My Whole Expanse I Cannot See…

I formulate infinity stored deep inside of me…

Jun 15

A Thing to Do, done: The shooting experience

Category: Life,Opinions

Me, my shiny shirt, and a gun

So, as I mentioned earlier in the week I have this Things to Do list, just things I want to experience before my lights go out. The list has kind of been on pause for awhile, a long awhile, but today I crossed something off. A small something, but something just the same. A fun something, at least. I went to experience a shooting range. My assistant, Lauren, it turns out her fellow is military, so after she mentioned that I wanted to visit a shooting range, the rest just fell into place. He recommended the range at Knight Shooting Sports, came with us, and brought a gorgeous little 9mm semi-automatic pistol. It was fun, I got to dress all in black, touch a gun for the very first time.

Now some pictures…

Me at the range

Lauren and her fellow

I think movies and tv capture guns pretty well, pretty much perfectly from an aesthetic perspective. We see all sorts of guns, handguns, giant cannon-esque shotguns, rifles that fire hundreds of rounds in just a few seconds. We see how to hold these guns, reload these guns, we hear all the little clicks these guns make when they’re taken apart and put back together. We know all these things without ever actually physically being anywhere near a gun. There is, however, one aspect of guns that I now realize movies and tv cannot capture, guns are LOUD, not 5.1 movie theater surround sound loud, or crank your tv to 99 loud, it’s an entirely different kind of loud. That tiny-looking 9mm pistol, I’ve never experienced anything like it. It really became clear when Lauren went all Reservoir Dogs, pulled the trigger bangbangbangbangbang, fuck aiming, let’s do this, motherfucker. Every time she puffed that trigger, my cheek bones vibrated, even hurt a little. It was intense and unnerving and completely exhilarating, all at once, and I was several feet back from all that power. I mean, I was at a shooting range with a 9mm pistol, with my ears protected, and it felt that palpable. War, for example, is like what I experienced, times ten thousand. The thought is mind-blowing.

So, that was my today. Something I’ve really wanted to do, done. If I kept writing, kept this sentence going, things would turn really melancholy. I’ll, just, not.

2 comments

2 Comments so far

  1. Bill Genereux June 17th, 2011 3:46 pm

    Hey Michael,

    As I read this, and your other post about your Things To Do list, I realized that I’ve actually fired a gun with a switch. I was a navy firecontrolman, which is basically the guy who runs the computers that aim the guns and flips the switch that fires them. Shooting guns by electrical switch & remote control is exactly how the Navy does it. Now if you could only connect with an understanding naval warship captain, you’d be set!

    I’m glad you got to experience the firing range though. You’re right. Movies & TV don’t do justice to the real thing.

  2. Beth Burke June 20th, 2011 10:38 am

    I love when you write.