My new Taurus .38 Special Ultra Light

Well, having decided to buy a handgun I had my heart set on a Taurus, although not the one that I ended up buying, which is seen in the photo here. The one I wanted was a semi-automatic 22, but it was almost impossible to find.

I went to a gun dealer in Oshkosh and found this one and I liked the feel of it in my hand. I personally prefer a rosewood handle. I have no idea why.

Anyway, we took it to Shawano and went with my friend, Brenda, and her boyfriend, Bill, and found an out of the way place where we could fire our new guns (because Brenda got one too) without scaring the neighbors or getting arrested. It was super cool. Bill even made a target with a bullseye for us to shoot at.

I was happy I had taken my gun class, and I was ready for about everything except for the sub arctic weather. It was FREEZING outside. I imagine that if we were dead on the target in that weather if a bad guy comes into the house where it's warm he hasn't got a chance in hell of not getting hit.

Anyway, what I thought was funny was every single man that saw my revolver had the same response. "It's a pretty little thing." Wow. I had no idea that guns could be pretty little things. However, if a bad guy comes running through my house and manages to get past a German Shepherd, a crazy cockatoo, and a passel of ankle biters that "pretty little thing" is going to shoot his patootie.

For any other ladies out there looking for a hand gun, I have to say I really like this revolver. It's not just pretty - it's accurate, effective, and not nearly as loud and kicky as some others I've shot.

Women on Target Gun Class

I was lucky enough to get into a class offered by Fox Valley Tech called "Women on Target" sponsored by the Women of the NRA. I have to admit this is an awesome class with super instructors. I even learned about a program for women in the Fox Valley called "Fox Valley Women's Shooters." I'm seriously considering joining this group.

What I think is super about these programs is that they are teaching firearm safety and awareness. If you are ever going to handle a gun or pistol you should know what you are doing so you don't accidentally shoot your foot or other body part or perhaps the body part of someone else unintentionally.

The set up they had was extremely well done from the goodie bags with cookies and grapes to the indoor basement range with balloons and paper plates. They incorporated the Valentine's theme for the season. All the women, even those taking the class, were exceptional. It was 4 hours that went by very quickly.

My shooting instructor is John Bauer whom, I have to admit, knows his stuff. He is an excellent teacher and very patient. I would definitely take other lessons from him.

So why the interest in shooting lessons? Well, I recently purchased a hand gun and a rifle. I have been shooting before, the first time when I was about 12 years old. I've handled guns but never really had a single lesson except from men that didn't really teach me gun safety only how to shoot.

After several upon several years (we won't get into the age issue here) of not shooting I found I was still pretty accurate. What I also found out is that with the training I received not only was I more accurate than before, but I could now handle a gun without accidentally killing myself or someone else.

Kudos to my hubby, though. He said, after I mentioned taking lessons with him, " I have to swallow that, 'I'm a man and know how to handle a gun' idea. I know I could benefit from shooting lessons, it's been about 20 years since I've left the marines and actually shot a gun."  I knew I had married a very intelligent man.