I'm going to find out what the fascination is with guns ,I'm going shooting at a gun range

[newmember]

I have friends that own guns and they have asked me before to go.
I'm going to let them know that I would like to go along.

Have any DU members attempted something like this?

[femmocrat]

1. Welcome to DU, newmember.

I don't get it, but some people say they get a "zen" feeling while blasting at paper targets. Let us know, OK?

[newmember]

7. I didn't say I was going to shoot one

At least I don't plan on it . I just want to watch and observe all the people there.

[Bucky]

23. It'll be lame if you treat it anthropologically.

If a friend offers you a gun to shoot, you should try. It's not as cool as go-carts, but it's a nice little kick.

Of course the real target practice we all need is shooting beer cans of a log in the woods. I got a friend with a .45. THAT was fun as go-carts.

[Alva Goldbook]

31. You might also want to try going to a gun show.

I've been to quite a few. I live in northern Virginia, which is a very blue part of the state. Going to gun shows is pretty amazing because it's like stepping into a time warp where you're suddenly living in Mississippi in the 1950's. More Nazi memorabilia and white supremacist literature then you can shake a stick at.

[hrmjustin]

2. Just be careful and just smile and wave.

[lumberjack_jeff]

3. It's like golfing but with less walking and with more hearing protection. n/t

[Rex]

4. It is a sport to them, to hit the target and bullseye if you can.

To make tight shot groups. If they are like my friends, then going to the range is considered a sport. I consider it to be an expensive sport.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

5. Can't say I've ever had any interest in doing such a thing. nt

[rdharma]

6. No. I never have gone shooting before........

...... how about you, "newshooter"?

I'll bet you'll have a report for us when you get back, eh?

[rrneck]

8. Everyone I've taken to the range found it a pleasant experience.

Shooting a gun is just a thing you learn to do. It only has symbolic significance if you want ignore to.

[Siwsan]

9. The only time I've ever fired a gun was while I was in the Navy

Once during basic training, and once, afterwards. It was just some sort of military requirement. We had to aim at the target and empty the clip. I hated it. There was nothing thrilling or enjoyable about knowing that one mistake by one moron could have been catastrophic for anyone in the way of the bullet. And, this might sound weird, but I was very unnerved by knowing I had that kind of deadly power, in my hand. I was relieved to get it done and over with.

[edhopper]

10. It's fun

it's loud and gives a jolt. And target shooting can be a good time.
But enjoying a gun range is meaningless in the debate for background checks and registration.

[DesertFlower]

11. i've been to one twice to learn

how to shoot. i didn't like it. noisy and i don't like the feel of shooting a gun. i do own one for personal protection.

[Recursion]

12. It's about breathing

A lot like yoga

[Agschmid]

13. I've done it once.

Was fun but no desire for a repeat.

[Xipe Totec]

14. Well, my first instruction was with .45 Browning Sidearm

by an Olympic silver medalist.

My first shot went in the general direction of the target.

The recoil sent my arm swinging up in an arc.

I panicked and gripped the trigger even harder.

So the gun went into semi-automatic firing mode.

The second shot went 30 degrees high, then next at 60, the next directly up, 90 degrees.

The fourth shot went off at 120 degrees from the original aim point, moving in the general direction of behind me.

It is at this point that the marksman grabbed my wrist, held the gun pointing upwards, and managed to wrench my finger away from the trigger.

That was my first experience with a .45 browning.

That was my most exciting experience with a .45 browning.

That was my last experience with a .45 browning....

[ileus]

15. Every few weekends until the latest ammo scare.

We'd hit the neighbors farm and shoot our SD pistols. Let the kids shoot the 22 pistols and AR with the CMMG bolt instead of the 223 bolt.

Spring is here so it's Softball, Baseball, Bike rides, and Dirtbike rides...oh and fishing thrown in for good measure. We probably won't hit the range with the whole family until mid-June.

[newmember]

16. Fishing is pretty much my passion , never cared for firearms

If I'm not doing yard work I'm on my boat bass fishing.
It seems though most of the guys in my bass fishing club also shoot or own a gun.

[ileus]

17. My son and daughter are developing a passion

for fishing....I can see a small trailered boat in our future. Currently we hit one of three friends when we want to get out on the water.

[bluedigger]

18. It's not much of a spectator sport.

Kind of like watching bowling (noisy) with more personal risk.

[Recursion]

24. What's the personal risk? (nt)

[Fla_Democrat]

19. All my life.

My first 'shooting range' was a block of planted pines on St. Joe land.

[1-Old-Man]

20. It can be fun with friends, but by yourself its pretty boring.

and please use the good sense to have high-quality hearing protection on and follow all the rules of the range.

