Tuesday Night Defensive Pistol Shoot

I never thought I'd have a reason to look forward to Tuesday nights! That was before I joined the Tuesday Night Defensive Pistol Shoot at the Genesee Conservation League.

I am well aware that firearms are a major point of debate in this country. Some of my friends think all guns should be taken away from us and that "all guns are bad". The purpose of this post is not to debate that point, other than to tell you that I am a very strong supporter of Second Amendment rights.

The fact of the matter is, I grew up around guns. I was taught at a very early age just how lethal a gun can be if not handled properly. Some of my fondest memories from my growing up years are of going to the clay pits in my hometown of Pensacola, Florida, stacking up a pile of tin cans and shooting at them with an old .32 caliber revolver that my father owned.

When I married, my husband was an avid gun enthusiast and had an impressive collection of handguns. I got my New York State pistol permit way back in the early 1980's. . . in fact, now when I have to show my pistol permit, I often have to explain, "That picture is really me!"

My interest in guns went dormant for a lot of years. I was busy raising children and involved in their activities. While I was married, I just depended on my husband to protect me if, God forbid, the need ever came for the use of a gun for personal protection.

I have been on my own for quite a few years now and the world is a different place than it was even ten or twelve years ago. I used to think nothing of going anywhere downtown in Rochester, even by myself, or with my children when they were small. Folks, those days are gone forever.

I kind of gradually moved into carrying a concealed weapon. . . first, "some of the time" and then "most of the time." I was generally aware of the legalities of when you can defend yourself with a firearm and when you can't.

More and more I would hear on the news of a law abiding citizen using a firearm to protect themself. Oh, but this is something that would never happen to me.

One thing I really missed was having a place to just go shoot for fun at targets, whether it be a pile of tin cans or a bulls-eye paper target. I own property in rural Alabama but I can't just hop in the car on a Saturday and go down there, shoot a box of ammo and turn around and drive back!

So I joined Genesee Conservation League here in Rochester and I have truly enjoyed being a member there. First, I was a bit shy about joining in any of the group activities there. I'd just go to the range by myself and enjoyed target shooting.

Then I took a couple of classes and WOW! It was then that I realized just how much I DIDN'T know and how much I needed to learn!

Dave Jenkins, who owns Rochester Personal Defense, and who belongs to GCL, has an exceptional crew of instructors. In a weak moment, I let him talk me into coming to the Tuesday Night Defensive Shoot. MAN! What had I been missing all this time? I first went because it was fun. I had a safe place to shoot and the people there were very supportive and helpful. Then I realized just how much I was learning and how much my skills were improving by going each week.

The Tuesday night group is all about defensive shooting. There are different scenarios each week. Basically, you are to shoot the bad guy and avoid shooting the good guy. Now, the bad guys and good guys are nothing more than posters of people and also cardboard covered in T-shirts. If you see a picture of a gun on the target, that's a bad guy. If not, it's a good guy. A Range Safety Officer stands behind you as you are shooting and believe me, these people watch every move you make. When you are finished they tell you everything you did wrong and things you need to improve on. It has been a goldmine of knowledge for me.

Everyone that owns a gun for personal protection hopes the day never comes when they have to use that weapon to defend their life or that of someone else. But I can tell you with all honesty, if that day ever comes in my life, I have had excellent training and guidance and I am confident I will prevail.