As part of the theme for January's upcoming "True Crime is My Valentine" subscription box, Sarah arranged for a class of up to 10 ladies to attend a Lady Sure Shots Class with Jake at the Shoot Point Blank location in Avon. Since I haven't had a lot of practice shooting a hand gun, I thought this would be a great way to brush up on my gun safety lessons, and get hands-on practice as well.
When I first arrived to Shoot Point Blank, I was a bit nervous. I have a shot gun at home for home defense, but I had not practiced with it for almost two years. Also, the sound of a fired gun always makes me a bit jumpy. However, I was happy to find that three of the five ladies brought their own guns and still wanted or needed to practice as well. Since myself and another lady did not bring our guns, we were able to rent a handgun for free, and just pay for ammuntion.
I was also happy to learn that Jake's lesson plan was focused on proper grip and controlling recoil for a discharged gun. He told us that with mastering a proper firm grip, and slowly pulling the trigger, we would be able to ensure that we were always in control of the gun. This was really helpful and made me feel a lot better! Once we went over proper handling, grip, and stance; it was time to get into the range and practice what we were taught.
We first did one practice shot so Jake could ensure we were all firmly holding our guns and standing properly. Those who needed or wanted extra help, were able get one-on-one assistance from Jake. The last 15-20mins we were all able to practice on our own. I'll admit, the first shot (or two!) made me jump a bit, but after using what I was taught, I felt comfortable handling my borrowed firearm. I left the class feeling confident and a bit empowered.
Sarah's takeaway: "This event was so much fun. As women, it's important to feel comfortable carrying a handgun and knowing how to use it if a situation would arise. It was great that we were each able to learn by ourselves, without having our husbands around to 'show us how it's done.' We made new friends and had so many laughs. It was so awesome to see how our aim improved as we got more comfortable firing the weapon. I started off shooting incredibly well, but about half way through was shooting wayyyyyy off. Jake had me do some blank fires and it was easy to see where I was going wrong. I was anticipating the recoil and therefore moving my hands right before pulling the trigger. After a little bit of 1:1 assistance, I was quickly back to hitting the target! I would love to do this event with more women to help us all feel that power and control!"
Jake holds classes for beginners, and let us know that he would love to have a regular class that meets monthly or bi-weekly to go over a wide range of lessons, and then finish with range practice. I honestly think this is a great idea! If you are interested, please reach out to Sarah, and we could do a monthly meet-up :)
For those of you that want to try shooting at a gun range, need to practice your shooting techniques, or just want to practice with other BR members, make sure you sign up for the second Shooting Range event in February. Sarah is currently arranging for other members to attend at the Greenwood location. Spaces are limited to 10 though, so make sure you register for your spot and notify Sarah NOW!
I hope you will subscribe to the upcoming January "True Crime is my Valentine" box so that you too can enjoy the goodies. And I hope to see you at the next outing, because I would love to meet you!
- Courtney Castagne-McCavit