October 14, 2025 • 36 mins
Guns are a natural part of Jake and Ashley’s lives - yet Nick has never even fired one. This episode Jake and Ashley take Nick to The Texas Gun Experience for his very first lesson. Join the trio as Nick squeezes the trigger and “sends rounds down range.” But more than anything, this episode is about three friends connecting, bridging cultural gaps and getting to know each other just a bit deeper.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome the season two of The Good Stuff. I'm Ashley Schick,
and I'm joined by my husband and co host, Jacob Schick,
a third generation combat marine and CEO of One Tribe Foundation.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Ashley also comes from a family rich in military history,
and we've dedicated our lives to One Tribes, mission serving veterans,
first responders, and their families. We're coming to you from Dallas,
so welcome to Texas.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
And joining us all season long from Los Angeles, California,
is our West Coast long haired friend and producer of
the Good Stuff, Nick Cassolini.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
This is a particularly exciting episode for me. Today we
are taking a trip to the gun range.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Yes, sir, we are locked and loaded.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Pepew guys. I have to get to the important business.
It's part's important for our beautiful listeners out there. This
is just a quick heads up. This show can explore
some heavy subject matter, including talks of suicide, so listener
discretion is advised.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
We couldn't be happy you're here again.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Welcome to the Good Stuff.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
I'm so excited because today we are going to Texas
Gun Experience and Grapevine, Texas for a little trigger therapy.
Oh yeah, which is essentially us shooting guns as a
form of therapy.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Yeah yeah, I mean it's more so a saying than
I mean, I'm sure for some of people it is
actual therapy. For us, we just like you know, it's
the figure speech.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
It makes you guys.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Happy, it's hunting off season.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
Of course. No, I I've I've never shot a gun.
I've never owned a gun, like.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Even a pull gun. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
I shot yeah, bb guns. Oh, I've shot every kind
of toy gun.
Speaker 4 (01:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
Yeah, you know what I'm saying, water guns, laser guns,
rubber band guns, finger guns, yeah, finger guns.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Like it's gonna be awesome because with where we come
from and how we were raised and things like that.
Very rarely do you meet anyone who's like, I've never
even finn it's like shut like a ruler.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
Yeah you know, I'm special.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
You're really not when it comes to people from where
you're from and all those things, right, Like, it's not,
but I think it's good because it'll show you the
power of these things like it is. It is. It's
shocking to a lot of people, Like the first squeeze
and when that round, that firing pin hits that primer
(02:26):
and that round goes off, that round goes through the barrel,
like you'll see, because I think everybody at the core
of their existence is a bit of a barbarian. Yes, yeah,
that dude's gonna get woken up tomorrow.
Speaker 4 (02:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Yeah, it's nice to go do. It's nice to send
rounds down range if you were if you will.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
Uh, you know, it's like send rounds down range, a
very pleasant way of saying shoot again.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
It's uh yeah, I mean it's that's definitely a Marine
Corps thing we're saying, but it's uh, you know, it's
something we grew up doing. I in particular, grew up hunting, fishing,
doing all the things with the particularly the mells of
my family, and you know, there's a lot of bonding
that took place on those trips. Yeah. Being able to
(03:16):
do it now, I probably view it much differently for
obvious reasons than Ash does. Uh huh, you know, which
is fine, right, Like for me, it's like brushing my teeth.
You know, it'd be real hard to forget where is
a post?
Speaker 1 (03:30):
For me, it's more like making sure that I'm staying proficient.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
Yeah, I keep your skills up.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Yeah, because I haven't done it a thousand times, over
and over and over again. Wait are you good though,
I'm decent?
Speaker 3 (03:41):
You're decent?
Speaker 1 (03:42):
Yeah, I can. I can get a little pattern going,
a little grouping. Yeah, no, you definitely I have a
good teacher.
Speaker 4 (03:50):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
This man over here, that's right, that's about to be
my teacher today, man, professor, shake, maestro.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
I don't know a lot of guys I got shoot me.
You just have to be uh. I think it's more
of a comes down to you have to respect that
tool because you're the weapon. Those are tools that are
extensions of you. You have to view it that way.
Speaker 4 (04:10):
Right.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
That thing is only going to be as effective as
you make it. But you have to respect it. I
think that is one thing that probably draws a lot
of people to shooting sports is that there's a I mean,
it is a very powerful tool, right, that can hurt you,
so you have to respect it.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
Did your relationship with weapons and guns specifically, how did
that change from being like a civilian to joining the.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
Core to you know, then your post war life.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
The first two.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
For the most part, was pretty seamless because I grew
up doing it right and so it was kind of
second nature anyway. That said, most of the proficient shooters
in the military are the ones that didn't grow up
hunting and shooting all the time, and the reason being
is because they don't have any bad habits to break.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
Oh. Interesting, So what I'm hearing is I'm about to
be an expert after today.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
Yeah yeah, yeah, no, because well, uh, you will be
probably primarily shooting pistols, which is for them.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
It's different than a rifle, right of course, right yeah,
same like satellite aside, picture focusing in on target, same
type of thing. But you know, like if we were
shooting shotguns, it would be completely different.
Speaker 3 (05:31):
Again, So what was your relationship with guns after the war?
Speaker 2 (05:38):
You know, that's interesting because it's not like I never
I never got to a point where I was like, oh,
you know, I never need to fire a weapon again
or anything like that. Well, and two, I was in
the hospital a long time, so it's you know, you're
not going to be popping off rounds while you're pretty
(05:59):
much on your right twenty four to seven. But I
didn't really, Uh, I just didn't have a desire to
do it. Oddly, even still today, like I don't I'm
never itching to go to get range time in or
(06:20):
to even for hunting, Like I would much rather be
a spectator with Ash or one of the boys is hunting.
I just don't get to like the It doesn't give
me the satisfaction like it did before.
Speaker 5 (06:37):
I don't.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
I don't think it has anything to have been really
wounded or whatever. I think I've just done it so much.
Yeah that you know, like I could show up tomorrow
even if you guys went to the range for a
month straight, yeah, every day and I didn't, And then
we had this date set to go to the range. Like,
I'm almost positive I'm gonna outshoot both of you.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
Man, if you don't outshoe be, that's gonna be hilarious.
I guarantee you.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
That will be some beginner's luck.
Speaker 2 (07:09):
But there's a but I mean obvious reason, right if
it's something that the more you do it, the more
proficient you're gonna become. Of course, this makes permanent. As
one of my coads used to say, he hated the
saying practice, practice makes permanent, and essentially what that means
is muscle memory, right, you know, and so you're which
is a very real thing.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
Did you enjoy that element of your training the most?
Talk about it?
Speaker 2 (07:36):
Well, because I think it was one of those things
where I'm like, Okay, I really need to know how
these things operate and why you know, how they're made,
how to assemble and disassemble them. Those are all very
very important characteristics of being like a nose shit war fighter,
(07:57):
Like you need to be very proficient and not just
the trigger. You got to know all of these other
things because things are going to go wrong, right, I mean,
they're man made objects. They're going to break down, they're
going to malfunction, and you have to know the immedial
action when that happens, or know at least what to
(08:17):
do next if you have a misfire then they happen, right.
And so I think I enjoyed that aspect of it
the most because it was, you know, I was such
a knowledge sponge I think most probably people are when
they join the military, and mainly because we're we're upholding
a standard that we didn't create. I mean that was
(08:40):
done by you know, our fathers and grandfathers and a
lot of cases mothers and grandma and so on and
so forth. That there's this standard that it's like I
took that very very seriously because I didn't want to be.
The last thing I wanted to do is be less
than or to lower the bar. So I was really
(09:05):
hyper focused on that aspect of it, and mainly because
these things are you know, they're used militaristically for one reason. Right,
the more you respect that weapon, like, the more it's
going to respect you.
Speaker 3 (09:22):
So I know that a lot of vets, after you know,
their service, use shooting and going to the range and
going hunting as a way to really connect with each other.
And I'm curious to know about your experience with that
in the early days of your of your survival post war.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Yeah, it's interesting because I never I never really had
an affinity like I never I don't recall anyway thinking
like I can't wait to go shoot, you know, I
just I just didn't. It wasn't a priority for me.
