“You said you’ve never shot a gun before?”
“Never.”
“I’ll take you through some simple safety things first. I want you to be safe, and some of it is pretty logical, so bear with me.”
“I’m an excellent student, and I want to know those things.”
“Good. Some people just want to start shooting, and honestly, that’s just not a smart way to learn.”
They sat on the porch talking about gun safety, the differences between the types of firearms he’d brought along, and which ones were best in what kind of situations.
“There is a lot to learn.”
“You don’t learn it in one afternoon.”
“What kind of gun do you think I should have?”
“We’ll try a few different things. Your size, hand shape, and weight factor into what gun is right for you. You want to get the job done, but you don’t need something with a big kickback either.”
“No, I don’t need a cannon.”
They both laughed at that.
“I did some research on the GIS mapping in the area. It doesn’t look like you have neighbors except down the mountain, so we should be able to set up some targets in that clearing just over the bridge.”
“There’s nothing but woods behind there.”
“Perfect.” He carried the targets and set up a few along the edge of the woods, then walked back over to where she was sitting. “Are you okay? You look kind of nervous all of a sudden.”
“It’s just that I’m not good at sports. Like, any sport except miniature golf, and even that’s iffy.”
“I’m going to help you. You’re in good hands.”
She pressed her lips together. “Okay. I know I have to learn this.”
“Before you go shooting at anything, you should call it in to local law enforcement. Do you have your local sheriff department number on your phone yet?”
“No.”
He lifted his phone and texted the number to her. “Just sent it to you. Generally, if there’s a bear or coyote in the area, you’ll have some signs before you ever see them. If they hear you first, they’ll usually reroute. Of course, when they’ve got babies, you don’t ever want to get between a mom and her cubs. So being alert is the number-one thing, and really that goes for anything. People, wild animals, and even domesticated dogs.”
“Good point.”
“You ready to try this?” he asked.
“Ready.”
He first taught her how to load and unload a handgun, then the shotgun and rifle. It wasn’t until then that they actually took their first shots.
“I’m going to start you with this little twenty-two rifle. It was mine when I was just a kid. I won several 4-H ribbons with this thing.”
“Well, then it has to be good luck, right?”
“It’s good luck as long as you have good aim,” he said, enjoying her hope-filled way of thinking.
He stepped behind her and helped her find the proper position for the rifle. “You’re going to place the butt of the rifle right here in the pocket between your shoulder and collarbone. Feel that?”
“Yes.”
