Until a few weeks ago, I never thought I'd be one to want to own a handgun. I mean, I was on the Marine Corps JROTC rifle team in high school, but it was just that- a RIFLE team. We shot .22s. And to me, a rifle always seemed a little safer. It is larger and harder to move around quickly, so in my mind, it would be more difficult to (accidentally) point it in the wrong direction. Handguns always seemed, to me, to be less safe. They are smaller, can fit in one hand and can quickly be turned on someone. The thought of that just scared me. With all that in mine, I was a little leery when I agreed to take a concealed handgun course. Kent Myers, captain of the patrol division with the Sheriff's Office, had contacted the SNAP to see if someone would like to take the course and write an article about it. I was asked to take on the assignment, and I, maybe just a little reluctantly, agreed. I really was getting a little worried about the class that morning when I was getting ready to leave the house. Thoughts like- “What if I screw up and point it the wrong direction and it goes off accidentally?” “What if I forget something that was mentioned in the class and something goes seriously wrong?” There were a lot of thoughts going through my head as I drove towards Albemarle, the least of which was that it was raining and chilly and I'd be outside in a few short hours shooting in the rain. The class was scheduled to begin at 8 a.m., so I arrived at the Marvin Smith Driving School at about 7:45 a.m. The nerves still weren't going away, though. I kept thinking about the end of the class and when we would have to shoot a real gun. The class got started though, and my nerves began to calm down. Capt. Myers made sure that we all fully understood what carrying concealed meant. We learned the ins and outs of when- and where- you can carry a concealed handgun, and when deadly force can be used. See, I didn't know that you can possibly be charged with manslaughter if your trying to defend yourself but you started the confrontation. Some of the other scenarios in which can't use a deadly force like to stop simple assault and when someone uses threats and violent language. What I found to be interesting, though, was that you can use deadly force to stop an intruder from entering your home, but deadly force to prevent entry does not automatically allow deadly force against anyone who is already unlawfully inside the home- only if the intruder is imminently threatening death. We also learned about the parts and types of a handgun, as well as how to hold one. Capt. Myers also demonstrated for everyone (and had them practice) how to present the handgun and how to aim it. All of this was done before we ever set foot on the shooting range. Within a few hours of sitting in the class, I was really beginning to enjoy it. I don't think I'll ever forget one of the comments Capt. Myers made, which kind of touched on how I had been feeling. He mentioned about someone who had said they didn't like handguns because they scared them. Capt. Myers said that fear wasn't necessary. He said that you shouldn't fear a gun of any kind. You need to learn about them- learn how they should be used and what makes them tick. And I guess that makes sense. Knowledge is a very powerful weapon in and of itself. The more you know about something, the more you stand to gain. So when it came time to actually fire the handgun, I was ready. Though I didn't have a handgun of my own, Capt. Myers let me and a few others in the class use some of his handguns for the qualifying rounds. Since we had to “take turns,” I got to watch some of the others, and it was interesting to see. But man, when it came time to fire the handgun myself, I was not at all prepared for the recoil from the gun, but after a few rounds, I was really enjoying myself. I can't say now, after taking the class, that I will going out and get a handgun, but I do have a new appreciation for them. And I would definitely recommend the course to anyone interested in buying a handgun, or even if you're like me and just a little scared of them. It is amazing what you learn.
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