But that said, I mean a lot of my very
very close friends, some of the great memories I've got
(10:02):
was just going on a duck hunt with them, or
going on a dove hunt, or you know, something that
was just it's just bonding, Like we're just bonding.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
So why haven't you shot before? What is your experience
with guns?
Speaker 3 (10:13):
Well, my experience with guns was pretty unnerving as a
I mean, I'm sort of the poster child for like, uh,
kids who did not have a good examples of responsible
gun owners. They were either people like my parents who
didn't have them, or I was around adults and kids
who had guns just in the most irresponsible way possible.
(10:36):
So I was like one of those kids where you know,
your older friend who's cool is like, let me show
you my uncle keeps utter is pillow. You know, yeah, no,
it's really bad. I had. I had some really intense
experiences like that very young. And you know, the only
friends of mine whose dads had like a safe full
of guns that I was aware of were like the
weirdest dads I knew. So with thought like you, it
(11:00):
was like, oh, yeah, don't go into the closet that's
where dad keeps us safe full of guns. It's like, ah,
that guy's insane. I don't want to be.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
So interesting that that was weird to you.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
Well, they were weird before I knew about the safe
full of guns. It was just the people with saves
full of guns happened to be weirdos, right, So that
was true.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
That was your experience growing up.
Speaker 3 (11:21):
Yeah, growing up basically and then as as I got
a little older, you know, I was witnessed to some
gun violence and I had friends on both the giving
and receiving end of that trigger being pulled, and you know,
not everyone survived, and and I have some loved ones
that'll be locked up forever. And that's you know, and
(11:42):
that happened. That sort of an important part of my
life when I'm sort of like deciding what kind of
adult I'm going to be, and you know, what decisions
am I going to.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
Make to move forward in this world.
Speaker 3 (11:52):
And you know, it's not like I sat down and said, boy,
I'm never going to touch a gun. You know, I
never made a decision. But here I am just turn
forty one beautiful years young, and I literally haven't shot one,
you know, so obviously I did make a decision, even
though it wasn't conscious.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
Even though it.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
Wasn't it's obviously not permanent. You know, like I want
to to experience this, and I'm really happy to have
you guys show me the way.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
I think it's a good reason, man, I think that's fair. Yeah,
you know, because I know not everybody has that experience. Yeah,
you know, not everybody has that unfortunate or fortunate, depending
upon how you look at it, the experience that you've got.
I think it's really cool and courageous that you are curious.
(12:42):
You know that you It's like who saw the ball?
The boys all the time always maintain that curiosity. So
often this this guy's discourage like, it's be curious, Yeah,
stay curious, ask questions. Yeah, you know. And I think
because the more we can know about any subject or
topic in education ourselves, the better off we're going to be.
(13:02):
And I think the less app the less apps we're
going to be to get defensive or be ready to fight,
obviously in the figurative sense, right, because we're we don't
know a lot about it, and so by default we're
going to be combative. Yeah, you know. And I think
that's where a lot of people get very argumentative, is
(13:23):
when they don't understand, you know, they haven't done the thing.
This just happens to be in reference to weapons. Yeah,
I think it's important because I think as a society
we've gotten really lazy about doing our own homework and
experiencing new things, and so as a result, when someone
gets uncomfortable, by default, they feel like they're backed into
a corner. Then by default they get combative, and then
(13:46):
it just turns into an ever evolving shit show. And
I think it's awesome that you're like, hey, I want
to do this thing, and this is my background. I
bet you're most likely you know, risky, bet you're the
exception of the role. Well, thanks, yeah, I mean, I
just feel loved in the moment.
Speaker 3 (14:06):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
I think it's really cool. I mean, and I really
do like i'd actually like to kind of ride this
sideline in the beginning of this because I just want
to see how much I actually been listening to me.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
Wait, wait, wait, you want me to coach him, guide him?
Speaker 2 (14:23):
Yeah, I just like, obviously if I've got it, Yeah,
if I feel like you're derailing, I'll jump in.
Speaker 3 (14:32):
Don't teach him that he that, don't point in that direction.
Speaker 2 (14:37):
She's definitely not going to do that.
Speaker 3 (14:39):
Definitely not going to do that.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
She's very she's very she's very responsible when it comes
to that stuff, which is really good.
Speaker 3 (14:47):
Yeah, all right, well, miss professor professor.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Actually I think they we're way going way too far
with the whole professor things. Okay, okay, because I know
so many people that are so much more proficient in
of course the operation nomenclature of all of these weapons
that I'm like, we.
Speaker 3 (15:04):
Should you shot an expert thing? You shot a gun
one time. I'm like, sense, but but actually teach me
the way. So what do we have in store at
the Texas Gun Experience, Like what's ahead?
Speaker 1 (15:19):
Are very very dear friends, the standards, Joseph and Natalie.
We actually had Natalie on season one of the good Stuff.
They along with Joseph's brother Jared, they own Texas Gun Experience,
both veterans. Yep, it's just it's a great time to go.
It's a great environment. It's very laid back.
Speaker 4 (15:37):
You know.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
There are all kinds of gun ranges all over Texas,
a lot of them being outdoors, long range, but this
one is just a really good air conditioned Most importantly, Yeah,
we wouldn't be good. We've got a couple lanes reserved
and we're gonna go.
Speaker 2 (15:51):
And and they do great about their rso's arrange. Snavy
officers are obviously all well versed know what they're doing.
Speaker 3 (15:58):
When we were hanging out over at Natalie and Joseph
Joseph's house the other day, I was talking to Joseph
and he was like, he was like, yeah, you know,
everyone's just really welcoming.
Speaker 6 (16:07):
You know.
Speaker 3 (16:08):
I was like, that's nice. You know, I just thought
that wasn't what I the first thing I expected to
hear out of his mouth about a gun range.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
Well, think about the importance of that. For sure, someone
like you.
Speaker 3 (16:21):
Has the very.
Speaker 2 (16:22):
Unfortunate life experiences you've got right with family and friends,
and you decide, all right, I'm gonna go check this
thing out, this gun bill, I'm gonna go check it out.
I'm going to take the leave. I just want to
shoot one, see what it feels like, learn a little bit,
educate myself a little bit. I think that's a very
important component. To be able to walk in and everybody's
(16:45):
very welcoming and inviting and polite. I think that's very
important because you're going to have you're going to have
some emotions going on, especially when you have the earphones on,
protective glass, pet of goggles, glasses on. Yeah, and you're
you're standing at the riddy getting to fire the first time.
(17:06):
You're like, you're I promise your heart rate will be
extremely elevated.
Speaker 3 (17:11):
Yeah. Well, I will admit to maybe having some stereotypes
that perhaps put me down the path of just not
expecting a lot of TLC as the leading sort of
you know, mission statement. So it's that was really cool.
And then he was also saying that the way they
cycle the air is he was like, if you go
to some of these shooting ranges, you can start to
taste the lead in the air. They cycle it through
(17:33):
in this way where it's like this really clean breathing air.
So that was like the two immediate things he said.
He's like, everyone's nice and the air is fresh. Oh cool, right,
I was like, you know, expecting to just I don't know.
I don't think it's a bunch of crazy people like
punching me in the face. I don't know what I
expect it.
Speaker 2 (17:50):
I think we should probably clarify. I don't think it's
lead anymore. It's probably gunpowder or yeah, I think, yeah,
the lead bullets I'm fairly certain outlawed now, like the paint,
like we can't, oh, that turns out to be really
really bad for you. Here's one thing I can't guarantee,
like you're gonna be okay, Yeah, I promise you that.
(18:13):
Because it's even when we go or we're on a
hunt with the boys like number one, safety, safety, safety,
number one, always like I'm not in especially with Jackson James,
like I get the marine comes out very quick when
like we you know, jacksonne on his first dove hunt
(18:34):
is past summer, and like I probably told him seriously
five hundred times, like about muscle awareness, muscle awareness.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
What did you think it was?
Speaker 2 (18:49):
Muscle awareness? He's like, what done buff probably the times before.
