Task 44 & Task 97 - Visit the Gun Range (Wrentham Sportsman's Association) & Getting my License to Carry

While working I meet many interesting people. Often those people come from different walks of life then I and provide insight into the unique fabric of our country. Once such individual, John, who I have known for 7 years is a former Marine, engineer, now corporate safety officer at the company. His life experiences and wisdom have made him one of the more interesting characters at our lunch table. 

At 75 years old he is more active than many people my age and is more fun to be around. Being a retired military guy he has a great appreciation for guns and belongs to the local sportsman’s club and often talks about club competitions and his passion for firearms. He also happens to be the range officer at his club as well.

All those stories of course have piqued my interest and made me curious about getting my own license to carry. Both my parents and my brother have their licenses to carry and I thought perhaps I should visit the range.

John of course offered to take me and allow me to try out a variety of handguns from his collection. He decided on 5 different guns he would bring so I could see which would be a good fit for me. We set a date for my visit and right after work I met him at his house. 

A short drive across town and after singing into the club’s range book we headed over to their multi stall range. Before starting John reviewed the club’s safety rules and tested my knowledge of gun safety. Satisfied that I understood the importance of safety and the club rules we took each gun out 1 by one. Each time he reviewed the gun’s safety features and its operation. After reviewing all 5 guns we set up our target and he carefully watched me to ensure that I was properly handling, loading, and firing each.

Between each gun we retrieved the target and reviewed the shots. John provided a great feedback and recommendations that were invaluable to me tightening up my shot. We spent a little less than 2 hours at the range and from it I learned how much fun it was. 

After finishing up we removed all the ammunition, clips, and put away all guns together in their proper cases. Once everything was properly put away we next cleaned up the range by putting away the targets and sweeping up and properly disposing of the empty shells. 

John made sure that I understood that while shooting guns can be an enjoyable experience safety and knowing what these tools are capable of is the most important thing. You have to constantly be aware of how you handle, discharge and store guns at all times and be aware of others around you at the range. Mistakes happen but with guns there is no room for mistakes and the rules and safety procedures are there to make sure they don’t happen.