Ready, Aim, Frat!

L.T. Verrastro
Kappa Alpha

It would be pretty hard to stereotype the men in the Kappa Alpha Society. At Penn's chapter, 40 members extend our fraternity’s footsteps from the heart of Ohio, to an island in Greece, to the capital of Saudi Arabia. Not surprisingly, we have discovered common ground upon which we build our fraternity, and despite its diversity, have meshed personalities into one united front. There is, however, one night out of the year when a stark difference becomes evident between two groups: those who have and those who haven’t shot a gun before.

Kappa Alpha takes an annual trip across the city into south Philadelphia in search of a little shooting range snuggled between 9th and Ellsworth Streets. I love this tradition because no man, Greek or non-Greek, should be ignorant about firearms and their safety. Guns, at least for my movie-soaked mind, used to conjure two distinct emotions. First, I thought of secret agents doing back flips across moving automobiles while firing at a Soviet hit squad in hot pursuit (we all do, right?). Secondly, those years of elementary school assemblies discussing gun safety instilled an element of fear into me. However, from the educational class and practice rounds we have taken at the shooting range, each member discovered that guns are neither instruments of thrill nor objects of fear.

Our instructor, a law enforcement teacher certified by the National Rifle Association, explained that shooting a gun should not be treated as a movie scene. The shooter, whether a beginner or a trained police officer, never aims with one hand, but instead assumes a two-fisted grasp (I doubted this one-arm claim until verifying it later after viewing a police training video on YouTube). This stance provides for better accuracy and control against the recoil. Also, the instructor explained that a person should not fear firing a gun, for there are really only three rules to follow for safety:  1) Point the gun away from others.  2) Keep your finger off the trigger until it's time to shoot.  3) Always assume the gun is loaded. Following these simple rules, a marksman can remain in full control of the firearm.

No amount of lecturing really sinks in until set in practice. After the lesson, our instructor led us upstairs to the shooting range, where assorted pistols awaited us. I personally chose the glock, the standard semiautomatic in law enforcement. For those who don’t hunt or frequent the range, let me just emphasize that a gun is loud. My ears rang after every shot, even under the protection of earmuffs. Also, aiming is easy until it comes time to squeeze the trigger — the movement of the index finger can throw off the gun’s position, and a centimeter of shift translates into a foot off-target.

Not to brag, but I turned the head of my target into Swiss cheese. To be fair, it wasn’t my first time at the range and beginner’s nerves didn’t quite affect me as it did the younger brothers. It's always exciting watching the new shooters jump as another gun went off or freak out when a shell flew backwards. After a few rounds and some good laughs, we compared targets and left.

I highly recommend that other fraternities adopt a similar tradition to that of Kappa Alpha. The firing range is an exciting alternative to a group dinner, and it offers a new form of friendly competition that every brother can participate in. So screw Call of Duty —  shooting a real gun is much cooler.

Leonard is a sophomore studying English. You may contact him at leov@sas.upenn.edu.