Speaker 1 (18:58):
And he was like, I got it, muscle awareness.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
I said, say that muscle awareness, I got it. And
I said muzzle awareness and he goes, well, what's what's
a muzzle. I've clearly done a horrible job because I
have a lot of buddies that that have their kids
use you know, their squirt guns and you know, their
(19:24):
bb guns, and they teach them like fingers straight and
off trigger til you're ready to fire, muscle awareness and
all those things I had done a very poor job
of doing because there's a lot of me that you know,
they're playing laser tag or whatever. And I didn't want
to overdo it. I just am like I want the
kids to be kids, like let them go be kids. Yeah,
(19:45):
you know, but there I should have clearly I felt, well,
you have a second chance to you know, be a
different adult face. Yes, much different, because you'll actually listen.
Speaker 3 (19:59):
I do plan to be more attentive than your tiny children.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
It well, because if you're not, then you won't be
shooting because it's you know, like it's a safety thing.
Speaker 3 (20:11):
Cool. Well, thanks Mom, Thanks Dan, you got a kiddo.
We have to take a quick break, but stick around
so we can take you with us inside the shooting
range for my very first lesson. Welcome back to the
(20:32):
good stuff. This next segment was recorded inside an active
shooting range, so there is a lot of real gunfire
happening all around us throughout the lesson. If that energy
is not good for you at the moment, please consider
skipping forward about four and a half minutes. Okay, here
we go.
Speaker 6 (20:52):
Welcome to Texas Gun Experience. We are going to walk
you through our range, safety lists, customs, and courtesies. Whether
you are a first time or season shooting, we want
you to have the most memorable experience and your safety
is very important to us. Please make sure to read
through our range.
Speaker 3 (21:06):
Fools nervous range, Well, I feel some excitement. What I
do is when I tend to feel a little nervous.
I say, this is fun, this is fun, this is fun,
and after like three four times you click your heels
like Dorothy and Wizard of Oz. Suddenly you're in fun land.
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
Okay, just listen.
Speaker 3 (21:23):
Yeah, I will thank you guys.
Speaker 2 (21:24):
Yeah, I'd rather you be nervous than excited.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
Okay, good, I'm nervous too, different nervous. Yeah, no, I'm
more nervous than but also like in a fun one. Good,
all right, good, look at that bathing clean.
Speaker 5 (21:40):
Yes, this is Jordan.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
He's the range safety officer and he's gonna help guide
us today.
Speaker 5 (21:45):
You never ever, yeah ever.
Speaker 4 (21:49):
We'll start with a right handed, left hand, right hand.
So the biggest thing is the glass of safety minus
on the trigger itself. So all you want to do
is keep your straight into your wa have a good
side alignment, and everything you're gonna do is touch.
Speaker 3 (22:02):
The trick and then slowly pull it.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
Okay, makes it so far? Yeah? Right?
Speaker 4 (22:08):
Alright, So not all you're gonna do is look front
that site front site post and between the you and
the back do you see.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
That primarily in there?
Speaker 4 (22:15):
So when you're taking this for your first ones, what
you really want to do is only focus on that
front site post and kind of blur out the target
behind it. You only really want to focus on that,
put it on that red and then slowly pull the.
Speaker 3 (22:26):
Trigger out of it.
Speaker 5 (22:29):
One of the things to consider when you're shooting is
you're breathing, because we tend to hold our breath before
we take a shot. Just make sure you're exhale and
then take the shot so you're not holding your breath
and then your body's ten stuff.
Speaker 4 (22:44):
Yeah, right, you feel comfortable for the grip and everything
for it, I think so.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (22:47):
So the biggest thing with they were talking about with stands.
Speaker 3 (22:50):
Yeah, it's gonna be different for everybody.
Speaker 4 (22:52):
The way we teach it here is you kind of
want your feet sholder with a part if you want
your non dominant foot so it be that left foot
to just come up.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
Just a little bit to get a little ballance, and then.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
You kind of lean forward into it with all your shouthers.
Speaker 4 (23:03):
Forward you want to be.
Speaker 3 (23:04):
You don't want to be completely.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
Out to where it's from.
Speaker 4 (23:05):
Comfortable just a little bit, does it make sense?
Speaker 3 (23:09):
Kind of makes it.
Speaker 4 (23:09):
It's gonna have to be different per person. Some people
take it as stiff as possible, but you can't hold
that for very long.
Speaker 3 (23:14):
It's like a batting stance in base.
Speaker 2 (23:17):
What's comfortable, right, You don't want to be like.
Speaker 4 (23:19):
That, So get your hands on there, nice and neat,
put it up to where you already seeing down the sites,
and then with the trigger all you want to do
for the first few shots and just slowly pull in
surprise you when it's.
Speaker 2 (23:30):
Gonna go off.
Speaker 3 (23:35):
Perfect.
Speaker 4 (23:37):
Hell yeah, okay, so you got four more rounds in there,
more rounds, all right, so not take it somewhere then
it doesn't have that bright red behind it, so take
it up to the head and then to take out
(24:08):
the magnet so it's locked back to the rangers. That button, right,
there's gonna be a Mac release.
Speaker 3 (24:15):
Oh that part is all peaceful.
Speaker 1 (24:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (24:18):
The Mac release is like like, oh here we are boom.
Speaker 5 (24:23):
How do you feel?
Speaker 2 (24:25):
Damn?
Speaker 3 (24:26):
That's pretty good.
Speaker 4 (24:27):
Yeah, that's really good.
Speaker 3 (24:29):
Fine, Yeah, baby, yeah, that's fine. That's cool.
Speaker 2 (24:32):
All right, that's cool.
Speaker 3 (24:34):
I feel really good. I feel like I popped my cherry.
It was very loud popping in the cherry, and it's
more like a quiet little thud when that happens in
people's lives. But this was like, here we go. You know,
it's awesome. Man, this guy took I feel really supportive
by you guys. Yeah, I feel experienced. Text is good experience.
Speaker 4 (24:54):
You can see your first shots. You kind of anticipated
that shot and you pushed into.
Speaker 2 (24:58):
It a little bit when dropped it.
Speaker 4 (25:00):
But you're still straight in line.
Speaker 3 (25:02):
That's the biggest thing.
Speaker 4 (25:03):
And if this is your first time ever shooting, I've
seated really well.
Speaker 3 (25:06):
Oh hell yeah, dude, all right, I love that. I
want to see one of you guys.
Speaker 2 (25:11):
Go now, no, you're not done.
Speaker 3 (25:13):
Oh good. We're going to take one last quick commercial break,
and when we get back, Jake, Ashley and I debrief
about the experience and then connect just a little bit deeper.
(25:33):
Welcome back. Here. I am with Jake and Ashley in
a conference room at the Texas Gun Experience, just minutes
after I had learned how to shoot an AR fifteen. Okay,
so number one question answered, I do look pretty cool
in the pictures of me shooting. All right, good, thank god,
look at that beautiful you guys. Thank you so much
for that. That was a crazy experience.
Speaker 1 (25:54):
It was awesome. That was fun for us.
Speaker 3 (25:56):
Well, I know, we recorded it in the room. But
just in case the audio quality was bad, let's let
the people know I did pretty good.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
You did well, you didn't miss.
Speaker 3 (26:05):
Yeah, I didn't know what to expect exactly. I mean
I'm generally pretty good at things, like I can throw
things and hit you know, like I have good aim,
a good hand eye coordination. But I didn't know. Yeah,
I might have been terrible.
Speaker 1 (26:17):
Well, that's what we were talking about, Like, there's so many
different things that you have to consider. Yeah, right, it's
not just you pick up aim fire. You know, you've
got to consider all the things. And if it's your
first time, and not only did you go shoot, but
that he really taught you your way around the weapons. Yeah,
how to load it and you know, how to take
the safety off.
Speaker 3 (26:35):
Yeah, which I think that is the thing in the
heat of the heat of the moment, I would immediately forget,
even though to the best case that circumstances, I was
like so up or down, like what's going on here?
Speaker 2 (26:47):
A little bit?
Speaker 3 (26:48):
Uh, Yeah, that part was crazy. Yeah, it was really
cool to do it and to see what it feels
like and to start to understand it a little more.
And I will admit like being around people shooting was
still did not feel comfortable. It didn't and like the
guy we were sharing, like oh, we got the VIP
treatment literally the VIP lounge or whatever. The guy next
(27:10):
to us couldn't have been nicer, Like I need the
listeners to understand, like just imagine the most jolly, huge smile,
the friendliest person literally stereotype of that, and that's what
we were next to. And I was still like kind of nervous,
you know, and like just being knowing it was in
(27:31):
happening in other rooms like that part, like when you
were like calm down, relax it was. It was that
was the thing that was putting me on edge, just
being around other people and it happening around me. That
part was I didn't necessarily expect and I had a
hard time shaking it. In fact, I didn't shake it.
