Richard Childress' love of guns and the outdoors is no secret.

The owner of Richard Childress Racing has long been enamored with the art of hunting wild game and collecting guns. He talked with NASCAR.COM about his recent election to the 75-member board of directors for the National Rifle Association, his fondness for the Second Amendment and why, on some days, he simply must choose hunting down big game such as lions or elephants over attending another NASCAR race.

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I probably could have shot a lion the first time out, but I went back five times before I picked out the one I wanted. I looked at a lot of lions over the time before I found the one I really wanted.

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-- RICHARD CHILDRESS

Q: What does it mean to you to serve on the board of the NRA?

Childress: To be able to serve on a board with so many greats, and to serve on a board that represents four million members now -- and we're signing them up at 100,000 per month at the current rate -- to represent those and the rest of America for our Second Amendment, it's quite an honor.

Q: Why is the Second Amendment so important to you?

Childress: Well, it's our freedom. If we lose our Second Amendment, we lose our rights to bear arms and protect our families. If we're not able to own our own guns, the next thing that will happen is that we'll lose our freedom. We can't allow that to happen in our country, and I feel strongly about it. I feel strong about a lot of the things the NRA is doing. There are so many issues that they have to handle daily. They have a lot of programs for youth and safety, and just a lot of sporting events that are put on, shooting events. There is just so much that they have to offer to the American public.

Q: When was the first time you fired a gun?

Childress: I'd say it was a 410 shotgun, and it must have been when I was 9 or 10 years old. Something like that.

Q: Where?

Childress: We were squirrel hunting. My stepdad would take us squirrel and rabbit hunting. ... He had shotguns.

Q: Did you get anything that day?

Childress: I can't remember. But I shot quite a few squirrel after that. He would let us take guns and sit on this hillside. I still remember overlooking the creek that was there. Everything was deathly quiet and you'd see those squirrels running around. There was nothing like taking a squirrel and going home and making some soup out of it. That's what we did when we were kids. (Continued)