I hide things from my wife too BUT I don't do or hide anything that would seriously undermine or marriage.
These days, a lot of people are getting into serious romantic relationships without much long term consideration or commitment. A lot of these relationships are ending on bad terms, with one, both or multiple parties walking away with a lot of resentment and hostility towards one another.
As a gun owner, that's got to be one of the most dangerous places to be in because an angry ex has a LOT of power to get the State to take away a man's guns.
That's why I think it's important to make sure I maintain my marriage and I feel being a gun owner really enriches and causes our marriage to stay strong and grow stronger.
I'm no different than any man. I have my temptations and short comings - but if I had an affair my wife would never forgive me, run off with our children, and probably call the RCMP to take away my guns.
Furthermore, if I ignore my wife, grow distant and cold with her - eventually, I know she'll fall out of love with me and be in the right to want to separate from me - again not a place I want to be in.
Lastly (although not exclusively) if I do something unbelievably stupid - like max out a line of credit or credit card on a handful of really cool guns that I would have to pay interest on - she would be infuriated, think I'm crazy and start having doubts about or marriage.
The point I'm getting at is a healthy marriage (or steady relationship - whatever you want to call it) is absolutely critical above and beyond just getting the partner to like shooting.
It also helps getting the partner to understand and accept it. I have a great relationship with my wife and she accepts that I volunteer as a match director for days at a time, or that once a week I'll go shooting, or that I'll go to board meetings once a month.
It doesn't make her happy, but I make sure I do other things to make her happy, such as:
-buy her a house
-build up enough of an income that she can be a stay at home Mom and homeschool our kids
-compliment her regularly
-tell her how much I love her, how beautiful she is and how happy she makes me
-don't complain endlessly about how crappy my day is (that's what this place is for)
-reassure and encourage her that she's doing the right thing
-listen to her when she tells me what's on her mind, what worries her, and what her problems are
-try not to judge, criticize, or try to offer an opinion about her problems unless she explicitly asks for it
-carry out whatever reasonable task she asks me to do (take out the garbage, install shelves, call the cable company, etc.)
-take her out on romantic dates every once in a while
-take care of the kids when she feels overwhelmed so she can get time to recuperate