second gun was a double barreled 12 gauge Stevens brand. Before those I had been given as Christmas presents two BB guns. The second was a Daisy pump and the first was a lever action "Red Ryder" style. The first one was received at a very early age although I can only speculate as to my age when I received it. I was not able to cock it when I first got it. I remember having to get June to help me cock it for a while. That proved to be ill advised as one day she, after having cocked the damn thing, decided to shoot me with it. We were both just outside of the kitchen window playing at the gate to the back yard. She cocked it and then instead of turning it over to me she pointed it at me and threatened to shoot. I held my hands up as if to avoid being shot but guess what. She pulled the trigger. I was dressed in my usual attire of the time. I wore only a pair of short homemade pants which had elastic around the waist and might have sported one little pocket on the backside. The BB hit me in the center of the chest and I started to charge at June before she could cock the gun again. June is three years older than me and the two of us got into many many fights up until I started to get strong enough to get the best of her. She took great delight in pinching, kicking, slapping and biting as well as shoving and wrestling. I was stopped by Mama's screaming as she came out of the kitchen and onto the back porch. Although the BB did hurt some it did not break the skin and as I realized that Mama had been witness to the shooting I instantly took more delight in being the victim and enjoyed Mama's scolding of June as she pampered me with her attention to the "gunshot" wound in my chest. Heck you could barely see a slight red spot but I enjoyed the attention and especially the attention Mama was giving June for having shot her darling little defenseless brother. 
     The Red Ryder BB gun was the first gun that would actually fire a projectile. I was not only allowed but was encouraged to use it to drive the cows out of the open space between our house and Grandma's house next door.