Frank P.
Member
Hello, I am new to this forum although my friend has sent me quite a few threads over the past few months and i have found them highly interesting. However the real reason im posting now is that i have very recently written an essay for an college composition course. The essay assingment was to pick an artifact that has some meaning to yourself, describe it, write a short story about it and analyze what you have learned from your artifact. Naturally i chose my S&W 9mm pistol since, shooting it is one of my favorite past times, so i turn in the essay and my Proffesor gives me a B on it and writes, if you make some of the corrections on the essay perhaps a Gun magazine would publish your essay. I then sent my essay to my friend who visits this site often and told me i should post it on here, so thats what i wish to do, i would like any feed back, negative positive on the essay and your thoughts if it could make it into a gun magazine. Thanks alot, Frank.
I stand there, hands perfectly fitting the cool, coarse grip; the polished black steel reflecting the sunlight off the four-inch long barrel. The weight feels strangely comforting in my sweaty hands. A surge of excitement rushes through my body. I look downrange through the back sight until I spy the front sight perfectly in tune with the target exactly fifty feet in front of me. My pointer finger tentatively moves from the trigger guard until it is gently caressing the curved piece of steel that is the trigger. I take a deep breath and hold it, my hand slightly shaking with the uncertainty of how this will feel. I slowly squeeze the trigger, letting my breath slowly exit my lips as the loud “bang†rips through the peacefulness of my thoughts. My heart misses a beat as the smoke of the gunpowder fills my nostrils with the acrid smell of exploded gunpowder. My heart is beating twice as fast now from the excitement of the power in my hands. I love the feeling. I need more. I squeeze the trigger again. The feeling of excitement increases; the feeling of uncertainty diminishes rapidly. I fire six more rounds and every round expelled from the barrel seems to heighten my excitement. No longer am I shaking from nervousness; now it’s pure excitement and adrenaline rushing through my veins as I press the magazine release button. I reload the magazine somehow with shaky hands, savoring the feeling of pushing each round down until all eight rounds are in the magazine and I slam the magazine into the grip, ready for the next round of adrenaline.
Many people disapprove of or even hate guns. These people claim guns are nothing more than tools of murder and mayhem, used by heinous people to slay the innocent, or young ignorant kids to maim or kill their friends by accident. I, however, do not share this point of view; in fact I totally disagree with this point of view. Guns are just tools used; like matches that start forest fires, it’s the person who is the problem not the gun itself. I look at my nine millimeter Smith & Wesson semi automatic pistol as a tool, a mentor of life’s lessons for me. Important lessons from my pistol, lessons in safety, responsibility, discipline, respect, and the privilege of being an American and enjoying all the rights I am given by the Constitution.
Many deaths from guns are by accident and from the misuse of the firearm stemming from ignorance. A person must know all the rules of shooting, and at least the basic features of the gun before handling it. I learned every one of the rules by going to a class, along with shooting with expert marksmen who have been shooting for most of their lives. While shooting a gun I prefer to follow all the rules, using responsibility just as I do while operating other potentially deadly weapons like my car or speedboat. I try to drive the speed limit and buckle up, or to always wear a life vest in the boat. Using my gun and following all, the rules like never aiming the gun at anyone, loaded or not, enforces my use of rules everywhere else in my daily life.
Another important lesson I learned from my pistol is respect. After firing the pistol and feeling the unadulterated power unleashed from the firearm I found a deep respect for it. No longer is a gun just a toy to have fun with; and it is now much more, and it cannot be treated dismissively. I practice this respect with everything that is dangerous, not only with the pistol itself. Consider a car for instance; one must have utmost respect for the power and dangers it can bring. A person must not push his luck in a car or he may cause a life- threatening accident to himself or others on the road; this is just the same as a shooter at a range who must have respect for the gun, or he could cause an accident to himself or other shooters.
I have also learned a lot about discipline from shooting my pistol. I learned discipline mostly in practicing with my guns to improve my marksmanship. At first my shooting was dismal; I was frankly embarrassed as bullets strayed all over the range-- I even hit another shooter’s target a few times. However, the embarrassment and the fact that I was less then perfect at shooting didn’t stop me from going to the range and blasting a few hundred more rounds. Slowly, I have become a better and better shot; no longer do my bullets stray their courses to other targets. Now I always hit my target, but not always in the bull’s eye. This discipline of sticking to it and not giving up has helped me in many ways, from sticking to a healthier diet to staying on track with my schoolwork. No matter what gets in the way, I take the challenge and overcome it.
Perhaps one of the greatest things I learned from my pistol is how fortunate I am to be living in the United States of America and the importance of the Constitution to the citizens of this nation. I enjoy all my constitutional rights; I like to write what I feel, without the fear of governmental punishment. I like to practice whichever religion I feel like practicing without being burned at the stake for heresy. I am fond of the idea that I can speak my mind without being labeled a threat to the government and hanged for treason. I love the fact that I can own and shoot my pistol without being arrested. This is what makes the United States of America great, the constitutional rights of the American citizen.
In conclusion, the manufacturing of a fine firearm accurately depicts what I have learned from my Smith & Wesson Pistol. A gunmaker must make sure the gun is safe enough for sale, just as a person must make sure he knows all the safety rules before handling the firearm. The manufacturer must have the discipline of overcoming all challenges in the production of the firearms, no matter how big or small the problem they face is, just as the new shooter must have the discipline of keep practicing no matter how poor he might seem at hitting the target at first. The gunmakers must have respect and pride in their firearms, as the shooter must respect the power of his pistol. The manufacturer also must know that they are selling the guns to citizens of a nation that have the rights to own and use the firearm the company makes, just as the shooter must know that the reason he or she is able to own that gun is because the Constitution states that he or she has certain unalienable rights, that include the right of free speech, free press, freedom of religion and the right to own a gun. I have learned a lot about life and myself due to my pistol and I am thankful for it and the knowledge and experience it has given me.
