Took a Newbie to the Range

[sfhogman]

For a few months, we have a young German law student living in the house! She's the daughter of one of my wife's German friends of many years ago. They stayed in touch, and this summer K. has come to live with us while interning at a law firm here in San Francisco.

She is an utterly charming 24 year old who came equipped with a bucket list of things that she wants to see and do in the American West. At the top of the list was shooting a gun...as we know, that's a very difficult thing to do where she comes from. She had never touched a gun in her life.

Single Six to the rescue! She simply loved the idea of shooting an Old West style revolver.
The night before last, we went through the basics of gun safety, gun handling and how to shoot at a target. She's a very quick study and learned faster than I would have, absolutely. Took about two hours.
Yesterday we took her took her to a local range and she got to shoot the Single Six and Mkll to her heart's content. She did well and had a wonderful time, needless to say. We took pictures, and of course she kept her targets. As of this morning she is still grinning.

She has an interesting take on things, and a wonderfully direct way of speaking. When I told her of my wife's aversion to hunting - "we're killing Bambi" - she gave me an impatient look, and said, "For heaven's sake! Your country is overpopulated with deer, they are dangerous around cars and are delicious....what's the problem?"

Next weekend it's Old Sacramento and the California Railway Museum.
We'll spend the Independence Day in the Gold Country, attending the parade in Columbia, Ca.

Seeing our world through her eyes has been fun and instructive. Hopefully someday we'll see her on her home turf and learn a little about hers.

Jeff

 

[Don Lovel]

German Doctor of Meteorology from Munich was staying at my landlord's Air BNB during recent severe storm time on the plains. He talked about how many pheasants he had seen over near Boise City Oklahoma while storm chasing and longed for a day in the field with a beautiful working dog and a fine shotgun.
I rubbed it in about just how good the hunting was in NW Oklahoma when I was a kid farming there

 

[WendyZXZ]

That is a great story and excellent of you to introduce a new person to shooting, she has a great attitude about firearms and hunting both!

 

[contender]

It's often refreshing to see other folks,, from other countries who TRULY appreciate our freedoms! KUDOS for you taking the time to properly educate her.

 

[Rick Courtright]

She has an interesting take on things, and a wonderfully direct way of speaking. When I told her of my wife's aversion to hunting - "we're killing Bambi" - she gave me an impatient look, and said, "For heaven's sake! Your country is overpopulated with deer, they are dangerous around cars and are delicious....what's the problem?"

Hi,

Jeff, is there any way you guys can "keep" her after the internship's done? She might just take to firearms law!

Rick C

 

[Aqualung]

Good on you!

Quite a few years ago, I was able to expose our Scottish CFO to shooting. He had a great time.

My best was taking a future Mrs. Aqualung to the range and teaching her the fundamentals of flintlock rifle and cap & ball revolver shooting.

In dealing with many European folks at some of our UK sites in my job, I have observed that many have an absolute aversion to firearms and a total lack of understanding of our "ridiculous infatuation" of them. This was evidenced when I was forced to write our site's extremely restrictive weapons policy.

Again, good on you, Jeff!

Aqualung

 

[fiasconva]

Great story! It should be really interesting when she takes those targets back through the airport and TSA inspects her baggage. *s*

 

[blackhawknj]

Spread a little of our "Kultur".

 

[clintsfolly]

A few years back my buddy son was a a private military school. One of the school projects is they send students to China and China send some here! During there stay the Chinese students go home for a long weekend with a US student. His son and three friends brought home three students. Was asked to help RSO a range day and bring some different weapons. We and 22lr rifles and handguns,9mm handguns,45acp hand guns,44mag handguns, 223ar15, 12ga shotgun and my 458AccRel elephant rifle. They shoot them all! At one point the Chinese students told us that they had never touched a real gun. About the time we got done the Chinese kid where talking in Chinese and where real excited. One of the US boy was learning to speak Chinese and later told us that " They where scared by all the weapons we had and how well we shoot!" These young boys will be the military leaders in a few year!

 

[blume357]

Few years back at my profession's annual convention which was in Orlando a friend of mine who's a much more 'enthusiastic' gun owner than me (He has a destructive device manufacturing license from BAFTE just so he can build and sell 'sometimes' full auto rifles) there were 5 guys at the convention who had flown over from Germany.... I stopped in the bar one night to say hello to another friend (from New York City) who was the host of these Germans... and this guy mentioned that I had the year before taken him shooting and it was a hoot. We then started a short conversation on guns and just to be friendly I told one of the Germans I usually carried a Sig Sauer pistol... his eyes kind of lit up and he asked, "you don't really carry it do you?" Just to be contrary I lifted my shirt and showed him I was not exaggerating.. Any way, two days later we were all at a range with my other buddy cutting loose with full auto m-4s and M-60's... Germans had a great time... (personally I think it is a waste of good ammo... but it was worth it for the inter country benefits) One of them was running for an office in the German parliament and asked that I not put any of the pictures on the internet.

 

[SR1911SHOOTER]

Few years back at my profession's annual convention which was in Orlando a friend of mine who's a much more 'enthusiastic' gun owner than me (He has a destructive device manufacturing license from BAFTE just so he can build and sell 'sometimes' full auto rifles) there were 5 guys at the convention who had flown over from Germany.... I stopped in the bar one night to say hello to another friend (from New York City) who was the host of these Germans... and this guy mentioned that I had the year before taken him shooting and it was a hoot. We then started a short conversation on guns and just to be friendly I told one of the Germans I usually carried a Sig Sauer pistol... his eyes kind of lit up and he asked, "you don't really carry it do you?" Just to be contrary I lifted my shirt and showed him I was not exaggerating.. Any way, two days later we were all at a range with my other buddy cutting loose with full auto m-4s and M-60's... Germans had a great time... (personally I think it is a waste of good ammo... but it was worth it for the inter country benefits) One of them was running for an office in the German parliament and asked that I not put any of the pictures on the internet.

Greenville, SC lets you take firearms into bars? Much less "Brandish" them? And trust me, the DA would call
that brandishing even exposing a concealed weapon.
Blackie

 

[Taterman]

Great story Jeff. I hope she frames and displays those targets when she gets back home.

 

[Bear Paw Jack]

Good job Jeff. I think Europeans have some wrong ideas about our culture. I think you have taken foreign relations to a new height. She may not want to go back. I wouldn't blame her, either.

It's obviously not possible but it reminds me of the Charles Bronsan films how he went from NY to somewhere out west and the guy let him shoot. Then as a gift stuck a gun into his luggage, when Bronsan went back to NY. In tern, Bronsen got rid of some low lifes. I guess the theory works better in the movies. But Europe is over run with muslims that think they can get away with anything. Curious to know her thoughts on that.

 

[wolfsong]

Jeff, believe it or not, I have yet to introduce Juanita to the finer art of firearms. Could I send her to you for her introductory course? I feel she'd fare better under your guidance.

I'll be in touch. Maybe Juanita and I can make it up Sonora way while you guys are in the area...