Miers once owned a .45-caliber revolver, a gift from a brother who was worried about her safety when she lived alone in Dallas, says Judge Nathan Hecht of the Texas Supreme Court, who has known Miers for 30 years and has dated her. "It's a huge gun — he wanted to be sure she stopped the guy," Hecht said. The judge recalled one Sunday afternoon driving out to the country, setting up tin cans on a dirt road and trying to teach Miers how to shoot. Her aim? "She was terrible," said Hecht, who added that she kept the gun for a long time but said he was unsure if she ever fired it again.