Nice!

This might just be one of my favourite channels on any discord server.

<:thinking:726878987837636698> 😎

https://youtu.be/rCuVMx5h1x0

Why is going to a shooting range alone so intimidating at first?

Don't go alone. Bring a friend. (Also should leave with the friend)

Still, I was browsing around and it felt like I had to walk on eggshells.

It might have been just the presence of the firearms alone that was putting me on edge and idk why...

Eh...because guns can be dangerous, and if you are unfamiliar with them, you get nervous.

but that is why I am determined to handle a firearm so I can get more comfortable with it and clear that hurdle in my quest for self defense.

also, I talked to my brother and his friends about wanting to obtain a firearm for self defense, and they immediately targeted my behavior in highschool claiming I was a school shooter in the making.

I fucking hated that.

Then the feeling will go away. It's mostly the unease of being unfamiliar with a setting, especially a setting that by some accounts (not all) is unwelcoming

and they had the audacity to tell me I should get into jiu jitsu or just get a taser/pepper spray if I want to defend myself.

It's so infuriating.

considering that he's a Biden supporter.

Like sorry that I want to not risk the pepper spray or the taser not stopping them or slowing down.

Martial arts are helpful, but mostly in the fitness/awareness kinda way. You aren't gonna be doing compression locks when 6 guys coral you into an alleyway

I won't doubt that.

But I'm also not going to doubt the possibility that any would-be aggressor isn't just going to pull a gun on me

Tbh my views on guns for defense are more like fire extinguishers. If you actually need to use them, shit's already gone sideways beyond all doubt, but you'd rather have immediate access to one.

yes

I wanna be at least prepared for when shit goes sideways.

Good. Also, keep in mind that some ranges have rules against going alone, mostly to prevent suicides

Suicide at a range?

Rentals

Ah.

Have you guys heard of a phenomena called "call of the void"?

I get those random urges when I'm otherwise mentally sound.

And for legal reasons, I'm not suicidal or have attempted suicide.

That's pretty normal, just your brain recognizing potentially dangerous serious and going "what if?"

But like, you get those random thoughts about "I wonder what would happen if I did this?"

I worry if those calls of the void would y'know hinder my eligibility of self defense with a firearm.

Just practice and do drills with it

They'll form both muscle memory and reflexes, as well as sorta "desensitize" you to those thoughts

Kinda like after driving in a car for a few months you just stop thinking about every little bump and sputter, you get used to it being part of the process.

Yeah, I guess I can think about it like that.

Like driving a car.

That's a good way of presenting firearm experience to someone who has little to no experience using one.

I remember firing a .22 rifle when I was a kid, but that experience has become too foggy for me to go off of. I need fresh memories in handling a firearm and to better understand them.

Might as well pick up another .22, they're good starting points to hammer in the basics.