I still haven't fired it yet actually. I'm 100% a beginner. Watched a ton of youtube videos, so I have an idea of what to do to safely load, fire, and unload, but I have never even really done it. I have fired one my cousin had, one of the ARs, but that was probably back in 2006 or 2007.
My wife was very supportive when I said I wanted to get a gun; she has actually been shooting way more than I have. She was like, "Yeah, that sounds good, I've shot handguns, I've shot a .357 magnum before (she has the case from the round on her keychain), I've even shot rifles before." Turns out that was a bolt action rifle she's fired.
Cause when I showed her the AR I wanted, she was like "Oh.... uh.... that's like a military gun." I was like.... actually no it's not, it's not any different than the bolt action hunting rifle you fired in terms of deadliness, really. The bullets are actually probably smaller. The main difference is that it's semi automatic instead of bolt action, but that just makes it easier for you to fire, you're not constantly cranking a bolt. Also, most hunting rifles these days are semi automatic, and no bolt action. It looks scary like a military rifle for marketing and for customization, so they can sell non-dangerous accessories that attach to the rail like grips, slings, flashlights and scopes.
But she was saying "I thought when you said a gun it would be something less scary and something I could handle, like a handgun." I had a heck of a time convincing her that handguns were less effective for home defense, she was less able to control one due to worse recoil, and that handguns are also much more dangerous to have around with a child due to their ease in handling, it makes a child more able to misuse it, if for any reason it fell into their hands.
She signed off but she is uncharacteristically nervous about it, when she was actually pretty gung-ho about the idea when she thought I was gonna get a handgun.
Anyway, long story short, CSB, I basically have to take it out and tinker with it when she's not around, so far. I have to get her comfortable with it, but I haven't really been able to take it out to go shooting yet. My cousin (whose AR I fired in 2006) is coming down for Thanksgiving and he and I will probably go out and he'll basically teach me what I need to know.