I just got back from a trip from my home town of Jacksonville, Florida where I did something I never did before. I went to a shooting range. As a big liberal, I’m torn on the gun issue. I do feel people should be allowed to own them. I just wish our forefathers could have predicted how many stupid Americans there would be in the future. But, I’ve always been curious to shoot a gun. I didn’t want to learn how to shoot for protection; it was more thinking of how much I liked archery as a kid at summer camp. I know people who thought they wanted to shoot a gun but found it so disturbing after taking one shot they put it down and never touched one again. I thought this might happen to me but it didn’t, probably because I went to the range with my friend Adam, a City of Jacksonville police sergeant. We shot two guns, the glock he uses for work and his brand new 38 revolver he got for when he’s off duty. I never felt uncomfortable with the guns; I’m sure because I was with Adam, showing me each step of the way what to do and how to be safe. I learned how to load it, hold it and aim it. I was surprised how much strength it took to pull the trigger. We shot two rounds on each gun my hand is still sore two days later. But that wasn’t my biggest surprise. Turns out, I’m a natural! Don’t get me wrong, I’m no sharpshooter but I felt like I did pretty damn good. We practiced accuracy and then Adam wanted me to practice “panic shooting.” Like it sounds, that’s when you shoot quickly and repeatedly at your target to test your accuracy in a situation when you don’t have much time to aim. I used Adam’s 38 for that. He told me to aim for the top of the target, the part that looks like the neck of a bottle. Don’t mess with me folks. Here’s a picture:

I don’t think this will be a new hobby for me. For one, it’s pretty expensive. You have to pay for time and ammo at the range. Even bringing in our own guns the two of us spent eighty bucks in an hour. But I also know it’s not for me. I don’t want to shoot anybody. I know, for me personally, I would feel less, not more, safe with a gun in the house. However, I’m glad I went. At the very least it was an education.

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