To shoot or not to shoot...

That is my question. There is a very different perspective out here in the country when it comes to arming oneself. It would never have occurred to me to own a gun while living in town, not even as a woman home alone did I want one. All I thought of was the kids getting it and shooting each other accidentally. Their dad was a hunter while we were married and I had insisted the guns be kept locked away somewhere the boys would never go exploring.

Fast forward ten years. My sons are nearly 12 and 14. My new husband is charming combination of Grizzly Adams,Crocodile Dundee and Rambo. There is a handgun in the nightstand - sometimes ON the nightstand. My eldest actually has the gun "safe" in his bedroom...but it's ok because the ammo is kept in the drawer of the cabinet and not actually touching the guns themselves.

I have taken a stand of "if you can't beat 'em join 'em" when it comes to fishing. But can I actually learn to embrace what I fear? Can I learn to use and respect the gun? In town, guns are used to kill people, steal from people, and intimidate people. Out here, however, children take gun safety classes when they are 9. The never point a gun at a person, ever. They carry a gun in a way that shows they know it can kill someone even on accident. They respect the power and don't seem to forget it. They know a gun can kill the shooter too if you do not handle it properly.

I'm thinking of learning to shoot. I don't want to hunt deer or anything like that, but I do have a reason. The pair of Canadian geese are nesting on the lake, so are the wood ducks. I want to be able to shoot at a big ol' snapping turtle if  I see it around the babies. And what if I ever see the elusive, but nearby, mountain lion? I don't want to shoot it, but I would scare it away from my kids and dogs. I don't really want to kill anything, well, maybe the snappers. I have the best teacher one could ask for in my hubby. Besides, all the other country girls can do it - and I do like to collect credentials!