I first learned to shoot with my godfather. No, he was not Italian, no stereotypes please. He was part Irish and part German. I was very little when he used to take me, my older sister and brother to an outdoor range. He was Deputy Chief of Police for the City of Newark NJ.

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I learned on a .22 rifle which loaded through the stock. Later on, when I was a Camp Ranger for the Boy Scouts I had access to the camp’s rifle range. This is when I applied for and received my NJ Firearms ID card and purchased my first gun.  Since we used the range for .22 caliber rifles, it was a .22 handgun. I had a lot of fun just spending an afternoon at the range target shooting and can plinking. I got pretty good with the pistol.

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Since those days I have upgraded the types of firearms. 

 

These kinds of shooting sports are exceptionally dangerous. Thus, they are done under very strict supervision in a safe environment designed for this purpose. 

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However, this is not limited to just sports but for personal self defense. The average time it takes for police to arrive to a crime scene is 15 to 20 minutes. After that much time, the criminal has already achieved his or her goals and has either robbed, raped, or murdered the victim.  A handgun has always been known as the Great Equalizer. But it must be noted here, a person cannot just grab a handgun and then point and shoot. The person needs training and practice to be able to defend themselves properly and successfully. This training and practice is not limited to self protection but any use of a firearm. They are not toys. They may be considered a tool, but as everyone knows, a very dangerous and deadly one. 

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I do believe very strongly in the right to defend myself and family. Sadly, the state of New Jersey has a government which does not believe in its citizens protecting themselves. Nor does it believe in the Constitutional right to keep and bear arms. The NJ State Government apparently prefers its citizens to be openly victimized, and seeks to be on the side of the criminals.