[whataretheysaying] Mary Madigan: Red state in the basement..

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Posted by Mary Madigan:
Red state in the basement..
http://whataretheysaying.powerblogs.com/posts/1155053742.shtml


   [1]target 

   If you thought guns were completely forbidden in New York City, you'd
   be wrong. There is a genuine pistol/gun range, the [2]West Side Pistol
   Range in the Flatiron district, at 20 West 20th street. Yesterday, a
   few members of our Liberal Hawks group visited and learned how to load
   and shoot.

   [3]Alcibiades first suggested it, and she and fellow LH Steve arrived
   in time for our 'New to Shooting' class. Like most New Yorkers, our
   experience with guns and target practice was limited to arcade games,
   water pistols and, in my case, darts.

   If you're not a cop or in some such related field in the city you
   probably don't have a permit, and the only gun you can fire at the
   range is a beginner's rifle, a .22. Before you can shoot that, you
   need to learn how it's done, through an NRA certified instructor.

   The basement range looked like something out of Hill Street Blues,
   kind of city/gritty. Our teacher, John, was used to dealing with
   novices. He patiently explained the mechanics of guns "this is a
   magazine, this is how the safety works", etc. We learned the three
   rules of gun safety:
    1. ALWAYS keep the gun pointed in a safe direction.
    2. ALWAYS keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.
    3. ALWAYS keep the gun unloaded until ready to use.

   I'm not mechanically inclined, and I was a total feeb when it came to
   handloading bullets. Once we got to the range, I did manage to hit the
   bullseye a few times when the target was about 25 ft. away. When I
   rolled it back to 50 ft., it was hard to see where the shots landed on
   the target, and therefore hard to adjust my aim towards the center. At
   least I manged to get the target.

   The fun comes from taking aim and actually hitting the target. It was
   a lot like darts, with a lot more noise and less (actually, no)
   drinking. Safety glasses and protective headphones were essential.
   When you fire the rifle, hot shells pop out and land in unexpected
   places. Alcibiades and I were enjoying it so much we bought another
   box of bullets, but Steve was happy with one round, so he headed home.

   I guess we should have celebrated our newfound macho prowess with
   beers and some steak, but the first place we found, [4]Punch, offered
   delicate wines and a wide selection of light salads. We were back to
   being blue staters, and the tuna was delicious.

References

   1. file://localhost/files/whataretheysaying-target.jpg
   2. http://www.westsidepistolrange.com/
   3. http://abracadabrah.blogspot.com/
   4. http://newyork.citysearch.com/review/7100865/1569374