Starting out in shotgunning can be a scary thing. Since shotguns are one of the media’s favourite bad guys, many of us spend most of our lives in fear of firearms we have never seen, let alone held. Even walking into a gun shop feels like a cross between accidentally entering the men’s latrine and disobeying our mothers. Everyone tells us, guns are dangerous, to be avoided and at the centre of society’s ills.
So what do you do when your competitive nature and curiosity come out? You feel the fear, and walk into the gun shop anyway. And when you do, you’ll be surprised at how welcoming, interested and accommodating you’ll find the shooting community.
On any given day, Bendigo gun shop Smiths Outdoors welcomes women and men who have an interest in learning more about shooting. Experts and beginners alike are encouraged to ask questions and share their knowledge; to participate in a community of people who make up their own minds while remaining committed to upholding the obligations of firearms ownership and use.
And from the shop, you can venture out into club land, where you can acquire and hone your shooting skill – and ultimately, shooting is a competition with yourself. Accuracy depends on so many things, all of which must align in order for you to hit your target.
Our very own @gunshopgirl knows what it’s like to shoot at 75 targets and hit three. For a competitive person, it’s like eating frogs. But it’s also a new challenge, the chance to start from scratch, a decision to listen, make mistakes and stick with it even when your scores stall for months on end.
However, as @gunshopgirl can attest, patience and persistence leads to precision, and the experience of facing up to fear, staying the course, and biding your time to achieve success in shooting overflows into other aspects of your life.
Shooting requires you to dominate your emotions. Shooting requires you to uphold strict rules. Shooting requires you to focus your attention on multiple fine details and also allow fate to play a part.
Shooting is thrilling – not because guns are scary, but because it’s difficult, requires all your attention and skill. And because there is nothing like making up your own mind and proving to yourself that no matter your gender or age, you can challenge yourself to be more patient, more persistent and more precise.