Does This Make Me a Bitter Gun Nut?

I forgot to mention I exercised one of the rights guaranteed me in the Bill of Rights this past weekend. I met a couple of friends at a local gun range to try out a few guns. I don't own any weapons as my wife has always been very anti gun. Not her fault, she has seen the dark side of gun ownership and almost got to see a couple of tragedies enacted right in front of her. I have not had the same experiences she has AND I have always thought that a person is responsible for taking care of themselves. For most people, the easiest way to equal things up is to carry a weapon. Personally, if I am armed and feel threatened, I want to have the type of arm that allows me to engage someone from a distance he may not be able to engage me from.

So at the range I started out shooting a .38 revolver. I have been considering buying a gun and for a while and since I am a neophyte when it comes to weapons, a revolver is simpler to use and simpler to care for than an automatic. Anyway, the first 4 shots I took from about 25 feet were about where I aimed them, dead solid in the middle of the torso. If I was actually shooting at someone, they were in serious trouble then. Next shot I tried to hit the head. Not so good. I had a problem hitting the head. I tried again later and kept shooting to the right of the head. I'm sure it has something to do with changing my view on the gun to shoot for the head but I just had problems actually hitting the middle of the head. I put some more rounds through the .38 and had no problem putting shots about where I wanted to when aiming at the chest.

Next I tried a Glock 9mm automatic. Wow, what a sweet gun. The trigger was very light, almost no pressure at all to squeeze off a shot. I had no problem putting shots on the target again when aiming at the torso. Not so good at the head but because this gun held a lot more rounds, I got a few shots into the head. Still I was a lot more comfortable just aiming for the middle of the chest and putting bullets where I aimed.

I finished up by shooting a Glock .45 automatic. Another easy gun to shoot. And since it's a Glock, very light for a .45. A 45 caliber bullet makes a rather large hole in a target and I assume a body if you shot one. It was fun to shoot and didn't kick as much as I thought it might. I really enjoyed myself. After the shooting was over, Chad asked me if I wanted to hold onto the .38 for awhile and practice more with it to see how I liked it so I now have possession of a weapon. Watch out everyone!! I'll probably go by the range one night after work this week or on Saturday.

One last thing I wish to say about guns and then I will leave this subject alone, at least for a while. Take a look at the states and cities that have the strictest gun control laws in this country. Look at Chicago, Washington DC, California, etc. Most of these places have a lot of gun crime and murders. Why? Mainly because the criminals who are armed know their law abiding victims won't be armed. Places that allow easier access to guns suffer less gun crime than places with stricter laws. Seems odd doesn't it? The laws that are passed to protect us from gun violence actually increase our odds of being a victim of gun violence. As long as the gun sellers follow the laws and perform background checks etc on the buyers of guns, criminals won't be buying guns that way. They will do it the way they do it in places with strict gun laws, they will obtain them illegally. So remember people, we are guaranteed certain rights under the Constitution of the United States. Freedom of speech, assembly, religion, etc. Also freedom to arm yourself for your own protection too. Without that freedom, a person could lose a lot of his other freedoms.