My first gun
I realize that not all JWs avoid guns. If you live where they hunt for food, it was OK to have guns as a JW. But really, how many places was that? It wasn't around my house at least. Nobody I knew had one. So, I never even touched a gun until I was middle aged and out of "The Truth".
After my fade, I began to make many different kinds of friends. Some loved music. Some loved food. Some loved sports. Some loved strippers. But lots of them loved guns. Don't know why. They just did. Pistols, revolvers, shot guns and rifles. I felt like an idiot around the subject of guns. Decided to do something about it. Darn it, I'd get my own. Why not?
"Home protection" seemed to be the universal OK reason to buy a gun. So, that's what I told the guy at the gun store. He handed me what he said was the new "hot" gun of the year. A Springfield Armory XDM 9mm, with Night Sights. It came with a holster and extra 19 round cartridges. Bought a gun bag, gun cleaner, gun targets, eye protection, ear protection, 500 rounds of practice ammo, the whole nine.
With minimal training from my buddies, I took all evening loading and unloading those cartridges until it became easy. Took the gun apart and put it back together so I was comfortable with that. Went to an indoor range. Put it all together, slammed in the cartridge and locked and loaded the thing. Slowly aimed it at the target.
Took a slow deep breath... squeezed the trigger. BLAM!
BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!
Each shot gave me more confidence.
BLAM!
I felt powerful. I felt exhilarated. I felt free somehow.
BLAM! BLAMITY-BLAM-BLAM!
I emptied it. Brought the target back to examine my handiwork with high expectations...
Oops. I found that I pretty much sucked at shooting. My shots were all over the place. Oh well. I'd try it again. And again. And again. And again.
These days I'm much better with my piece. I practice all the time now. My pistol sits in my code operated gun safe on my night stand. I might not be the best shot, but if anybody ever breaks into my house, heaven help him. He'll get 19 rounds of hollow point in him somewhere, I can tell you that. I have 3 extra cartridges waiting in that safe too, in case he has buddies and that one 19 round cartridge is not enough.
Now I don't want to shoot anybody. I'm not that kind of guy. But, if my family is threatened and they are in my home, make no mistake: I won't blink.
After I got pretty good with that pistol I started eyeing my second gun: A Mossberg 590A1 tactical 12 guage shotgun with Ghost Rings.
But that's another story.
Brock Talon