Saturday I did something I have never done before: I went to a shooting range and shot 150 rounds through 3 different handguns. I have spent some time shooting riffles at Scout camp but two days ago was the first time I ever shot a handgun. I share this experience with you not to make a political statement. Instead I want to share what it felt like to be a total beginner at something when I felt everyone expected me to be an expert.
My youngest son has a brother-in-law that has gotten him into guns. My son has real natural talent when it comes to shooting. It is something we noticed at scout camp when he could hit incredibly small targets with a .22 riffle. As my son is now trying to develop that talent, I thought I would educate myself on the subject. I found myself alone on Saturday as my wife was in Idaho helping her parents move and so I headed to one of the local gun ranges.
I made sure to visit the website before I left the house so I knew what services they offered and that they would rent me a gun as I do not own one. I walked into the range and quickly filled out an online waiver. Then I met with one of the sales associates. I explained that I had shot a riffle but was there to test out handguns and had never shot one before.
The first thing he needed to do was make sure I was not some crazy guy trying to do something tragic in their gun range. He made me call someone that I had seen within the last 24 hours so he could ask a few questions. My first thought was to turn around and walk out. Then I found it very comforting to know that gun ranges take mental health issues very seriously. I called my daughter whom I had spent the morning rock climbing with down in Maple Canyon. He asked her a few questions and then could proceed with getting me set up.
This is where everything started to run together. I knew the basic rules of handling a firearm such as always assume it is loaded, keep it pointed in a safe direction, etc. Specifics about each gun sort of ran together though. I started with a .22 semi-automatic and the same 9mm that my son just purchased. The associate gave me a basic tutorial about both guns. I tried to remember it all but forgot a lot. Then I headed off to my own semi-private lane wearing eye and ear protection.
I got to my enclosed booth and put my target up and sent it out to 8 meters. It seemed really close but I wanted to start easy. Next I pulled out the .22. I then tried to remember how to correctly load the magazine clip. I did okay and quickly got over my fear that I would do something wrong. I put the clip in the gun and then pulled the slide back to chamber the round. Then I tried to remember what I was told about how to correctly hold the gun, how to aim, and to remember to bend my arms. Then I fired my first shot. It went down and to the left of where I aimed. I emptied the magazine (10 shots) and discovered I am a horrible shooter.
I play a lot of shooter video games and am a pretty good shot in them. Discovering that video games don't translate to real life should not come as a big surprise but it did. After the first 10 shots I wondered how much I would improve over the next 140. Spoiler alert, not much. Part of that is because I didn't have anyone helping me. I had read a few articles online and had an understanding of the basics, but I could have done with a coach there by my side helping me shoot. I shot a few more magazine clips of the .22 and then loaded up the 9mm.
I learned something new with the 9mm handgun: all those movies that make it look easy to load a magazine clip are wrong. It is actually very difficult at first. The spring is very strong and it is tough to push down the bullets into their enclosure. While the magazine held something like 10 bullets, the most I could ever get in was 9. I shot the first round and found I am much worse with the 9mm than the .22.
One of my biggest fears was that the gun would jam and I would have to figure out how to extract a dangerous bullet from a nastily jammed position. Well it didn't take that long for it to happen. All the information I got from the lecture before I headed into the range was immediately forgotten. I had to figure it out on my own. Fortunately I got it unjammed. When the pistol kept jamming, I made sure it was empty and then traded it for a different and bigger 9mm gun.
Towards the end of my time at the range I decided shooting handguns was not as much fun as I thought it would be. Part of that came from the fact that I really am a lousy shot, or so I thought. I finished shooting all 150 rounds, returned the rented guns, and paid my bill. Then I made sure to call my son and share my experience with him. The first thing he said is that the target was too far away for a handgun. To qualify for the concealed-carry permit, the target only needs to be at 5 meters. That would have been great information before I started. I might have felt better about myself and my abilities.
My experience at the gun range taught me a lot about what it feels like to be a beginner. I really should not have gone there without someone who knew what they were doing. Having a coach would have made for a much more pleasurable experience. Remember that as you go to try something new with technology. See if you can't get someone who knows what they are doing to help you along. Don't let them do it for you or you won't learn anything but see if you can get them to help you learn. You will be so much better for it in the end.
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