When Linda Joy's boyfriend took her on a date to
a shooting range in 1989, she was little unsure about the future of their
relationship.
The Arizona native recalled being somewhat uneasy
about handling a firearm, since it was her first time shooting a shotgun,
or any gun for that matter. "There was just something about handling a
gun for the first time that made me a little nervous," Joy said.
That was until she shot her first "bird" while skeet
shooting later in the date. Since that day -- when she saw her first clay
pigeon obliterated in a cloud of fine dust -- Joy, who recently took second
place in the World Sporting Clays Championship, has been hooked on sport
shooting.
"Breaking the targets was what did for me," Joy said.
"If I wouldn't have hit one bird that first time, there's no way I would
be where I am today."
She is not alone. Millions of Americans thrill to
the challenge of target shooting. But the recent spate of high profile
shootings have many debating just what role guns should play in American
society.
Those fears have been heightened recently with shootings
at a Los Angeles Jewish community center, office shootings in Atlanta and
Alabama and school shootings.
Even Utah has not gone unscathed. In January, a
mentally-disturbed woman shot and killed one woman at the Triad Center
on in Salt Lake City. In April, a mentally unstable man killed two and
injured four others in a shooting rampage at the LDS Church's Family History
Center.
The mass shootings have prompted gun control advocates
and politicians to call for stronger controls on who can buy guns. In turn,
the National Rifle Association has launched an aggressive campaign rallying
sports hunters to defend their Constitutional right to own a firearm.
The NRA's costly effort is not going unnoticed by
hunters.
"If the government takes our guns away because of
some crazy gun control issue, then the country will become just like some
third-world, communistic society," said Alex Fisher, a Salt Lake City native
who owns several guns. "It is our Constitutional right to possess guns,
and the government shouldn't be able to take that away from us."
The emotional controversy can be found debated almost
daily in many American newspaper editorial pages. And both sides aren't
above taking pot shots.
Recently, U.S. Senator Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.,
cited a Morgan-based firearms manufacturer, as being among the 137 worst
gun dealers in the nation.
Though the report didn't specifically name the Browning
Arms Co., it did say a Morgan, Utah, dealer was the source of guns used
in 119 crimes last year, all out of state, and 183 crimes since 1996, all
but one out of state.
However, Don Gobel, chief executive officer of Browning,
said instead of having an adverse effects on business, his company has
seen gun and gun safety equipment sales go through the roof.
"Our sales have increased dramatically, as have
sales throughout our industry, as the fear of more gun control mounts,"
Gobel said. "It seems as our customers witness more and more violence,
they seek more and more protection. Not only is Browning providing high
quality firearms, but we also offer one of the most responsible ways of
storing them. In fact, we can't make our home security safes fast enough."
Gobel said that every Browning gun sold through
the company's authorized dealers includes either a trigger lock or a barrel
lock making the gun inoperable to unauthorized users.
However, the impact of negative publicity is still
being felt by not only gun manufacturers, but also gun owners.
As a result, gun supporters are scrambling to show
that not everyone who owns a gun is prone to shooting people.
Recently, Browning's management decided to launch
their own offensive by inviting members of the media to their corporate
headquarters. They wanted to show a different side of guns that doesn't
often show up on the front page.
With Linda Joy as its "keynote shooter," Browning
gave the media a first-hand experience at pulling the trigger in skeet
shooting. Reporters spent more than an hour firing away at clay pigeons
as Joy and other Browning employees gave instruction to the mostly rookie-shooters.
For Joy, it was a way a sharing something that has
become a major part of her life.
"Shooting has given me a sense of well being," Joy
said. "It has been nothing but a positive thing for me.
"To me (trap shooting) is a sport. This is not a
weapon. Unfortunately some people look at differently than I do," she said.
"It's a way of enjoying myself doing a sport I love."
You can reach reporter Joey Haws at 625-4231 or by e-mail at jhaws@standard.net.