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Today I did it!

3K views 35 replies 30 participants last post by  b1780 
#1 ·
My cousin has a license to carry, so he took me to a outdoor range. I was supposed to be trained by his buddy who trains the military, but somehow he got lost. Then a couple of his other friends showed up, and the one is also in the military. So there were two military men showing me how to shoot, but they didn't know how to tear my gun apart to put oil....and i asked another man that was shooting....(all of his guns were military issued.....) and he broke it down twice then showed me exactly what to do. I shot about 30 rounds, and learned range etiquette .....and then when it was said and done, my cousin put up one target just for me to work on my aim. It was a bullseye type of target and from about 10 meters away every bullet hit the paper, and only one of them was out of the circle, and two of them were in the 10.......the man that was nice enough to show me how to break it down, said i did good, and told me that if i needed to kill someone i was definitely skilled enough.....so i honestly feel like i accomplished something today. I didn't think i would hit the target that much, and i know that i was relatively close, but in my house, it was the perfect distance. I had a surge of anxiety before we got to the range, but after i shot the first bullet, i was good. I felt secure in my decision. I also felt like if there was ever a way to protect myself, and my children .....that was it.

I LOVE MY GUN! I tried my cousins, and it was way too big for me at my little skill level.....he said when i get more used to the kick back it won't be so bad......the other men that were shooting also let me hold their handguns to feel more difference than the ones at the store, and i strongly feel like it is MY perfect starter gun.....

Thank you everyone for your support and helping me feel secure enough to make such a huge decision. I am not done, and will be going to the range, not this weekend but the following weekend. And I can't wait!

~Tanya
 
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#3 ·
See? Guns aren't so scary, are they?
It's the people with the guns that can be scary.
 
#6 ·
Well, well, well...

Can we hear a touch of excitement in your words? :hand10:

It sounds like you had a great time and I'm guessing you shattered a few preconceived myths you may have held regarding guns.

Sounds like an excellent day today! :congrats:

It also sounds like you are very happy with your decision on picking out your gun! I think it's safe to say "You've Done A Good Job!"

And to think you have all summer ahead of you to get familiar and practice with your new gun.

I'm glad it was such a positive experience. It was a big step for sure, but you seem to have taken to it like a duck to water!

Thanks for posting your experience today.

:congrats:
 
#8 ·
A great first step. You shot well and gained confidence in yourself and the gun.
But remember it's only a first step. Practice as much as you can to build muscle memory. If you ever can face to face with someone who would do harm what happened at the range will be long forgotten until your muscles are trained to remember what your mind probably won't.
 
#9 ·
Awesome! I can tell by your post you're excited about all of it. Stay that way. Be proud of yourself, and shoot whenever you can. You owe a lot to yourself....I know this. Make range time part of your life, and it sounds like you'll be complete. There's nothing like it. Be safe!
 
#11 ·
Congrats! Practice, Practice, Practice. Then get some Gunzilla to clean it with.:danceban:
 
#14 ·
Congrats on your range experience.:hand10:
By the way, what kind of gun do you have?:confused:
 
#16 ·
Congrats on the first steps. There are a few red flags in your post though. I'll just say this; be very careful who you "train" with. I suggest seeking professional instruction to at least get you started right.
 
#25 ·
+1 Sixto Red FLAGS



This statement by the OP caught my attention:

It was a bullseye type of target and from about 10 meters away every bullet hit the paper, and only one of them was out of the circle, and two of them were in the 10.......the man that was nice enough to show me how to break it down, said i did good, and told me that if i needed to kill someone i was definitely skilled enough..."
I want to repeat Sixto's admonishment that you be careful whom you train with. Loose use of the phrase, "kill someone" can come back to haunt you.

Guns are used in our civilian world to stop threats to our lives, and not to kill. This may seem like a semantic point, but it isn't. It can at some point in your life mean the difference between a justified use of lethal force and a conviction for homicide. Your intent when using a gun is never to kill, but to stop a threat. Burn that term into your psyche and your memory. It makes a big deal difference.
 
#17 ·
Im glad you found a gun that works for you! my friends wife just got a ruger LCP in .380 and she likes it too.

