What learning how to shoot a gun taught me
I’ve always believed (perhaps from being a police officer’s daughter? Or maybe just from watching too many zombie / apocalyptic movies) that knowing how to shoot a gun, and having a basic knowledge of the various parts of a gun, are important life skills.
Earlier this month, I finally had the opportunity to learn how to shoot! But what I wasn’t expecting was how much I learned beyond simply how to shoot a gun:
- Respect. Growing up, we never really played much with toy guns. Seeing a gun up close and handling it was incredibly humbling. I felt a great deal of respect for the weapon, and having that sort of healthy respect made me appreciate the lesson that much more.
- Controlling fear. I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I was afraid when I first held a gun. It was completely terrifying to realize that I was holding an instrument that kills. But understanding the basic components of the weapon, and learning how to properly hold it and pull the trigger, was an empowering experience. It enabled me to control the fear I had and move past it.
- Focus. When you are in stance, holding the gun, and pointing it at a target, you forget everything else. I find it embarrassing how difficult it is for me to focus during meditation and to focus on just one thing in our multi-tasking society, but when I was learning how to shoot, it was the only thing I was thinking about. Realizing the power in the gun was just the thing I needed to keep me utterly focused on my task.
- Confidence. By the time I had shot rounds from two pistols and a revolver, I had gained confidence in loading the gun, handling it safely, aiming, and shooting. And that gave me confidence in myself.
Have you ever been shooting? What did it teach you? Share in the comments section below!
YES!!!
once and it was with a boyfriend who is now my husband 🙂
I was curious and for me—once was plenty.
I am ALL about satisfying curiosity 🙂
I would really like to learn, hard to explain why as I can’t see it coming up as a useful skill in my life, barring zombie apocalypse and all. I don’t think my gal would be comfortable with us having a gun in the house, and given the statistics on safety vs protection, she’s probably right.
But sounds like it was a great learning experience!
I definitely would NOT want a gun in the house. It feels like that’s just asking for trouble.
And I’m pretty sure zombie apocalypse is an EXCELLENT reason to learn 😉
(Ooh, I feel a preparing-for-the-zombie-apocalypse exercise routine coming soon…)
I’m quite comfortable with guns. I also would ban them completely if I had the power!