Any decent kid had a trusty Barlow knife, a BB gun and a fishpole purchased at Western Auto LOL
We Deplorables started young.
I had all of those plus the ram horned bike I bought there
The GCA of 1968 was the beginning of the end. When Western Auto stopped selling guns, the rest of the sporting goods soon followed.
I still have the Barlow knife. The BB gun was around until 2005 (my dad had commandeered it for his back yard workshop, from which he could harass the squirrels raiding his pecan trees). Katrina's storm surge put it under water for almost a month, ending a 40-year run. I was tempted to mount it on a wooden plaque, kind of like those rifle relics that are dug out of the desert southwest.
I think my first fishing rig succumbed to a real "boating accident" when my cousin borrowed it. Our next-door neighbor was a Western Auto franchise co-owner, so Dad sent a lot of business his way. Lawnmowers, bicycles, outboards - and of course, auto parts. I miss those days, too.