A date night at a shooting range was on my list for a quite a while but I was never really around guns growing up. They were always really intimidating to me. I had never really fired a gun before. My dad wasn’t a hunter and didn’t have a gun in the house either. My grandfather would occasionally hunt but we never lived close to him.
Over time my curiosity began to grow of what it would be like to shoot a gun. Old TV shows like Alias and the movie remake of Charlie’s Angels made it look glamorous to shoot the bad guys while running around in heels. I had also taken a self defense course a few months earlier that made me want to learn a bit more of how to protect myself.
To mix it up one date night, my husband and I decided to shoot guns at a local indoor target range. We borrowed two guns from dad. He had recently purchased a Glock 9-mm and a Taurus 38 special. My dad had recently finished a gun course to get a conceal carry license. He likes to travel and thought it might be useful as a form of protection while driving in isolated areas out west.
I was so intimidated as we put them in the trunk of our car. It felt like I was doing something I could get in trouble for. They were registered and legal. It just felt odd to have something in our car that could, in the wrong hands, take away life . I fully understand that it’s not the guns that kill, it’s the people who misuse them. …..but this was still all new territory for me.
We had to purchase some additional ammo for the guns and then we were on our way to one of the most guy friendly dates ever. My husband grew up way more comfortable with guns, so he didn’t really seem to get why I was making a big deal of the experience.
We walked into the shooting range and asked the worker what we needed to do. We paid for our time and purchased targets to shoot. There were targets ranging from criminals to zombies. I chose the criminal. I thought there would have been more instruction on how to use the gun but I guess if you bring a gun you should know how to use it.
You could hear the shots echoing through the upstairs as we spoke. We then went down a flight of stairs to the target area. I was so relieved to see that there were security cameras everywhere. Even as we approached closer to our destination, I was amazed at how loud the shots were; even with the headphones.
There were several other people shooting downstairs as well. This is where you hope and pray you are not in a basement with a psycho, supplied with an unlimited amount of ammo, because there were no workers in the basement. We watched some of the other customers shoot for a while and then my husband loaded his gun.
Everything about the process made me a little on edge. He had never shot either of my dad’s guns before and we were told there was a bit of a kickback from them…. Oh Great!
My husband shot several rounds and then it was my turn. I had been dodging all of the shells flying around the room. My husband put the ammo in for me and showed me how to hold the gun. I was still really shaky. I had worn wedged heeled shoes that day because that was the closest I was going to get to shooting in high heels. It took me a few moments to finally muster the courage to pull the trigger.
The experience after shooting the gun was like the feeling of ripping off a band aid, only to realize it didn’t hurt. It felt strangely empowering.
Where were my high heels when I needed them?!!!!
I shot several rounds with that gun and then moved on to the vintage gun. This was the one you had to hold on to REALLY tight. I definitely felt a difference but also enjoyed the variety. After several rounds I had one of my shots ricocheted off something and blow out a light-bulb. Oops! There was glass all over the target area. It wasn’t that I had aimed at something else. I was still getting reasonable shots on the chest of the target.
We were all trying to figure out how it could have hit it. I was waiting for the employee upstairs to rush down to the basement to kick me out of the place. He had a security camera upstairs to monitor us but he never came, so we kept on shooting. The ammo ran out way faster than I expected. It could get really pricey if this was a regular routine. We swept up our shell casings and put the guns back in their cases. On our way out we didn’t offer the information about the light. I figured he would have said something if it was a big deal.
My first target shooting experience was a lot of fun and an edgier date for us to try.
If you have ever want to star in your own gun show- check this out to find a range near you.
I’ll have to send this to my wife, so far I have not been able to convince her to come to the range with me. I’m glad you enjoyed it so much and it certainly is a bit of a more unusual thing to do as a couple. Next step a hunting trip 😉
I think it is great that you and your husband went to the shooting range. I love going with my husband. I agree with you, it does feel empowering. Hopefully, my husband continues to take me with him.
Great post you have share thanks for sharing this.
Since I grew up around guns, it always sounds fun when my husband wants to go to the shooting range for date night! It’s neat that your father just bought a Glock 9 mm. Personally my favorite handgun is a 9 mm.