This falls into one of those “I can’t believe we did this!” situations.
And “I still can’t believe we did this!” a second time.
A couple of months ago, a couple friend invited us to the shooting range. We agreed, figuring what’s the worst that will happen – if we hate it, nothing in our life changes. If we like it, it is another activity we can do with this couple. This is the first “I can’t believe we did this” moment.
Even though I grew up with a father who hunted, I was never allowed to go with him or to even think of touching one of his guns. My father had a very “Guns are for guys” mentality. (Actually, a lot of things were for guys and not girls.) I had never touched a gun, John hadn’t touched one since basic training in 1975. I’m a pretty hard-core gun control person – I don’t have a problem with people waiting to make purchases; guns should be locked up at all times; you name it, it probably applies to me, or really close to my beliefs. John has always wanted to have one while we travelled but I resisted.
Well, we had a great time shooting the “twister” target. I was surprised I even hit it! K brought 5 different guns and his wife, K2, brought her 1. We spent about 2 hours at the range shooting all of them. K is extremely knowledgable and has a concealed weapon permit in California so I know he has been checked out and tested. K2 took the CW course with no intention of carrying, but wanted to know all the laws and procedures just in case something happened while her husband was carrying his.
Here are my first 2 rounds. Evidently, this makes me a good shot.
A couple of weeks later, we went with them again. It was just as enjoyable! Maybe even more so since I knew I would be able to hit the target. It was an exciting adventure!
This last weekend, we went with them for a third time. After breakfast we went with them to the gun shop, figuring we would purchase the ammo they were replacing since they have provided everything thus far for our outings.
Now for another “I can’t believe we did this!” moment. We purchased a gun. John is happy we will have one with us while we travel.
We are not the least bit annoyed/disappointed/angry we have to wait 10 days before we can pick it up from the gun shop.
- Please check my background!
- Make me take a test! We both took the California gun owner test (and passed!) Why did we both take it? I wanted to be sure we both could pass!
- Make us wait 10 days! Not a problem here.
- Make us wait 31 days before we buy another handgun – OK by me! How many do you need at one time??
- Prevent me from carrying it all the time – another OK by me!
- Monitor how much ammo I’m purchasing – another OK by me!
I don’t think there is a single gun law in California I disagree with. Will being a “gun owner” change any of this? Probably not!
Decluttering the Stuff 
During my youth I had a couple of friends with air rifles and enjoyed, and was good at, shooting at targets. These began as stationary points such as tin cans but then as we sought further enjoyment we moved on to moving creatures (this proved less successful due to them being more evasive than tin cans). It wasn’t until after the effect that I considered the ramifications of having aimed at animals I otherwise love and admire, that I felt upset by what I had found myself doing. As for carrying a weapon for self-defence I can’t get into that mind-set at all.
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Like you, the targets at the indoor range are ideal. I’m not sure yet about shooting it outside – what if the wind blows the bullet off track? Of course, I know that most shooting incidents are unrelated to the wind, but still!
I’m still torn about even having a gun loaded in the RV while we are in the middle of nowhere. I understand John’s thinking that if we are in an isolated place, we should have something to protect us. But my thinking is – don’t put ourselves in that situation. I think this will be a major discussion. We are both taking a gun safety course next week.
On a positive note, at least I will be able to defend myself during a zombie apocalypse!!
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I think learning how to use a weapon safely is a good skill. As for carrying a gun in your RV I would go with this: “a 2009 study found that people with a gun were 4.5 times more likely to be shot in an assault than those who were unarmed,” but there are so many statistics either way.
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You are right – we can find data to support any opinion nowadays!
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