It's Thursday!

What is great about Thursday?  That is the day the Rio Grande Valley Shooters have our IDPA meets at American Firing Range.  In February I will have been shooting for one year.  During that time I have learned many things.  How much fun it is to be around people that have an interesting hobby, are concerned about gun safety, are kind to newbies, and volunteer to provide safe, fun matches for the community.


The big thing I learned:  How important it is to follow safety rules.  Notice Dirty Harry.  Besides the fluffy haircut and too big cuffs being oh, so wrong, he is holding the gun wrong.

The way he is holding the gun looks dramatic because he is shooting a huge gun, in fact the "world's most powerful gun in its day" and the stance is probably one way to dramatize to the audience that the gun is super heavy.  But he is not safe and with that hold, a wobbly shooter because that baby is heavy!   The way he is shooting it, the recoil would push the gun back to his fluffy front locks.

The movies make guns so romantic.  It looks as if it is easy to shoot, even a frightened women crouching in a corner with her legs delightfully extended, chest breathing hard, lips quivering, can pick up a gun and shoot, dead, aliens, cowboys, Russians, hippies, robbers, drug smugglers, terrorists, and roaring animals.  She can even shoot ten times with a revolver.  Not a bad feat since most only hold six rounds.  I love to count rounds as the actors bravely shoot their way out of a tough situation.

The first safety rule you learn when you start shooting competitions is to get your finger off the trigger.  Then see the pic of Angelia Jolie?  Her fingers are dead on the trigger.  We know that the guns were probably not loaded for the photo shoot, but if they were, the photographers assistants would probably be dead by now.

This article "Do I Look Bigger with My Finger on the Trigger?  Yes, Says a Study"  is interesting and why movies have stars with their fingers wrapped tightly around the trigger.  People look bigger with their finger on the trigger.  However when you see someone at a match with their finger planted firmly on the trigger when they are not shooting  you don't think they look big, they look and feel small as they walk away, disqualified from the match.

The most dangerous thing is Miss Boob Job here and her outfit.  She is going to catch a boat load down her little shell trap outfit there.  She will dance around for sure. For those of you who have caught an ejected shell  flying out of your handgun you know how it burns.  For matches you need a shirt that won't catch ejected shells. Kidding aside, it is very dangerous dancing around to get the shell out before it burns a nasty hole.  In Pamela's case this might deflate what she is famous for!

Here are some resources for proper clothing:
What to Wear to the Shooting Range: An Article for New Female 
Shooters
Women and shotguns