My first time at the shooting range.

Dan has been asking me for months since he got his gun to go with him to the shooting range.  I of course had the excuse of having the baby and not being able to go... but since my mom is here I had no more excuses and when I asked him what he wanted for his birthday he only had one request.
I hate guns, I don't feel any more secure with them than without them... it actually scares me more that there is a deadly weapon in my house.  Yes I know that the gun is safely sitting in a locked box but still.... maybe my fear of guns comes from a distant memory of when we were kids and we played with my father's gun thinking it wasn't real and later on were told that is was real (not sure if it was loaded).  In any case I went with him and was really OK with the idea until we pulled into the parking lot and the loud noise made it very real. I did not want to get out of the car and I think by that point Dan was getting very embarrassed... I made it into the building but jut barely, it was loud and I kept jumping with every single noise I heard.  We walked all the way out into the actual spot where you shoot and even with the ear plugs it was still loud and the casing kept flying every where, I got hit by those things in the face, shoulder, back...
We found a spot where it wasn't as crowded and started to set up but the one thing I could not figure out was how in the world we were going to put the targets out there, every body was shooting...  Dan calmed me down by explaining that they all stop shooting and then tell you it is OK to go and pin your target int he field... I was a mess I know.

We finally got our targets out there and Dan explained carefully how to load it and point and shoot.  I am telling you the first time was so scary and I kept jumping still, it took me a long time to finally feel comfortable with it and the noise but it eventually got better.  I do have to say that I am proud of myself for not being so bad at hitting the target. Dan says I was actually doing better than him but he is so competitive that in the end he did do way better than me.


All in all I have to admit that it was fun and I will probably go back with him in a few months.  I still don't like the idea of holding the power to take life in my hands and I don't think that I will ever be able to shoot any one even if my life depends on it.  And I don't know how soldier deal with bullets flying by them and the noise... it is SO LOUD!!!


I took this picture because I told Dan that these spots appeared to be blood, he said it wasn't but I am pretty sure what blood looks like and we were at a shooting range, chances are accidents happen... maybe some other lady got too nervous and accidentally shot herself in the hand???