I crossed a big “I’ve never” off my list on Sunday. I put on ear protection and plastic glasses and went to the shooting range with Mark and two friends and three pistols. Mark just recently bought a Heckler & Koch P7 pistol and I am completely gun illiterate (not to mention gun shy) so he practically had to hold my hand the entire time.
Our friend is a federal agent and has plenty of gun training, so she taught me the proper shooting stance and how to hold the gun (I like to say I’m being trained by a professional). I’ve only shot a .22 rifle before (ages ago) and I have to say that shooting a pistol is a completely different experience. The noise of the gunshot is much louder than I thought it would be, even with ear protection. Tears even came to my eyes the first time I fired a bullet out of the chamber. I think I was alarmed to be holding such power in my hands. I got over the initial fear of getting clipped in the face by the gun's recoil - Mark's gun doesn't have too much of a kick. Our friend had a .40 Glock and it kicked considerably more than Mark's, and so did our other friend's Colt .45. I only fired two rounds with the Colt .45 - the gun was too big for my hands. Our shooting target was the outline of a person but you could also choose shooting targets that had pictures of zombies on them! Kill the zombies!
The afternoon was one big crash course in gun handling and terminology. Even in writing this blog I've had to consult my friend to make sure I'm describing my actions correctly (my journalism major is fighting to resurface). When I wasn't shooting targets at the range, I entertained myself by observing what other shooters were wearing. I wasn't quite prepared with my clothing choices (skinny jeans and ballet flats) but I felt better when I saw a girl wearing Uggs over her sweatpants. There were plenty of shirts with American flags and lots of flannel to go around. Then there was the shirt that said "I'll keep my guns, money and freedom. You keep your CHANGE." But I guess I shouldn't be surprised to see that at a shooting range.
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