I don’t mean to offend anyone of the NRA or diss the 2nd amendment, but I don’t like guns. Never have. Never will. An item that’s meant to be for protection doesn’t make me feel safe at all. It makes feel anxious, afraid, unsure, hesitant, and the list goes on. There are too many incidents where guns do more harm than good: stories of kids finding their parent’s gun and playing with friends, the Orlando shooting, police brutality, all the violence in the media. I mean, we even have lock down regulations in our school systems in case someone with a gun tries to do harm. So if guns are such risky business, I wasn’t quite sure why I decided to shoot one.

Now, you can call me a prissy liberal all you want. I know my stance in this world and everyone is entitled to their opinion. But this article isn’t meant to be a debate. It’s merely my experience into unknown territory. Anyways, my dad got a Groupon for his birthday to go to a shooting range with one other person. For some reason, I shot my hand up at the idea. And I was completely fine with it, until the day arrived.

Nervous is an underestimated description as to how I was feeling. I was dreading the one hour we would spend in the range, blares ringing in the air and all. And I don’t mean to isolate guns. There are many other weapons of self defense: knives, pepper spray, tasers, etc. And I’ve held weapons that could harm in my hands before but when it came to guns, it felt different. Regardless, I wanted to to learn more in an area I was quite ignorant of, so I went through with it.

I tried to go in with an open mind, but all hopes of that disappeared when I noticed several details of the place. dominated. Everything designed for women in the shop was, you guessed it, pink. Not to mention that one of the guys working behind the counter was wearing a shirt that said Muslim Killer with an uncanny American flag in the background. Our instructor seemed like a very nice guy: he cracked a lot of jokes and had an abundance of knowledge in the field, but I still couldn’t help feeling out of place. I know plenty of people of different races and sexes enjoy shooting, but there was an overwhelming amount of tester one and patriotism that made it obvious I didn’t belong there. But like any girl should, I sucked it up and did what I came to do.

But before I could go around blazing up those bullets, a safety seminar was prior. I always thought that it was as simple as point and shoot, but there is so much more that goes into this: footing, bending your limbs just right, breathing, the mentality. The instructor even gave us a brief history about each gun we shot and how guns have evolved over the years. With this, I was impressed and could already feel a perspective broadening. So with that, I grabbed my glasses and ear covers to head over into the range.

It was so humid in that room, it felt like I could drink the air. My dad went first, and I smiled at the goofy look he had on his face when he was done. Then it was my turn. I tried to remember all of the tips we learned in the seminar, messing up a few things (because let’s be real, instructions aren’t my forte). I was all ready. All I had to do was pull the trigger. A few moments passed (to me, they felt like forever). I took a deep breath and Bang! Of course I missed my target because I have zero skills, but I had five more shots left. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! When I looked at my target, I had left holes around the edge of the paper, but there was one spot half an inch towards the center. I don’t usually brag but I have to admit, I was pretty proud of that one shot. The feeling was exhilarating. Even though I wasn’t allowed to hold it sideways like a gangsta, I felt pretty badass.

Do I still

dislike guns? Absolutely. Do I regret going to the shooting range? No. I wasn’t educated at all in the field and it was a learning experience for me. I learned that there was a lot more than to it than just pulling a trigger, and I can now see the perspective of those whose guns mean the world to them. But it’s hard to completely accept it when it conflicts with your political views. Overall, I’m glad I had this experience. I’ve concluded that if there is anything you’re hesitant to do in life, just do it. There is no point in worrying about what could happen. So fire away.