It was a sunny Saturday morning in mid-August and my Father and I were at a local shooting range. My Dad had not shot a firearm in decades; it would be my first time. I had just accepted a job with Laura Burgess Marketing and figured I should know a little about the industry I was working in before I started. Fast forward four hours and we left the range with NRA FIRST Steps Pistol course certificates and paper plate targets marked with three-inch groupings to prove it. After that morning, I knew I wanted to own a gun.
However, as a young adult who works remotely, I still live with my parents. Part of that arrangement is not having a gun in the house. It’s not that my parents are against guns, they’re just not the type of people to own them.
A couple months go by and while my list of potential first purchases has grown, I remain at home with my parents. I’m eager to train and practice shooting, but I don’t own a gun. That’s when I remember a client we work with who has the perfect solution for beginners like me. Enter, LaserLyte®.
A leader in laser technology for more than 25 years, LaserLyte® is headed by the father-son team of Larry and Aaron Moore and manufactures laser sights for firearms, as well as innovative training guns and interactive targets. I contact Aaron, explaining my newly found passion and unique situation, and he gratefully agrees to send me product for testing and evaluation.
A week later a box arrives at my doorstep with the total training package, including compact and full size Trainer Trigger Tyme® Laser pistols, Laser Trainer Target, two Reaction Tyme® Targets and three Trainer Target Plinking Cans. I hardly know where to begin.
Upon unboxing, the first thing you’ll notice about LaserLyte® products is their simplicity. Besides a few batteries (which are included), there’s little to no assembly required and the targets can either be stood on a flat surface or hung on a wall by way of push pins or nails. The blue Trainer Trigger Tyme® Laser pistols have built-in lasers with vertical and horizontal adjustments and while lightweight, do a good job mimicking the actual size and feel of a real handgun from the grip to the trigger pull.
I decide to hang both the Laser Trainer Target and Reaction Tyme® Targets on my bedroom wall with the Trainer Target Plinking Cans on a table nearby and position myself across the room about eight yards away. This is my first time holding, for all intents and purposes, a gun since that August morning at the range, but I quickly remember proper grip, stance and safety principles and take ten shots at each target, scoring multiple bullseye and knocking over each can. I would repeat this dozens of times that night and even get my parents involved. My mom was hesitant at first, but with some coaching and practice, had a gun in her hand and a smile on her face.
Over the course of the past few months, I have repeated this drill daily, practicing accuracy, grouping, speed and trigger control. I’ve also experimented with different locations around the house, from shooting down the hall to up the stairs, as well as various body positions, including standing, kneeling and lying down. I understand I may not be handling and shooting a real gun with real bullets, experiencing real recoil in real situations, but I know my training has made me a better, more confident and safer shooter that will pay off when I inevitably make my first purchase.
LaserLyte® develops products that provide a safe, affordable and enjoyable solution to firearms training for shooters of all ages and experience levels. Whether you’re a first time shooter, like myself, a parent interested in teaching your child about guns, or a long-time gun owner looking for more time behind the trigger, LaserLyte® can be for you, and their line of sights, trainers and kits are only expanding.
For more information about LaserLyte® and their products, please visit laserlyte.com.
