It was a normal morning here in my wheat field when Bo showed up to run. *cough cough* She was carrying a couple things…weights for a upper body workout and a bag.

“What’s in the bag?” I asked while drinking my coffee on the step.

“Well, it’s my pistol…Will you teach me how to shoot?” *sphnicker sphnicker*

“Sure,” I said giggling.

After we got done with our run, (which, I’ve got to be honest, was  a lot more like speed walking with weights) we got out a target.

She was sporting a little automatic Ruger. He was just so sweet. We had just sold one similar to it named Rhoda. For the next few minutes we went over some shooting basics.

First the nomenclature of the pistol. (Did you know it’s anatomy on a person, geography on land and nomenclature on a gun.) More useless info from Sis, I know. You’re welcome.

“So this is the safety, the most important thing. This is the slide, magazine release, and magazine. Now if we are going to be friends, you have to know it’s a magazine. Some folks call them clips, but clips are for your hair and magazines are for your pistol.” Bo giggled like I was being funny. I wasn’t being funny.

She practiced taking the magazine out, loading the magazine and putting it back in. My philosophy about learning anything new is, the more you handle it, the better you’ll do. Whether learning to cook, play the guitar or shoot, time equals comfort, so keep what your learning close.

We went over the different grips, stance, eye dominance, trigger control, and the importance of concentrating on your front sight while shooting. She would shoot, then we would discuss. Shoot. Discuss. Discuss. Shoot. Until we ran out of ammo. Ya-dang, I forgot to tell her–Reload when you want to, not when you have to.

Then we ran over some basic gun cleaning using a military AP tooth brush looking thingy, some gun oil and a rag. By this time it was time to get back to the daily grind so I put her baby back in his box.

“What’s his name?” I asked.

“Oh (sphnicker sphnicker) he doesn’t have one.”

“Well, your assignment is to come up with a name. Make it a manly name. You wouldn’t hold a girl like that.”

She laughed. I was being funny then. “I have a big pistol named Samson. You know, a nice gladiator name…”

I know what you’re wondering. How did Bo shoot?

Can she hit the broad side of a barn?

With her eyes closed.

Can she take the wings off a gnat at 50 yards?

Absolutely.

Does she always pack heat?

Now, she’s no Annie Oakley (yet), and she’s awful cute and girlie to be packing a pistol. But when the chips are down, I won’t bet my life that she wasn’t.

Simply,

Sis

PS ~ If you would like to help Bo come up with a manly name for her pistol, please leave a comment. Thanks.

 If you can’t tell, I love guns. I have a thing for snipers, you can read about it here. I grew up with them. In fact, I have ditched the pursuit of fine perfumes for a little Hoppes No. 9 cleaning solvent right behind the ear. Besides Wranglers by the bed, is a turn on to Ben.

I have a few guns of my own. Ben bought my first shotgun while I was on my back in the hospital with early contractions when I was pregnant with W. I was trying to breath through the contractions while trying to listened to his sales pitch…

“It’s brand new….on clearance…half the price of a new one…”

He left me at the hospital to go buy it…and that was okay with me. It’s a fine gun.

I name all my guns sexy, manly names like Samson (one of my big pistols) or Elvis, a flashy six shooter. I haven’t looked up their skirts, but I’m sure their guys. I would never hold a woman that way. Ben name’s his guns too. From sexy to silly, they all have a girls names.  I call them his harem. The other woman in his life seems to understand too and doesn’t say much.

It’s just easier to say, “Honey, grap Shamacka, quick! There’s a opossum on the porch…” Instead of…”Honey grab my .22 pistol…” That would just leave me confused on which one. See, around here it’s all about simplifying.

I married a guy who loves guns (and banjos). He studies both. I love this t-shirt he found. It’s so him.

We’ve gone to bed with a Guns and Ammo every night for almost 15 years now. In the process, I’ve learned a few things. I haven’t memorized the ballistic trajectory charts  (how the bullet travels over distance) or learned the technical nomenclature of all their parts. But, I can talk intelligently different guns and shoot almost any basic gun lying around.

We are raising our kids to respect guns too. When they are old enough, they will have to take the hunters safety course just like ever other shooter has to. We go to church as a family, play as a family, go fishing as a family and hunt as a family, just like our families before us. Everyone needs a passion, right? Dub-ya is a great shot and Deputy Barney’s skills are coming along. Of course, like everything else in raising kids, it has it’s days. It’s all about using the teachable moments, isn’t it? Talking to your kids about guns, money, sex, and drugs is real life stuff they have to learn.

So where does that leave me on gun control? I’m all for it. I think you should always know what direction your gun is pointed and how far the bullet will go when you pull the trigger.

Seriously, my stance on gun control is probably just to the right of Teddy Roosevelt’s. Teddy Roosevelt said, “unbridled government leads to corruption…” Our forefathers wrote the second amendment, the right to bear arms, to control an out of control government.  “A well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed. …” Is how it reads.

I think all law-abiding, noncriminal, hard working, tax paying U. S. Citizens should be allowed to carry a concealed weapon if they want to. (That narrows the field quite a bit, doesn’t it?) Law enforcement officers have to treat everyone like they are packing heat, anyway. Let’s arm the good guys.

Here’s just one of many reasons why. This lady lost both parents to an insane gun-toting maniac in a Luby’s Cafeteria in Texas.

Teddy Roosevelt  also said, “Speak softly, but carry a big stick.”

I believe I will. Only, mine will be stick that throws a lot of lead.

Bully, good ol’ chap. Bully good.

Sandhill Sis

If you agree with this post and aren’t a National Rifle Association (NRA) member. It doesn’t cost much, and they need all the help they can get battling this gun control issue. You can check out their website for more info… http://home.nra.org/#/home