I'm not even try shaking it now, you know. So
(27:54):
that was like a really interesting part because obviously, like
you walk in and everyone is just like, yeah, you're
a reasonable, reasonable person who knows what to do at
a gun range, like we're all safe and this is
all cool. And I was like okay, yeah, okay, we're
all safe and this is all cool, you know what
I mean.
Speaker 1 (28:10):
I mean, in all fairness, he probably heard you say
this was your first time, so he was probably just
as nervous.
Speaker 3 (28:15):
As everyone scared for me.
Speaker 6 (28:18):
No.
Speaker 1 (28:18):
I mean that's the thing though, But what better environment
for you to learn how to shoot a gun than
when there is chaos going on around you? Because it's
it's very seldom gonna be according to you, but for
your experience you just had. You know, it's not like
it's a you don't hear the birds chirping? Yeah, when
rustling through the trees like there was gunfire all around you,
(28:42):
and yet you were able to focus and execute.
Speaker 3 (28:44):
Man, I feel so accomplished. I really, I really feeling
myself right now, guys. And my armbits didn't even sweat out.
I was like checking my arm is like that I
sweat out, you know what I mean? Boom look good
in the photos. Hit the bullseye a couple of times.
Didn't sweat out.
Speaker 1 (29:00):
We got videos per day.
Speaker 2 (29:01):
You see why? Do you see why though people get
there are gun enthusiasts because did you feel h did
you feel a sense of power at all?
Speaker 3 (29:16):
If I'm gonna be honest, not really honestly, when I
shot it, I realized honestly, I felt a little bit powerless,
honestly because I was just not really in control of it.
I was doing what I was told, and I was
taking the lessons and I could feel myself learning, but
it was but I felt like, oh, this could get
(29:39):
away from me, you know what I mean, I didn't
feel super in control. If I'm being honest, I'm not
sure it's power I felt.
Speaker 2 (29:46):
I think it was. Yeah, well I think that comes
with time. Like you didn't. You don't have the confidence.
It just comes with time. So yeah, I guess my
original question is irrelevant thing since you felt like it
could get away from you.
Speaker 1 (29:59):
But I still feel I still get nervous when I
shoot pistol.
Speaker 3 (30:02):
Yeah, I do, go ahead ask the original question, though,
what was? It's not irrelevant? No, do you see why
people use this do this as a hub? Totally? The
appeal is not lost on me, for sure. It's not
lost to me. I totally get it. I understand it.
I mean I personally, you know, even though I do
sort of like filmmaking and podcasting and editing, and I'm
(30:22):
not really that much into gear in general. So when
people start talking about the different scopes and I'm like, oh, interesting, cool,
oh millimeters, I know what those are, Like, you know
the thing that's not an in show on the ruler,
you know what I mean? Like, I don't like, I
don't snap into like that particular thing. And I know
that's a huge Like if I listen to like friends
of mine who are into guns, or people I don't know,
(30:44):
like at a bar for instance, or some of the
people that we were just around just now start talking
about guns, they get really into it and there's a
certain like affinity with the gear and the technicality that
for me, I don't that doesn't really appeal to me.
But the actual act, the actual act of shooting, and
like why it is could become powerful for somebody and
why it's interesting is not lost on me that that
(31:09):
makes a lot of sense to me, And I could
I could imagine myself getting more and more into it.
I'm not sure that I will. Time will. It will
have to be a season three check in see if
I m Well, I really appreciate you guys taking me out.
Thank you to the Texas Gun Experience.
Speaker 1 (31:26):
Proud of you. You did great.
Speaker 3 (31:27):
Oh thanks guys, I appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (31:29):
Yeah, yeah, man, I mean it was. I mean it
was uneventful, you know.
Speaker 3 (31:35):
I mean, which is a mission accomplished.
Speaker 2 (31:39):
Yeah, I've seen a lot worse.
Speaker 3 (31:44):
Hey, everyone Nick here. As I continued hanging out with
Jake and Ashley for the rest of the day, I
couldn't help but feel that something was being left unsaid.
So when we got back to their house, I asked
them to sit back down with me and I hit record.
Speaker 1 (31:58):
You know, one of the things I find interesting is
the jargon that you use. You know, you grew up
with your experience with guns and the jargon that you've
been using surrounding guns and shooting guns. You know, the
word dangerous and weapon. And whereas my experience with guns,
I the very first time I ever shot, my dad
took me to the range so that I knew how
(32:19):
to use the household weapon should we have an intruder.
So for me, it's protection.
Speaker 3 (32:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (32:23):
For me, it's harvesting.
Speaker 3 (32:25):
It's like safety.
Speaker 1 (32:25):
We go to harvest and animal to feed our family, right,
And it's just it's interesting to me.
Speaker 3 (32:31):
Yeah, yeah, I mean I can really really appreciate that
because my life, I don't think I've ever felt safe
because of a gun outside of I guess maybe law
enforcement being there or something like, you know, but yeah,
that's really really interesting. That is.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
I think it's so important because it has so much
to do with how you're raised, right, how you're who
you're connected to growing up that influences you and whatever
it may be, right, athletic, shooting, whatever, chess, it doesn't matter, right,
I mean, I think it's I think that the more
healthy respect and knowledge you've got of any given topic,
(33:11):
the I don't want to use the words safer, maybe comfortable,
the more the more understood you could be about set topic.
And I think in a lot of the stuff because
I know this episode is gonna definitely will probably shake
some people and have people thrown up in arms, and
(33:33):
and I would say, hey, I challenge you to stop,
and he'll XL repeat and educate yourself regardless of the
side of the argument you're on. Like, if you go
into an argument not knowing shit about the topic, you're
probably gonna get crushed by someone who does know and
(33:54):
has done the homework on set topic. Yeah, Like, just
because I disagree with something Disney not mean I'm not
going to educate myself on it. Right, Yeah, if anything
I would love to learn more about that thing so
I can get closer to understanding the other point of view.
Speaker 1 (34:14):
Yeah, it's all about perspective, Like so many things in life,
if we would just stop and see other people's perspectives,
because I completely understand why you use the language that
you that's your life experience. So for me to have
sympathy and empathy for that, and then for you to
understand this is why you know I'm not. I wouldn't
consider myself a gun enthusiast. I have respect for them,
(34:34):
and I know that they can be used as a tool.
Speaker 2 (34:36):
I don't think either one of us, yeah, be labeled
or falling into that.
Speaker 1 (34:40):
Ye yeah, not what we do on a Saturday night.
But we're excited that you've selected us to be the
first to go do this with you. But hopefully we can,
you know, help give you a new perspective on it.
Speaker 3 (34:53):
No, this is beautiful. We're building bridges and winning Nobel
Peace Prizes on with this podcast.
Speaker 2 (34:58):
Maybe not a new perspective, but a fresh one for sure.
Speaker 3 (35:01):
Yeah right, because.
Speaker 2 (35:02):
I also don't want you to lose your old one
because it's also accurate. Yeah yeah, yeah, they're both they're
both correct, ye, this is like an open minded gun experience.
That's I see what you did that beautiful wah. Well.
I had to thank you so much for listening to
the Good Stuff.
Speaker 1 (35:20):
If you appreciate this show, please subscribe, like, and review
The Good Stuff podcast, and connect with us on social media.
Speaker 2 (35:27):
We love hearing from you, so please reach out through
our website. Our links and contact information is in the
show notes of this episode.
Speaker 3 (35:34):
And it would mean the world to us if you
shared this episode with the people in your life who
might also enjoy it. We'll be back next week, but
in the meantime, if you're looking for a companion piece
of this episode, please check out our episode A Yellow
Rose Never Dies with Judy Littlefield from season one.
Speaker 2 (35:49):
Put on your badass capes and go be great today
and remember you can't do epic things without epic people.
Speaker 1 (35:55):
Again, thank you for listening to the good Stuff.
