[originalnate]

LOL I'm from a Northern California suburb and have a very similar experience. No AK, but I did get a 12 gauge for my 12th birthday (grew up hunting upland game birds) and got my grandfather's .30-.30 passed down to me when I was 13.

[TheAdamAndChe]

That's cool! Was your experience typical for the region?

[originalnate]

In my city, no. In my county, yes. Not many kids hunted at my school(s), but in the neighboring city, their high school had marksmanship, sporting clay, and hunting clubs sponsored by the school.

Come to think of it, the only friends I had growing up that were into hunting/ angling/ bushcraft were the ones I met through the Boy Scouts.