Dec 1, 2009  •  In Personal

“When you first came here I thought you would be hopeless. But you’re a natural.”

I have never shot a gun before.
Not because I am against guns,
but because I am afraid that
I will like it too much,
à la Carolyn Burnham
of American Beauty.

Also, klutzes and guns do not mix well.

That is why I choose to stick to the piano, writing, and books.

Have YOU ever shot a firearm?

 

(And for those of you who are thinking, “This is it — she’s gone off the deep end!”, calm your horses. I only had this thought after looking into methods of de-stressing and recalled that episode of HIMYM where Marshall was able to find some relief from being dumped, albeit temporarily, by visiting a shooting range with Robin. Yes, I allow cheesy sitcoms to influence my decisions. You can judge me on that instead.)

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8 Responses to ““When you first came here I thought you would be hopeless. But you’re a natural.””

  1. Yes I have & it is freaking awesome 🙂 The first time I did was about 5 years ago at an indoor shooting range, it was cool but I much prefer the outdoor ranges that I go to now. My fiance takes me to the outdoor shooting range with him & it is a lot of fun, it’s good to be comfortable enough to shoot a gun because you just never know. Highly recommend 🙂

  2. Yes, I have! Once – it was terrifying. However, my goal is to get comfortable with it and to someday own my own gun. I’m one of those people that is paranoid my apartment is going to get broken into or I’m going to get jumped walking out of Target. 🙂 Plus, my boyfriend owns one (for home protection) and I want to learn how to use it safely!

  3. Ginger says:

    Why yes, yes I have!

    It’s a family activity, actually 🙂 We just did a target practice in the country over the Canadian Thanksgiving 🙂

    But I remember the first time shooting–it’s totally scary! My body was shaking, I couldn’t breathe, I was SO AFRAID! But after understanding the proper and safe use of a gun and trying it out in a safe environment I feel much more comfortable with one.

    At this time I have only shot the family rifle, shotgun and pellet gun. But soon I am going to the range to shoot some crazy military ones!

    I’m actually going to write a post about this–its about the gift I got my bro! He has his license and enjoys the safe shooting of guns so I bought him a gift certificate at a special range where they have all the "cool" guns (handguns, military guns) other than plain old hunting rifles that you can try out for the day. Being the wonder-woman I am, I scored a 2-for-1 deal and I’ll get to go with him!

    I think guns are interesting. They are dangerous for sure and should always be used in a safe and proper fashion, but the thrill from shooting at a target is just undeniable. Plus, it turns out I am a good shot!

    I can’t wait to try it out again!

  4. Yup. My brothers are big into guns, swords and knivces.

    I learned how to throw knives when I turned 15, shot rifles, shotguns, handguns all around the same age too.

    I haven’t done it in years. But it wasn’t scary or anything, as long as you’re thinking "safety first" and making sure everyone understands that it’s serious business and not a game or a movie.

  5. violarulz says:

    I like it too. Wow. I’m amazed that no one is ranting about target shooting, only sharing awesome stories. I’m a fan of target shooting, though I haven’t done it in a while.

    My advice: airsoft guns. They look/feel like the real thing, but shoot 5mm plastic BBs instead of bullets. Much safer to have around the house, and no need to go through the whole licensing thing. They also have a bright orange barrel tip, which makes them WAY less scary looking. Just don’t shoot people/animals/anything you don’t want dinged with them. They still hurt, just bruise instead of piercing you.

  6. Geek in Heels says:

    @violarulz — I’m surprised too! I was really hesitant to post this because I was certain that I would get a bunch of hate comments/messages. So far, none and seeing all these positive comments makes me want to go visit a shooting range (with a qualified instructor, of course).

  7. Ginger says:

    Ahaha I thought the same thing! I totally thought this would get people all riled up… but I’m glad to see I’m not the only one that is ok with guns.

    I’ve talked to people in my real life about the gift I got my brother and they all just look at me like I’m some crazy hick. Folks are very touchy about weapons and things like that. Personally I find them all interesting. I fence, and practice with Chinese sword, hand to hand combat and staff with my Kung Fu and just generally like to learn how to wield things. Guns are just the next logical step for me.

  8. Bexi says:

    I’ve been checking out your archive since Fabuluously Broke posted a link a few days ago, and I love your site!

    I wanted to comment on this post (even though its a little old) because yes, I have shot a firearm, and I was amazed at the strong reaction I had to it.

    I’d always wanted to shoot a gun, just to see what it was like (too much gunplay on TV shows and movies, I guess), so when boyfriend and I were in Thailand on holiday we stopped by a gun range. I was handed a small handgun (Glock, I think) with nine rounds, shown how to hold it, sight it and fire it….which I did. The first shot was a shock. The second and third shots were fun. Around the fourth shot I started crying. By the fifth, I handed the Glock off to boyfriend, who finished the clip (he’s military with weapons training, he loves guns).

    At the time, I couldn’t explain why I started crying. Looking back, I think I was awed and scared by the power of the little machine in my hands to kill. I was aghast that someone could point this block of metal and explosives at people and pull the trigger, to cause someone pain or to end someone’s life with just the squeeze of a finger. And I was horrified at how easy it was to do.

    So it’s something that I can cross off my bucket list – fire a weapon – but it’s something that I will never voluntarily do again.

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