Go Ahead...Make My Day!

I took my daughter to the shooting range this weekend. She wants to become an FBI Profiler and I thought she should become familiar with maintenance and operation of a firearm. I have two handguns on loan from my brother and we took them to the range to get her started.

I’ve done some range work with rifles, but haven’t shot a pistol since I was about 15 years old. There was some minor adjustment for me, but the shock to my daughter was profound. We all watch the Cop shows on TV and get the idea that a gun is not much more than a fashion accessory and that shooting one would be as natural as walking.

We were on the firing line just a few minutes when a shooter down range opened fire and my daughter jumped about three feet off the ground. I guess she was expecting a muffled “pop” through the sound-reduction headphones, but the explosion was a lot more than she bargained for. She was very nervous when the Range Master put one of our pistols in her hand and talked her through what to expect when she fired the weapon. Seeing the explosion leaving the end of the barrel and feeling the recoil of the gun was her second big surprise of the day.

After a few sets of rounds, she calmed down and began to get comfortable with the weapon. She shot both a 380 Automatic and a 38 Revolver. I saved her first target for her and we had a generally good day together.

I think about weapons/handguns…what wonderful works of technology…what horrible and frightening destructive force. We have survived as a race because of our ability to overcome the weakness of our design with our intellect; yet we harbor a cancer of hate and malice that results in so much pain and suffering caused by the very tools that have insured our survival?!

I know most think of Americans as arrogant “cowboys” that are always at the ready with gun in hand. I don’t know how I could convince of just how far off that caricature is…maybe those who feel this way should read some of our press and see how we agonize over every thing we do…how we constantly second guess and accuse our leaders of being rash or wrong headed.

My guns don’t scare me. Seeing them in the hands of myself or my daughter don’t cause me any alarm…but there are many that should never touch a gun…I keep them locked when we aren’t going to the range to shoot them.

Love! Norm.