DeadMoneyDrew
Member
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2013
- Messages
- 265
Score one for the good guys! I took a new shooter to the range today and we had a fun time. I also got a reminder of how a gun owner who makes a poor decision can give us all a bad name.
My buddy works in sales and talks to lots of people on a daily basis, so he is a good person to have on the pro-gun side. Apparently he recently got to chatting with a barista at his regular coffee shop and learned that her boyfriend had taken her shooting, and that she seemed to have enjoyed it. He gave me a call and asked if I would take him to the range, so I happily obliged.
We spent a few minutes going over gun safety and the rules of the range. Then we hit the range and popped off some .22LR with my Ruger Single Ten. We then blasted away at some zombie paint targets with my Beretta M9.
My buddy loved every minute of it, and he wasn’t a bad shot either. He especially liked the Ruger since having to cock the hammer before every shot made it feel like an old cowboy movie gun, and he thought that the zombie splatter targets were an absolute hoot.
Afterward we stopped to grab some grub, and I picked his brain on his thoughts on his first experience handling a gun.
On the four safety rules: “Seem like common sense.”
On shooting as a sport: “That was a lot of fun and a lot easier than I thought it would be. I can see why people get serious about it. Be safe and be careful and it’s a lot of fun.”
On learning that he could not buy a gun at the place we visited and take it home with him, since we were across the state line: “Huh. There are a lot of weird laws on the books.”
On the AR-15 that the shooter in the lane next to us was firing: "I certainly wasn't expecting someone to be there with a submachine gun." He didn't say this with any negativity or hint of worry, but instead with a big crap-eating grin on his face. I didn't go into the whole assault weapon/machine gun/yadda yadda terminology but did explain a bit about the AR's history and how it works. My buddy's response: "Cool. I learn something new every day. But that guy was a terrible shot." (This was true. The dude with the AR looked as if he were just randomly yanking on the trigger.)
My buddy then told me that his landlord’s father recently did something that made him feel uncomfortable. My buddy arrived at the place he rents one night at the same time his landlord and the father were arriving. They heard a noise coming from inside the house and thought that someone had broken in, and the father “went inside with his gun” to investigate. The father is not a police officer. Apparently the father was open carrying and went into the house with his hand on the gun and ready to draw. What an idiot. :banghead:
I explained that my buddy was totally justified in feeling uncomfortable and that since there was no one in immediate danger, the father should never have gone into the house but rather should have ordered everyone away and then called the police. Thank goodness that it was a false alarm and there was no one in the house.
All in all it was a good experience, though. We are getting more folks over onto our side every day!
My buddy works in sales and talks to lots of people on a daily basis, so he is a good person to have on the pro-gun side. Apparently he recently got to chatting with a barista at his regular coffee shop and learned that her boyfriend had taken her shooting, and that she seemed to have enjoyed it. He gave me a call and asked if I would take him to the range, so I happily obliged.
We spent a few minutes going over gun safety and the rules of the range. Then we hit the range and popped off some .22LR with my Ruger Single Ten. We then blasted away at some zombie paint targets with my Beretta M9.
My buddy loved every minute of it, and he wasn’t a bad shot either. He especially liked the Ruger since having to cock the hammer before every shot made it feel like an old cowboy movie gun, and he thought that the zombie splatter targets were an absolute hoot.
Afterward we stopped to grab some grub, and I picked his brain on his thoughts on his first experience handling a gun.
On the four safety rules: “Seem like common sense.”
On shooting as a sport: “That was a lot of fun and a lot easier than I thought it would be. I can see why people get serious about it. Be safe and be careful and it’s a lot of fun.”
On learning that he could not buy a gun at the place we visited and take it home with him, since we were across the state line: “Huh. There are a lot of weird laws on the books.”
On the AR-15 that the shooter in the lane next to us was firing: "I certainly wasn't expecting someone to be there with a submachine gun." He didn't say this with any negativity or hint of worry, but instead with a big crap-eating grin on his face. I didn't go into the whole assault weapon/machine gun/yadda yadda terminology but did explain a bit about the AR's history and how it works. My buddy's response: "Cool. I learn something new every day. But that guy was a terrible shot." (This was true. The dude with the AR looked as if he were just randomly yanking on the trigger.)
My buddy then told me that his landlord’s father recently did something that made him feel uncomfortable. My buddy arrived at the place he rents one night at the same time his landlord and the father were arriving. They heard a noise coming from inside the house and thought that someone had broken in, and the father “went inside with his gun” to investigate. The father is not a police officer. Apparently the father was open carrying and went into the house with his hand on the gun and ready to draw. What an idiot. :banghead:
I explained that my buddy was totally justified in feeling uncomfortable and that since there was no one in immediate danger, the father should never have gone into the house but rather should have ordered everyone away and then called the police. Thank goodness that it was a false alarm and there was no one in the house.
All in all it was a good experience, though. We are getting more folks over onto our side every day!
