Whoa-Oh Black Boogers Ramba Lamba

A little bit ago I was trying to figure out why my boogers were black. I hadn't been around any extreme dust or dirt, nor had I been near a fire or cut the grass. No, but I had been shooting.

Going to the indoor range in town and renting guns to shoot would have been fun all on its own, and we'd talked about doing it. However, what sparked our desire to do so in this particular instance was a discussion we had last night in which Joe relayed a couple stories about a few of the guys he worked with. He'd apparently heard the stories several days before, but until I read a few police reports out of the paper involving break ins and robberies, he chose not to worry me. As it turns out a couple guys in his unit have had unwanted visitors on or near their properties. One guy had his house cased and robbed while he was at work and his wife was out of town. The guy ranks above lieutenant, so his house wasn't a shit hole by any means. The details of the break-in/burglary indicated that it was a professional hit. Another guy Joe works with came upon a gentleman rummaging around in his shed. He called to the guy, who then began to run, and told him to stop. The man did not stop, and the soldier shot him in the back. Yeah, that's a little gray, but apparently there's no legal issue with it currently. Police took his gun and ran ballistics on it to determine it had not been used in any crimes and then returned it. The final story Joe told me is pretty hardcore in my opinion. Some thugs decided to just drive through a neighborhood (regular residential, not the projects), and open fire, shooting into houses and apartments. Well, they shot in the direction of an infantryman's apartment, so he took action. He told his wife to get into the bathroom and call the cops, and as she did that, he took his pistol and shotgun out on his balcony, leaving the AK inside because he "didn't want to kill anyone." Instead, he used his pistol and opened fire into the vehicle. Again, police processed the gun and returned it, only asking that the guy help pick up his brass off the street.

And so, after hearing that people are ballsy enough to fuck with these dudes, we talked and decided it was time to go look at guns. Now, if you're thinking of lecturing me, don't. Guns are last resort. But yes, I could shoot someone, realizing the possibility of killing them. From what I read in the newspaper, see on the news, and hear from others who have experienced it, this town requires you to meet force with force at times, and if necessary kill or be killed I suppose. We're taking all safety precautions: installed flood lights, keep the doors locked, bought a dog (who does alert), have the ADT system already in the house turned back on, and I'm even considering digging up the holly bushes in the front and centering them in front of the front windows. With all of that if someone still wants to come in, fuck 'em.

That said, we went to an indoor range today and rented two guns to shoot. The first was a .40 caliber Glock 23 (left above). It was okay. I didn't have much of a frame of reference, as it's been a while since I shot Dad's pistol. It was okay - the recoil wasn't bad, but it didn't feel like I could grip it as well. Then we shot with the .45 caliber HK USP 45 acp (right above). Dude, as soon as I put my hand on the grip I could feel the difference, and even though it was a .45, it didn't kick any worse than the .40. All else aside, it was a lot of fun to shoot. I'm not sure how well I like indoor ranges, as it was a lot of people were there, and we just seemed too close. Still, the experience really jazzed Joe and me. It's nice that he has a knowledge of guns, and he was showing me the proper ways of holding and standing, etc, as well as the mechanics of the gun. I was proud to be there with him. I was proud of myself too - a small blonde chick shooting those guns. And, with my small girl hands, I can load a clip faster than Joe can. :-)

In other news, while Joe lay on the floor earlier, Dex got a wild hair and started doing his laps aorund the house. He used Joe's head as a spring board about three times before Joe finally got up. It was hilarious. Also, little Dex graduated from beginning puppy education today. Oma would have turned 75 today, and I feel like we all honored her - Dex with his graduation, and Joe and I shooting a fine German (the HK) handgun. Yes, I think she'd approve. Happy Oma's Birthday, everyone!

Final thought: In Georgia, you can buy a gun on Sunday but not booze.