target practice

The shooting thing started like this...

Early one morning (at 4:45), my alarm went off and I headed upstairs. But before I got too far, I noticed there was a light on. I asked Brantley if he had gone up in the middle of the night. He said no. "Uh...well, there's a light on up there, but I can't tell which one." So he got out of bed and started to head up the steps...but then he turned around, went to his nightstand, and grabbed his gun. Yikes! I'm not sure which freaked me out more...the mystery light or the gun in his hand. Anyway, he went up first and poked around in closets and hidden areas, while I stood behind and listened to my heart thump and felt my pulse race. Luckily, it turned out that there weren't any bad guys coming to get us. I think there's a ghost haunting us, but Brantley claims he has telekinetic powers that control the light. Most likely though, there's just faulty wiring in the light in our living room. :)

After that scare, we talked about how I needed to feel more comfortable handling and using a gun just in case (heaven forbid) I ever have to. So how could I make the gun my friend instead of enemy? Go to the shooting range and practice! Brantley gave me a brief tutorial, and then I got my turn.

The first round was a little scary, just because I didn't know exactly what to expect. It was loud and the gun had a little bit of a kickback, but the hardest part was holding it up. My shoulders were on fire! I think that's from the gym that morning though.

So I guess I did okay for my first time shooting a real gun. As long as my target stands motionless and lets me take a few seconds to get my aim just right, I'll be fine. Haha! I was good at hitting the chest and gut area, but I had trouble with the head. It was hard to aim that high, because I'm so short. So my target also needs to be about my height. Is that too much to ask? "Bad guy, can you please kneel down and be very still so I can get my aim right and shoot you?" Right! Lol!

All-in-all, I'm glad we went. I feel more knowledgeable about shooting a gun, and I definitely feel more comfortable about it being in our home.