Ah, yesteryear, when Mom was pleased as punch to see each of her three strapping young lads brandishing a gun he got for Christmas. After the jump, check out five such vintage Christmas ads for guns, including one that offers advice to men whose wives worry that little Ralphie will shoot his eye out—and not just with a BB gun.
Text from the Winchester ad above:
“Suppose you want to give a Winchester 22 to your 12-year-old. But the wife says, “It’s too dangerous now. Wait till he’s older.” What do you tell her?
First, tell her exactly why you think a boy should learn to handle guns early. Tell her he may not get a chance later. And too many kids grow up thinking guns are toys.
Tell her a boy’s hankering to shoot and go hunting is perfectly normal. Something he’s born with. A part of his American tradition.
(What’s wrong with a boy wanting to be another Davy Crockett or Dan’l Boone?)
Tell her what it’s like for a boy in the woods with a 22. Tracking his first rabbit. Outwitting a fox. Sitting very still under a squirrel tree.
These are things a boy will remember all his life. And if he misses them now, he’ll never have a second chance.
Tell her that state conservation programs even encourage hunting to help maintain the balance of nature.
And the National Rifle Association conducts a shooting program to teach youngsters gun safety and sportsmanship and how to handle guns.
Finally, tell her that when an oldtime hunter like you has a boy who wants to hunt, it’s his obligation to teach him all he knows about guns, game and the ways of nature.
And buy him a Winchester.
And take him hunting.
Why a Winchester?
Because at Winchester we still believe 22’s are real guns.”