rainbowbob
Member
"I'd like to learn how to shoot a gun. Can we go to a range?"
Without recounting our entire history, I will simply say that my wife has been virulently anti-firearm in the past. I mean hoplophobic to the nth degree.
To be fair, we've been married 35 years, and I didn't become a firearm owner and an avid proponent of firearm self-defense until three years ago. It didn't sit well with her at the time, and we had some pretty good "discussions" about it (and by discussions I do mean hysterical shouting matches).
Since then she has calmed down and has become comfortable enough with me being armed, but has never expressed much interest in shooting. I convinced her once to hold and dry-fire a revolver, but she wasn't interested in learning to shoot.
This afternoon - out of the blue - my wife says; "I want to tell you about a dream I had...it was so real. I was napping on the couch (in reality and in her dream) and dreamed I heard a noise and looked out the door and saw a man crouching down trying to conceal himself. I was surprised at how calmly I was able to walk down the hall, open the safe, and retrieve a handgun. Then it occurred to me that I've never fired a handgun and don't know how to use one. Then I woke up."
"I think it's time I learned how to defend myself. What if you were incapacitated or not here? I don't want to have to sit here helpless waiting for the police."
I replied she was preaching to the choir! I told her I believed it is every one's personal responsibility to be prepared to defend themselves. I suggested the calm determination she felt in her dream came from her decision to defend herself and not be a victim, and the knowledge that the tools to do so are at her disposal. Now it's time to learn how to use them.
Ironically, this morning I was looking at the schedule for classes at the Firearms Academy of Seattle (with two locations - neither in Seattle) because I am always interested in getting more training.
First step: A handling and dry-firing session.
Second step: A trip to the range with a couple of revolvers; a .22 and a .38.
Third step: An introductory course at FAS.
I'm not predicting she will get a CPL and a carry weapon, or start shooting IDPA any time soon...but I wouldn't have predicted she would ever make the choice to learn to shoot either.
At the very least, she will learn how to shoot the defensive handguns in the safe and acquire the confidence that she can defend herself against a home invasion.
The horrific and much-publicized Petit case had a big influence on her - as I suspect it has had on many women.
Without recounting our entire history, I will simply say that my wife has been virulently anti-firearm in the past. I mean hoplophobic to the nth degree.
To be fair, we've been married 35 years, and I didn't become a firearm owner and an avid proponent of firearm self-defense until three years ago. It didn't sit well with her at the time, and we had some pretty good "discussions" about it (and by discussions I do mean hysterical shouting matches).
Since then she has calmed down and has become comfortable enough with me being armed, but has never expressed much interest in shooting. I convinced her once to hold and dry-fire a revolver, but she wasn't interested in learning to shoot.
This afternoon - out of the blue - my wife says; "I want to tell you about a dream I had...it was so real. I was napping on the couch (in reality and in her dream) and dreamed I heard a noise and looked out the door and saw a man crouching down trying to conceal himself. I was surprised at how calmly I was able to walk down the hall, open the safe, and retrieve a handgun. Then it occurred to me that I've never fired a handgun and don't know how to use one. Then I woke up."
"I think it's time I learned how to defend myself. What if you were incapacitated or not here? I don't want to have to sit here helpless waiting for the police."
I replied she was preaching to the choir! I told her I believed it is every one's personal responsibility to be prepared to defend themselves. I suggested the calm determination she felt in her dream came from her decision to defend herself and not be a victim, and the knowledge that the tools to do so are at her disposal. Now it's time to learn how to use them.
Ironically, this morning I was looking at the schedule for classes at the Firearms Academy of Seattle (with two locations - neither in Seattle) because I am always interested in getting more training.
First step: A handling and dry-firing session.
Second step: A trip to the range with a couple of revolvers; a .22 and a .38.
Third step: An introductory course at FAS.
I'm not predicting she will get a CPL and a carry weapon, or start shooting IDPA any time soon...but I wouldn't have predicted she would ever make the choice to learn to shoot either.
At the very least, she will learn how to shoot the defensive handguns in the safe and acquire the confidence that she can defend herself against a home invasion.
The horrific and much-publicized Petit case had a big influence on her - as I suspect it has had on many women.
I've known others that have happened into a bad situation, then changed their point of view drastically. For those people, they saw the light and realized that a phone call to the police just might not save their life when facing an eminent threat. They realized they are tasked with protecting themselves, not the police or someone else. Your wife sounds like the latter.
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