I'm an assassin not a sniper

Okay here we go again.  Today I was privileged to get the opportunity to shoot the concealed carry competition.  I have described this in the past as a training exercise (based on time and accuracy) in which you pretend to encounter bad guys trying to shoot you and you shoot them first.  Of course it's not as pretend as you might assume.  We are using real guns and ammo that could hurt you if used in an unsafe manner. 

Each section (called a stage) consists of a scenario built around walls and hidden bad guys.  You move thru this "building" environment encountering bad guys and sometimes hostages.  Guess what?  Don't shoot the hostages or the "cops".

Of all the competitions I have done this is fast becoming my favorite.  Why you might ask?  Because it is training me to be comfortable with my gun in the case of encountering real bad guys in the real world.  It's not a video game where if I die or shoot a non combatant I just reset and try again.  No, there are no real people I'm shooting, but if I'm acting unsafe with my gun there are real consequences.

I had a good time and enjoyed all of the stages.  Even though one of them utilized a long gun (technical term for rifle) and I'm not a rifle person.  I prefer the hand gun as it's up close and personal. Seeing the face of your enemy in a small circular window from a distance takes the immediacy of it away.  If I have to shoot you I want to look you in the eye and make sure you know it's me who's pulling the trigger.  I will take responsibility for that action and not hide from that action. 

Hence the title of this missive.  Of course I don't expect that to ever happen but it's not a bad idea to be prepared, if I ever have to make that decision.

Back to the actual shoot.  I don't know how I did but I know that I did okay, nothing great but it's not a competition, okay maybe between my friends and I, at least in my head.  :)  I had some good runs and a couple of misfires (no pun intended).  At the end of the day I enjoyed myself and didn't embarrass myself.  Mission accomplished!!

New Year of the Gun

  So the new year has started and I've been to two shoots so far. The first is my latest adventure called Concealed Carry. This involves a gun, holster, and magazine holders. The idea is to get familiar with carrying your weapon and comfortable moving and shooting the gun. The scenarios are designed to help you learn to seek cover when you have to change out your magazines and look for the bad guys that are hiding from you.
 
 This is why I started shooting (or buying guns). I wanted to try something out of the ordinary and shooting guns, for most people, isn't rather ordinary. As a kid I was always pretending I was a spy or private detective trying to catch the bad guy and not get shot. As an adult I can indulge this fantasy in a safe and fun way. Plus learn some very important survival skills. Not that I expect to ever need them but in the mean time I'm having fun. Plus I'm meeting new people and expanding my social circle. Another important part of my life.
 
 So the other shooting competition is something I've been doing for the past year. Speed Steel is a competition where you are timed as you shoot metal plates set in different configurations. This is just pure fun. The competition part is really against yourself. Even though the times are set against all the shooters and you can see how you stack up against others, I find that the most enjoyment I get is seeing how I did versus the previous times I shot the steel.
  The real reason for doing these shoots, besides just having fun, is to familiarize myself with the guns I own. If I have to shoot a gun in a real life situation, then I want to know that I will be familiar with how the gun works and what to expect when I pull the trigger.  

It just makes sense.