I did something completely different the other day. I was invited to a firing range. I have never shot firearms so it was a completely new experience. I've had family serve in the British military, so it's not completely foreign either.
If you are in the US and reading this, you might need a little background. In Canada, weapons are not as widely available and are tightly regulated. That's one of the reasons why the annual death toll by firearms is so drastically different between the two countries. Also we don't have gun ownership tied to our sense of self because we negotiated our Independence (yeah, we are hardcore like that) rather than having a revolution. So if you meet a Canadian that has a conservative view of guns and gun ownership, that's likely part of the reason why. We haven't tied it to our identity in the same way.
We started with the low calibre stuff and moved up from there. This was a seven shooter revolver (38?).
I'm not going to lie, I REALLY wanted to shoot the M1 rifle when I saw it. That's the weapon you often see in WWII movies and in video games. I wasn't very good at it. I was consistently below the target. I did seem to take naturally to the single shot rifle you see on the right and it gave me a nice grouping on the lower left black box in the picture below this one. I believe the distance was 25m (82 feet).
YeeeeeeeeeHaaaaw! I'm gonna git me some zombies with my trusty M1 peacemaker!
I had a great instructor, tried to listen closely, follow the safety rules, and really enjoyed it. I can now scratch firearms off my bucket list.
Let me leave you with Zombie Survival Rule #20:
It’s a marathon, not a sprint, unless it’s a sprint, then sprint.
Since you brought it up, as an American I have never owned or fired a gun, despite having a good friend who is a Sheriff and my grandpa being "hardcore" military.
ReplyDeleteFor Z-day, I'll stick with the frying pan, bat, crowbar, etc They do not run out of ammunition.
Although, if you would not mind saving a bullet for my brain when I am bit, I would greatly appreciate it! ;]
Your assuming I could score a head-shot...I hope you don't mind being a zombie :)
ReplyDeleteActually, I have American relatives and they don't own guns either.
That's one of the benefits of civilization - everybody doesn't need to own a gun. It's also one of the reasons why zombie apocalypses are so fun. It has all of the chaos of anarchy, but you don't have to feel bad about hating the marauders.
ReplyDeleteI would contend that not all or even most Americans tie their identity to gun ownership. I certainly don't and I know how to shoot them pretty well. Got ribbons to prove it.
ReplyDeletePolls have traditionally shown that most Americans, in fact, favor most reasonable gun controls. The existence of a national dialogue on firearms should be considered evidence enough that we are not of a single mind when it comes to the use and distribution of guns.
Aside from than that, "fuck yeah, get some zombie motherfuckers!"
There is an undeniable rush of power and control one gets when one shoots almost any weapon, especially for the first time. Nobody on either side of the debate in the US likes to admit it, is my experience, but its there. That has always been reason enough to me to want to control their use.
I hope you are correct, the perception is that the gun lobby is rather powerful (outside the US).
ReplyDeleteHandguns and automatic weapons are tightly regulated in Canada. Hunting rifles and shotguns are not.
ReplyDeleteWell unless you think a criminal record check and a safety course to get a licence a lot of regulation :)
Referencing number 1 in this case, for sure.
ReplyDelete