Not long after I had posted my initial blog and list, I got a FB message from Matt Johnson offering to take me to a gun range for some shooting. He said he had guns and was a member at a range, and he was actually one of the first people to check in and offer to do something from the list. Since then, many friends, old and new, have checked in with either an urge to take on a task with me, or a willingness to contribute expertise in some area. So Matt's message was the beginning of the list becoming a community thing, and it was especially cool since I don't see Matt regularly.
I've run into Matt a few times in the last few years, in his bicycle garb in Venice or at Whole Foods with his beautiful daughters, but I think the last time we officially hung out was about 15 years ago. I had become friends with Matt and some of his crowd; all really cool, older, handsome guys at the beginning of their successful film careers... We were in my car with a mutual friend, got hit by a drunk driver outside Canter's on Fairfax and spent most of the night at Cedars. Not a great night.
Matt is a fellow screenwriter. And when I say "fellow" I don't know if it's that accurate since he's actually had his scripts turned into movies, and I haven't. Yet.
I realized how serious the whole gun thing is when we made plans to go and Matt emailed me a list of outfit requirements and rules to follow. I was to wear jeans or long pants and bring a long-sleeved shirt that covered my arms and these were the rules:
1. Never point the firearm at anything you do not wish to destroy.
2. Always treat every firearm like it's loaded.
3. Know your target and what's behind it.
4. Keep your finger off the trigger until the firearm is pointed at the target.
Don't get me wrong, I love rules and instructions because it means I get to be "a good girl" when I follow them exactly. And I think I did. We met at LAX Firing Range, Matt was there already when I arrived and the guy at the desk handed me a gun and said "Matt wants you to shoot with this." It was a Sig Sauer Mosquito which I grabbed before heading into the actual range part with my glasses and ear protection.
There he was, tall and handsome as usual, perhaps a bit more grey, shooting the coolest gun I've ever seen. It looked like something out of an old Western, big and loud. We caught up a bit, then a quick lesson in gun etiquette, which is not overrated and very important. At first when he repeated the same thing over and over, it annoyed me, but I kept on putting the gun down the wrong way and I could see how that would be a problem from a safety perspective. Like I could shoot myself accidentally.
Sig Sauer Mosquito (.22 long rifle caliber)
I started shooting the Mosquito and really liked it, although it took some getting used to "the kick" which, for those of you who aren't in the gun world, is when your hand and arm jerks back uncontrollably from the power of the gun as it goes off. A couple of shots off the target, but then I found my stride and did pretty well if I may say so myself. And for the record, Matt said so too. Numerous times.
Not bad, eh?
When it was time to re-load, I asked Matt about this hobby of his, which for a Swedish girl seems radical and perhaps even a bit crazy. He told me about growing up in Missouri and shooting guns with his father and I actually felt respect and admiration for his relationship to guns. He told me that he sometimes shoots on a course with moving targets, using different guns and he was so excited talking about it, that I found myself interested and mesmerized by the idea. Basically, he's someone with an intense passion for shooting as a sport but with a healthy dose of respect for the capability of the guns.
And I get it. Like so many of the unusual things I've been doing from the list, this one gave me a "boner" of sorts. I got excited, adrenalin was pumping through my veins and I didn't want to stop. At the same time, there was a calm and peace that came over me. My mind was still and I could only hear my own breathing and the gun going off. I shot a few rounds and felt power and control with each well placed shot. Matt reminded me of the correct grip and helped me re-load, but soon I was doing it all on my own. And I loved it. I didn't want to put the gun down.
Matt's guns: Glock 17, Glock 19 (both 9mm,) and Sig Sauer P226 (.40 caliber)
After a while, the Mosquito was old news, and I was ready to move on to something else. Something more powerful. Matt's Glock 17, followed by his Glock 19, and then, finally, the fantastic Colt Python Revolver - a 357 magnum from the 70's, my decade, that Matt got from his Dad. I shot it and immediately felt a strange sensation. Matt said "did you feel that in your teeth?" and I laughed, realizing that what I was feeling was my teeth shattering. That's how powerful it was.Next I shot the Sig Sauer P226 which really heavy and almost too powerful for me. Or perhaps it was that my hands had gotten tired from shooting rounds and rounds.
Two things made in the 70's; me and the Colt
My favorite? The big, manly Colt of course. Even loading it is exciting, since you have to put each bullet in separately. And you have to cock it after each shot, which made me feel like I was in a Western. I shot a final round before it was time to go home. I closed my eyes for a second and imagined myself riding alongside the Duke through a dusty old town in the wild wild west, with tumbleweeds rolling across the dirt road. All of a sudden, the distant clinking on a piano stops, and someone bursts out of the saloon, guns drawn, and in a split second, I get my Colt out of the holster, aim and squeeze the trigger confidently.
That was soooo awesome! I can't thank you enough, Matt!
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