A co worker has stated over and over that she would never have a gun in her house. Well, it seems that she has had one for the last 16 years. Last weekend she was cleaning out the attic and ran across a "box of bullets". She asked another co worker if he wanted them, since she was afraid to have them in the house (???? after 16 years???). Now comes the good part. I told her she better check things out to see if there might not be a gun there too. Well, she did, and there was. Immediate panic and a call to her brother, and the gun was gone. I told her she should have called someone that knew about guns, to see exactly what it was. Her comment, "I just wanted the damned thing out of the house! Guns are too dangerous!" Honestly, I couldn't help myself. I doubled over! The gun had sat in the attic for 16 years,and now it's dangerous! Through my laughter, I said "Come on! What do you think they(guns) do? Sneak out of the attic all by themselves? The gun wasn't dangerous for the last 16 years! Why is it so dangerous now?" No answer.
Now the best part. I asked her to describe it. From the description, and from showing her pictures of D/A Smiths and Colts, and S/A Colts and Rugers, it is either a Colt SAA or a Ruger. Her jaw hit the floor when I told her a Ruger would be worth $250.00 min in the condition she described. She went a bit nuts when I told her if it was a Colt SAA, I would have paid 500 sight unseen for it, and it's real value could be 2 to 10 times that much.
For the details: She is in her miid fifty's, divorced, no kids at home. Bought the house after her kids were grown and moved out, so there was/is little danger anyone would have been in the attic. The gun and shells were stuffed way back in the rafters, so even if someone had been there, they would have had little chance to find them. As near as we can piece together, the previous owner of the house was a widow, and had no knowledge that her late husband had a gun, or where it was even had she known.
What was so ironic was the expression on her "anti" face, when she learned she may have thrown away a few hundred or even thousand dollars! You could just see the "I want it back!!" written all over her face! Funny how a bit of the green will turn things around. Says a whole lot about the typical "anti" values.
Now the best part. I asked her to describe it. From the description, and from showing her pictures of D/A Smiths and Colts, and S/A Colts and Rugers, it is either a Colt SAA or a Ruger. Her jaw hit the floor when I told her a Ruger would be worth $250.00 min in the condition she described. She went a bit nuts when I told her if it was a Colt SAA, I would have paid 500 sight unseen for it, and it's real value could be 2 to 10 times that much.
For the details: She is in her miid fifty's, divorced, no kids at home. Bought the house after her kids were grown and moved out, so there was/is little danger anyone would have been in the attic. The gun and shells were stuffed way back in the rafters, so even if someone had been there, they would have had little chance to find them. As near as we can piece together, the previous owner of the house was a widow, and had no knowledge that her late husband had a gun, or where it was even had she known.
What was so ironic was the expression on her "anti" face, when she learned she may have thrown away a few hundred or even thousand dollars! You could just see the "I want it back!!" written all over her face! Funny how a bit of the green will turn things around. Says a whole lot about the typical "anti" values.
You can actually use this to illustrate the myths surrounding guns and dispell many of the misconceptions she has regarding them. Bring a Blue Book of Gun Values in and, since she will have no way of knowing, assure her the gun, based on her description, must have been a first generation SAA. Then explain to her these were the guns used to "Tame the West". Show her how far removed these are from the evil baby killing assault weapons she is in all likelyhood fixates on when guns come to mind. Emphasize the histroical signifgance of the piece. How it was used by settlers for self defense and protection. Much the same way most guns are now used in contemporary society. If she is in her mid 50's she grew up on epsodes of Bonanza with Ben, Hoss, Little Joe et. al.. Tell her how these were the type of guns used in that series. Few people view Bonanza as anything other than wholesome with a positive message. (Don't laugh, I've used this arguement effectively in the past on more than a few occassions. 
) Explain to her that even our own gun grabbing government views these as antiques and a part of our history and do not place the same restrictions on them as modern guns. Explain to her the high value of these is due to collectors desiring to won a piece of American history. Owning one is no different than owning any other antique collectable. You will be showing her a side of guns that she has never seen before. She will see a completely new aspect of why people own guns. They are not simply used to kill poeple or even "Bambi". They can and often are used as a viable investment. Show her the prices commanded by first generation SAA in th eBlue Book. Then tell her if she and other anits like her were not voting people like Clinton into office and gun ownership remains legal in a few years she could have used the gun to send some of her grandchilren to college.