I have been doing a "firearms literacy" program for New Yorkers for a while now. There's a lot of nonsense and mystery about guns in places where they are illegal and common among criminals, and they become almost a fetish object for both pro and anti gun forces.

I invite a few folks out here, we head out to the range. I bring a basic assortment of weapons, from a bolt-action .22 to an AK-47, as well as Glock and Ruger handguns in a variety of styles.

The first thing we do is the usual safety drills and the like, but then, I let them operate the guns. The reaction is universal for the handguns when you put them into the hands of someone who has been vigorously anti-gun.

"It's heavier than I expected"
"It's hard to shoot accurately"
"It gives me a feeling of incredible power"

They are also usually surprised that an AK-47 isn't a machine gun (well, at least not the ones they get to use, that is).

By the end, they know what gunfire sounds like, what is and isn't possible, and they also get a strong sense that the gun does not shoot itself.