I did not break your gun!!!

Yesterday, Sunday, was one of those beautiful fall days that poets write about.  It was cool, sunny, no wind and absolutely wonderful. 

My daughter got married  a year and a half ago to a very caring, handsome, hard working and personable young man.  I couldn't have been happier for her choice.  He would be someone I would have picked  out for her, except he, like my husband, his best friend and a dear friend who is no longer with us is a Gun Nut.  Now I mean that in a nice way because I grew up hunting and fishing.  My whole family was really into guns and hunting.  But my son-in-laws family is really into hunting and target shooting. 

Ever since they got married, they have been after my husband and I to go down to Custer State Park, to his Grandfathers land, and go shooting at someplace called the "Range".

I imagined  a place out in the prairie where they would sit up tin cans and bottles and take pot shots at everything until it was all destroyed. That's what my family used to do.  BOY was I wrong. We followed the kids from home, down through Custer and down to Pringle. This wasn't the parie, we were going up into the Black Hills.  We started driving on gravel back roads through some of the most beautiful timbered country I have ever seen. After driving for awhile, we turned into a long driveway, went past a bunch of horsed and corrals, and WOW!!!!!  What a site. 

I couldn't believe my eyes.  We drove up to a very professional target shooting place.  There were outhouses, campers, a cooking area, and rows upon rows of metal professional targets laid out just waiting for a shooting contest.  The contestant area was covered with benches and shooting rests.   I was very impressed.  But the coolest thing I saw was a hugh pistol barbecue.   It was about 10 feet long and 5 feet high and looked just like a pistol.  One of the shooting club members had made it and it was very realistic. All this was sitting in some of the most beautiful land God had ever made. 

It was wonderful just to be there.  Quiet, peaceful, relaxing.  I got out the book I brought and hunkered down in my seat in the pickup and started to read.  Then......Bang, Pow, Ker bang.....Oh yeah, the real reason we were here.  The guys were going to go target shooting.  OK, I can live with that.  I was far enough away to not get my ear drums exploded, but still close enough to be included in what was going on.  I read for awhile, but that got boring when I saw all the fun everyone was having.  So I decided to walk down to the shooting area. 

 I meandered down to the shooting area and my daughter gave me a pair of ear plugs.  I was very glad to have them, because up close those Pows and bangs can really hurt your ears.  They got me a chair and I sat down to watch.  But you know me I can't sit still and not do anything, so I got the big idea that I would like to try shooting. It has been many years since I shot a gun or pistol.  Since having fibromyalgia, my arm strength isn't what it should be and I have trouble holding things up.  But not to worry.

My son-in-law being the ever helpful person he is, gave me a 22 rifle to shoot.  Great, it was light and easy. After a few misses at a metal squirrel, I started hitting it.  Cool!  I wanted to try something else.  Well he thought I could possibly handle his 22 pistol.  Here is when my trouble started.  I popped off a bunch of rounds, actually hitting the target I was aiming at, then I pulled the trigger and nothing. Oops, he said "bad ammo", (right) I tried some more rounds.  Nothing.  My daughter took the pistol and tried.  Nothing.  He took the pistol and looked at it, "Oh here is the problem the Firing Pin is Broke".   My daughter and hubby started laughing, "Mom broke the gun".  My son-in-law being the nice person he is said "no it could happen to anyone it wasn't her fault."  Bless him.  But the rest of them kept on giving me a bad time about it, and I even thought I glimpsed Mr. nice son-in-law trying to hide a smile. 

That ended my shooting.  I wasn't going to take the chance of something else going wrong.  So I sat back relaxed and watched the clouds go by.  Which was what I really wanted to do anyway.

The moral of this story is next time we go to the "Range".  I am going to take earplugs, a good book, ice tea, a reclining chair and some chocolate.  Let them shoot their brains out.  I am going to take advantage of the beautiful scenery and relax.  So yes, I probably did "injure" his gun....I'm not admitting to anything....but if I ever do go shooting again, I am going to have my own gun, and if I break it, then  "oh well", it's nobodies fault but my own.

Until later, read a book, make love and eat chocolate.  ( and keep me away from guns)