I stand there, hands perfectly fitting the cool, coarse grip; the polished black steel reflecting the sunlight off the four-inch long barrel. The weight feels strangely comforting in my sweaty hands. A surge of excitement rushes through my body. I look downrange through the back sight until I spy the front sight perfectly in tune with the target exactly fifty feet in front of me. My pointer finger tentatively moves from the trigger guard until it is gently caressing the curved piece of steel that is the trigger. I take a deep breath and hold it, my hand slightly shaking with the uncertainty of how this will feel. I slowly squeeze the trigger, letting my breath slowly exit my lips as the loud “bang†rips through the peacefulness of my thoughts. My heart misses a beat as the smoke of the gunpowder fills my nostrils with the acrid smell of exploded gunpowder. My heart is beating twice as fast now from the excitement of the power in my hands. I love the feeling. I need more. I squeeze the trigger again. The feeling of excitement increases; the feeling of uncertainty diminishes rapidly. I fire six more rounds and every round expelled from the barrel seems to heighten my excitement. No longer am I shaking from nervousness; now it’s pure excitement and adrenaline rushing through my veins as I press the magazine release button. I reload the magazine somehow with shaky hands, savoring the feeling of pushing each round down until all eight rounds are in the magazine and I slam the magazine into the grip, ready for the next round of adrenaline.
Many people disapprove of or even hate guns. These people claim guns are nothing more than tools of murder and mayhem, used by heinous people to slay the innocent, or young ignorant kids to maim or kill their friends by accident. I, however, do not share this point of view; in fact I totally disagree with this point of view. Guns are just tools used; like matches that start forest fires, it’s the person who is the problem not the gun itself. I look at my nine millimeter Smith & Wesson semi automatic pistol as a tool, a mentor of life’s lessons for me. Important lessons from my pistol, lessons in safety, responsibility, discipline, respect, and the privilege of being an American and enjoying all the rights I am given by the Constitution.
Many deaths from guns are by accident and from the misuse of the firearm stemming from ignorance. A person must know all the rules of shooting, and at least the basic features of the gun before handling it. I learned every one of the rules by going to a class, along with shooting with expert marksmen who have been shooting for most of their lives. While shooting a gun I prefer to follow all the rules, using responsibility just as I do while operating other potentially deadly weapons like my car or speedboat. I try to drive the speed limit and buckle up, or to always wear a life vest in the boat. Using my gun and following all, the rules like never aiming the gun at anyone, loaded or not, enforces my use of rules everywhere else in my daily life.
Another important lesson I learned from my pistol is respect. After firing the pistol and feeling the unadulterated power unleashed from the firearm I found a deep respect for it. No longer is a gun just a toy to have fun with; and it is now much more, and it cannot be treated dismissively. I practice this respect with everything that is dangerous, not only with the pistol itself. Consider a car for instance; one must have utmost respect for the power and dangers it can bring. A person must not push his luck in a car or he may cause a life- threatening accident to himself or others on the road; this is just the same as a shooter at a range who must have respect for the gun, or he could cause an accident to himself or other shooters.
I have also learned a lot about discipline from shooting my pistol. I learned discipline mostly in practicing with my guns to improve my marksmanship. At first my shooting was dismal; I was frankly embarrassed as bullets strayed all over the range-- I even hit another shooter’s target a few times. However, the embarrassment and the fact that I was less then perfect at shooting didn’t stop me from going to the range and blasting a few hundred more rounds. Slowly, I have become a better and better shot; no longer do my bullets stray their courses to other targets. Now I always hit my target, but not always in the bull’s eye. This discipline of sticking to it and not giving up has helped me in many ways, from sticking to a healthier diet to staying on track with my schoolwork. No matter what gets in the way, I take the challenge and overcome it.
Perhaps one of the greatest things I learned from my pistol is how fortunate I am to be living in the United States of America and the importance of the Constitution to the citizens of this nation. I enjoy all my constitutional rights; I like to write what I feel, without the fear of governmental punishment. I like to practice whichever religion I feel like practicing without being burned at the stake for heresy. I am fond of the idea that I can speak my mind without being labeled a threat to the government and hanged for treason. I love the fact that I can own and shoot my pistol without being arrested. This is what makes the United States of America great, the constitutional rights of the American citizen.
In conclusion, the manufacturing of a fine firearm accurately depicts what I have learned from my Smith & Wesson Pistol. A gunmaker must make sure the gun is safe enough for sale, just as a person must make sure he knows all the safety rules before handling the firearm. The manufacturer must have the discipline of overcoming all challenges in the production of the firearms, no matter how big or small the problem they face is, just as the new shooter must have the discipline of keep practicing no matter how poor he might seem at hitting the target at first. The gunmakers must have respect and pride in their firearms, as the shooter must respect the power of his pistol. The manufacturer also must know that they are selling the guns to citizens of a nation that have the rights to own and use the firearm the company makes, just as the shooter must know that the reason he or she is able to own that gun is because the Constitution states that he or she has certain unalienable rights, that include the right of free speech, free press, freedom of religion and the right to own a gun. I have learned a lot about life and myself due to my pistol and I am thankful for it and the knowledge and experience it has given me.
