My story starts in a small gun shop in Brewster, Ohio, run by a Korean War veteran out of his garage. He had some nice new guns and sporting goods and a small rack of used guns. One day, I went in and noticed two military arms on the used rack: an M1 carbine and an Enfield .303 British rifle. Ray, the owner, said he was selling them for a friend. He wanted $20 for the carbine and $10 for the Enfield.
I was fascinated with the M1—the way the action worked and the look of it. That night while watching television, I told dad about the little rifle Ray had and how it interested me. I don’t remember him saying anything; he wasn’t into guns much.
One day that week after school, I went into my bedroom and the carbine was in the middle of my bed. That was 60 years ago, and I still remember the wonderful feeling that came over me. My dad just didn’t do things like that. I still have the M1—it is my most cherished possession.
The carbine didn’t have a magazine, and I didn’t know how to get one. So I told my uncle about it. He was a World War II Army veteran. He stopped at the National Guard office in Canton and told the guardsman on duty about my problem. The man opened a drawer, put three magazines on the desk—still in the wax paper wrappers—and said, “Will that do?” Sometimes, things do work out!
—Michael Hummer
