Ever shoot a shotgun and love the feeling? Gotta love the country! That was me today. I felt like a bit of a "hick", especially because i'm white. I know what you're thinking ... just another hick with a shotgun. LMAO! i was thinking the same thing... but my friend is the echelon of cool, nowhere near hick status, so I guess I was a solo cowboy on this endeavour.
Anyway, I went out shooting with my buddy J. We drove out, far out into some woods, to a field with an upward slope about 50 yards in, and we drew a line in the mud and shot skeets.
"RESTRICTED" AND "UNRESTRICTED"...WTF?
J. actually has all his licenses. Here in Canada (Ontario) there are two firearms licences -- "Restricted" and "Unrestricted". Most shotguns and rifles (most long-barreled guns) are "Unrestricted", while most handguns and semi-automatics are "Restricted", but you can have a license to own both (then why call some guns such as handguns "Restricted"? Beats me). I think the title "Restricted" should be stuff like AK-47s and, like, stuff not meant for public consumption, like machine guns and bazookas, which are illegal to own and operate (You'd think?). Anyway, the term "Restricted" here, just means (mostly) hand-guns, pistols, and some other restricted long-barrels like semi-automatics and what-not. If you want those, basically, you have to pony up a few extra dollars for the second, better license.
I mean seriously. If you're gonna get a firearms license, are you gonna settle for having 1/2 of one? Everyone who wants to get a firearm wants to eventually own a handgun. They're easier to carry, look cooler, and are probably (depending on the person) far easier to aim and shoot. Anyway, save yourself the hastle of not being allowed to purchase handguns, and just get both licenses at the same time, if you can. Here's a tip. When you write the "Unrestricted" firearms exam, man up, squeeze 'em, (then pony up a few extra dollars, if necessary) and write the "Restricted" exam, too. Odds are if you pass one, you'll pass both. It's all about safety for the most part. Here's a few good tips. Don't point a gun at anyone. Don't leave a gun loaded, ever. Use the safety on it. Learn how to store and transfer it properly (depending on the laws in your state/area). and so on, and so forth. It's pretty much common sense.
Anyway, we used a pump-action shotgun and shot skeets out of the air. How awesome is that? I felt like Schwarzenegger in Terminator!
1. Pump-Action Shotgun ("Remington").
2. Clay Targets ("Skeets") With Shotgun Shells.
The best feeling is, (besides obliterating a skeet when you hit!), that when you miss, you can just pump the shell out and shoot again, before the skeet even hits the ground! I mean, even if you miss the second time, you still feel like a champ! Pumping that shotgun and seeing the barrel smoke a bit, as the shell flies out the side, is just pure bliss.
Every kid since the dawn of mankind dreams of one day owning a shotgun and laying waste to an unruly forest or a few skeets. I think sometimes, when shooting a gun, that violence is in our blood. Humans are like a virus, and whatever they choose to consume, they consume wholly and without regret. But anyway, let's not get philosophical.
If you don't know what a skeet is, think of a clay Frisbee. We also had a hand-held skeet launcher. Think of a plastic Frisbee launcher with which you propel the skeet forward, further than you could throw it with your bare hands.
There are many different kinds of skeet launchers, including a spring-action skeet thrower, in which you load the skeet, and pull the spring back, then launch! Those are not too expensive, but throwing the skeet was honestly part of the fun, and gives the second person something entertaining to do while taking a break from shooting.
So you throw the skeet (clay Frisbee, lol) up into the air, while the other
person aims, and shoots. If the shooter hits the skeet, it explodes. Awesome! Well, it doesn't sound all that exciting, but trust me, it really is!
Anyway, you should obviously have someone with you who is both licenced to own, handle and maintain the guns that you will be shooting, and hopefully (especially if it's your first time) be able to explain to you how to handle, lock, load, aim and shoot a gun properly.
Don't ever go out into the woods with someone you don't trust, who has a gun and bullets with him.(like, seriously, lol).
