Generations of gun owners have taught their sons and daughters that it takes as much patience and skill to be a good shot as it does to be a good steward of a powerful weapon.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
Learning to shoot firearms to me is a little like driving stick - it seems like a decent skill to have.
I've learned that guns are exceptionally challenging to use effectively, with a power that must be respected. But mostly what I've learned is that they're a lot of fun, and dangerously appealing to an active imagination.
I grew up on a ranch with my father, so he educated us really early on about guns. We used to go target shooting all the time.
Fortunately, as it pertains to guns, my dad and uncle introduced me to guns the way it needs to be done: smart, slow and safe.
I'm not a great hunter. But I have fired guns in the past, when I was growing up. But it was part of growing up where I lived. You go out hunting or target practice. They also taught you to respect guns.
I've dealt with a lot of guns over my career, so I'm getting better and better with firearms.
Getting a gun should be easy for good people and impossible for bad people. The only trick is telling the difference.
It's going to sound ridiculous, but knowing how to pose, how to maintain a level of engagement and variation for a day of shooting, is actually a skill.
I've been teaching full-time for 41 years at small colleges, and I can't imagine what it would mean for me or my colleagues to be armed with handguns or rifles instead of books and a thorough knowledge of our chosen disciplines.
To shoot a gun proficiently, including speed shooting, is much less of a skill than typing.