(Cristin Uricchio & Katie Perkins are attorneys at the Uricchio Law Firm)

If you have been following our law firm blog, you will recall the recent post dedicated to New Years Resolutions and the resolution Cristin and I shared to get our concealed weapons permit. Last Thursday we took a step forward in reaching our goal and attended Ladies Night at the ATP Gun Range in Summerville.

After sitting in traffic on I-26 for a grueling hour, we finally arrived at ATP. Wow! We had no idea how huge the building would be–it is practically a Costco-sized space featuring two indoor ranges and a store filled with every type of gun and gun accessory you could imagine (even pink guns!).

The first part of Ladies Night is spent in the classroom. Pat, our instructor, gave a lecture on gun safety and the basics of shooting. It was great to have a teacher that spoke in simple, understandable terms, and used analogies that non-gun-savvy individuals would understand. One of the highlights of the evening was at the end of his lecture. Pat gave us a choice of 3 different ATP Ladies Night T-Shirts to choose from. Both Cristin and I chose the shirt shown below, and plan to wear it on days we need to exude a tough, no-nonsense persona!

The remainder of Ladies Night was spent on the range where we each had our own instructor. Our pink hearing protection, provided by ATP, was the perfect touch to our shooting attire. Next we were able to choose whether we wanted to shoot a revolver or a .22 pistol. Both Cristin and I chose the .22. Fifty rounds later, and many helpful tips in between, the class came to an end. Not only did we leave with our targets, but most importantly with a greater confidence in shooting. We will definitely return to ATP again soon and highly recommend their Ladies Night Course to any lady interested in shooting.

Just when we thought the night couldn’t get any better, while sitting at a red light we see our Uricchio Law Firm bumper sticker on the truck in front of us!

On a final note, if you stop by the office, you may notice some slight changes in decoration. For example, my clients will be welcomed into my office with this new piece of art:

For more information about ATP Gun Range and their Ladies Night course, visit their website, and facebook page.

Image taken from the cause, LOOK TWICE - SAVE A LIFE - MOTORCYCLES ARE EVERYWHERE!

It seems that more often than not, we don’t educate ourselves about a topic until something serious happens that catches our attention and peaks our interest. The South Carolina Highway Patrol shares some pretty interesting statistics on their website about accidents involving motorcycles that I find worthy of sharing:

• In crashes involving a motorcycle and a different type of vehicle, two-thirds of the time, it is the other vehicle that violates the motorcycle’s right of way.

• Intersections are dangerous places: twenty-five percent of all motorcycle wrecks result when the other vehicle turns left across the motorcycle’s path.

• Failing to yield can be lethal: whether it’s the error of the motorcyclist or the other driver, failing the yield results in the most motorcycle deaths in South Carolina.

Sadly, this summer has been filled with numerous motorcycle wrecks in the Charleston, Dorchester and Berkeley county area.  Riding bikes is a favored way of life for many of us in the Lowcountry and that isn’t going to change anytime soon! What does need to change is every driver’s level of awareness for other motorists sharing the roadways.