A few years ago, a close friend and I decided to try our hand at target shooting.  She purchased a Groupon for a shooting range about a half hour away (let that sink in folks, there was a Groupon for a shooting range!).  Neither of us had any experience with fire arms yet we hopped in her car one bright and sunny summer day for a crash course.

Prior to this, I had absolutely no interest in using such a powerful and deadly weapon and was 100% content with leaving guns to those trained to use them professionally.  Not long before this, I’d made the decision to expand my horizons.  I’ve never been one to shy away from new experiences but most of those consisted of things well within my comfort zone.  Shooting a gun had ever been anything I’d contemplated or really felt comfortable with.  I decided to take this opportunity to have my first and most likely only experience hold and shooting a gun in a safe environment.

The most rewarding part of the experience came a few days later.  I’d left my target sitting on the kitchen counter at my Dad’s home and nearly forgotten it.  He was having some work done in the kitchen requiring a contractor.  I overheard the individual asking my Dad if that was his target, remarking how impressed he was at his ability.  Without hesitation, my Dad proudly proclaimed, “No, that’s my daughter’s!”.  I have the biggest smile on my face every time I think about that.  To hear my Dad boast of my shooting “skills” was quite rewarding.  I appreciate the little moments of pride my parents express as much as the important ones.

  I learned quite a lot that day.  First, that I’ll do just fine in a zombie apocalypse (did you see the shots to the head?).  Secondly, I confirmed my thoughts about handling fire arms.  They are incredibly powerful weapons.  It was surreal holding and shooting a gun.  The sound was deafening and quite startling at first but once I got the hang of it, I felt powerful and very much in control.  I’d still prefer to leave handling of firearms to the professionals.

∞

Thank you for reading! See the first entry in this series here.