#11 Shoot a Gun

See our full list of bucket list items here.

I’m going to be honest here – both of us have shot a gun in our lives.

My dad put me through a gun safety class when I was around 11 or 12 years old.

Nathan went shooting for the first time last summer with his buddies.

What spawned us to put this on the list, though, was that my dad and brother are hunting fanatics. They love shooting and they are both really good at it. Nathan had just bought a new rifle that he hadn’t tried yet and we’ve had it for almost 5 months.

We had never been shooting together, and I hadn’t shot a gun since my class 15 years ago – by the way, it is crazy and terrifying that I can say, “Oh yeah, remember FIFTEEN years ago when …” AHHH!

I didn’t know if I would like shooting or if it was just going to be meh… So, we wanted to try something new to do together.

Nathan and I went to my parents cabin last weekend with my mom, dad, brother, my parents’ dog, our dog, and our cat J It was pretty crowded, but in an amazing way.

My dad, brother, Nathan, and I just got done being outside in the snow all day – sledding/ snowmobiling/ four-wheeling/ and dirt biking (we got it all in!) and were coming inside to get warmed up. We ate dinner, and normally would have cozied up and watched a movie.

Nathan was pumped, though, from all the adrenaline he had from the activities earlier, so he wasn’t ready to settle down.

“Does anyone want to go shooting?”

My dad was tired, my brother seemed set on winding down, but I was all for it!

“Yeah, let’s go!”

My brother nods and now my dad’s excited.

“Plus,” Nathan adds, “this will be perfect for your scrapbook” he says to me with a wink.

I didn’t want to tell my family just yet about this blog… because I’m introverted, yet again.

“Oh yeah!” I remember that shooting a gun is on our list!

We get to the “shooting range” which means a dirt pit with piles of dirt/mud everywhere, but they work for stopping bullets.

We set up a board with some targets on it and the boys take a round with Nathan’s gun, which is “awesome” and has “like no kickback!”

Now it’s my turn. They set me up in the correct stance. I remember from the class a million years ago, that I’m actually left … sided/handed? when shooting – I see better out of my left eye than my right. I’m standing there with the gun.

I didn’t voice any concerns to the guys, but I’m still me, so I have my list going in my head:

• I have my ear buds in, check.
• The gun didn’t backfire/kill any of my family members that shot it so far (remember it’s a new gun, so that had me on edge), check.
• Hands: sweaty, check.
• Holding the gun correctly, crap, I don’t know anymore. “Hey, am I holding this correctly?” – “Yeah, take the safety off” – Okay, so I’m holding it right.
• Safety off, check. Alright this is the real deal.
• Wait – “Am I standing correctly?” – “Yeah, lean forward more.” – “Okay.” – “No. More.” – “Okay.” – “Why are you leaning back still? Just lean forward”… “Okay that’s good”. Alright, leaning forward enough, check.

Damn this gun is getting heavy.

Alright. List is done…

I breathe, and I can see my breath in front of me as I try to hold the gun steady enough to line up the site with the target. The gun is heavy, so it’s not as easy as I thought it would be.

My finger’s hinged around the trigger. The safety’s off. Here we go!

I breathe again.

I put pressure on the trigger. It pulls a little harder than I thought it would, and BANG!

The gun goes off, I scream, and, yes there is kickback.

Awesome! I’m not sure if I hit the target at that point or not, but that feeling was incredible. Talk about control. The ultimate form of safety.

I know – some people see guns as dangerous and terrifying. However, how I see it, is if I have a gun (a good guy has a gun) and I fully know how to handle it, I am safe. I am in control. I’m not saying that I’m an expert obviously. I’ve shot a gun twice in my life at this point (I’m not even good, we will find out in a few minutes when we go check the targets) – but it’s a start.

I shot it a few more times and we went and looked at the targets. There were 4 targets on the board. Two on top and two on the bottom.

I hit none of them. I got the board, though, so that’s an accomplishment!

The most thrilling and fun part for me came next, when we shot my dad’s pistol.

I remember holding a fake gun in one of those shooting rooms at the sports stores, but my brother reminds me how to hold it correctly. The site is different from the rifle we just shot since instead of a line and circle, I have 3 lines to line up. I take my first shot. I did not scream. There is more kickback than the rifle, so maybe the boys were right about the rifle being easier.

I didn’t even hit the board. The bullet flew into the dirt pile behind the targets.

I shoot again. The dirt behind the target explodes, making it obvious that I missed again.

Again, line everything up. Take a breath. Pull the trigger. The dirt sprays again. I’m frustrated.

My dad shows me how to hold the gun a little differently than how my brother holds it. Left hand swoops here, thumbs lined up here, make sure arms are this way…

I line up the sites. Take the safety off. Take a breath. Brace myself. Pull the trigger.

Boom! That one hits the bull’s eye! Not just the board, not the target, but I hit the bull’s eye!

I yell! I laugh. I put the safety back on and perform a victory dance. Nope. I don’t want to shoot again. I just got the bull’s eye – I’m awesome!

My dad and brother go next, hitting only the targets, because they are apparently more awesome, and Nathan shoots his rifle again.

We go through one more round with everyone, and this time, I hit only the target with no misses!

The whole experience was invigorating! I loved it, and we will be doing this again!

Not only did we get to cross shooting a gun off of the Bucket List, but we are both more comfortable with how to load his gun and be safe with it if we ever need it in an emergency for safety. We all left with massive grins on our faces, and Nathan and I left with a sense of accomplishment, excitement, and momentum to continue with our Bucket List Journey!

Thank you for joining us on this journey and taking the time to read this and be a part of our adventures with us! We look forward to crossing off more lines and sharing our experiences with you!