[goat granny]

my dad said its ok to be tough, don;t ever be mean.....there is a difference. He was wise and told me many things. He only said it once, so you better remember well. Another one, never point a gun at anyone unless you fully intend to pull the trigger....never pull the trigger unless you fully intend to kill. He was a Detroit cop, retired in 1950...

[trebb]

You're Dad sounds a lot like mine. My Dad taught me many useful lessons even while I was rebelling as a teenager and they mostly sunk in and stuck. He had a zest for life and an insistence that being able to laugh at yourself was a crucial life-skill. He taught me gun safety early and when I was 10 he showed me how to field strip a 1911 .45. When he put it back together he told me to see how far I could get. I squatted down (he had put a newspaper on the floor to make it more like a field condition) and started pushing on the front spring when my butt and nose became uncomfortable (he kicked me in the butt and I toppled forward - the kick was enough to get my attention but not harm me). When I blustered about "what the heck", he told me I hadn't checked it to see if it was loaded. It didn't matter what I thought I saw - it wasn't empty until I verified it. Not sure if he palmed it or not, but he produced a shell for effect. Here it is, 54 years later and I have NEVER put my hands on another weapon without checking it.

I can feel the respect for your Dad in your post.