Speaker 3 (36:03):
The Good Stuff is executive produced by Ashley Shick, Jacob Shick,
and Leah Pictures posted by Ashley Shick, Jacob Schick, and
Nick Cassolini. Produced by Nick Cassolini, Engineering, editing and post
production supervision by Nick Casselini. Music by Will Tendy
Welcome the season two of The Good Stuff. I'm Ashley Schick,
and I'm joined by my husband and co host, Jacob Schick,
a third generation combat marine and CEO of One Tribe Foundation.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Ashley also comes from a family rich in military history,
and we've dedicated our lives to One Tribes, mission serving veterans,
first responders, and their families. We're coming to you from Dallas,
so welcome to Texas.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
And joining us all season long from Los Angeles, California,
is our West Coast long haired friend and producer of
the Good Stuff, Nick Cassolini.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
This is a particularly exciting episode for me. Today we
are taking a trip to the gun range.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Yes, sir, we are locked and loaded.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Pepew guys. I have to get to the important business.
It's part's important for our beautiful listeners out there. This
is just a quick heads up. This show can explore
some heavy subject matter, including talks of suicide, so listener
discretion is advised.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
We couldn't be happy you're here again.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Welcome to the Good Stuff.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
I'm so excited because today we are going to Texas
Gun Experience and Grapevine, Texas for a little trigger therapy.
Oh yeah, which is essentially us shooting guns as a
form of therapy.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Yeah yeah, I mean it's more so a saying than
I mean, I'm sure for some of people it is
actual therapy. For us, we just like you know, it's
the figure speech.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
It makes you guys.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Happy, it's hunting off season.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
Of course. No, I I've I've never shot a gun.
I've never owned a gun, like.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Even a pull gun. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
I shot yeah, bb guns. Oh, I've shot every kind
of toy gun.
Speaker 4 (01:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
Yeah, you know what I'm saying, water guns, laser guns,
rubber band guns, finger guns, yeah, finger guns.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Like it's gonna be awesome because with where we come
from and how we were raised and things like that.
Very rarely do you meet anyone who's like, I've never
even finn it's like shut like a ruler.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
Yeah you know, I'm special.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
You're really not when it comes to people from where
you're from and all those things, right, Like, it's not,
but I think it's good because it'll show you the
power of these things like it is. It is. It's
shocking to a lot of people, Like the first squeeze
and when that round, that firing pin hits that primer
(02:26):
and that round goes off, that round goes through the barrel,
like you'll see, because I think everybody at the core
of their existence is a bit of a barbarian. Yes, yeah,
that dude's gonna get woken up tomorrow.
Speaker 4 (02:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Yeah, it's nice to go do. It's nice to send
rounds down range if you were if you will.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
Uh, you know, it's like send rounds down range, a
very pleasant way of saying shoot again.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
It's uh yeah, I mean it's that's definitely a Marine
Corps thing we're saying, but it's uh, you know, it's
something we grew up doing. I in particular, grew up hunting, fishing,
doing all the things with the particularly the mells of
my family, and you know, there's a lot of bonding
that took place on those trips. Yeah. Being able to
(03:16):
do it now, I probably view it much differently for
obvious reasons than Ash does. Uh huh, you know, which
is fine, right, Like for me, it's like brushing my teeth.
You know, it'd be real hard to forget where is
a post?
Speaker 1 (03:30):
For me, it's more like making sure that I'm staying proficient.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
Yeah, I keep your skills up.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Yeah, because I haven't done it a thousand times, over
and over and over again. Wait are you good though,
I'm decent?
Speaker 3 (03:41):
You're decent?
Speaker 1 (03:42):
Yeah, I can. I can get a little pattern going,
a little grouping. Yeah, no, you definitely I have a
good teacher.
Speaker 4 (03:50):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
This man over here, that's right, that's about to be
my teacher today, man, professor, shake, maestro.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
I don't know a lot of guys I got shoot me.
You just have to be uh. I think it's more
of a comes down to you have to respect that
tool because you're the weapon. Those are tools that are
extensions of you. You have to view it that way.
Speaker 4 (04:10):
Right.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
That thing is only going to be as effective as
you make it. But you have to respect it. I
think that is one thing that probably draws a lot
of people to shooting sports is that there's a I mean,
it is a very powerful tool, right, that can hurt you,
so you have to respect it.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
Did your relationship with weapons and guns specifically, how did
that change from being like a civilian to joining the.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
Core to you know, then your post war life.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
The first two.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
For the most part, was pretty seamless because I grew
up doing it right and so it was kind of
second nature anyway. That said, most of the proficient shooters
in the military are the ones that didn't grow up
hunting and shooting all the time, and the reason being
is because they don't have any bad habits to break.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
Oh. Interesting, So what I'm hearing is I'm about to
be an expert after today.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
Yeah yeah, yeah, no, because well, uh, you will be
probably primarily shooting pistols, which is for them.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
It's different than a rifle, right of course, right yeah,
same like satellite aside, picture focusing in on target, same
type of thing. But you know, like if we were
shooting shotguns, it would be completely different.
Speaker 3 (05:31):
Again, So what was your relationship with guns after the war?
Speaker 2 (05:38):
You know, that's interesting because it's not like I never
I never got to a point where I was like, oh,
you know, I never need to fire a weapon again
or anything like that. Well, and two, I was in
the hospital a long time, so it's you know, you're
not going to be popping off rounds while you're pretty
(05:59):
much on your right twenty four to seven. But I
didn't really, Uh, I just didn't have a desire to
do it. Oddly, even still today, like I don't I'm
never itching to go to get range time in or
(06:20):
to even for hunting, Like I would much rather be
a spectator with Ash or one of the boys is hunting.
I just don't get to like the It doesn't give
me the satisfaction like it did before.
Speaker 5 (06:37):
I don't.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
I don't think it has anything to have been really
wounded or whatever. I think I've just done it so much.
Yeah that you know, like I could show up tomorrow
even if you guys went to the range for a
month straight, yeah, every day and I didn't, And then
we had this date set to go to the range. Like,
I'm almost positive I'm gonna outshoot both of you.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
Man, if you don't outshoe be, that's gonna be hilarious.
I guarantee you.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
That will be some beginner's luck.
Speaker 2 (07:09):
But there's a but I mean obvious reason, right if
it's something that the more you do it, the more
proficient you're gonna become. Of course, this makes permanent. As
one of my coads used to say, he hated the
saying practice, practice makes permanent, and essentially what that means
is muscle memory, right, you know, and so you're which
is a very real thing.
Speaker 3 (07:30):
Did you enjoy that element of your training the most?
Talk about it?
Speaker 2 (07:36):
Well, because I think it was one of those things
where I'm like, Okay, I really need to know how
these things operate and why you know, how they're made,
how to assemble and disassemble them. Those are all very
very important characteristics of being like a nose shit war fighter,
(07:57):
Like you need to be very proficient and not just
the trigger. You got to know all of these other
things because things are going to go wrong, right, I mean,
they're man made objects. They're going to break down, they're
going to malfunction, and you have to know the immedial
action when that happens, or know at least what to
(08:17):
do next if you have a misfire then they happen, right.
And so I think I enjoyed that aspect of it
the most because it was, you know, I was such
a knowledge sponge I think most probably people are when
they join the military, and mainly because we're we're upholding
a standard that we didn't create. I mean that was
(08:40):
done by you know, our fathers and grandfathers and a
lot of cases mothers and grandma and so on and
so forth. That there's this standard that it's like I
took that very very seriously because I didn't want to be.
The last thing I wanted to do is be less
than or to lower the bar. So I was really
(09:05):
hyper focused on that aspect of it, and mainly because
these things are you know, they're used militaristically for one reason. Right,
the more you respect that weapon, like, the more it's
going to respect you.
Speaker 3 (09:22):
So I know that a lot of vets, after you know,
their service, use shooting and going to the range and
going hunting as a way to really connect with each other.
And I'm curious to know about your experience with that
in the early days of your of your survival post war.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Yeah, it's interesting because I never I never really had
an affinity like I never I don't recall anyway thinking
like I can't wait to go shoot, you know, I
just I just didn't. It wasn't a priority for me.
But that said, I mean a lot of my very
very close friends, some of the great memories I've got
(10:02):
was just going on a duck hunt with them, or
going on a dove hunt, or you know, something that
was just it's just bonding, Like we're just bonding.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
So why haven't you shot before? What is your experience
with guns?
