Katie Pavlich's Lessons From The Range Part 1

For the last few years we've been honored to work with conservative commentator, 2nd Amendment advocate, and author Katie Pavlich. Katie has been a contributing editor to Townhall Magazine, a Fox News contributor, alternate co-host for The Five, a Washington fellow for National Review, and has appeared on local and national radio for numerous channels. Katie has also authored two books: Fast and Fast and Furious: Barack Obama's Bloodiest Scandal and Its Shameless Cover-Up (2012) and Assault & Flattery: The Truth About the Left and Their War on Women (2014).

Katie made an appearance in our booth during the NRA Annual Meeting in 2018 and will be making a repeat appearance this year on Friday afternoon, April 26th - more details to come.

As you may recall, we were fortunate enough to feature Katie and part of her story in our 2017 catalog. In that article she mentions, "Freedom is embodied in the smell of gunpowder, fresh air, the great outdoors, and the sound of a round leaving the barrel." We will feature that article in its entirety later this year.

When we began discussing how some of life's most important lessons can be learned on the range, Katie and her words instantly came to mind. We knew she'd be the perfect compliment to our 2019 catalog and we are grateful she agreed to write this article exclusively for Volquartsen Firearms.

Without further ado I will turn this over to Katie.

In this grand journey called life, each of us is blessed with skills and abilities that carry us forward every day as we strive for our best. Along the way, we’re forced to manage our time by balancing obligations to ourselves, our families, our work and to fighting for the principles we believe in.

As shooters, some of life’s most valuable lessons and skillsets are learned on the gun range. Whether it’s in the confined space of an indoor firing lane or the wide open, blue-sky spaces of America, lessons are learned that follow us through our sport and many other aspects of our lives. To be successful here requires drive, focus, commitment, patience, respect and discipline. These attributes aren’t required once, but every single visit and their repetition builds a solid foundation for success.

My shooting story started in the dirt of Arizona when my dad drove us out to a designated shooting pit. I was just a kid and lucky for me, we did that drive many times. Along the back berm we set up our favorite targets, which were usually old coffee cans or empty milk gallons full of water. They were meant for fun, but the ultimate goal was getting ready for hunting season and improving our skills through consistent practice.

After dad let me take on the water targets, blowing the lids off down range and high fiving in celebrating, he meticulously worked his marked paper targets to sight in our rifles for the season. To be completely accurate, he carefully placed them with a range finder and meticulously measured groupings. He practiced, I practiced and when the day came for me to take down my first deer, the hard work paid off. Drive. Focus. Commitment. Patience. Respect. Discipline. They were all there.

Part 2 of Lessons from the Range will be sent out next week! If you'd like a copy of our 2019 catalog click here.