As a California gun owner, there’s a sense of camaraderie like when you wave to a passing motorcyclists from your motorcycle. Californians typically don’t like guns, don’t understand them. When you come across a fellow enthusiast, it’s like finding members of a secret club.
The biggest “club” in California is Calguns. It’s like the NRA, but they fight for our gun rights in California. You know that pesky CA-compliant gun roster? Yeah, they’ve got lawyers trying to get rid of that.
On the lighter side of Calguns is the forum and the local community groups. The group leaders organize monthly shoots and events for calgunners to get together and do what we love best, talk about guns and shooting them (and eating pizza!)
A few weekends ago, I went to a monthly meet for the first time and the people were really friendly. The group was a huge mix of race, age, gender, personalities and experience levels. When we were hanging out in the lobby waiting for everyone to arrive and chowing down on pepperoni slices, I realized what guns being the “great equalizer” really meant.
Sure, there’s the conventional meaning where a physically weaker person with a gun in their hand can be physically equal to a larger stronger person .
What I’m talking about though is the idea that when it comes to the world of loving guns, it doesn’t matter what your race is, what parts you have between your legs, what color your collar is, how many wrinkles you have on your face or how many rounds you put through however many or few firearms in your collection.
You love guns? You love 2A and want to keep it strong? Welcome, friend! That’s the feeling you get at a Calguns meet.
The range stayed open late for our meet so we had full run of the place. Being at the range after-hours with the lanes packed for a special event is really awesome. Since everyone is a friend, people were walking around to see what other guns other people brought and exchanging tips on technique. Usually, when you go to the range on your own, the barriers between lanes shut you off from the people next to you and it feel like there are these invisible lines extending all the way back to the wall which you can’t cross.
It wasn’t like that with the meet. All night I heard people chatting with each other and saying the four most exciting words, “You wanna try it?” It was a real treat to be able to shoot all different kinds of guns. Semi-auto pistols in all flavors, tiny snub-nose .22 revolver, huge .357 revolver with the owner’s special reload blend, just-for-giggles Buck Mark with a rifle scope and my favorite of the night, a 10/22 Ruger with a suppressed barrel. The bullet was so quiet leaving the barrel that you’d hear the action cycle instead of the bang.
I invited people to shoot my lever action Henry too. It was the only lever action there and for some, it was the first time they’d ever tried one. The end result is always the same: big happy grin.
I definitely recommend seeking out your local community. Do it for the camaraderie, the wealth of knowledge from experienced shooters, the opportunity to share your knowledge and, of course, the pewpew fun.
gunbunnylexy 