This essay is part of a contest sponsored by Memoir Magazine on the topic of guns and people.
Author Daniel Dutilly begins describing his relationship with guns in childhood. His father, a Vietnam veteran, gave him and his younger brother plastic army guns for Christmas. They were four and five years old, and they loved their guns wore them out within months.
Dutilly recounts the excitement of going on his first “range day” with adults, shooting at targets with a single-shot .22.
An incident occurs that changes his perspective on guns. This is a thoughtful, adult piece, sad in many respects. At the same time, the author expresses gratitude without resentment.
Purists may see some rough edges in the writing, e.g., some unnecessary capitalization, but these are minuscule and do not interfere with the meaning.
He does not mention hunting. I’d be curious to see his view on that. The author has only so much room to write, however, and he had other points to make.
According to his author blurb, Daniel Dutilly is from Warwick, Rhode Island, but now lives in the American Deep South “with a pack of rapscallions and their wonderful mother.”
“My Long-Term Relationship with Guns” is a Guns and People Essay runner up
The essay can be read here.
Title: “My Long-Term Relationship with Guns”
Author: Daniel Dutilly
First published: Memoir Magazine, August 2018
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