My daughter was 15 when shots were fired through a bedroom window at the home where she was having a sleepover. The brother, unbeknownst to us as he was much older and out of the home for years, was in a gang and had killed a rival member. Retaliation was to shoot through any window with a light on. My daughter and the girl whose house was targeted dove off the bed to avoid bullets. The other girl was shot in the right shoulder. My daughter only had a cut from a splinter of wood or glass. We were lucky. After that she was unable to sleep near a window - or even alone. She was afraid to be out at night, panicked if anyone approached her side of the car, couldn't stand fireworks - you get the idea. Most of the family thought I was crazy, but we taught her to shoot. I thought being able to protect herself would give her back some confidence and control. Her dad and a friend took her to the range. She told me before she left that she was afraid. Afraid that she wouldn't be able to stand the noise. Afraid that she would lose it and cry in front of everyone. I told her she didn't have to go, and she told me that she did. She would not walk around afraid. The first time she cried as she shot, but by the end of the day she was standing taller. She figured out that she has a knack for shooting. Today, at 20, she has a concealed carry permit. Much of the family still disagrees with this, but we don't care. She's confident but cautious and I worry a lot less about her now.
