EMTDAD
NES Member
Just thought I'd share my story.
Never grew up around guns. Not even a sniff. Wife didn't either. When I was about 12, a friends 3rd grade brother was shot and killed when his friend found a loaded pistol in a field and thinking it was a toy, turned and fired. That's about as close to anything firearms related for me. Oh, and I vaguely recall shooting a round or 2 of a .22 rifle when I was a camp counselor in the 80s.
Fast forward to 3 yrs ago. For Christmas 2011, wife gets me a gift card to American Firearms School for their Learn to Shoot program. I had never shown any interest in guns, or desire to learn. This was just out of the blue thing. So after the card languishes on my dresser for 6 months, I finally sign up to go on Fathers Day 2012.
Had a blast, shot the Ruger MK3, and with the others I was there with, rented an AK-47 and had a great time. Feel like this is something I want to learn more. So for Christmas 2012, I request a Basic Firearms Safety Class gift card, and take the class sometime in early 2013.
Meanwhile, wife and I are going thru a real rough patch. Fighting often, generally depressed from the situation. Almost comes to a divorce. I go to get my LTC and she freaks out. Completely. So I drop it. Figure this isn't the right time to do this. Meanwhile, I'm reading a ton here about the laws, rules, etc. and about pros and cons of all things gun-related. Gained a ton of knowledge (thanks to all you guys).
So we work through it, save our marriage, and here we are in 2014. So this summer, I see the Groupon for the intro to handguns and rifles class at Mass Firearms School and send it to her to see if she'd like to go with me. Shocked that she said "yes"... so we go back in July 2014 and she gets to shoot 4 different types of firearms. Although very nervous, she did really well and seemed to enjoy it. As we're leaving, I ask her what she thought. She replies, "I'm still processing it". I post a few pics on FB and she gets lots of positive feedback from her friends. Next day, we see a friend who asks about her experience to which she replies, "It was awesome!".
So in August we're up in Maine, stop in at a Tractor Supply Store, and wouldn't you know, I catch her out of the corner of my eye flipping thru a Guns & Ammo magazine, after which I completely joke about that.. lots of fun.
I suggest for her to do a Women on Target event. She was enthusiastic about it, signed up for the New Bedford event, then hurt her arm and had to cancel, but said she'd go in the spring and it would give her time to see if she could gather a couple of friends to go too.
I'm a Cub Scout den leader and bring up at our Committee Meeting to do the Eddie Eagle program. She's Committee Chair and is all for it. So we go to drop off the materials for the instructor who's coming to the scout meeting, and she's chatting it up with the guys behind the desk. We browse the rentals and guns for sale, and talk about what she shot, and maybe what she'd like to try next. So AFS says that Tuesdays is Ladies Night.. She tells me, "Sounds like this could be a fun date." We talk more about her taking the basic safety class and maybe both of us getting our licenses together at some point...
So... just goes to show that things can change.. although slow, progress can be made.. I see a lot of posts describing similar situations to mine. Don't give up... I'm not... baby steps..
Never grew up around guns. Not even a sniff. Wife didn't either. When I was about 12, a friends 3rd grade brother was shot and killed when his friend found a loaded pistol in a field and thinking it was a toy, turned and fired. That's about as close to anything firearms related for me. Oh, and I vaguely recall shooting a round or 2 of a .22 rifle when I was a camp counselor in the 80s.
Fast forward to 3 yrs ago. For Christmas 2011, wife gets me a gift card to American Firearms School for their Learn to Shoot program. I had never shown any interest in guns, or desire to learn. This was just out of the blue thing. So after the card languishes on my dresser for 6 months, I finally sign up to go on Fathers Day 2012.
Had a blast, shot the Ruger MK3, and with the others I was there with, rented an AK-47 and had a great time. Feel like this is something I want to learn more. So for Christmas 2012, I request a Basic Firearms Safety Class gift card, and take the class sometime in early 2013.
Meanwhile, wife and I are going thru a real rough patch. Fighting often, generally depressed from the situation. Almost comes to a divorce. I go to get my LTC and she freaks out. Completely. So I drop it. Figure this isn't the right time to do this. Meanwhile, I'm reading a ton here about the laws, rules, etc. and about pros and cons of all things gun-related. Gained a ton of knowledge (thanks to all you guys).
So we work through it, save our marriage, and here we are in 2014. So this summer, I see the Groupon for the intro to handguns and rifles class at Mass Firearms School and send it to her to see if she'd like to go with me. Shocked that she said "yes"... so we go back in July 2014 and she gets to shoot 4 different types of firearms. Although very nervous, she did really well and seemed to enjoy it. As we're leaving, I ask her what she thought. She replies, "I'm still processing it". I post a few pics on FB and she gets lots of positive feedback from her friends. Next day, we see a friend who asks about her experience to which she replies, "It was awesome!".
So in August we're up in Maine, stop in at a Tractor Supply Store, and wouldn't you know, I catch her out of the corner of my eye flipping thru a Guns & Ammo magazine, after which I completely joke about that.. lots of fun.
I suggest for her to do a Women on Target event. She was enthusiastic about it, signed up for the New Bedford event, then hurt her arm and had to cancel, but said she'd go in the spring and it would give her time to see if she could gather a couple of friends to go too.
I'm a Cub Scout den leader and bring up at our Committee Meeting to do the Eddie Eagle program. She's Committee Chair and is all for it. So we go to drop off the materials for the instructor who's coming to the scout meeting, and she's chatting it up with the guys behind the desk. We browse the rentals and guns for sale, and talk about what she shot, and maybe what she'd like to try next. So AFS says that Tuesdays is Ladies Night.. She tells me, "Sounds like this could be a fun date." We talk more about her taking the basic safety class and maybe both of us getting our licenses together at some point...
So... just goes to show that things can change.. although slow, progress can be made.. I see a lot of posts describing similar situations to mine. Don't give up... I'm not... baby steps..
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