I decided to write the poor guy:
I might ask you why you even went to that range at all. I'm not what you would consider a gunny, not in experience, anyway. I've shot, maybe three different kinds of guns, five at the most, so I'm not that experienced. You shot a gun in Boy Scouts once? I'm a Boy Scout, of 16, and I thought it was curious why they included such activities as Rifle and Shotgun merit badges when they wouldn't include something like Karate or Paintball. I got an answer:
Guns aren't designed to kill people.
It's that simple. Boy Scouts don't have a Hunting Merit Badge (okay, now they do, but it's with cameras, and you "shoot" by taking a picture), they don't have a Paintball Merit Badge, they don't have a Karate Merit Badge, and they don't have a Self-Defence Merit Badge. Why? Are Boy Scouts against killing people? No. They do it because the BSA is responsible, at least in a small part, for the raising of these kids. The experiences that kids have at Boy Scouts will live with them throughout their lives. But they do have shooting. Why? In Boy Scouts, the targets are simple circles. You are not allowed in BS to shoot at a man-shaped target. I once (2002-ish) wanted to shoot at a target with Osama drawn on it. Whey wouldn't let me. So I took one of my good targets and drew Osama on it anyway. I was young and there was alot of that sort of thing going around at the time, being just after 9/11. The point is, the BSA allows shooting because it is a good, fun activity, and it teaches discipline, care, and prudence. I wouldn't be half the man I am today if it weren't for my excellent rangemaster in my Rifle Merit Badge class.
"This here's the easiest to start with. It's got less kick so it's easier to control."
A .357 magnum revolver is easy to control. He loaded it with .38 Special rounds (which are the weakest loads for that weapon, often used by anyone getting accustomed to firearms), so he was being courteous to you. He didn't hand you the biggest .50 AE Desert Eagle that the range had just so that he could laugh at you. The one guy wasn't saying that his niece could shoot it because he wanted to feel like he had a bigger cock than you, he said it because you were obviously scared. You'd only touched a gun once before, and it showed. It always does. I've seen many people go to a range and pick up a weapon with so much trepidation, you'd have thought that they were being asked to wrestle a lion. I'd also like to poitn out that you didn't ask for any other range instruction. They probably didn't want to make you feel any more uncomfortable that you already were. If you'd asked, I know I'd have given it to you, and I'd be shocked if they wouldn't have.
"I decide now's not the time to mention that children can't accidentally kill themselves by playing with seat belts and a fire can't steal your fire extinguisher and use it against you."
That's where you're wrong.
When improperly educated about the correct use of a seatbelt, a child can often strangle his/her self by slipping down and catching his/her neck on the shoulder restraint. Just like accidents with firearms, they both stem from parental neglect and error. Both are preventable, nigh eliminatable, with good parenting.
As for the "stealing a gun and using it against you", honestly, if your family, friends or anyone else were in direct danger and you had a firearm, would you be so... incompetent to let them take that weapon from you? I wouldn't, and I'm not some 300-pound bodyguard. Also, what criminal do you know who is so stupid as to attempt to? Their life is in direct danger, all they really care about is their life, chances escalate if they attempt that sort of stunt, so the only conclusion that I can come up with is that they would back off.
As for the noise level, yep, guns are loud. Very loud. That's why I want my government to make it much, much easier to get suppressors. You know that they take a $200 tax to get right now? That's ridiculous. You want to save your ears? Push for better suppressor legislation.
"Some people feel powerful with a pistol in their hand; I feel terror."
Well, that's your problem, isn't it? A gun is not the One Ring, my friend. It is not a slithering rattlesnake, intent on pumping your heart with venom. It is a carefully shaped piece of metal, wood, plastic, and smokeless powder, designed to push another piece of metal forward at high speed. Nothing more. The intent, the heroism or evil, comes from the person behind it. Do not feel terror, feel whatever you are feeling at the time. I feel enjoyment, because shooting is enjoyable to me.
As for running out of luck before running out of fingers, if you had bothered to ask the rangemaster for further instruction, you might not be so jittery and thus more likely to accidentally shoot yourself or someone else.
Why didn't you hit your target? You jumped. You were scared of the gun, and you can't hit crap if you are scared of your weapon. Guns are effective, but only as effective as the individual behind them, your story proves that admirably.
May you never find yourself in a situation dire, or as a witness to such.
Best wishes,
-Nate
p.s.
Don't mind the "fidelcastro" tag, it's an inside joke, about a jacket of mine.
Some of what I said is put a little funny, but I think it helped make my point.
Doesn't make me a "manly man" like the rest of you he-men who were born knowing how to run a .500 S&W in each hand. 
) but because I frequently carry that J frame and need to keep my skills up with the ammo I'll shoot if I ever really need it.
