Part 1: Where it Started
Growing up, I think I shot a weapon twice ... rifles, definitely no handguns or shotguns. I remember shooting a black powder kit rifle that my father built that almost took my shoulder off. My father also had a .22 that we used to kill a few ears of corn.
I did get a much stronger exposure to a variety of weapons while serving in the US Army.
Over the years, I expanded on the basic skills I developed ... even to the point of competing now and then. But, as with most things in life, I drifted away from shooting. I've always seen "range time" as something of a group activity, so the idea of heading out to the range by myself seemed odd. The fact that I wasn't shooting was certainly not a lack of interest ... more that I just let life get in the way.
About six months before Patrick was born, I asked Jen what she wanted for Christmas. And, even though we had talked about her learning to shoot in the past (we were married six years at this point), I was still surprised when she mentioned learning to shoot as a potential gift. I hadn't been out shooting in probably fifteen years and Jen had never even held a weapon.
The discussions continued over the months and evolved to looking into why we wanted to start such an activity. We knew this was not just a matter of learning how to shoot. We were beginning a long-term commitment ... to put the proper amount of time and effort into doing something right.
As parents, we both felt strongly that getting our license to carry a concealed weapon was to become an important part of our ability to protect our family. Without a child in the mix, this conversation never came up.
And so it was, almost a year later, that Jen took a lesson to learn about handguns. Not long after that, both of us were sitting in a CCW course in preparation to get our license.
It is my firm belief that this is just the beginning of something bound to become a significant part of our lifestyle and even something that will become part of teaching valuable life lessons to our son.
Part 1: Where it Started
Part 2: Rise in Violent Crime
Part 3: Shooting as a Sport
Part 4: Protecting Myself
Part 5: Protecting My Family
Comments
Post a Comment