Doing a police ride along can take you down an unexpected road.

It was loud, even with the ear protectors in place.  And the gun kicked more than I had envisioned.  A ricocheting bullet sparked briefly as it left its trace on the scarred concrete wall.  I held my breath again, squinted along the gun’s sights, and fired the last of the round.  The bullet punctured the center mass of the paper target.  With a mixture of relief and amazement, I stared at the 12 bullet holes perforating the target’s “bull’s eye” and handed the empty gun to the police officer.  Not bad for a novice, but I had taken many seconds longer to accomplish my perfect score than an officer would have.