I hope your situation goes better as well!
 
#18 ·
:congrats: May those pieces of paper at the end of the lane bring you many more years of joy! :congrats:
 
#22 ·
Good shooting. Congrats and welcome to the "gun culture."

My LLama .38 super only reliably feeds fully jacketed ammo (FMJ), as do many lesser 1911 type pistols. I had a llama 9mm that was the same way, yours may be different. Make sure you test the ammo you are planning to load it with for self defense. Don't use any ammo that will not reliably feed. Though FMJ is not the most effective, if that is all it will feed with 100% reliability, use it. IMO, holes made in the target ( be it man or paper) with FMJ beats a jammed up gun everytime.

Good luck and keep practicing.
 
#23 ·
Good luck, and I second what SIXTO said - having spent a decade in the Marine Corps, and all of that time in combat arms including the last 3 as a "Combat Instructor" -----I can tell you that the VAST VAST majority of military folks learn nothing more than the absolute basics of firearms handling. Even those of us that did, the VAST majority of that training was on rifles and machine guns, or larger guns.

-Best bet is to find a law enforcement fire arms trainer or proffesional hand gun trainer. I love my military brothers and sisters, but some of the dumb things I see them do from time to time.......
 
#24 ·
- having spent a decade in the Marine Corps, and all of that time in combat arms including the last 3 as a "Combat Instructor" -----I can tell you that the VAST VAST majority of military folks learn nothing more than the absolute basics of firearms handling.
hey, Hey, HEY... Was that an Air Wing Joke? :haha: :twak:

Btw... I couldn't agree more!

Just bustin' your chops Mac! Semper Fi
 
#26 ·
Very good. I just got back from the range with my wife. We have been going at lease bi weekly since January. She had the best shooting day so far today. She shot the Mark II .22, Glock 19, and her 12 ga shotgun. She's getting to the point of giving me a run for my money on the .22! She loaded, racked, and fired off 4 rds with the shotgun with no help from me. Even had good form, ie not leaning back. About the only thing I do is load the mags for her now. A reasonable amount of practice can get you shooting well. And your shooting looks very good for a first trip BTW. At some point soon I want to try to get my wife to pick up the speed of the shots a bit. But one thing at a time.
 
#30 ·
Thank you. Today i went and applied for my license to carry......i wasn't sure if i was supposed to go to my local police department or county courthouse so i called the local PD and they let me know where to go......

He asked me about my info...he said i sounded too young to own a gun, and i explained that i was a 27 year old mother with 3 kids at home alone at night, and after the recent uncomfortable situation, i wanted to be protected at home, and when i have the children by myself.....

He then told me that they would submit the application to them to run the background check....and when i went to the courthouse i mentioned that he took my info for the background check and the old lady at the counter told me that they don't submit it to the local branch ....so i was a little confused.

I also mentioned to the police officer if i could get like a paper or something with all our local and or state laws, and he said that they didn't have that there, and i would have to get it at the courthouse, and at the courthouse, they told me i get a paper telling me about it when i get my permit....and to contact the local gun club......but then she mentioned she wasn't sure if they shut down because she hasn't heard from them in a few months......

So on the way home.....i was thinking.....i know i seen a law or two on the website, but not to the extent i am looking to read....Like PA you need the license to carry in the vehicle or have it concealed but it is alright to just carry it publicly....if you choose to do so......on the site though it warned be prepared to be questioned have it taken and possibly charged for disturbing the peace and a few other things.....and it is going to take about 4 weeks to get approval....

The thing i don't quite understand is, shouldn't there be a handbook or guide to just pertaining to state and local laws, about owning in the home?

I know that there is links to check out about scenarios, but on the legal end not the moral or ethical end.....i really don't want to accidentally do something not knowing to have my kids taken....

It really was just a very confusing trip to the authorities....
 
#31 ·
See handgunlaw.us for your state's laws.....and/or state attorney general's website
 
#32 ·
My LLama 111a will only feed FMJ ammo dependability.

Wife and I carry Kel Tec P3ATs and are very happy with them.

My wife enjoys going to the range more than me maybe because she out shoots me.

The ability to protect yourself, and project directed power is a grate confidence builder.
 
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