HELEN COMER/The Jackson Sun Drew Harris, center, of Jackson loads his magazine during a handgun class.		" HELEN COMER/The Jackson Sun Alicia Weaver listens to the instructor of a handgun class explain how to properly clean a weapon.

There were three women, including me, in the class who had not used a firearm before.

The instructor assured us that inexperience made us the perfect pupils.

The rest of the class was made up of men and women who were experienced shooters.

In the front of the classroom sat various models of guns -- Glocks, Rugers and Berettas -- for the class to experiment with.

In my class I met an interesting duo, a father and daughter, who were both experienced shooters and scored highly on both the test and shooting range.

"This is not only a learning but a bonding experience for both of us," said Ron Barger, 53, of Jackson.

Barger said that his daughter, Alicia Weaver, 25, also of Jackson, hadn't wanted to learn about guns until she married a "gunslinger."

"My husband does collect guns and I want to know what's in my home so that I will know how to use them properly," Weaver said.

Passing the class is easy, if a prospective gun owner stays attentive.

Instructors with the Tennessee Sports Foundation gave the 20 of us hints throughout the class for what to look for on the 30-question exam.

Students must get a 70 out of 100 in both the written and firing range portions to receive a certificate of completion from the Department of Safety.

After the written exam, when I walked out onto the range, that's when l felt that the real test began.

The first time I fired my gun, the sound was unbelievably loud and my body shook from the powerful recoil. The frigid temperatures did not help my novice fingers load and ,unload my soft-point bullets.

My instructor, Chris Morris, loaned me his belt and holster. It was heavier around my waist than I expected it to be. I kept trying to focus my aim toward my human shaped paper target while keeping my knees slightly bent.

On my first shot, Chris said to me "good job" but he told me to hold my gun tighter to control the recoil.

During practice, each shooter shot 40 rounds from various distances from the target before shooting for the exam.

I managed to get a94 out of 100 on my written exam and 80 out of 100 on my shooting. On that day everyone in the class passed. Instructors said sometimes that is not the case.

Though members of the TSF said they hold the classes hoping -to increase their membership, the class is designed to educate.

These kinds of courses are invaluable for anyone who is looking to carry a handgun, said Dana Keaton, public information officer of the Tennessee Department of Safety. Keeton's office is responsible for issuing handgun permits.

After completing the class, gun graduates have six months to make an appointment at the Department of Motor Vehicles to fill out paperwork and be fingerprinted to get their handgun carry permit.

The fingerprints are checked by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to see if the applicant has been involved in any criminal activity.

To the surprise of my friends and family, I have decided to pay the required $115 and get my license. Some of my friends feared that I would become some gun-toting mama after I finished the class and that I will shoot them at the slightest disagreement.

But I'm just like the people that I shared the class with. We all wanted to get the license for noble reasons ) like protecting our family or to enjoy the sport of shooting a gun.

What I've taken away from the class has turned out to be an invaluable lesson about the seriousness and the responsibility required when becoming a gun owner.

Guns can be scary, but like many people, I was afraid of what I had never experienced before. Conquering my fear and decreasing my ignorance about gun safety is something I will always keep with me.

This Is the number of handgun permits Issued by the Tennessee Department of Safety since 1996 to people in the 13 counties covered by The Jackson Sun:

For a class offered through the Tennessee Sports Foundation at it's Roderick M. Fitz-Randolph Range on Riverside Drive, contact Ray Hawk at 427-9510. Check the group's Web site at www.geocities.com/TSF_INC.