// Sharp Shooter

One of my 25 before 26 goals was to get my concealed carry permit. I never made it around to actually taking the class and getting certified last year, but I'm trying to make up for lost time. Mike, my stepdad and I are scheduled to take our class in just under 2 weeks and I'm pretty stoked about it. Since you have to qualify during the class, and I've only ever shot one handgun in my life, we thought it would be a good idea to practice. We loaded up the truck and headed way out into the boonies yesterday to do just that. When I say way out into the boonies, I mean way out into the boonies! We put a target on some plywood, propped it up on a pine tree, and got to it. I was shooting a 9mm Tokarev and I was pretty impressed with how it handled. It was the perfect day to be outside, too.

We practiced shooting at each of the three qualifying distances to ensure we were prepared.

This was my first round after not having shot a gun in a solid decade. I'm still kicking myself for not snapping a picture of my best round - 3 10's and 5 9's!

We spent a couple of hours out there and managed to shoot a ton of rounds. I even managed to out-shoot Mike haha It definitely made me way more comfortable with the gun and super excited for our carry class. We've been surfing around looking for the guns we each want, and of course I'm partial to an awesome pink handgun haha
I think it's pretty important to be able to defend oneself if needed, and I feel even stronger about it now that I have Linden and Toby. I like knowing I'll feel equipped to protect the boys and myself if we're ever out and about alone.

We've already started teaching Toby about guns and gun safety, and he got his own BB gun shortly after turning 5. It's kind of fun thinking about taking the boys to the shooting range as they get older. Anyway, here's to hoping I'm as calm during qualifying as I was out in the woods yesterday.

Do any of you have your carry permit? Or shoot regularly? I used to go to the shooting range pretty regularly in high school, and helped run the rifle range when I was a camp counselor. This feels totally different though haha! Trying new things is pretty fun!


PS; I've edited to add this... but if you're questioning why we'd want our carry permit or why on Earth we'd let our child have a bb gun, please do read my responses below! And feel free to ask your own questions. While I knew owning guns was a polarizing subject, I didn't realize so many people wouldn't understand our reasoning... but I guess that's because I never made that public. It's something we take *very* seriously, and even though I don't plan on carrying a firearm with me daily, I like the reassurance of knowing I'll know exactly how to operate one if needed.

Edited to add: Comments have been turned off as of 10am November 14th. Feel free to read the comments, and if you still wish to discuss, feel free to email me. I promise to read everything and respond when possible. Thanks!