Goal 31: Shoot a Gun, Accomplished!





Another goal accomplished! 10 out of 40, actually - a quarter of the way!



I shot a gun. A .22 caliber!

This whole experience brought up so many things for me (facing fears on my own, The American gun experience, America's obsession and divide on gun issues) - but - I loved it. Way more than I expected.

So how did this even become a goal?

I was raised in a very strict anti-gun household. Not only were no toy guns allowed in my house, no one was allowed to even use other toys and pretend they were guns. When I asked the instructor to take a photo of me with my first shot, I said, "My mom is going to be so disappointed in me!" Sure enough her response to the photo was, "Omg! Daughter of a hippie!"

When I was teaching in Japan, though, I had so many students that went to America and went to shooting ranges to try shooting - An American experience. And a uniquely American experience in some ways. So many students would assume I was a gun owner because I'm American. They were shocked to find out I'd never shot or held a gun. At first I thought it was crazy that these students were coming to the States and taking time out of their trip to go to a shooting range. But eventually I started wondering why these Japanese students were open to the experience and I wasn't? So, my goal was set.


I learned so much more from it than I ever expected.

The Experience.

I found a Living Social deal for half off a beginner lesson at a place in Rockville (Gilbert Indoor Range), just outside of DC. There was a video lesson, a test on gun safety, and then hands on lessons about the mechanics of the gun, followed by going out on the range.

The whole set up was great for me. I loved the slow approach. I found myself super nervous going in. I was on my own - no one to nervous giggle with. No one to crack jokes with. No one to share in my terrible or awesome bullseye hitting.



I got to shoot at various distances - 10, 15, 20, and 30 feet.

The instructor was a middle aged guy, former military. His daughter had just given birth to his first grandchild that night. Yet, here he was: Sharp, kind, patient. He was so supportive with lots of positive reinforcement. And lots of little quizzes. I was the only one in the class - so we went at my pace - it was unhurried, but not dull.



I was surprised how heavy the gun was and how heavy the elements of the gun were - the bolt release, the magazine release, the safety. I was surprised how tired my arms got holding it out for a long time and how quickly my eyes got blurry.



Me & My First shot! I was so relieved that I hit the paper at all - let alone anywhere near the target!

A few reflections.


Facing the fear of shooting a guy, by myself was interesting. I had way more nervous butterflies than I expected. "These are real guns, Dummy," kept going through my head. "Anything can happen!" When they kept calling it a HOT range (because people fire whenever they want not at all at the same time), it made me kind of wish I had someone with me. When the instructor told me I was going to shoot the last 40 rounds by myself, I thought, "But, who's going to cover my six?!" But - wouldn't you know it - of course, I felt all that much stronger having gone alone and made it through.


All the gun issues kept swirling. Gun violence in America is a source of pretty big frustration for me - so what  was I doing going to a gun range? But how can I go bananas about something constitutionally protected that I haven't even tried?


When the uber driver taking me from the metro to the range called and asked where I was going - I said I was going to a shooting range, he was like, "Whoa" as in ... I was wondering if I was going to need to call another ride. On the other hand, the uber driver who picked me up when it was over talked to me about it. I told him, I was raised anti-gun; almost knee jerk reaction, he was like - "I'm pro gun ...I'm conservative, and I'm pro gun, and I think the NRA does a lot in the country to defend gun safety." - but then said he'd never shot one! We ended up talking about the lesson and the experience - it was actually really nice.


In my brief discussion with uber driver #2, I said that I thought both sides try to make a very nuanced argument way too simple. Anti-gun Liberals are crazy to say or imply that no one should have a gun. An Oregon judge recently said that all guns should be thrown in the ocean. I completely understand the sentiment. And while I would love to live in a world where we could abolish all guns and weapons, that's not the world we live in. A lot of liberals aren't saying that we need to take them all but it can seem like that's all that pro-gun conservatives hear sometimes. Similarly, just because you can arm yourself doesn't mean that you should be able to arm yourself with anything that you can label as a gun. Not all regulations are a slippery slope towards taking away all the guns, but I understand why it can feel that way. It's a messy, emotional subject and there are strong arguments on both sides.


I will say this, I bought my gun lesson for my birthday - and since then have been watching all these post-apocalyptic shows (Falling Skies, The Walking dead, The Fifth Wave, The Last Ship) - and I have to tell you, it made me really happy I had a gun lesson on the books.

Look at all those bullseyes!



Goal Met: I went outside my comfort zone.  I tried something new. I loved it. I learned a lot about me I didn't expect to. And, I'd go again tomorrow.