by
Every now and again you run across a story that challenges your assumptions. I ran into such a story yesterday and it has nothing to do with firearms.
The article in the Wall Street Journal was written by the actor, comedian, and writer Shelley Berman. he talked about his life in his house in California and how he raises Better Boy tomatoes among other things. The really interesting part is where he talks about what he collects.
Come and visit our pretty home. As you enter our home you should be taken by the too-many glass-topped side tables standing throughout the living room. You will see that each table is filled with knives of every sort, each one individually set for viewing. How many? Too many to count. I’ve been a collector of knives for many years. I, like most of us real knife collectors, do not collect antiques.
I collect custom knives. In many cases, I know—or knew—the maker. Many of my knives are one of a kind. Some of the great knife makers are no longer with us. Some of the younger knife makers are fine at the trade, though many of us old-time collectors still respect and revere the ones we’ve known.
Who would have thought it?
Mr. Berman also gives an interesting history on the origin of Damascus steel. His article by the way coincided with the opening of the 2013 Blade Show in Atlanta
I have had the same experience. One of my non-shooting pastimes keeps me in the company of many friends who are generally to the left of me politically…some very much so. Yet I have been fortunate to enroll many in my basic concealed carry class, and quite a few are at the very least pretty open to firearms…some are enthusiastic. I think I'm in a unique position where my liberal friends got to know me as a "good guy" first, and a "gun guy" second. Then they couldn't just write me off as a "gun nut"…they already knew I wasn't a nut, so they had to open up to the idea of guns…at least a little.