Meditation with a Sig 9MM

I grew up around guns. As a kid, I got my first .22 caliber rifle when I was 12, followed over the next couple of years with a .410 shotgun, a .12 gauge shotgun, a 30-30 rifle, and then a 30-06 rifle.

When I entered the military, I found myself in a military speciality requiring constant use of firearms and numerous trips every year to the range for qualification on the M-16, .12 gauge shotgun, .38 caliber revolver, .45 caliber semi-automatic, M-203 grenade launcher, M-60 machine gun, and .50 caliber. There were a few others along the way, including some foreign-made firearms. How can one ever forget those range commands, "ready on the left, ready on the right, ready on the firing line, commence firing!"

After my run yesterday (January 4th), I drove out to my local indoor range with my trusty 9mm Sig Sauer Pro 2009. I've always found shooting to have a meditation-like quality about it. First, when you walk onto the range, you clear your mind of all external distractions. No thinking about work, the stock market, or other day-to-day distractions. My focus is totally on safety...treat every weapon as if it is loaded; and always keep the muzzle pointed down-range.

Then the time for shooting comes. Still with a constant focus on safety, I have to always concentrate on a few additional things. Breath slowly and in a controlled way, inhaling and exhaling slowly. Acquire a good sight picture. Squeeze the trigger, don't pull it; otherwise, I'll pull my shots to the left. Stay patient and don't hurry the next shot. Repeat 100 times or more.

My wife Lori also joined me yesterday, shooting a .22 caliber revolver. Just a beginner, as I watched her, I know that a couple of hundred rounds from now, she'll have tight groupings and an Ultradawg proclaimed level of expert.