Packing Heat

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to train at the Harris County Sheriff's Firearms Facility. I, along with several other news reporters, was equipped with a Glock .9mm handgun and let loose in the firing range. Well, okay, perhaps "let loose" is a bit misleading. I was given three bullets and positioned about 30 feet away from the target. After being instructed in how to hold and sight the gun, I was given permission to fire. I scored three bulls-eyes and was told that I had potential to be quite the sharpshooter. Yay for me.

Later, we moved inside to the simulation training. In the photo, you can see me holding another gun attached to a computer training system. My instructor put me through a series of "real-life" scenarios. My job was to provide back-up for my partner as we patrolled a local shopping mall. In the scenario, which was based on an actual case, a vagrant man attacked my partner with a butcher knife. I shot the man twice, but my reflexes were too slow and my partner was still killed. After the shooting, my instruction grilled me on why I reacted that way and how I could have let my partner be killed. It was actually pretty intense, he kept questioning me and was quite aggressive toward me. I almost pulled the teapot on him.