Any of you guys ever shoot guns?

[PennsyPlinker]

I just got home from one of my business trips. I love my job.

I drove down to Virginia for a couple of days of demonstrating and teaching. As is often the case, I was put up in the home of one of the club members for the club where I am working. In this case, I was staying with a man I already knew, having met him on several occasions. He is the former deputy chief of the secret service, and was in charge of all the troops guarding the White House. He told me to come early if possible, so we could spend some time shooting at his place. Shooting at his place meant walking out onto the back porch of his house in the mountains of Virgina, and shooting a custom built Winchester .300 magnum, a .30-06 Marlin, and a couple of .22 rifles. We blasted away for a good part of the afternoon the day before the class I was teaching.

Friday was class day. I had seven students, including my host. My fame as an open carry woodturner has spread a little, and a couple of the guys were asking me about the guns I carry. But then it was down to business, and this is where the title of this post comes from. I was discussing the way people line themselves up at the lathe, and talking about our natural "sighting system", how we had two eyes, and used our noses as a front sight. At that point, I asked the group, "Any of you guys ever shoot guns?"

Silence fell on the room. They all looked at me like I had three heads. Then, one of the men said,

"Where do you think we live!?! Of course we shoot guns! We're all from West Virginia or Virginia, except Larry here. He's from Maryland. We all shoot guns. We hunt, we carry, we target shoot."

Then they all started laughing, and we got off track for a few minutes, talking about hunting. The owner of the shop we were in told me he was taking his grandson turkey shooting for his first time Saturday morning, and so he might miss the first part of my demo.

Today (Saturday) was the main club meeting, the day where I got to stand up in front and have fun telling stories, making shavings, and getting paid to do it. As the crowd assembled, one of the men in the front row wanted to know why I wasn't packing.

"How do you know I'm not?", I asked him.

"I've read about you. I know you pack, and out in the open."

"It's close enough if I need it, and besides, I have some long pointy tools, so you have better behave yourself."

As a side note, I had forgotten an Allen wrench I needed, so I was poking around in one of the cabinets of the shop there where I thought I would find it. I opened the one door to find a stack of targets with holes in them. Apparently the owner of this particular shop is a little like me in more ways than one. Come into my shop and you will find ammo next to router bits, and targets stashed in with the owner's manuals. It was almost like being at home.

During the demo, the guys who had been out hunting showed up in their hunting clothes, not wanting to miss any more than they had to. During the lunch break, I discovered that the guys from VA and WV hold MD in the same high regard that we do. It was a very nice change, being in with a majority of men and women who hold the right to bear arms dear, and not just some old dusty part of the Constitution that we really don't need anymore.

On my way home I stopped at a truck stop in PA to get something to eat. I was OC, even though my holster was not exactly a retention one. I was approached by a gentleman from Mississippi who asked me if I was LEO, and then got to talking about carry permits, and the difficulty of carrying in certain places of this country. It was a very pleasant conversation, and while I was initially concerned about problems, I quickly discerned I had nothing to worry about. It is good to be home, and not have to worry about traveling through that little strip of MD with a truck full of guns. While I had fun on that back porch with the rifles, I was reminded that I need to get some more range time with them, something that has not happened since last fall. That is on the schedule for this week.

[Curmudgeon]

Sounds like a really nice trip, although it seems most of them are.

And I am reminded that I am due for a trip to the range myself. Especially since the Mrs has been bugging me to find some more Mosin ammo...

Lately, every time I hand her a gun with more recoil she likes it more than whatever she was shooting prior. More recoil = more fun.

I think I may be unleashing a monster. CRY HAVOC!

[max384]

Good story! (as always) When you said the room fell silent, I didn't expect the second part. I thought you were in a room full of guys who hadn't shot before.

It's been quite some time since I've been at the range too. Prior to moving to the Wilkes Barre area last June, I used to go to the range at least two days per week, often more. Since moving here, I've been about two or three times total. Last time I was out (several months ago), I noticed my groups weren't nearly as tight as they used to be. I can't wait until I'll have the time and a nearby place to go on a regular basis again.

[PennsyPlinker]

Jim, these trips are always good. Even when I was staying with the liberals who were so angry with my views on things I thought I was going to have to move to a hotel, it was good - from a Jane Goodall point of view. I got to see them in their natural habitat. I get to see a side of humanity that most people never imagine. But on the whole, most people are willing to think, and to discuss viewpoints that are not their own, including me. Encountering people with different viewpoints allows me to sharpen my own, and refine it.

Max, I was not expecting the high degree of firearms ownership and usage either. Our society has become so homogenized and mobilized in so many ways I was expecting to hear that a lot of these guys were not into guns at all. It was a pleasant surprise. It was one big group of good ole boys, and they were all friendly with me, and with one another. These are the days that make it all worthwhile, when everyone gets along, and get along with me. I could have open carried with them I think, and it would not have been a problem. In fact, at the end of the day I grabbed my gun and holster and strapped it on inside the shop before I took off, and it was no problem at all for the people there. I can't ask for more than that.

[ungawa]

Great story.

I'm surprised by many of the discussions I have with strangers while traveling. Happily so, especially in some states where I didn't expect it.

[tdyoung58]

Yeah, shooting is a good thing.... I like shooting. Didn't this week but shot 2 rounds of SC last weekend.... was fun, even though I didn't hit shiite