Speaker 3 (10:13):
Well, my experience with guns was pretty unnerving as a
I mean, I'm sort of the poster child for like, uh,
kids who did not have a good examples of responsible
gun owners. They were either people like my parents who
didn't have them, or I was around adults and kids
who had guns just in the most irresponsible way possible.
(10:36):
So I was like one of those kids where you know,
your older friend who's cool is like, let me show
you my uncle keeps utter is pillow. You know, yeah, no,
it's really bad. I had. I had some really intense
experiences like that very young. And you know, the only
friends of mine whose dads had like a safe full
of guns that I was aware of were like the
weirdest dads I knew. So with thought like you, it
(11:00):
was like, oh, yeah, don't go into the closet that's
where dad keeps us safe full of guns. It's like, ah,
that guy's insane. I don't want to be.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
So interesting that that was weird to you.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
Well, they were weird before I knew about the safe
full of guns. It was just the people with saves
full of guns happened to be weirdos, right, So that
was true.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
That was your experience growing up.
Speaker 3 (11:21):
Yeah, growing up basically and then as as I got
a little older, you know, I was witnessed to some
gun violence and I had friends on both the giving
and receiving end of that trigger being pulled, and you know,
not everyone survived, and and I have some loved ones
that'll be locked up forever. And that's you know, and
(11:42):
that happened. That sort of an important part of my
life when I'm sort of like deciding what kind of
adult I'm going to be, and you know, what decisions
am I going to.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
Make to move forward in this world.
Speaker 3 (11:52):
And you know, it's not like I sat down and said, boy,
I'm never going to touch a gun. You know, I
never made a decision. But here I am just turn
forty one beautiful years young, and I literally haven't shot one,
you know, so obviously I did make a decision, even
though it wasn't conscious.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
Even though it.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
Wasn't it's obviously not permanent. You know, like I want
to to experience this, and I'm really happy to have
you guys show me the way.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
I think it's a good reason, man, I think that's fair. Yeah,
you know, because I know not everybody has that experience. Yeah,
you know, not everybody has that unfortunate or fortunate, depending
upon how you look at it, the experience that you've got.
I think it's really cool and courageous that you are curious.
(12:42):
You know that you It's like who saw the ball?
The boys all the time always maintain that curiosity. So
often this this guy's discourage like, it's be curious, Yeah,
stay curious, ask questions. Yeah, you know. And I think
because the more we can know about any subject or
topic in education ourselves, the better off we're going to be.
(13:02):
And I think the less app the less apps we're
going to be to get defensive or be ready to fight,
obviously in the figurative sense, right, because we're we don't
know a lot about it, and so by default we're
going to be combative. Yeah, you know. And I think
that's where a lot of people get very argumentative, is
(13:23):
when they don't understand, you know, they haven't done the thing.
This just happens to be in reference to weapons. Yeah,
I think it's important because I think as a society
we've gotten really lazy about doing our own homework and
experiencing new things, and so as a result, when someone
gets uncomfortable, by default, they feel like they're backed into
a corner. Then by default they get combative, and then
(13:46):
it just turns into an ever evolving shit show. And
I think it's awesome that you're like, hey, I want
to do this thing, and this is my background. I
bet you're most likely you know, risky, bet you're the
exception of the role. Well, thanks, yeah, I mean, I
just feel loved in the moment.
Speaker 3 (14:06):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
I think it's really cool. I mean, and I really
do like i'd actually like to kind of ride this
sideline in the beginning of this because I just want
to see how much I actually been listening to me.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
Wait, wait, wait, you want me to coach him, guide him?
Speaker 2 (14:23):
Yeah, I just like, obviously if I've got it, Yeah,
if I feel like you're derailing, I'll jump in.
Speaker 3 (14:32):
Don't teach him that he that, don't point in that direction.
Speaker 2 (14:37):
She's definitely not going to do that.
Speaker 3 (14:39):
Definitely not going to do that.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
She's very she's very she's very responsible when it comes
to that stuff, which is really good.
Speaker 3 (14:47):
Yeah, all right, well, miss professor professor.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Actually I think they we're way going way too far
with the whole professor things. Okay, okay, because I know
so many people that are so much more proficient in
of course the operation nomenclature of all of these weapons
that I'm like, we.
Speaker 3 (15:04):
Should you shot an expert thing? You shot a gun
one time. I'm like, sense, but but actually teach me
the way. So what do we have in store at
the Texas Gun Experience, Like what's ahead?
Speaker 1 (15:19):
Are very very dear friends, the standards, Joseph and Natalie.
We actually had Natalie on season one of the good Stuff.
They along with Joseph's brother Jared, they own Texas Gun Experience,
both veterans. Yep, it's just it's a great time to go.
It's a great environment. It's very laid back.
Speaker 4 (15:37):
You know.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
There are all kinds of gun ranges all over Texas,
a lot of them being outdoors, long range, but this
one is just a really good air conditioned Most importantly, Yeah,
we wouldn't be good. We've got a couple lanes reserved
and we're gonna go.
Speaker 2 (15:51):
And and they do great about their rso's arrange. Snavy
officers are obviously all well versed know what they're doing.
Speaker 3 (15:58):
When we were hanging out over at Natalie and Joseph
Joseph's house the other day, I was talking to Joseph
and he was like, he was like, yeah, you know,
everyone's just really welcoming.
Speaker 6 (16:07):
You know.
Speaker 3 (16:08):
I was like, that's nice. You know, I just thought
that wasn't what I the first thing I expected to
hear out of his mouth about a gun range.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
Well, think about the importance of that. For sure, someone
like you.
Speaker 3 (16:21):
Has the very.
Speaker 2 (16:22):
Unfortunate life experiences you've got right with family and friends,
and you decide, all right, I'm gonna go check this
thing out, this gun bill, I'm gonna go check it out.
I'm going to take the leave. I just want to
shoot one, see what it feels like, learn a little bit,
educate myself a little bit. I think that's a very
important component. To be able to walk in and everybody's
(16:45):
very welcoming and inviting and polite. I think that's very
important because you're going to have you're going to have
some emotions going on, especially when you have the earphones on,
protective glass, pet of goggles, glasses on. Yeah, and you're
you're standing at the riddy getting to fire the first time.
(17:06):
You're like, you're I promise your heart rate will be
extremely elevated.
Speaker 3 (17:11):
Yeah. Well, I will admit to maybe having some stereotypes
that perhaps put me down the path of just not
expecting a lot of TLC as the leading sort of
you know, mission statement. So it's that was really cool.
And then he was also saying that the way they
cycle the air is he was like, if you go
to some of these shooting ranges, you can start to
taste the lead in the air. They cycle it through
(17:33):
in this way where it's like this really clean breathing air.
So that was like the two immediate things he said.
He's like, everyone's nice and the air is fresh. Oh cool, right,
I was like, you know, expecting to just I don't know.
I don't think it's a bunch of crazy people like
punching me in the face. I don't know what I
expect it.
Speaker 2 (17:50):
I think we should probably clarify. I don't think it's
lead anymore. It's probably gunpowder or yeah, I think, yeah,
the lead bullets I'm fairly certain outlawed now, like the paint,
like we can't, oh, that turns out to be really
really bad for you. Here's one thing I can't guarantee,
like you're gonna be okay, Yeah, I promise you that.
(18:13):
Because it's even when we go or we're on a
hunt with the boys like number one, safety, safety, safety,
number one, always like I'm not in especially with Jackson James,
like I get the marine comes out very quick when
like we you know, jacksonne on his first dove hunt
(18:34):
is past summer, and like I probably told him seriously
five hundred times, like about muscle awareness, muscle awareness.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
What did you think it was?
Speaker 2 (18:49):
Muscle awareness? He's like, what done buff probably the times before.
Speaker 1 (18:58):
And he was like, I got it, muscle awareness.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
I said, say that muscle awareness, I got it. And
I said muzzle awareness and he goes, well, what's what's
a muzzle. I've clearly done a horrible job because I
have a lot of buddies that that have their kids
use you know, their squirt guns and you know, their
(19:24):
bb guns, and they teach them like fingers straight and
off trigger til you're ready to fire, muscle awareness and
all those things I had done a very poor job
of doing because there's a lot of me that you know,
they're playing laser tag or whatever. And I didn't want
to overdo it. I just am like I want the
kids to be kids, like let them go be kids. Yeah,
(19:45):
you know, but there I should have clearly I felt, well,
you have a second chance to you know, be a
different adult face. Yes, much different, because you'll actually listen.
