Thoughts of a Newbie Gunner

Strap yourselves in, because we are going on a little adventure inside my brain...

When I was first taken shooting I had so much fun, I wanted to go all the time. I met my shooting buddy every week for about two months and we spent two hours a visit, making holes in paper. Here was my frame of mind: "Wow, I never thought I'd be so into guns and shooting. I'm lucky to have a friend who lets me shoot his guns."

Then one day my friend couldn't make it and I was forced to shoot alone. I thought, "I'm so lucky to live in Georgia where I can rent any gun I want, play for an hour and then give it back."

About a month later I was three months from my birthday and I reasoned, "If I'm still into shooting by my birthday, I'll get my self a big present. I'll probably keep it in a locker at the range and come visit it once a week to blow off some steam."

Two months after that, I was shopping for my first gun. See Shopping for my First Gun for all the details of that thought process. Basically, I wanted something comfortable and enjoyable for range time, but I had also decided to let it live at my house.
    "I am not skilled enough to use this weapon for personal or home protection. If someone breaks in to my house, I'll reach for the phone, not the gun."

A week later my friends were informing me of the difference between practice rounds and defensive rounds, and I was told them that I never load my gun at home.
    "It scares me," I said. At that point a girlfriend took me aside and said,
    "You do know that guns don't go off by themselves, right?" I said that I did know, but what if I made a mistake or something. She gently rattled off the safety rules, "Do you check the chamber every time you pick up the gun? Do you keep your finger off the trigger?..." It was within this discussion that we realized, I had been relying on the fact that my gun was never loaded in my home, rather than being diligent.

By my birthday I was religious about checking the chamber and had a magazine, loaded with defensive ammo, laying in the safe next to my weapon. It was at this point, about six months into my little hobby, that I began writing ArmedCandy and exploring all the blogs and message boards that proved to me, I was not alone in this passion. While everyone was at SHOTSHOW, I was trolling the internet for everything I could learn about women and guns.

Quickly, my new friends and fellow gun enthusiasts were asking about my "guns", and I had to reply, "Nope, I just have the one. I'm not scared enough to conceal carry every day." It was probably a month later that I attempted to holster and carry my full sized, all steal, 16+1 capacity, weapon. Check out my holster making video. Reliably, I failed, and shopping began for my conceal carry gun.

There is a reason I share this with you. I have received quite a few emails from men who would like to spark their lady's interest in shooting. I have also received a similar number of notes from women who are enjoying shooting but their husbands are strongly against the idea. For those of us not raised around guns, and probably for many others as well, the broad concept of being around or using firearms, is an idea we must ease into slowly. At first, I was dead set against a gun in my home, but slowly I came around to the idea. No one pushed me. It just seemed like the natural progression of my new hobby. As one slides down the rabbit hole of gun nutty-ness it's easy to forget how it feels to wade into something new. I hope that by reading the thought process of a true beginner, you might be better prepared to approach one and share with them, an appreciation for guns.

©2012 ArmedCandy,LLC

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