When my pal Cameron invited me to the shooting range, my first reaction was “no way! are you kidding?” But when I told my hubby about the invitation to go and fire a rifle, he strongly urged me to go.
Truth be told, I’m a bit of a pacifist. I can’t watch violent movies and quite frankly, I’m pretty fearful of guns and other weapons. I get a queasy uneasiness in my gut when I see cops/ military types armed to the teeth. Last week in a Wilderness training class, the teacher showed us his collection of knives and discussed their uses, I had to look away.
Do one thing every day that scares you. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
This was clearly one of those times where I had to do that one thing that scared me. So off I went to the shooting range.
The noise was deafening, even with the little mushy ear plugs in my ears. With the exception of me and my two gun slinging female friends, the range was men only.
I was surprised to discover how friendly and helpful the guys at the shooting range were. Joe, a retired IBM engineer, guided me through every facet of the rifle I was about to shoot. He showed me how to properly use my “elbows on the table” to support the rifle so that my trigger finger would do all the work. It took a while to settle myself down and look through the scope at the target. The safety was still on, so the gun wouldn’t shoot. I had to steady myself and focus on the target in the crosshairs. Every breath or slight movement shifted the gun away from the target.
Finally, I took a deep breath, emptied my mind, focused on the target, switched off the safety and pulled the trigger. It was more of a POP than a BOOM thanks to the headphones over my ear plugs. Done! Now that I had gotten that out of the way, I could start to focus on my next 4 shots (there are 5 shots in a clip) and attempt to hit the middle of the target.
I was surprised at what incredible focus it required to shoot the rifle and get your shot within the target. All in all, I shot 20 rounds of ammunition. I hit the center of the target consistently. I chalk that up to beginner’s mind. And the fact that I was sitting at a table shooting the rifle.
Next week, I’m going back for more shooting practice. ‘Cause ya never know when this skill might come in handy, right?
- Me with a .22 Ruger rifle. Ready, aim, fire.