Speaker 3 (19:59):
I do plan to be more attentive than your tiny children.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
It well, because if you're not, then you won't be
shooting because it's you know, like it's a safety thing.
Speaker 3 (20:11):
Cool. Well, thanks Mom, Thanks Dan, you got a kiddo.
We have to take a quick break, but stick around
so we can take you with us inside the shooting
range for my very first lesson. Welcome back to the
(20:32):
good stuff. This next segment was recorded inside an active
shooting range, so there is a lot of real gunfire
happening all around us throughout the lesson. If that energy
is not good for you at the moment, please consider
skipping forward about four and a half minutes. Okay, here
we go.
Speaker 6 (20:52):
Welcome to Texas Gun Experience. We are going to walk
you through our range, safety lists, customs, and courtesies. Whether
you are a first time or season shooting, we want
you to have the most memorable experience and your safety
is very important to us. Please make sure to read
through our range.
Speaker 3 (21:06):
Fools nervous range, Well, I feel some excitement. What I
do is when I tend to feel a little nervous.
I say, this is fun, this is fun, this is fun,
and after like three four times you click your heels
like Dorothy and Wizard of Oz. Suddenly you're in fun land.
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
Okay, just listen.
Speaker 3 (21:23):
Yeah, I will thank you guys.
Speaker 2 (21:24):
Yeah, I'd rather you be nervous than excited.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
Okay, good, I'm nervous too, different nervous. Yeah, no, I'm
more nervous than but also like in a fun one. Good,
all right, good, look at that bathing clean.
Speaker 5 (21:40):
Yes, this is Jordan.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
He's the range safety officer and he's gonna help guide
us today.
Speaker 5 (21:45):
You never ever, yeah ever.
Speaker 4 (21:49):
We'll start with a right handed, left hand, right hand.
So the biggest thing is the glass of safety minus
on the trigger itself. So all you want to do
is keep your straight into your wa have a good
side alignment, and everything you're gonna do is touch.
Speaker 3 (22:02):
The trick and then slowly pull it.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
Okay, makes it so far? Yeah? Right?
Speaker 4 (22:08):
Alright, So not all you're gonna do is look front
that site front site post and between the you and
the back do you see.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
That primarily in there?
Speaker 4 (22:15):
So when you're taking this for your first ones, what
you really want to do is only focus on that
front site post and kind of blur out the target
behind it. You only really want to focus on that,
put it on that red and then slowly pull the.
Speaker 3 (22:26):
Trigger out of it.
Speaker 5 (22:29):
One of the things to consider when you're shooting is
you're breathing, because we tend to hold our breath before
we take a shot. Just make sure you're exhale and
then take the shot so you're not holding your breath
and then your body's ten stuff.
Speaker 4 (22:44):
Yeah, right, you feel comfortable for the grip and everything
for it, I think so.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (22:47):
So the biggest thing with they were talking about with stands.
Speaker 3 (22:50):
Yeah, it's gonna be different for everybody.
Speaker 4 (22:52):
The way we teach it here is you kind of
want your feet sholder with a part if you want
your non dominant foot so it be that left foot
to just come up.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
Just a little bit to get a little ballance, and then.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
You kind of lean forward into it with all your shouthers.
Speaker 4 (23:03):
Forward you want to be.
Speaker 3 (23:04):
You don't want to be completely.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
Out to where it's from.
Speaker 4 (23:05):
Comfortable just a little bit, does it make sense?
Speaker 3 (23:09):
Kind of makes it.
Speaker 4 (23:09):
It's gonna have to be different per person. Some people
take it as stiff as possible, but you can't hold
that for very long.
Speaker 3 (23:14):
It's like a batting stance in base.
Speaker 2 (23:17):
What's comfortable, right, You don't want to be like.
Speaker 4 (23:19):
That, So get your hands on there, nice and neat,
put it up to where you already seeing down the sites,
and then with the trigger all you want to do
for the first few shots and just slowly pull in
surprise you when it's.
Speaker 2 (23:30):
Gonna go off.
Speaker 3 (23:35):
Perfect.
Speaker 4 (23:37):
Hell yeah, okay, so you got four more rounds in there,
more rounds, all right, so not take it somewhere then
it doesn't have that bright red behind it, so take
it up to the head and then to take out
(24:08):
the magnet so it's locked back to the rangers. That button, right,
there's gonna be a Mac release.
Speaker 3 (24:15):
Oh that part is all peaceful.
Speaker 1 (24:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (24:18):
The Mac release is like like, oh here we are boom.
Speaker 5 (24:23):
How do you feel?
Speaker 2 (24:25):
Damn?
Speaker 3 (24:26):
That's pretty good.
Speaker 4 (24:27):
Yeah, that's really good.
Speaker 3 (24:29):
Fine, Yeah, baby, yeah, that's fine. That's cool.
Speaker 2 (24:32):
All right, that's cool.
Speaker 3 (24:34):
I feel really good. I feel like I popped my cherry.
It was very loud popping in the cherry, and it's
more like a quiet little thud when that happens in
people's lives. But this was like, here we go. You know,
it's awesome. Man, this guy took I feel really supportive
by you guys. Yeah, I feel experienced. Text is good experience.
Speaker 4 (24:54):
You can see your first shots. You kind of anticipated
that shot and you pushed into.
Speaker 2 (24:58):
It a little bit when dropped it.
Speaker 4 (25:00):
But you're still straight in line.
Speaker 3 (25:02):
That's the biggest thing.
Speaker 4 (25:03):
And if this is your first time ever shooting, I've
seated really well.
Speaker 3 (25:06):
Oh hell yeah, dude, all right, I love that. I
want to see one of you guys.
Speaker 2 (25:11):
Go now, no, you're not done.
Speaker 3 (25:13):
Oh good. We're going to take one last quick commercial break,
and when we get back, Jake, Ashley and I debrief
about the experience and then connect just a little bit deeper.
(25:33):
Welcome back. Here. I am with Jake and Ashley in
a conference room at the Texas Gun Experience, just minutes
after I had learned how to shoot an AR fifteen. Okay,
so number one question answered, I do look pretty cool
in the pictures of me shooting. All right, good, thank god,
look at that beautiful you guys. Thank you so much
for that. That was a crazy experience.
Speaker 1 (25:54):
It was awesome. That was fun for us.
Speaker 3 (25:56):
Well, I know, we recorded it in the room. But
just in case the audio quality was bad, let's let
the people know I did pretty good.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
You did well, you didn't miss.
Speaker 3 (26:05):
Yeah, I didn't know what to expect exactly. I mean
I'm generally pretty good at things, like I can throw
things and hit you know, like I have good aim,
a good hand eye coordination. But I didn't know. Yeah,
I might have been terrible.
Speaker 1 (26:17):
Well, that's what we were talking about, Like, there's so many
different things that you have to consider. Yeah, right, it's
not just you pick up aim fire. You know, you've
got to consider all the things. And if it's your
first time, and not only did you go shoot, but
that he really taught you your way around the weapons. Yeah,
how to load it and you know, how to take
the safety off.
Speaker 3 (26:35):
Yeah, which I think that is the thing in the
heat of the heat of the moment, I would immediately forget,
even though to the best case that circumstances, I was
like so up or down, like what's going on here?
Speaker 2 (26:47):
A little bit?
Speaker 3 (26:48):
Uh, Yeah, that part was crazy. Yeah, it was really
cool to do it and to see what it feels
like and to start to understand it a little more.
And I will admit like being around people shooting was
still did not feel comfortable. It didn't and like the
guy we were sharing, like oh, we got the VIP
treatment literally the VIP lounge or whatever. The guy next
(27:10):
to us couldn't have been nicer, Like I need the
listeners to understand, like just imagine the most jolly, huge smile,
the friendliest person literally stereotype of that, and that's what
we were next to. And I was still like kind of nervous,
you know, and like just being knowing it was in
(27:31):
happening in other rooms like that part, like when you
were like calm down, relax it was. It was that
was the thing that was putting me on edge, just
being around other people and it happening around me. That
part was I didn't necessarily expect and I had a
hard time shaking it. In fact, I didn't shake it.
