Wouldja look at that?! I have a FOID card! I applied for this card way back in early August, thinking that if I were approved, I would have another New Thing to claim on my list. First time owner of a Federal document that allows me to own a firearm. Huh. Didn't see THAT coming a year ago.
Not that I plan to become armed any time in the near future, mind you. It's just that now I CAN if I want to, and there's something very Annie Oakley about that. I'm named after Amanda Blake from Gunsmoke. Wondering now if she carried a gun. Hm. Forty may usher in a whole new Wild West stage for me.
Part of me is intrigued by the potential of shooting at a target practice site--maybe Dad will show me how? It could be another New Thing . . . . But part of me is also a little intimidated by holding something in my hands that can--and is designed to--take a life. That's powerful. No idea what it will even feel like, and it is important, I think, to be emotionally ready for something like that. I don't want to feel afraid of the experience, but I know I will always have a healthy respect for the fact that I'd be handling a bona-fide weapon for the first time ever. Most people enjoy it; I imagine there's an element of empowerment in handling a dangerous machine in the palms of one's hands and using it skillfully enough to make it do what it is designed to do. It'll be annoying if I can't hit the target with accuracy--but on the other hand, how heady will it feel if it turns out that I'm a sure-shot??
I'll keep you posted on any new developments with my FOID card adventures. In the meantime, I'm headed to Netflix to see if Gunsmoke seasons can be found . . . .
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