I was 11 Charlie for seven years. So the guy that checks our house for Termites asked if I wanted to join him at the local Gun Club and shoot some pistols. He figured since I was Infantry...I would be good with weapons. Well, I am not. But I almost made the Rifle Team ...except for one little snag: I couldn't shoot a pistol to save my life. Or anyone else's. Here is the story from my AIT.

"Hughes, that was some good shooting. Let's try you on the M60." Several round later: "You sure you have not had any training with the M16, or the M60?"
"No, Sir. Just to qualify in Basic. And familiarization with the M60."
"Well, let's see if we can get you on the Rifle Team."
Turns out, to do that you have to qualify expert in all the weapons in your Platoon. M79 was easy. 50 Cal was easy. M16 was easy. M60 was easy. Grenades and the 81 mm ...well, close enough is good enough. But then there was the Colt 45. And that wasn't easy. Not for me.

If the target was the dirt in front of the target, I still would have missed. If it was the other target poles about five meters to either side, they were safe too. So they called in a really good Black Hat to work with me. Three days later, and several hundred rounds, all targets were safe. Not a nick, dent, or bullet hole on any of them. I did mange to get a few rocks, and several sandbags laying nearby.

So they call in a guy who taught Seal Teams, CIA, and FBI guys to shoot, center of mass, nothing fancy. He told me my finger pull was the problem. I was born premature and I am Autistic - so fine motor skills are not my forte. So he made this little "gun" with a rubber band instead of a trigger. I had to walk around with that and keep pulling the rubber band until I could do sixty pulls in sixty seconds. Then he gave me a bigger rubber band. Eventually he said I was ready.

We had some more practice. Then I got tested. Once again managing to keep my targets in pristine condition. Not a mark on them. I did accidentally hit one of the poles, but not in my lane. So fifty meters, was out. Let's try 25 meters. Nope. Ten. Nope.

The Instructor told me to never load a pistol. HIs advice (at least the way I remember it):
"Hughes, if it ever comes down to where you need a pistol. Don't try and shoot. Just take out and throw it at the threat, maybe they will duck. "

So no pistols in my house. But I can wing an apple hard and fast, and those will make you duck!