I'm not even try shaking it now, you know. So
(27:54):
that was like a really interesting part because obviously, like
you walk in and everyone is just like, yeah, you're
a reasonable, reasonable person who knows what to do at
a gun range, like we're all safe and this is
all cool. And I was like okay, yeah, okay, we're
all safe and this is all cool, you know what
I mean.
Speaker 1 (28:10):
I mean, in all fairness, he probably heard you say
this was your first time, so he was probably just
as nervous.
Speaker 3 (28:15):
As everyone scared for me.
Speaker 6 (28:18):
No.
Speaker 1 (28:18):
I mean that's the thing though, But what better environment
for you to learn how to shoot a gun than
when there is chaos going on around you? Because it's
it's very seldom gonna be according to you, but for
your experience you just had. You know, it's not like
it's a you don't hear the birds chirping? Yeah, when
rustling through the trees like there was gunfire all around you,
(28:42):
and yet you were able to focus and execute.
Speaker 3 (28:44):
Man, I feel so accomplished. I really, I really feeling
myself right now, guys. And my armbits didn't even sweat out.
I was like checking my arm is like that I
sweat out, you know what I mean? Boom look good
in the photos. Hit the bullseye a couple of times.
Didn't sweat out.
Speaker 1 (29:00):
We got videos per day.
Speaker 2 (29:01):
You see why? Do you see why though people get
there are gun enthusiasts because did you feel h did
you feel a sense of power at all?
Speaker 3 (29:16):
If I'm gonna be honest, not really honestly, when I
shot it, I realized honestly, I felt a little bit powerless,
honestly because I was just not really in control of it.
I was doing what I was told, and I was
taking the lessons and I could feel myself learning, but
it was but I felt like, oh, this could get
(29:39):
away from me, you know what I mean, I didn't
feel super in control. If I'm being honest, I'm not
sure it's power I felt.
Speaker 2 (29:46):
I think it was. Yeah, well I think that comes
with time. Like you didn't. You don't have the confidence.
It just comes with time. So yeah, I guess my
original question is irrelevant thing since you felt like it
could get away from you.
Speaker 1 (29:59):
But I still feel I still get nervous when I
shoot pistol.
Speaker 3 (30:02):
Yeah, I do, go ahead ask the original question, though,
what was? It's not irrelevant? No, do you see why
people use this do this as a hub? Totally? The
appeal is not lost on me, for sure. It's not
lost to me. I totally get it. I understand it.
I mean I personally, you know, even though I do
sort of like filmmaking and podcasting and editing, and I'm
(30:22):
not really that much into gear in general. So when
people start talking about the different scopes and I'm like, oh, interesting, cool,
oh millimeters, I know what those are, Like, you know
the thing that's not an in show on the ruler,
you know what I mean? Like, I don't like, I
don't snap into like that particular thing. And I know
that's a huge Like if I listen to like friends
of mine who are into guns, or people I don't know,
(30:44):
like at a bar for instance, or some of the
people that we were just around just now start talking
about guns, they get really into it and there's a
certain like affinity with the gear and the technicality that
for me, I don't that doesn't really appeal to me.
But the actual act, the actual act of shooting, and
like why it is could become powerful for somebody and
why it's interesting is not lost on me that that
(31:09):
makes a lot of sense to me, And I could
I could imagine myself getting more and more into it.
I'm not sure that I will. Time will. It will
have to be a season three check in see if
I m Well, I really appreciate you guys taking me out.
Thank you to the Texas Gun Experience.
Speaker 1 (31:26):
Proud of you. You did great.
Speaker 3 (31:27):
Oh thanks guys, I appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (31:29):
Yeah, yeah, man, I mean it was. I mean it
was uneventful, you know.
Speaker 3 (31:35):
I mean, which is a mission accomplished.
Speaker 2 (31:39):
Yeah, I've seen a lot worse.
Speaker 3 (31:44):
Hey, everyone Nick here. As I continued hanging out with
Jake and Ashley for the rest of the day, I
couldn't help but feel that something was being left unsaid.
So when we got back to their house, I asked
them to sit back down with me and I hit record.
Speaker 1 (31:58):
You know, one of the things I find interesting is
the jargon that you use. You know, you grew up
with your experience with guns and the jargon that you've
been using surrounding guns and shooting guns. You know, the
word dangerous and weapon. And whereas my experience with guns,
I the very first time I ever shot, my dad
took me to the range so that I knew how
(32:19):
to use the household weapon should we have an intruder.
So for me, it's protection.
Speaker 3 (32:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (32:23):
For me, it's harvesting.
Speaker 3 (32:25):
It's like safety.
Speaker 1 (32:25):
We go to harvest and animal to feed our family, right,
And it's just it's interesting to me.
Speaker 3 (32:31):
Yeah, yeah, I mean I can really really appreciate that
because my life, I don't think I've ever felt safe
because of a gun outside of I guess maybe law
enforcement being there or something like, you know, but yeah,
that's really really interesting. That is.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
I think it's so important because it has so much
to do with how you're raised, right, how you're who
you're connected to growing up that influences you and whatever
it may be, right, athletic, shooting, whatever, chess, it doesn't matter, right,
I mean, I think it's I think that the more
healthy respect and knowledge you've got of any given topic,
(33:11):
the I don't want to use the words safer, maybe comfortable,
the more the more understood you could be about set topic.
And I think in a lot of the stuff because
I know this episode is gonna definitely will probably shake
some people and have people thrown up in arms, and
(33:33):
and I would say, hey, I challenge you to stop,
and he'll XL repeat and educate yourself regardless of the
side of the argument you're on. Like, if you go
into an argument not knowing shit about the topic, you're
probably gonna get crushed by someone who does know and
(33:54):
has done the homework on set topic. Yeah, Like, just
because I disagree with something Disney not mean I'm not
going to educate myself on it. Right, Yeah, if anything
I would love to learn more about that thing so
I can get closer to understanding the other point of view.
Speaker 1 (34:14):
Yeah, it's all about perspective, Like so many things in life,
if we would just stop and see other people's perspectives,
because I completely understand why you use the language that
you that's your life experience. So for me to have
sympathy and empathy for that, and then for you to
understand this is why you know I'm not. I wouldn't
consider myself a gun enthusiast. I have respect for them,
(34:34):
and I know that they can be used as a tool.
Speaker 2 (34:36):
I don't think either one of us, yeah, be labeled
or falling into that.
Speaker 1 (34:40):
Ye yeah, not what we do on a Saturday night.
But we're excited that you've selected us to be the
first to go do this with you. But hopefully we can,
you know, help give you a new perspective on it.
Speaker 3 (34:53):
No, this is beautiful. We're building bridges and winning Nobel
Peace Prizes on with this podcast.
Speaker 2 (34:58):
Maybe not a new perspective, but a fresh one for sure.
Speaker 3 (35:01):
Yeah right, because.
Speaker 2 (35:02):
I also don't want you to lose your old one
because it's also accurate. Yeah yeah, yeah, they're both they're
both correct, ye, this is like an open minded gun experience.
That's I see what you did that beautiful wah. Well.
I had to thank you so much for listening to
the Good Stuff.
Speaker 1 (35:20):
If you appreciate this show, please subscribe, like, and review
The Good Stuff podcast, and connect with us on social media.
Speaker 2 (35:27):
We love hearing from you, so please reach out through
our website. Our links and contact information is in the
show notes of this episode.
Speaker 3 (35:34):
And it would mean the world to us if you
shared this episode with the people in your life who
might also enjoy it. We'll be back next week, but
in the meantime, if you're looking for a companion piece
of this episode, please check out our episode A Yellow
Rose Never Dies with Judy Littlefield from season one.
Speaker 2 (35:49):
Put on your badass capes and go be great today
and remember you can't do epic things without epic people.
Speaker 1 (35:55):
Again, thank you for listening to the good Stuff.
Speaker 3 (36:03):
The Good Stuff is executive produced by Ashley Shick, Jacob Shick,
and Leah Pictures posted by Ashley Shick, Jacob Schick, and
Nick Cassolini. Produced by Nick Cassolini, Engineering, editing and post
production supervision by Nick Casselini. Music by Will Tendy
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