'It felt like a meteor had struck the earth': Reporter describes his experience firing an AR-15 at the range

After any mass shooting involving an AR-15, there seems to be a run on the rifles … from reporters buying them to write stories on how easy it was for them to obtain one legally. And then there are the journalists, like Piers Morgan, who bring a camera crew along with them to the firing range and actually squeeze off a couple of shots to convey what it’s like.

We’re reminded of New York Daily News reporter Gersh Kuntzman, who, just days after the Orlando nightclub shooting, went to the range to fire an AR-15, and claimed that the experience gave him “temporary PTSD.” “The smell of sulfur and destruction made me sick,” he confessed.

Now we have another reporter giving a very extensive narrative about his trip to the firing range. Kevin McCallum visited Vermont’s first indoor firing range and lived to tell about it, barely.

Reporter "rattled" after firing AR-15 at Vermont's first indoor gun range: "It felt like a meteor had struck the earth in front of me. A deep shock wave coursed through my body, the recoil rippling through my arms and right shoulder with astounding power." https://t.co/7q7h9lqcmO pic.twitter.com/1jP6nepsSA

— Rob Romano (@2Aupdates) August 5, 2021

McCallum writes:

It is difficult to describe the impact — physical and personal — of that first shot. It felt like a meteor had struck the earth in front of me. A deep shock wave coursed through my body, the recoil rippling through my arms and right shoulder with astounding power. Being that close to an explosion of such magnitude — controlled and focused as it was — rattled me.

Maybe President Biden is right; just buy a shotgun and fire it blindly through the front door if you fear an intruder.

The first time I ever fired an AR-15, I was surprised how little recoil there was, how easy it was to fire, and not much louder than my 9 mm.

I have to wonder what he was actually shooting.

— 𝔇𝔢𝔞𝔱𝔥'𝔰 𝔊𝔲𝔦𝔫𝔢𝔞 𝔓𝔦𝔤 4.0🇺🇲 (@DeathsGuineaPig) August 5, 2021

Hand him a snub nose S&W .500 and tell him that it's just an old lady's purse gun.

— Assault Clip (@assaultclip) August 5, 2021

"I'm not sure what scared me more — the power of that weapon or the fact that I could have taken one home that day. "

I'm always baffled as to how these people can't seem to trust themselves.

— lazy river (@newplasticbags) August 5, 2021

I honestly get the feeling he'd fail the checks.

— NateGraynor (@GeorgeOlduvai) August 5, 2021

@bigblueape pic.twitter.com/uRuudGp6Jh

— J Ruckus (@J_Ruckus3614) August 5, 2021

Bro, save some chicks for the rest of us.

— Ryan Horton (@ryanhorton) August 5, 2021

That ending is so cringey

— Aaron (@Charlieday1993) August 5, 2021

How does he feel every time he gets behind the wheel of a car?

— Faye Hausendorff (@FayeH321) August 5, 2021

I fired an AR-15 for first time when I was 14 and I LOVED it.

— The Rising Red Sun (@NapalmLust) August 5, 2021

Surprisingly, the comments are closed at the publisher’s website.

— Froggy✝️🔱 #Bitcoin (@nadomatt) August 5, 2021

We’ll cut the guy some slack; his write-up seemed fair, and he did mention he hadn’t fired a gun since summer camp more than 35 years ago. He should probably visit Meteor Crater in Arizona to get some perspective, though.

He’ll probably be back at that range next week.

— Ye-p (@JudsonMinges) August 5, 2021

Related:

NY Daily News writer explains why AR-15s are scary and evil (but can’t be bothered with facts) https://t.co/SO4D3svPsv

— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) June 14, 2016