LETTER: In Praise Of New Shooter

Bill Caffrey wrote a letter in response to left-winger Loiuse
Rafkin taking up and enjoying pistol shooting, which was mentioned
in the GGNRA alert.

I’ve added his letter to my archive and copied it below. If you
have any letters you’d like to share, please send them to me and
I’ll gladly add them.

Jeff C.

http://rkba.org/letters/caffrey.rafkin.sfchronicle.26jul03.txt

Here’s my response to Rafkin’s article.

>> The Times Are ‘A Changing – San Francisco Chronicle Sunday Magazine Article

Gun Nut : What happens when an avowed anti-gun crusader picks up a revolver?

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/07/20/CM1\
41915.DTL

SF Chronicle Magazine, July 20, 2003

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Congratulations Louise!

Now you know why tens of millions of your fellow citizens enjoy
target shooting and firearms. Quite simply, it can be a lot of
(dare I say it in California?) fun. Target shooting is a game of
skill even if you are shooting alone. You compete with yourself
to aim better, get closer to the bullseye and keep those shots
together. Hollywood fantasies aside, shooting a firearm of any
type accurately is not a simple task.

I note that you teach martial arts and you’ll find that target
shooting has its own kind of Zen. The Zen comes from the pure
discipline and concentration that pushes everything else out of
your mind. While shooting, your concentration is (or should be)
focused on doing everything right to hit the target. Safety
rules, stance, grip, sights, inhale, cock the hammer, exhale
slowly halfway, squeeze. Adjust your aim, repeat. If done
properly, after firing you should feel relaxed, honestly
introspective (did I really flinch on the third shot?) and
slightly proud of the tight grouping. You should also feel some
humility when you realize there are people who are so good they
miss only 1 of 200 bullseyes.

Part of the fascination, I believe, is in harnessing a firearm to
do your bidding. Certainly it can be a deadly weapon, but so can
the darts your friend recommended. Or a bow used in archery. Or
a baseball bat. Though a firearm can be used to take a life, we
recognize that a firearm can also save a life in dire situations.
Like learning martial arts, it is what you do with your skill and
knowledge that counts.

Bill Caffrey,
San Jose, Ca.

Read some interesting information on gun control at my website at
http://dragon.hematite.com/gunintro.html