What started as a reaction out of fear evolved into a true desire to learn and understand.

Further, it became an opportunity to continue a conversation I had started in 2017 with gun owners.

David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for The Tennessean.

I don't like guns.

And, until last Sunday, I had never shot a real gun.

Yes, I have played laser tag, cops and robbers, and other games that require you to use a pretend firearm, but the real thing ... no, not for me.

At my home, we morbidly, and inappropriately, joke that if I owned a gun I would probably shoot myself.

Unfortunately, as I learned in my gun safety course on Sept. 23, firearm injuries and deaths because of ignorance and carelessness are far too common.

What led to this event was the alarms raised in newsrooms nationwide by a mass shooting that hit close to home on June 28. A disgruntled man shot and killed five employees of the Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Maryland.

Since that time, my colleagues at The Tennessean and I have undergone active shooter training from the Metro Nashville Police Department and "Stop the Bleed" training from Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

I decided then it was time to apply for a concealed firearms license.

My job requires me to be in public frequently, and what started as a reaction out of fear evolved into a true desire to learn and understand.

Further, it became an opportunity to continue a conversation I had started at The Tennessean in 2017 with nearly two dozen gun owners about responsible firearm ownership.

I told them then that I had an open mind about guns. It was time to walk the talk.

Second Amendment debate does not have to be binary

Despite any perception to the contrary, I have never been against or written against the Second Amendment.

In fact, I have defended gun rights during my 10-plus years as an opinion writer in Tennessee and Florida. The problem I have pointed out is when federal or state lawmakers have been overly deferential to special interest lobbies like the National Rifle Association.

It's frustrating when the debate becomes binary: You are for gun rights or against them.

There is room for both/and — you can be for gun rights and still believe in reasonable rules to keep yourself and others safe.

The process to obtain a gun license is not a snap. It requires, among other things, actually finding the application portal, which is hidden within the State of Tennessee website.

One has to answer a series of questions on mental fitness, criminal history, drunken driving convictions or domestic violence protection orders, and legal residency status.

The next step requires a gun safety course, which I purchased half-price from a Gun City, USA Groupon. That included firearm rental and 50 rounds of ammunition.

Handgun permit is an awesome responsibility

The class, which became a double date for a friend of mine and our spouses, took place at Stones River Hunter Education Center in Antioch.

Most of the time was dedicated to learning about the law, safety, responsibility, and proper use, storage and cleaning of a firearm.

This line in the course material spoke to me:

"A permit to carry a handgun is not a license to use deadly force. With a permit to carry a handgun comes an awesome responsibility. You are legally and financially responsible for the bullet and the damage it causes."

Once the course ended, we walked to the gun range.

It was pouring rain.

The handgun was placed on a step stool separate from the magazine. We had to fill it one bullet at a time.

I put on noise-canceling headphones, walked to the line drenched and breathed deeply to calm myself.

At the instructor's mark, I raised the gun, aimed and fired at the target, a silhouette of a human. I would shoot 49 more rounds at three different distances.

Through every round, I was mindful that I needed to keep myself and the others around me safe every time I pulled the trigger.

After my turn ended, neither fear nor trigger-happiness befell me. Instead, I felt a deep sense of responsibility and accomplishment.

David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY NETWORK – Tennessee and opinion and engagement editor for The Tennessean. Call him at 615-259-8063, email him at dplazas@tennessean.com or tweet to him at @davidplazas.