What to Do with my Ruger Twenty-Two?

With my dad being a law enforcement officer, it’s an understatement to say that he’s a gun guy. He has the whole gamut – 45’s, 22’s, 9 mm, shotguns, rifles, and whatever else those gun folks make. Needless to say, he’s amassed quite a collection.

So last spring when we were home for Easter, I went out with my dad (and my husband and boys) to the shooting range to pop off a few rounds just for the heck of it. I have to admit, it was kind of fun.

Now I’ve never been much into guns, but I did

Don't know what to do with your Ruger 22? Make a business
card holder out of it!

find the whole shooting experience to be quite exhilarating. It had been 20 years or so since I had used any sort of firearm. Was it like riding a bicycle, where you just pick up where you left off? Well, not really. It did seem awkward at first.

Probably because I learned off the bat that a 45 is definitely too much gun for me. I only shot the 45 a couple of times, because that’s all I could bear. The kick from the blast was so powerful I swear it almost broke my wrist! The 9 mm and 22 were much better.

My dad was all too glad to show me the proper procedures for shooting these weapons. And he knows what he’s doing, I guess. He taught concealed carry courses for years. Business was especially good for him once President Obama was elected. Apparently, folks were so concerned about Obama taking away their guns they made a mad dash to earn their concealed carry permits. To my knowledge, the whole “take away our guns” thing never came to fruition – but it’s always good to educate yourself about the weapon you’re carrying, no matter what the motive.

So after our shooting session ended, my dad showed me a handgun that caught my eye. A sweet little Ruger 22. It’s a cute little gun. Once I saw it I wanted it.

Of course, there are probably many other things on my wish list that I would rather have than a gun. And owning a gun is something I never really thought about until a couple of years ago. Two houses, both within two doors of ours, were broken into and burglarized within days of each other – both in broad daylight, while the owners were gone.

Yikes! That was a little scary. I wondered what would happen if our house was next? At that time I was home during the day. What would I do if burglars came crashing through my window when I was home alone? That’s the first time I ever considered maybe procuring a gun for personal protection. Fortunately, it was only a matter of time when, through their own stupidity, the culprits were nabbed. Yep – young, misguided kids in their early 20s, one whose mother lived just a block away. Anyway, after the crooks were caught, my panic died down.

I didn’t give any more thought to the gun thing until a couple of months ago, when my dad and husband attended a local gun show. Later that day, after they had arrived back, I was in my office only to find a box with the label “Ruger” plastered on it. I peaked inside, and there it was. A sweet little Ruger 22.

My husband went through all the legal channels to get it – he completed the paperwork, went through the background check, etc., and he managed to procure the piece without any trouble whatsoever. (I’m not sure why common sense gun control is such a contentious issue, especially when it comes to assault rifles and high volume magazines, but I suppose that’s a debate for another time.)

So now I’m the proud owner of a Ruger 22. The question now is, what do I do with it? I take it out of the box every once in a while and look at it. At this point, that’s about it. My husband tells me that the next time we go down to my parents’ house, we’ll have my dad take us out to the shooting range again, and I can learn to shoot it there. Okay.

But in the meantime it would be nice to get some practical use out of it.

Sooooooo, what can I do with it? Use it as a paperweight, maybe (without the bullets, of course)? Or maybe I could hang it on the wall. Nah. I would need a gun rack for that, and this little handgun is too small for a gun rack.

I know! I’ll stand it up on end and put a little flower into the barrel – get a “war and peace” theme going. Or I can stand it up on end and use it as a display for my business cards. Now I’m thinking creatively! That will work – at least until I learn to shoot it.

But once I learn to shoot it, what do I do with it then? Take it places? Where? I can’t take it to work with me, as there are no guns allowed in my workplace. (Which is understandable, but I still carry pepper spray, because the garage I park in is kind of creepy). Church? Oh, please! Sporting events? Pretty sure weapons aren’t allowed there, either.

Guess for the time being I’ll just admire my virgin Ruger 22 and keep it at home. I expect sometime I’ll get to shoot it. I’ll just chalk this little device up as home protection.

Not to say using it as a business card display isn’t a good idea. If I think about it, I’m probably better at shooting words rather than weapons, anyway.

My keyboard is my true ammunition. And the Ruger 22? It’s a nice little “lady gun” if I ever saw one. I admit, I can’t wait to shoot it. But hopefully, I’ll never have to use it. Which would probably be for the best, because I don’t envision myself ever having the fastest trigger finger.

Not that I don’t have triggers in my life. Triggered thoughts? Triggered dreams? Triggered ideas? Triggered passions? Sometimes I fear the atrophy of those, but I suspect they’re in me somewhere.

On occasion I just need some time away from the chaos to clear my head. So who knows? Maybe an afternoon at a shooting range, plunking off a few rounds with my Ruger 22, is all I need.

Guess I’ll give it a shot. Literally.