The "M" Word

So, you saw the gun and the "M". What came to your mind? Murder? Mayhem? We do, after all, live in violent times and, Lord knows, there are guns out there in the hands of kids and lots of bad guys. Besides, there are all sorts of cop shows out there, and we have all seen a "shooting". So, given the context of the picture above and the world in which we live, it would not surprise me if that is what you thought. But I am not a violent man. The word I had in mind, of course, was meditation.

Two days ago, bored with winter and suffering cabin fever, I took my 9mm Glock and went over to a local shooting range. There I went through the usual ritual, just as one goes through a ritual in order to meditate. Before entering the shooting lanes, I put on my ear protection thus changing my aural perception to that of a world of muffled sounds. The isolation had begun. Once at a shooting position, partitions cut out all vision except what was straight ahead where bright lights illuminated a cavernous black space.

The ritual continued: Unlock the case, check the chamber to be sure it is clear, check the barrel for obstructions, load two magazines each with 10 rounds, attach a target (circles, never a human or animal outline...but I digress) then listen to the motor hum as I run it out into the empty black space. Remove glasses (don't need to see the target, only the sites) and put on safety glasses.

Pick up the loaded weapon, finger never on the trigger, barrel always...always...pointed down range. Set my grip and get into the shooting stance. Now line up the front and rear sites, never mind the target yet. Let the gun sway, just keep those sites aligned until the target appears to perch on the front site (target picture). Take up the slack on the inner trigger, that releases the safety. When the site alignment and the site picture are proper, pull (no squeezing BS) the hair trigger: Licks of fire and the sound of an explosion just beyond my hand fill my world an instant before the smell of gun powder enters my brain.

Repeat the above over and over until the outside world disappears and there is only the ritual the sights, the smells and the sounds. A few hundred repetitions later, and I am relaxed and free of evil thoughts...until I step out of the building into the sub zero air. Only then does murder enter my mind.

Paddle safe...

DS