Posted on 11/26/2006 9:52:04 PM PST by Slings and Arrows
Just a few weeks after one of my fraternity brothers and his girlfriend were both abducted and gunned down by an armed felon I was given a special gift by a good friend. David Lee Odom knew I was nervous about passing by the murder site every Thursday night on my way to play a weekly gig – I was a professional musician at the time - in Tupelo, Mississippi. So he bought me a box of .38 re-loaders and invited me to shoot his Model 19 Smith and Wesson as his special guest at the Starkville Gun Club.
The results were predictable. Soon after spending a Saturday afternoon plinking with that Model 19, I was hounding David to take me back to the club to put a box of .357 magnum rounds through that rugged blue-steel revolver. After a couple of times out at the range, I bought the gun from him and he replaced it with a new .44 magnum.
Years later, I would pass the gun bug on to my wife. She was terrified of guns until I put her through a little systematic desensitization – probably the only practical technique I ever learned as a psychology major - that culminated in a trip to the gun range. First, I had her pass an empty gun case to me. Next, I had her pass a gun case with a .22 packed inside. Then, I asked her to look in the case to make sure the extra magazine was inside. Then, finally, I asked her to take out the unloaded Ruger Mark II and hand it to me.
Shortly after she started to handle firearms she realized they don’t make loud noises unless you load them and pull the trigger. In other words, my wife was ready for a trip to the gun range with that little Ruger, an empty Coke can, and a box of Remington .22 Subsonics. Although she pretended she wasn’t having the time of her life, my wife soon begged me to take her back out to the shooting range. It was on that second trip that she got to put some 110-grain, .38 caliber hydra-shocks through my snub nose .357 magnum. From seven yards out, her first shot hit the 10-ring. Her second shot went through the same hole. She later nicknamed that Smith and Wesson Model 640 “Smithy” and now claims it as her own. In fact, she won’t let me shoot it without her express permission. The days of her irrational fear of firearms are long gone.
Just two days ago I set aside a few hours to convert another gun-less friend into a gun lover. But this time I added a new twist to my usual routine. Before we hopped into my car – packed with a 12-gauge, a 30-06, a .357 magnum, a .45 ACP, a .40 S&W, and a .22 semi-automatic – I wrote him a check for $200.
Scott managed to hit the bulls eye from 100 yards with his first ever shot from a high-powered rifle. He handled the 12-gauge like it was a water pistol. And, best of all, he learned that the mid-sized Glock .40 is a perfect fit for his hand with just the right amount of recoil coming from a 180-grain hollow point.
When I handed Scott the check for $200 I reminded him it was enough for a Ruger 10/22 rifle and at least one brick (500 rounds) of ammunition. And, today, I’m asking all of my gun-loving readers to do the same thing for a friend this Christmas.
There’s about a 50% chance that a gun-less person will go buy a firearm if you take him out to the range for an afternoon of shooting. But there’s about a 100% chance he’ll go buy a firearm if you hand him a check for that express purpose. Just make sure you pick someone who is at least slightly to the left of you politically – I prefer moderates and those who “vote for the best person” – and you will soon have a fellow right-wing, gun-toting friend.
Just imagine what America would look like if we all did the same thing this Christmas. Before long there would be no more Democratic Congress, no more Speaker Pelosi, and no more Internal Revenue Service. Individual freedom would win out over collectivism one gun owner at a time.
You may say that I’m a dreamer. But I’m not the only one. I hope some day you’ll join me. And the whole Islamic world will know we live with guns.
Might I suggest more range time? You are right that target shooting is fun and a lot of ranges have ladies night where you only have to pay for your ammo.
Try different guns until you find one that feels comfortable. I recently tried a 12 ga. with a modified shorter stock and was surprised at how much easier it handled.
With hand guns it is the same thing you need one that fits you. If you are a 5'1" female who wears a size five shoe like I am then the traditional sized guns are not going to feel comfortable in your hands.
I took my wife to the range to shoot my .45 when we first started dating only to find out that she was a better shot than me, and I'm an ex-cop. Funny thing is, that she had never handled a firearm of any kind prior to that. I encouraged her by taking her several more times. She is 5'4 weighs 120 lbs dripping wet, and carries a Smith & Wesson J-frame .38 Special revolver all the time now.
What a tag line!
I think someone, somewhere, is getting his/her chain jerked! :-)
My wonderful son gave me (his momma) a 357 magnum Smith & Wesson revolver for Christmas several years ago. This year he is giving his new bride a vintage Smith & Wesson deer rifle with a new scope. Such a good boy! A true Southern gentleman.
Bang
Question. I had a chance (may still have) to pick up an S&W 5 shot Chiefs Special in 38 special (steel/nickle) for $350.00. Is this a good price?
That was Al Gore.
Ping.
I know plenty of Democrats that are armed to the teeth. It is BS that conservatives have all the guns.
5'2, size 5 1/2, until my daughter grew up I was the tallest female in my family LOL. My snake gun is a youth gun.
Sometimes things go right over my head, especially late at night, so if my chain was being jerked, I probably wouldn't know it. :-)
it's rapper name would be "Lil' Smitty".
LOL - Thanks, that's the picture I was remembering. I just remembered it as being Kerry because he's that stupid.
Question of the day - Kerry or Gore - which one is the bigger dumb*ss? Or, to phrase it another way, which one would you prefer to have in your foxhole?
Hmmm - maybe that could be a good 'Laurel and Hardy' type movie - "The Kerry and Gore Foxhole", LOL.
My S&W (which is a Hap family piece) goes by Smitty, and I love him!
Imagine is mocked on YouTube --- http://youtube.com/watch?v=65pXSBsbOkY
Same thing happened to me...
My wife who is of Hispanic heritage, who had never touched a gun before she met me...
Warmed up to the idea over time...
She qualified to carry concealed in our state, and made her first ever "gun purchase" at an "evil" gunshow here in Houston about 2 years ago...
I had no input in the selection, nor did I interfere, I only drove to the event...
She chose the NRA gun of the year with that purchase...
I only got to shoot one magazine through it, and never have been allowed to touch it again...hehehe
This Christmas I am actually buying her "big" gift this year, and it ain't jewelry! going to pick it up Thursday evening after work...
I'm sure I'll never get to shoot that sucker either...Drat it!
So the moral is...
[insert moral]
And no Steve jokes either!!! I'm a sensitive guy!!!
Yeah right...
I had a similar close call with my HK P7M8:
~~~~~~
While I was training my wife on my HK4, (with .380 barel installed) the old, oil-damaged Delrin recoil buffer "gave up the ghost". So -- I finished training her on my P7M8 and let her shoot the TX CHL qual with it. She shot within 10 points of max (250).
Then, I heard her on the phone with my our "#1 Son" that evening saying, "I love that P7 -- you just put that front white dot on target, line up the back white dots, and squeeze. Bullseye!"
I immediately went on a WWW search for a HK4 recoil buffer... ;-}
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