The thrill of shooting, the agony of the shotgun
Here is my job as a columnist: go out, find people more interesting than you, learn about something and then tell other people about it via the written word.
And so when Lee Elci, the popular morning drive host at 94.9 FM, emailed to invite me and others to shoot guns one day last week, the answer was this: absolutely.
Even though guns scare me.
I’d never even held a gun before.
And was proud of it.
But then there’s this: How could I truly spout off about guns if I’d never bothered to learn more about them?
So we ventured into the woods of Sprague, never more thankful for the invention of four-wheel drive. Yours truly with Lee, Paul Choiniere, Casey O’Neill, Jim O’Neill, Peter Huoppi and Martha Shanahan, all in the company of two law enforcement officers nice enough to give of their time and expertise.
I’d still never allow a gun into my house. But if the point of civil discourse is to acknowledge and respect the other point of view, let me just say this: I get it now.
I fired three different guns: A Glock 21 45 ACP handgun, a Daniel Defense semi-automatic M4 .223 caliber rifle (our instructors referred to it more commonly as an AR15) and a Mossberg Model 590 pump action 12-gauge shotgun.
The adrenaline rush was inimitable.
The power was intoxicating.
The responsibility was overwhelming.
The education was gladly received.
Come along for the experience:
I assumed the Glock, the smallest of the weapons, would be the easiest to handle. Au contraire.
“Mikey, if they ever see you entering a bank with a mask and a Glock, they should just let you in. They’ve got nothing to worry about,” Casey O’Neill said. (I hit the target from 18 feet away one of nine times with the Glock).
Jim O’Neill said, “Mikey, do you own a shovel?” I replied, “yes.” He said, “go see if you can hit a bull in the (ascot) with it.”
Ah, but I rallied. The AR15 was next. And clearly, the easiest to use. Find the red laser thing, point it at the target and fire. I hardly missed.
I was accurate with the 12-gauge as well, but the recoil was painful, sending a shooting pain through my right shoulder. Neither a pleasure to shoot nor for the future of my rotator cuff.
Here is what I learned:
I’m more confused about guns and gun laws more than ever. Because I see it from the other side now. I get why responsible gun owners get irritated when someone tells them what they can and cannot own. Example: Connecticut has banned the sale of AR15-style firearms. And yet it would be my choice – if I ever so chose – to be my gun.
It’s bigger than the Glock, thus making it look harder to use. It’s not. Hence, if I were so inclined to protect my family with a gun, I’d err on the side of practical.
Still, I have a 6-year-old. I can’t in good conscience advocate bringing a gun into the house. Imagine: The very thing that’s supposed to ensure our safety would make me feel unsafe. What if he ever got his hands on it?
I don’t like to hunt. I’m not big on taking the life of another creature. I can’t throw a lobster into boiling water without having a moment. And so I have neither the need nor the interest in owning a gun.
But you know what?
It was fun to shoot one.
And I see why others enjoy it.
It’s just that, despite the day’s enjoyment, the Second Amendment doesn’t do it for me, mostly because its language – at least to me – doesn’t apply to modern society. I believe people who advocate owning guns for “personal protection,” like when someone busts into your house in the middle of the night, perpetuates what a friend of mine described as “prioritizing the worst-case scenario.”
I’ll roll the dice with locking my doors and windows at night, believing the odds against a home invasion are on my side.
I don’t need a gun in my house.
I have no interest in killing anybody or anything.
But boy, it was fun to shoot.
This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro.
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