Are You Thinking About Buying A Gun, Ma'am? Part 1

I was seven, maybe eight years old when my dad forgot to put his gun away for the first time. We lived by ourselves in a small 2 bedroom home with minimal furnishings, so the gun stuck out like a sore thumb. I walked into the kitchen and there it was; cold, hard steel laying on the other side of the room. It was a Ruger GP100 .357 magnum. I recognized that it was a revolver from watching Western movies with him. I knew only two things about that gun: that you could pop the barrel out and spin it, and not to touch it. I knew that even in all of my curiosity that I was not to pick it up.

So I stood paralyzed in fear, as its trajectory blocked the path between myself and the kitchen, where a snack was awaiting. I stood there. Staring at it. Wondering if it could just accidentally go off. I pictured it firing by itself in my mind.

I was interrupted only by my Dad coming in from the garage, and he noticed quickly that it was out. He said, "Don't touch that, it'll kill you," in his stern voice. I remember thinking, I know, Dad.

I remember it like it was yesterday.

Later that evening I remember asking my dad why he had guns in the house. I told him I thought they were dangerous and that they scared me. He asked me why, and I told him I was scared because a gun could kill me.

At first he laughed! I was struck by the sound. But then he said something that changed my entire perception of guns.

"Not by itself, it can't. It's no different than a screw driver. It's just a tool, boo."

Less than a year or so later, I found myself out at the gun range with him, firing my first gun. This was preceded by weeks worth of preparation; I asked a lot of questions, he answered a lot more. He asked me questions to make sure I was listening. I felt like I got a crash course in gun handling and ownership before I ever had a gun in my hands.

He quizzed me. Where do you always point the gun? In a safe direction, until you're ready to fire. Where do you put your finger when you hold a gun? Never on the trigger, until you're ready to shoot. What do you do if you pull the trigger and the gun doesn't go off? Buy better ammo.. er, wait for 10 seconds for a misfire, and then discharge and reload. What do you always need to be aware of before you fire? What is behind your target. How do you... the questions went on. When I finally couldn't take it anymore, we went to the range.

Like a dance we had rehearsed, armed with a shot gun, protective eye wear and headphones, I prepared to stand behind the trigger and pull it for the first time. He was standing right behind me, showing me how I should position the gun, and warning me about the recoil.

"The gun should surprise you when it goes off. Center yourself, align your front and rear sights, put your finger on the trigger, and pull back slowly."

I did as he said, took a deep breath in and steadied myself, closed one eye and BOOM!!


Part 2 to follow.