By the way, its none too cheap to do. Bullets can be pretty expensive. Its not bad at all if you are plinking with a .22 but the moment you move up much from there (and go to center-fire cartridges) the prices move up. You can shoot up a box of bullets in a very short time, even with standard-capacity (10 or less) magazines or the a revolver. You won't get much change back from a $20 bill when you buy a box (50) of nothing-special-about-them 9mm bullets. You can easily shoot up several boxes in an hour session at a range.

[Bucky]

22. plinking

That's exactly why I bought a .22--call me cheap

[Bucky]

21. I've gone to target ranges to shoot. It's fun.

It's a great outing for a lot of families. I don't have a problem with it. Handling a dangerous peice of equipment teaches a kid what responsibility is. It's not like entering another culture and you probably won't end up finding the "fascination" in any significant way. I've never heard any political discussions at the range, even though I wore my Obama '08 tee shirt the second time I went.

[Recursion]

26. Yeah, range talk is pretty much all shop in my experience

If you are pretty obviously a newcomer people will be obsequious to make sure you have a fun time, though.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

25. My cousin took me shooting a few years ago

He's a big gun collector. I actually did pretty well with the targets for my first time. For me it was kind of like the few times I've been to a golf course; after five minutes I don't see the fascination with doing the same simple thing over and over again.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

27. I have done likewise

I've gone shooting all of 4 times in my life, all since knowing my husband. My last encounter was firing a semi-auto knock-off of the M-4. You will find it remarkable how just unremarkable it really is. The mysticism is wholly lacking.

Be safe and enjoy.

[Alva Goldbook]

28. I'm a pro-gun progressive.

I'm a gun owner. I bought a gun after my neighbor's house got broken into and someone tried to break into my car while it was parked in my driveway. There were multiple break ins on my cul-de-sac. It happened so often for a while there that I would end up talking to the police once or twice a week asking me if I saw anything. A few months later some teenager got caught after he had robbed a couple people at gun point. So, yeh, I decided I had to buy a gun to protect myself.

I find that shooting at the range is quite fun. I also enjoy archery and darts. Never had the desire to hunt, that's just gross. For me, it's about challenging yourself and seeing if you can top yourself. I found out after my dad passed away, that he had actually been a sniper in the Army. I never knew much of anything about that time in his life other than he got drafted during the Cuban missile crisis. I thought, "wow, maybe I have this skill that I didn't even know I have".

I find shooting to be kinda cathartic. Empowering. Much like the karate lessons I took as a kid. Gun ownership is a BIG responsibility though. It's not for everyone, or even most people. You've got to be very conscious of safety procedures, very self aware of your own state of mind, you've got to have a very stable relationship with your spouse, and you've got to have a lawyer-like understanding of gun laws. If you can't do these things, for whatever reason, then you shouldn't own a gun.

[marions ghost]

34. I'd say that most people

don't qualify --re. your statement in the last paragraph.

[Egalitarian Thug]

29. Be safe, Have fun. n/t

[wercal]

30. I go all the time

To me, its an exercise in precision - like darts or golf. (There are even Olympic shooting sports).

You're going to find a variety of people there.

Some will be like me - shooting for accuracy.

Others will have giant 3 ft tall 'zombie' targets, and will blast away at it as fast as they can.

Still others will be learning. Alot of new people are buying guns and learning how to use them...so there's alot of instruction going on.

I hope you find that shooting isn't some dark art, practiced by warlocks....as you said, some of your own friends shoot...so it can't be that bad, right?

As an aside, I grew up on the campus of a very liberal high school....and as kids we played army all the time. One kid in particular had a shed full of toy guns and empty b-b guns. We'd run around the place shouting 'bang'. Nobody thought twice about it. What I am trying to say is - there was a time when gun ownership wasn't considered a wedge political issue. And it doesn't have to be now.

[Poll_Blind]

32. Sure, I own firearms. I only shoot for target practice. I like it because it's incredibly hard.

It's amazingly difficult to hit something with a pistol. I've only gone shooting about 5 times in the last 8 years, so it's not much of a draw, but it can be fun.

PB

[JanMichael]

33. Be sure to take tissue to wipe with.

From what I hear lately there's a lot of shooting at them ranges. People get way too excited to have a phallic replacement/extender in their hands.

Oh and before anyone gets their pantaloons in a twist we have guns. We just don't fondle or worship them.

[Paladin]

35. FYI, You're walking on well-trodden ground.

I'm willing to take you at your word about a first-time visit to a gun range. Just be aware that the "OH MY GOD! I USED TO HATE GUNS, BUT THEN SOME FRIENDS TOOK ME TO A RANGE AND I ACTUALLY GOT TO SHOOT, AND JEEEEEZUS, WAS IT EVER FUN! I LOOOOVE ME SOME GUNS, NOW!" thing is Gun Enthusiast Agitprop Scenario No.274. It pops up here, every once in a while.

Have fun. Wear some ear protection.