The first time
By MARJ LAW
Do you remember your very first time?
Your first roller coaster ride… You’re exhilarated at the idea of the wind in your hair and yet terrified that you’ll scream and sound like a sissy?
That big dip in the road… You’ve speeded up in anticipation of flying over the hump, and terrified that your tummy might not land with you?
Your first trip to the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office range?
The combination of excitement and terror as you shoot a gun for the first time?
That first time is magnificent and wonderful and you only have this experience once.
But maybe not.
Sometimes you’re given the gift of that first time all over again.
I’m at the WCSO range. A pretty woman is standing on the porch of the office.
As Joe and I climb the steps to sign in at the desk, she smiles and asks: “Are you Marj?”
I nod and smile.
“I’m Sally. I was hoping you might help me. I’m new here. I shot a gun years ago, but am having problems with my new Glock 42.”
The Glock 42 is a .380. It’s small and concealable.
“What’s wrong with it?” I wonder.
“I can’t seem to shoot it right. The bullets get stuck in the top and stick up. My husband says it’s because I’m not holding the gun tight enough. He says I’m ‘limp-wristing’ the gun. Can you help me?”
Right away, I notice Hubby isn’t here.
Sometimes a woman just wants another woman when she is new to shooting.
We walk over to the pistol range.
“I’ve memorized all the rules on that big sign,” she says. That’s a really good beginning!
“Did you bring your Glock?” I ask her.
“Well, no,” she replies. “But I did bring some .380 ammunition so you don’t have to use yours.”
That is thoughtful, indeed! And my new Ruger Security .380 just happens to be waiting in the trunk of my car. I like it for beginning shooters. I like it for its size and concealability. I like it for enhancing hand/eye coordination. I like it for its accuracy. Heck! I just plain like this little gun.
So, even though she doesn’t have her Glock, I’m pretty confident she’ll be able to enjoy shooting this particular Ruger.
Before we even take the gun out of its pouch, we discuss eye and ear protection. She has safety glasses and ear muffs. I give her some squishy stick-in-your-ear cushions to add under the muffs. They are not mandatory: simply even more hearing protection.
We look at the red line on the concrete floor.
“When the range is ‘cold,’ you always stay behind this red line on the side nearest to the parking area. You don’t touch either guns or ammunition at this time. A ‘cold’ range is when people can go safely out to put up their targets, secure that no gun can be fired because no one is able to even touch a gun now.
“When the range is ‘hot,’ you can step on the other side of the red line and bring your gun to the shooting bench, which is really this table. Your gun must be in a shooting bag when you bring it to the table. Otherwise, we call it a ‘naked gun.’ A naked gun isn’t safe.
“When the range is hot, you can load and shoot your gun.”
I look at Sally. “Did you notice that all the shooters have called the word ‘hot?’ They are making sure everyone here knows that we can shoot now. We always make certain that every single person at the pistol range knows and agrees whether the range is hot or cold. Knowing when the range is hot or cold is a huge safety factor.”
I take the Ruger out of the sack.
“No matter what we are doing, the muzzle of the gun always faces downrange,” I tell her, making sure this is so.
Sally is shaking just a bit. I am sensing her thrill and terror. Oh, it’s just like experiencing that first time all over again. What a feeling!
“Let’s get the magazine out, so we can load it.” Still holding the gun so the muzzle is downrange, I show her the magazine release button. When the button is pushed, out goes the mag!
I push it back in the grip and hand the gun to her.
“Now you try it!”
She presses the button and out zips the magazine. Yay! Sally’s had her first success!
“You did it! Now, let’s load our ammunition in the magazine. I use this UpLula. Yes, it costs about $35, but it makes loading easy.
Placing the UpLula above the magazine, squeeze the front and back of the UpLula together. Now, push it down over the mag. Keep your squeeze going. See the picture of a round on top of the UpLula? Plop the round on top of the slide of the UpLula in the same direction as this picture. Now, un-squeeze the UpLula and the round sinks into your magazine. Lift the UpLula to above the mag, and do it all over again!”
She holds the UpLula over the mag. “Squeeze!” I say. She squeezes.
“Push down!” She pushes it down.
“Plop in your round!” She plops.
“Un-squeeze!” She loosens her grip and the UpLula rises to the original position above the magazine.
“Good job! Now, do it again! Squeeze! Push! Plop! Un-squeeze!” Ah. Sally’s got the hang of it and she knows it. Dang, this is fun.
Soon the magazine is full.
“Now we put it in the grip.” Muzzle downrange, I slide the mag into the grip.
“Give it a gentle but firm tap to make sure it’s in all the way.” I tap the butt end of the mag. It’s in there. Then, I push the mag release button so the mag shoots back to the table.
“Now, you do it!”
Sally picks up the gun and makes sure I know she is keeping the gun pointing downrange. She slides the mag into the grip. She taps the butt.
“Good job!” She is following instructions exactly. What a pleasure!
“Are you right or left-handed?”
“Right.”
“Now, put your feet about as far apart as your shoulders. Good! Next, put your left foot slightly forward. Good!”
Though there are several correct stances, this one provides good stability.
“Pick up the gun with your right hand. Place your index finger along the lower frame of the gun. I know it’s tempting to put your finger in the trigger, but we don’t have our finger in the trigger until we are ready to shoot.”
She places her finger along the frame. “Great!”
“Place your left hand over your right, fitting your fingers in the grooves of the fingers of your right hand. Good!
One of the most important things to remember with any semi-automatic handgun, is to place your left thumb (or your non-dominant thumb) on the same side of the gun as you have put your right thumb. If right-handed, then both thumbs must be on the left side of the gun. Never cross your thumbs behind the gun. Otherwise, when the slide returns backward, it can rip that tender webbing between thumb and index finger.”
Sally moves her thumb.
“I know it feels natural to cross your thumbs. Don’t do it! Same side only!”
“I might tape those words on my mirror at home,” she grins.
“Notice the sights on the gun. You have two sights on the back, which is the side closest to you. There is 1 sight in the front. Line them up so all 3 are in a solid line. When you aim, aim so that the target’s bull’s-eye is directly above the front sight.”
She aligns the gun towards the target.
“To get a firm grip, push outward toward the target with your right hand. At the same time, pull back towards you with your left. Feel how that tightens your arms?”
She pushes and pulls. Then she nods.
“That makes my wrists tighten too,” she observes.
“We’re ready to shoot! First, we’re going to breathe in, then we let the air out. Blow slowly. Notice how this relaxes you. You will shoot after you exhale.
To shoot, you’re going to squeeze that trigger. You’re not going to pull it back: you’re going to squeeze it through. Arms tight. Breath in. Breathe out. Squeeze.”
Bang!
Yay! She hit the target with her first try!
Sally lowers the gun and turns toward me.
“I hit the target!” she says wonderingly.
“Yes, you did!” What a moment!
“Now, do it again!”
Sally shoots 10 times and 8 of her bullets have made holes in the 8-inch target, with 2 of them just outside it.
“You know,” I tell her, “If Mr. Bad were coming at you, you’d have protected yourself very well. Good job!”
All of us at the pistol range call the range “cold,” so Sally and I walk over to pull off her target.
“I’m taking this home to show my husband,” she grins.
As she leaves the range, I’m thinking: “This has been the most fun I’ve had in a long time!”
Marj Law is the former director of Keep Wakulla County Beautiful who has become an avid shooter in retirement.