I couldn’t stop thinking if my aim really was on target and reminding myself everything the range safety officer had told me.

Hold your breath, but for no more than eight seconds. Slowly pull the trigger. Make sure you don’t look up too quickly after shooting.

But in the moment of squeezing the trigger the anticipation of hitting your mark heightens so much that for a moment, everything quiets until there is nothing but you, the gun and the target. At least, this was my experience taking a pistol shooting class at the MSU Demmer Shooting Sports, Education and Training Center, 4830 E. Jolly Road, in Lansing, Friday night.

I was both incredibly nervous and extremely excited to go to a shooting range when I decided to take the class, so I couldn’t have been happier to meet 15-year firearm veteran and range safety officer Lee Lemenager after arriving in the center’s lobby and signing a liability waiver, a precaution to protect the shooting range from legal complications in case of tragedies, such as the fatal shooting of a former Navy SEAL at a Texas gun range earlier this month.

The liability could have made me a bit more anxious, but what truly made me nervous was the 40-minute gun basics and safety presentation. Apparently, besides not shooting yourself or someone else, there is a lot to know about gun safety. There are numerous things that can go wrong with taking a shot that could end up hurting the shooter if the guns aren’t handled properly, including misfires and jams, and even the lead and gunpowder used can pose a threat to your safety if ingested — which can be done simply by touching your face and mouth.

Luckily for my nerves, Lee was with me through the safety presentation, while we were gearing up with goggles and hearing protection and when we went through the airlock chamber into the shooting range.

For a first timer, it seems that I’m a decent shot — at least while sitting down. Although, to be fair, I went pistol shooting at the center one time before.

It might seem strange or weirdly violent, but we hear about guns so frequently in the news and popular culture I thought I should become aware of them and how to handle one.

Regulations and political opinions aside, should I ever come across a situation where I need to handle a gun, I want to know how to do so properly.

I was surprised by the weight of the 0.22 caliber Savage rifle when after just 10 rounds Lee asked if I wanted to try shooting while standing. Perhaps it’s a sign I should do a bit more weight lifting, but after 25 rounds of trying to steady the approximately 10-pound firearm at the miniscule-looking targets about 50 feet away, my arms and patience both were waning.

But between the thrill of a great shot and the frustration of so many new things to remember, I realized the new experience was giving me an insider’s perspective on what handling a gun is like.

I never really thought about it until stepping foot into the center, but movies and TV shows have warped my expectations for what dealing with a gun is like.

I know I’m not the only one that absentmindedly believed all the cops shows and “shoot-em-up” movies that suggest shooting a gun is simple and thoughtless.

This idea couldn’t be further from the truth, and shooting a gun isn’t simple in the least.

Besides the basics — pointing it in the right direction, taking aim and pulling the trigger — there is making sure everything is loaded properly and working, trying to line up the sights for a good aim, slowing your breathing correctly and squeezing the trigger slowly and at the right angle so your aim doesn’t shift.

Perhaps what I got most out of my time at the center was a reminder of the old saying, “Don’t believe everything you see in the movies, kids.”