HOW TO GET LICENSED IN ONTARIO, CANADA
The best advice I could give, if you're into this sort of thing, is get licensed. There's a safety course that you need to take if you know nothing about guns, so that you can pass the licensing examination for "Unrestricted" guns. Once you've read the pamphlet, you're ready to do the course. The course is basically you and a few others, learning how to handle the instructor's various guns. If you're lucky, he'll even let you shoot a few rounds off (of this, i'm not entirely certain). Anyway, once you're there, tell your instructor that you want to proceed with the "Restricted" licensing examination as well, so that, if possible, you can write both examinations back-to-back. This will save you time, possibly some money, and alot of hastle. Alot of the safety questions are the same on both examinations, so that, if you know a little bit about pistols (do some reasearch online), like the laws regarding handling, transporting and storing, in your province, then you should be fine. Once you've passed both examinations, that gives you the right to apply for the firearms license that you want (Most people want to get into the "Restricted stuff eventually, so why not have both?).
Anyway, after you pass both examinations, it's time to get your paperwork ready and fill out an application. Pick up an application from your local hunting/gun store (or your instructor) and send in all the paperwork.
Voila! Once that's done, just wait it out. Be ready to wait up to 6 months, these beaurocrats really do like sitting on these applications for a long time. Eventually, your shiny new card will arrive in the mail.
BUYING YOUR FIRST GUN(S).
My advice to you is to start with a .22 rifle if you have an unrestricted license, and a .22 handgun if you have a restricted license. These are the cheapest to shoot, because .22 bullets are really, really cheap. (As you might have guessed, .22 handguns take the same bullets as .22 rifles). Furthermore, these guns dont have much of a "kick", and you can even get some semi-automatic .22 rifles, which means you can unload a plethora of shots before having to reload. Fun! Stock up on that ammo, since you're going to be needing a few thousand shots, or more, to get really good at shooting.
JOINING A GUN CLUB
Once you have your shiny new firearms license and purchase the gun of your choice, it's time to join a club. You basically almost have to join a club if you're in the city, unless you're willing to drive out to the boons to shoot at trees (If you want to do that, make sure the area you're shooting in has no by-laws against shooting, or the cops will arrest you). Even if you're not in the city, you wont always want to shoot at tree stubs or skeets. It's basically time to join a club.
Be ready to pony up quite a bit of money as "one-time" admission fees, if you're a new member. These can reach into the hundreds, or even thousands of dollars, depending on the club. However, most clubs just have an annual membership fee of a few hundred bucks (~250$ CDN), plus a nominal fee for a safety course that all members must take before joining (~50-100$ CDN). Those are just averages and many clubs are way more expensive, i'm sure.
Again, at the safety course or whenever you interact with a member from the club for application or otherwise, be polite, and never point a gun at anyone. Re-read the pamphlet you studied to take the examinations, and learn about the "house rules" that the club might have. In general, be nice with everybody you meet, and you should have no problems. I repeat, never, ever, point your gun in a human being's general direction, as this can get you iced from the club, not to mention punched out, lmao. People are really touchy about this at gun clubs. I mean always point at the target, or at the ground. dont even think of even inching it sideways at all. when you're done with it, make sure it's unloaded, and put it down. the best way to shoot a gun, is to shoot it, then put it down, in my opinion. that way, nobody gets hurt (or offended). The less you hold your gun, the safer you are from accidents or mishaps.
Well, that's my rant on shooting, so Happy Shooting! And P.S. i'm against hunting, but pro-shooting. I dont mind learning how to use various guns, they are tools, after all.
If ever there is a war that needs to be fought, at least i'll know how to shoot a few guns. Not that i'll ever be stuck in the middle of a war, or in the middle of post-apocalyptic America, but... you never know when using a gun will come in handy. It's just another tool. Learn how to use it, then shove it (safely) aside.
As for hunting ... I just cant kill anything with fur on it (although I do go fishing the odd time -- but even that tugs at my conscious, sometimes).
Stephen M. Miniotis,
Last Gentleman On Earth, aka "LGOE".
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