What a BLAST — Literally

To many of you I appear to be a mild mannered weatherman. But truth be known I'm quite the outdoor enthusiast. One of my hobbies is competitive shooting. I'm not much of a hunter but I do like shooting paper targets and steel plates. Not long ago I was visiting with my physician Dr. Leroy Taylor. He was telling me about a shooting school near Las Vegas. It’s called Front Sight. Dr. Leroy has a membership there and he invited my wife and me to join his group for a 4-day defensive handgun class. I was all excited but I thought no way my wife would be up for it. Well the Doc invited my wife and when she found out nearly half of the class was female she decided to give it a shot (pardon the pun).

We drove down to Las Vegas last week and checked in at the school bright and early Friday morning. Based on the time of year and huge high pressure over the area I knew it was going to be a scorcher. Sure enough, we were on the range everyday in 105 degree heat. But the course was so fascinating and well structured we never had time to think about the fact that it was hot enough to melt lead. I thought for sure my wife would say it’s too hot but she hung in there.

The school had about 400 students that weekend. Each range had about 30 students per class. Each class had 4 highly skilled instructors with eagle eyes watching our every move. Front Sight has a philosophy that you start with the basics; how to draw, how to line up sights and how to press triggers for an accurate shot every time. The goal is to make every person understand the importance of using firearms responsibly. That means proper training and developing "comfort in skill at arms."

It was amazing to see the progress the class made. Even my wife developed a sense of confidence with her pistol. She went from having no idea how to handle a gun to drawing a concealed pistol and placing two accurate shots on target in 1.5 seconds! It was impressive. There are so many people in Utah walking around with concealed weapon permits who really don't understand what it takes to use their guns responsibly and accurately. Front Sight not only teaches how to shoot but to understand the serious consequences that occur when a firearm is used. It’s not about training a bunch of gun nuts it’s about being safe and using your head and muscle memory when bad things happen.

The instructors are top notch and do their jobs so well. Our group bonded and we all developed friendships that will last a long time. It was a "blast". I want to thank my friend and Doctor for inviting us to join his group. My wife and I developed skills I hope we'll never have to use. I thought I knew a lot about shooting, what I learned is that I have a lot more to learn and a lot more practice to do.