Shooting a Gun
It literally took years to get to the point where I thought I was ready to shoot a gun. Guns have always scared me. We’ve all seen the damage a gun can do and they have always made me extremely uncomfortable, so this one was a biggie. Before we even went to the range, Kevin had me hold is gun, a Springfield XDS .45, and I was nervous to the point of tears just being around it. Again, I swallowed my fears and we went to Shooter’s World in The Villages. We walked around a little bit waiting for our appointment time to go on the range and we looked at the guns they had there.
Since it was my first time shooting a gun, he suggested we rent Smith and Wesson Body Guard .380 for me because it was smaller and would have less recoil. We got our targets and entered the range. It was loud even with ear protection. The closest I’ve ever heard a gun was when there was a shooting at the house behind mine a few years ago and it had absolutely terrified me (granted, it was 3am and I’d never heard a gun that close before). I think the only other time I’ve even heard a gun was while out running in the Ocala National Forest and hearing the outdoor shooting range.
Kevin hung up our target and pushed it backwards. He went first because I was afraid and shot his gun and then a few with the rented one. Then it was my turn. It was SCARY. The shells were pinging around and I even got hit in the head with them a few times! I shot his gun a few times and that was even more scary. I think I may have had my eyes open for less than 5 of the shots on his. I’m very grateful we rented the smaller gun for me.
After going through several boxes of ammo, we called it good and left the range. By that time, I was much more comfortable with it, but it is definitely not something I will do again.
