Hoplophobe Paw

I've made complaints in the past that my father is a hoplophobe.  That's not fair to him.  He is not scared, per se.  He is one of those that didn't necessarily ever want a gun in the house.  Even one that was his.  And he had more than one.  Well hidden in a closet. 

We lived in the suburbs.  My grandfather lived in the country.  My dad didn't think twice about shooting a bb gun there in the middle of the Ek-Veldt.  Or shooting a 20 gauge for fun.  Or had problems with the notion of shooting that same 20 gauge at rabbits in the garden.  So he is more nuanced than a 'mere hoplophobe.'

He still regrets not buying that Colt Woodsman or holding onto that model 39A type in New Mexico, 1959.  Both .22s that he liked.  He used the lever action 39A to hunt jack rabbits.  Pests near his Air Force base that the father/property-owner of a buddy wanted rid of.

So he is not a true hoplophobe.  He'd shoot a pest animal if the situation called for it.  Probably a threatening human if the threat was dire and he was armed and there was no alternative.  But isn't that just like the rest of us?  We gunnies would only shoot a human if the threat was dire and we were armed and there was no alternative.