Sometimes, people make lists of things they've never done. Or lists of things they should do before they die.
My world is extremely densely populated with imaginings of all sorts. A suitably hackneyed phrase is "rich fantasy life", but this mischaracterises the case fairly drastically. Sometimes my head hosts narrative-style wish-fulfilment. But mostly it just paints pictures. Or scrolls through photo-real sandwiches to find out what I want for lunch.
Some things make such systematic and long-standing appearances in my mind that it represents an effort of will -- a tiny, nano-erg fly wing-flap of an effort, but an effort nonetheless -- to recall that I have never done them. I would not write them on a list of things I need to do before I die.
One of these things is discharged a firearm.
How interesting. Particularly since I am perfectly certain I have not the slightest idea what that would really be like.
5 comments:
It's very loud. And the kick gives a sensation of force that I don't remember experiencing quite the same way with anything else.
It doesn't hurt to do it once. I think the last time I did was about 20 years ago.
When I was a kid, a friend's dad took us to the range to shoot a rifle and a pistol. I expected to hate it, but I actually really enjoyed the whole thing--it was loud and as krista said it kicked against my hand and shoulder with such power that it was impossible to be halfway somewhere else while I was doing it. I loved the focus I had to find in order to sight down the range at the target and hit the mark. It reminds me of playing billiards in that sense, the external, physical force that requires concentration.
Doesn't hurt to do it regularly either. *grin*
Have you ever run a chainsaw? Similar in some ways, though I'm probably a little more concerned about the saw messing me up than I am one of my firearms. Both tools penalize lack of focus
Scrivener is exactly right in that you have to focus on several little things at once to do it right.
I would guess that it will be both more abrupt and, depending upon what you start with, less dramatic, than you expect. Hitting your target will be more difficult than you imagine, but with just a little practice will come more quickly than you expect.
Like Doc Hypercube, I worry more when running a chainsaw than a firearm, in part because long habits of safety with the latter are pretty well ingrained.
Most folks I've introduced to shooting decide its _fun_!
A .22 cal rifle doesn't have a kick to it. My .380 Argentine semi-auto pistol does but it's not bad. I LOVE to shoot and I'm fairly good at it which is a surprise since I have Cerebral Palsy and have a tendancy to shake.
Lena in the USA
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