Today was my basic pistol safety and training course!
My friend Grace and I were the only students, so the instructor didn’t seem to mind when I asked all sorts of weird questions, most of which pertained to my WIP. He told a couple of great stories, too, most of which I stole, with his permission.* I took tons of notes, jotted down every slang term he used, and generally enjoyed myself.
I passed the test and earned a badge:
And then we went to the firing range and shot a .22 ten times each.
Grace is a natural at holding a gun steady and while her groupings weren’t all dead center, she had groupings. My target had lines . . . and to be strictly honest, not quite so many holes as hers. I’m apparently not a natural at anything involving guns.
The instructor reminded me that I was a complete beginner and thought I might be rushing my shots out of nervousness. He reassured me that I was handling the gun safely and correctly . . . except for the hitting the target part.
I expect I was rushing a bit—but I wasn’t nervous. I was stoked.
Grace and I can’t wait to try it again with bigger targets and a boxful of cartridges.
But we’re going to have to wait until my FOID card** arrives before the shooting range will allow us to practice. I mailed the form today, but the wait is around two months.
That’s okay—I have a manuscript to correct . . .
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*He also gave me his card, so if I had any other questions, I could e-mail him! I have a Gun Expert, but having someone local who can show me why I’m wrong is a Good Thing.
**Firearm Owner’s IDentification card—it’s actually required for any resident of Illinois to possess or purchase firearms or ammunition. Since the local firing range doesn’t allow outside ammunition to be loaded into their rentals, I need a FOID card even if I don’t ever buy or own a gun. To be honest, I’m not sure I want to have one in the house. Maybe I am nervous—though that doesn’t make me wrong.
Today’s webcomic, Space Base 8 , is the sole brainchild of David Scott Smith, who is frankly brilliant and draws the most adorable robot I have ever seen.
Earful of Cider 