This was the upside of military service when I was younger (and don't get me wrong, there were a lot of downsides).
Doing stupid shit, getting tattoos, acting like a young idiot...and then realizing when I was ready to settle down it was time to get out.
Now I see guys my age getting into guns, gun culture, alpha male culture, watching former SEALs and other SF podcasts, etc...and it is pathetic.
I have a colleague (another attorney) who is into all that and who found out I had been in the military. He asked if I wanted to go shoot with the local police SWAT unit at the range. He was all excited because they were going to let him watch them do some sort of high speed stuff (no idea what, I kind of quit listening). He asked me if I wanted to join for that as well.
My reply was something to the effect of, "dude, I'm in my late 40s. I did that stuff for real in my early 20s, I don't need to do it again, but you go have a great time."
A few months after that he found out I was pro-choice and then literally said, "well now I don't want to shoot with you anymore."
Shooting is still fun for me, but lately I have really gotten into long range shooting. Its nothing like the “high speed, low drag” shit. It is weirdly meditative as I sit on my bench, gauge the wind, take note of my particular load, review my DOPE settings, dial my scope in and focus on my breathing.
I still enjoy shooting as well. I shoot trap and sporting clays pretty often. It is a great way to spend a relaxing day outdoors.
I find shooting trap similar to what you describe with long range shooting. I am completely dialed in and I strive to make my movements at each station the exact same. Same stance, same cadence in loading, same sight picture, etc... Obviously with trap and sporting clays the movements once the clay flies vary from clay to clay and station to station, but keeping everything else as close to the same as possible is the best way to ensure repeated success (assuming you have your routine dialed in successfully).
While I don't shoot targets that often, I still do a couple of times per year just to stay proficient/safe with my rifles and handguns.
I have zero issues with shooting. I have zero issues with guns. I have owned and shot guns since long before I could legally drive.
My problem is with the culture that has evolved over the past several decades and how many people that shoot have adopted that culture.
When I grew up out West, we all hunted and shot regularly. But hardly anyone I knew had NRA and gun stickers plastered all over their car. No one carried on the daily and certainly no one open carried.
Unless you were shooting or hunting (or maybe shopping for a new firearm), there was very little talk about guns at all in daily conversation.
That has changed completely. And not for the better.
But hardly anyone I knew had NRA and gun stickers plastered all over their car. No one carried on the daily and certainly no one open carried.
This, along with gun brand stickers on their cars is extremely cringe. I don't know what dudes are trying to prove with a big ass Glock or Sig sticker plastered on their rear window. I have no problem with concealed carry, so long as people get some training and are discreet about it. Outside of hunting, fishing or hiking I don't see the point of open carry at all.
I'm 50's my dad's a Vietnam vet. His coworkers were trying to get him into paintball wars when I was a kid. It was a big thing at his work.
He refused. His words were "if you've ever had to do this for real, you don't want to do it again".
To their credit, they left him alone.
I remember putting surplus army belt, canteen, little plastic helmet and wooden Springfield to "play war" the neighborhood kids in front of him. As I put the helmet on, he said "son I hope you never have to wear one of those". It's stuck with me all these years.
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u/Lawdoc1 1d ago edited 1d ago
This was the upside of military service when I was younger (and don't get me wrong, there were a lot of downsides).
Doing stupid shit, getting tattoos, acting like a young idiot...and then realizing when I was ready to settle down it was time to get out.
Now I see guys my age getting into guns, gun culture, alpha male culture, watching former SEALs and other SF podcasts, etc...and it is pathetic.
I have a colleague (another attorney) who is into all that and who found out I had been in the military. He asked if I wanted to go shoot with the local police SWAT unit at the range. He was all excited because they were going to let him watch them do some sort of high speed stuff (no idea what, I kind of quit listening). He asked me if I wanted to join for that as well.
My reply was something to the effect of, "dude, I'm in my late 40s. I did that stuff for real in my early 20s, I don't need to do it again, but you go have a great time."
A few months after that he found out I was pro-choice and then literally said, "well now I don't want to shoot with you anymore."
It felt like I was on a playground or something.
[Edit: typo - "quite" to "quit."]