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Learning to not be a victim. Taking responsibility for your own well being is an important inherent right that folks from the hills take seriously. LaDonna Stephens practicing with a Taurus .357 Tracker pistol.
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If there’s one thing I admire about hillbillies it’s that you won’t see too many of us volunteer to be a victim. We’re an independent and bull-headed lot that actually believe all the hype about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness…heavy on the liberty. It’s not unusual for folks from the hills to have a gun in every truck and several more in the house. And not only are we not afraid to use’em but we actually enjoy burnin’ powder at every opportunity. In the hills if a fella has bad judgment enough to show up uninvited on private property in the middle of the night he can count his lucky stars if’n he actually gets to explain himself after hearing the words, “What’s your business?” If that same fella comes in the house uninvited in the night, well, he better want what he’s after awful bad. There’s a good chance it will cost more than he’s willin’ to pay.
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Either she's a natural or she had an awfully good teacher...
The Taurus .357 loaded with .38's was a very accurate combination for LaDonna's shooting style. |
Now, with that kind of attitude there’s a certain amount of responsibility that goes along with it. If you’re going to have the hillbilly attitude you better know your way around a gun. And, in the hills it isn’t just the men who shoot – most of the ladies are very capable and many are down right scary in a scrape. I’d say there’s only one thing worse than bumbling in-between a grizzly sow and her cubs, and that’s breaking into a house of a shotgun-packin’ hillbilly woman with her kids while her husband is away. You can bet with a husband that hunts, fishes, and traps, it won’t be the first mess she’s cleaned up!
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FBI statistics will bear out that the average gun fight is at a distance of less than 7 yards, lasts 3-5 seconds, and 4 or fewer rounds are expended. The One-Eyed Hillbilly practicing up close and personal.
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This past weekend my wife and I decided to burn a little powder at the shooting range at Indian Trail State Park in rural Dent County. LaDonna had shot rifles and shotguns with me several times but she had never shot a handgun. I wanted to put a few rounds through my Kimber 1911 .45 Ultra Carry and my Taurus .357 Tracker pistol. I had several cases of .38 ammo that would be great (and much cheaper than .357 rounds) for target practice. I thought this would be a good opportunity to start LaDonna shooting handguns.
For several years I had been talking with my wife about learning to shoot handguns and eventually getting her conceal-carry license. She always said that she was interested but after working with me in our business for several years she said I was not patient enough to be a good teacher so she wanted to learn from someone else! Can you believe that?! “I’ll show her,” I thought to myself, as we were on our way to the range. I told myself over and over again to be patient and nice while teaching her. And then it happened - seems I always have a way of taking two steps back because I promptly started a bickering argument about a house in which she was interested. I finally had the good sense to shut up. Probably not a good idea to be teaching her to shoot a .357 in the midst of a heated argument about her house (there’s a time and place for being hard-headed – this wasn’t one of ‘em!).
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John M. Browning's crowning achievement - the Colt 1911 pistol. It is recognized the world over but it proved too big with too much recoil for LaDonna's taste.
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After getting to the range we set our ammo and firearms out on the shooting table and I loaded the .357 revolver. I ran one cylinder while she watched. I then reloaded and patiently went over with her the safety guidelines, revolver function as compared to semi-auto pistol function, proper aiming and proper shooting stance. I then stood back and let her send a cylinder of rounds down range. Now, either I’m a real good teacher (better than she gave me credit) or she was a natural. I can tell you that you wouldn’t want her shooting at you with the .357 revolver loaded with .38’s. The only issue for her was pulling back the hammer. In a pinch that would not be an issue with which you would want to contend.
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| "What was it that you were saying about the house?...and tell me again the difference between single and double action." This is not the opportune time to start an argument with your wife about her house! LaDonna Stephens asking a few questions about the pistol's double action characteristics. |
Next we loaded up the Kimber 1911. I figured after cocking the gun for the first round it would be much easier for her since the 1911 would automatically cycle with each trigger pull – WRONG! We learned that the .45 ACP with a 3½ barrel was too much recoil for her to handle. In 7 shots she missed the whole target every time! In a pinch you want to be able to hold on your target and not be afraid of the recoil. With this new found information we are now thinking a smaller semi-auto .380 or .40 caliber will be the right choice for her to shoot comfortably and confidently.
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| Talk about a mixed up mess - how about a right handed pistol shooter that only has his left eye! God definitely has a sense of humor! Greg with his conceal-carry firearm of choice - a 1911 .45 ACP Ultra Carry. Always bring enough gun to a gunfight. |
‘... a government and its agents are under no general duty to provide public services, such as police protection, to any particular individual citizen...’
-- Warren v. District of Columbia, 444 A.2d 1 (D.C. App.181).
When one reads the details of this well documented and often cited court decision and the circumstances surrounding the case, it brings to light the importance of taking responsibility for your own well-being. So says the One-Eyed Hillbilly.
great article :)
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