For the first time in 10 years, according to the little record I keep in a spiral notebook, I took the Taurus out to the range and rendered some paper plates unfit for use. I had forgotten how much fun it was. If you read through the whole Book of Esther, Purim is actually a fairly appropriate day for an Orthodox Jew to go surprise the people at the gun range.

It's the not the first time I've fired a weapon in 10 years. Last year, on a Passover trip we took a jeep trip into the Sonoran Desert north of Phoenix, where we got to fire a .22 at some tin cans. I promise you that the .38 has a little more kick to it.

Since I'm cheap, I just picked up some paper plates for targets. The guy in lane #2 next to me was a little more current, plugging away at a picture of Osama. Seemed to do pretty well, too. Maybe it was a motivator.

As for me, I was pretty consistent at 15 ft. and 20 ft., but started to miss some at 25 ft., so I need a little more practice there. Still, 20 ft. is probably most of the length of the hallway in the house, so please ring the doorbell and wait for someone to answer.