MacTech
Member
My local R&G club partnered up with my local gunshop this weekend to sponsor an "introduction to shooting for women" course today, so the range was closed to members until this afternoon, to give these new shooters the maximum amount of trigger time, I rolled up at around 12:30 PM, and the seminar was due to stop at 1 PM
It didn't bother me in the least, I just wish I could have helped out with the event, I let the range officers know that, and they were quite appreciative, considering they started late because a couple of the instructors showed up late....
anyway, I watched the new shooters on the trap range for a bit, and it was great watching their reactions and progress
at first, every new shooter approached the shotgun (single shot break-barrel, a couple 12 gauges, a couple 20 gauges and a 28 gauge) timidly, and held the gun loosely, afraid it would "just go off" or something, they were instructed to hold the firearm properly, keep it pointed downrange, the guns were unloaded at first, and a few clays were launched so they could get the hang of sighting in and anticipating the shot
once the shooter was comfortable with the gun, it was handed to the trainer, loaded, then handed back to the shooter (I would have instructed them how to load the gun themselves if I was instructing....), they were instructed to thumb the hammer back when ready to shoot and yell "pull" when ready
If you've never seen a first time shooter's reaction when they bust a bird, it's infectious, the first shooter, a young woman in her late 20's, thin and athletic, downed the bird on her first shot, and let out an enthusiastic whoop of triumph!, safe to say that she was hooked, she did quite well for a first timer, 3 hits out of 5, and her grin as she left the range could have lit up half the planet
the pattern was the same for each new shooter, timidly approaching the unloaded gun, learning how to point and fire it, and then celebration when they busted a bird midflight, even the couple who never scored hits still had huge beaming grins as they left the range to grab some food
I heard a couple of them in passing remark "that was the most fun I've ever had in my life!"
I was watching a new group of shooters appear before my eyes, they were hooked, laughing, joking, having a grand old time, comparing who had the bigger shoulder bruises, and most likely, planning their first firearm purchase and next trip to the range
they went from fearing guns, to actually enjoying them and seeing that they were simply tools, not evil objects to be feared, but tools that must be respected, they learned that guns don't "just go off", and that firearm owners are not "scary, evil people", but normal people just like themselves, and they have learned to love a new sport
And Og forbid, if they're ever put into a situation where they have to use a firearm defensively, they now have at least the basic required knowledge to do so safely
I think I might just have to call up a couple of new freinds I met at work, see if either Dee or Katherine would be interested in going to the range
It didn't bother me in the least, I just wish I could have helped out with the event, I let the range officers know that, and they were quite appreciative, considering they started late because a couple of the instructors showed up late....
anyway, I watched the new shooters on the trap range for a bit, and it was great watching their reactions and progress
at first, every new shooter approached the shotgun (single shot break-barrel, a couple 12 gauges, a couple 20 gauges and a 28 gauge) timidly, and held the gun loosely, afraid it would "just go off" or something, they were instructed to hold the firearm properly, keep it pointed downrange, the guns were unloaded at first, and a few clays were launched so they could get the hang of sighting in and anticipating the shot
once the shooter was comfortable with the gun, it was handed to the trainer, loaded, then handed back to the shooter (I would have instructed them how to load the gun themselves if I was instructing....), they were instructed to thumb the hammer back when ready to shoot and yell "pull" when ready
If you've never seen a first time shooter's reaction when they bust a bird, it's infectious, the first shooter, a young woman in her late 20's, thin and athletic, downed the bird on her first shot, and let out an enthusiastic whoop of triumph!, safe to say that she was hooked, she did quite well for a first timer, 3 hits out of 5, and her grin as she left the range could have lit up half the planet
the pattern was the same for each new shooter, timidly approaching the unloaded gun, learning how to point and fire it, and then celebration when they busted a bird midflight, even the couple who never scored hits still had huge beaming grins as they left the range to grab some food
I heard a couple of them in passing remark "that was the most fun I've ever had in my life!"
I was watching a new group of shooters appear before my eyes, they were hooked, laughing, joking, having a grand old time, comparing who had the bigger shoulder bruises, and most likely, planning their first firearm purchase and next trip to the range
they went from fearing guns, to actually enjoying them and seeing that they were simply tools, not evil objects to be feared, but tools that must be respected, they learned that guns don't "just go off", and that firearm owners are not "scary, evil people", but normal people just like themselves, and they have learned to love a new sport
And Og forbid, if they're ever put into a situation where they have to use a firearm defensively, they now have at least the basic required knowledge to do so safely
I think I might just have to call up a couple of new freinds I met at work, see if either Dee or Katherine would be interested in going to the range
