Hit Me With Your Best Shot

I have to admit I am a little in love with the idea of being self-sufficient or at least possessing the knowledge and know how to perform the tasks that most men used to know how to do. My dad was one of those men.  He could fix just about anything.  He knew how to make things with wood, how to paint and varnish, how to change a tire and the oil, he at one time owned a rifle for hunting, he knew how to ski, drive a boat, cook, build a fire, plant a garden, put in a wood floor, hang a ceiling fan, make a whiskey sour, and change out the cord on any electrical appliance. 

Many of the items on my 45 New Things list include basic Male 101 know how.  Being a woman though, and a self-proclaimed girly girl as a child, I did not learn any of those manly things in my childhood.  I have never so much even started a lawn mower, and quite honestly, I have no desire to ever learn that.  It is just a slippery slope that would end in me adding lawn care to my list of chores. 

Learning to shoot a gun made the top ten on my 45 New Things list.  I have always been frightened of firearms and did not see the purpose of owning a gun unless one is a hunter, a police officer, or in the military.  Still, I thought that this is an experience and skill that I would like to have in my back pocket, or holster as the case may be.  It was serendipity when a few weeks later, Groupon offered a beginning handgun class in my area. For $65, registrants would receive 2 hours of class time, 1 hour of shooting time, use of a gun, ammo, ear protection and eye protection.  It was exactly what I was looking for.

I was greeted in the parking lot by Dan, the instructor and owner of the business.  He shook my hand and welcomed me warmly.  There were only three of us in the class.  The other two participants Amy and Joann were about 10 years younger than myself.  They each had brought their very own guns.  Both mentioned that they were taking the class at their husbands' urging.  They had two toddlers each, and talked about the many guns their husbands owned. Frighteningly enough, Amy, asked what kind of gun safe should she and her husband buy.  Presently they did not have one, but not to worry, both her 3 and 5 year old know not to touch the guns.   Dan, outfitted in a NRA shirt naturally, warned her to get a safe immediately.  He explained that it was just boys' nature to look for the guns and touch them no matter how many times they have been told not to.

Since the majority of the class were no strangers to guns, the class shifted to more of a guns 102 class as opposed to 101.  I was a little lost on where the safety was on the handguns shown and how to know whether or not it was on. The field stripping portion, which means cleaning your gun, also went by too fast for me.  I think Dan assumed that since Amy and Joann's husbands were self proclaimed gun nuts, there was no need to go in depth as the men would likely clean the guns.  I listened carefully to the portion about proper gun handling, always point it away from you and other people even if you think it is unloaded, never touch the trigger unless you mean to shoot, and keep it on its side while you handle it.   He informed us of the Castle Law in Texas which allows any citizen to keep a gun without a license in any structure that could constitute a domicile, such as a home, car, camper, or tent.  Dan had one of those smooth Texas cowboy accents, and I found myself mesmerized by his stories and views on the right to bear arms.

Before I knew it, it was time to practice our stances with unloaded weapons.  Amy and Joann aced the exercise with flying colors.  Having never held a gun before, I was a virgin in need of guidance.  I have a feeling ol' Dan was getting a bit annoyed with me, as he kept repeating, "Even up your feet, bend a little at the waist, press with your right hand and pull with your left."  This continued out at the range.  The fact of the matter was, I shot just as well, if not better than the other two students, so perhaps my form sucked, but rest assured, I can get the job done as my target shows.  

We shot .22 handguns which I really liked.  They were not very loud and did not have much recoil. I had worried that the force of shooting would knock me on my ass, but that did not happen.  I shot an old school looking revolver, which was fun, but heavy.  I tried a .38, but I did not like that at all.  The shell casings kept flying out at me.  One even went down my shirt and burnt me.  I still have a bit of scar from it, which I am quite proud of.  Dan unholstered his personal gun for me to try, but that was way too much gun for me and after two shots, I declined to shoot it further. 

Shooting the .22 was a lot of fun.  I would love to have one just for target practice.  Dan advised not keeping one for home protection due to the lack of stopping power.  Stopping power refers to the ability to injure a person to the point that they are stopped from attacking you. He said a person should choose the biggest gun and largest caliber that they can comfortably shoot.  He went on to say that when choosing ammunition, hollow point is better than full metal jacket because hollow point decreases collateral damage to walls and innocent person's on the other side of a wall, whereas full metal jacket bullets can go straight through a person and hit an unintended target. A hollow point is designed to stay in the body and cause extensive damage to tissue. 

I know the world can be a scary and unsafe place, but I am not sure that we are all in such peril that we need to arm ourselves with guns and cop killer bullets. I have always been of the opinion that the 2nd Amendment applied more to arming a militia and not private citizens.  Still, shooting a gun although scary, was powerful and I was proud of myself for facing a fear and proud of how well I shot.  I don't think I will ever feel comfortable carrying one for protection, but it is good to know that I know how to shoot one if the s**t ever hits the fan.