Found you when I read your story for McShep Match. I am just now taking the time to search out more of your stories but am being distracted by your shiny journal. This entry makes me wonder what percentage of Americans have actually handled a weapon. I was born in Texas and I shot my first rifle before I turned 10 and I'm a woman. However, my mother left my father when I was 9 and we moved to New Jersey where no one I knew had guns (or at least, they didn't talk about it) so it wasn't until I was an adult that I learned all about guns. I can now handle quite a few of the larger weapons as well as dismantle, clean and reassemble them. I don't have my own weapon and haven't handled one in years but I think in a country where weapons are commonplace, it is important to have basic knowledge just for the sake of safety. So, bravo to you for going to shoot. Even if you didn't fall in love with it, having that experience is important; especially since you live in Texas.