Educating New (And Old) Shooters

It's been a while since I've darkened this space with my presence. It's been for good reasons I assure you (none of them "fun with a gun" related unfortunately). I had an interesting encounter at work yesterday which prompted me to put pixel to internet.

My office employs about 150 people; and, being in a gun friendly state, there are a quite a few of us who are well known to be "out of the closet" gun nuts. There are also several young people just getting their feet wet in the shooting world.

Among those young people is a 20 something female who is looking to get her first gun for self defense. She recently had her first visit to a range to try out some guns.

Her first comment to me was: "It was so loud."

"Indoor range?", I asked.

Sure enough it was. I explained to her that it's loud because your are essentially setting off small explosives each time you pull the trigger, and the overpressure from those explosions bounces off the walls of the range and impacts the entire body. Outdoor ranges mitigate that issue somewhat by having fewer hard surfaces for the overpressure to bounce off of.

Her next comment: "Guns are so expensive. It's a car note."

I asked her what she had been expecting. Her response: "I thought they were like $20."

My first reaction was something along the lines of "Seriously???". Then I got to thinking about it. If you've never looked at buying a product (any product) or paid any attention to ads for such a product, how would you know what to expect?

So, I spent a few minutes educating her on the gun market and what she could expect to pay for a gun with which she could reasonably trust her life. She had a little sticker shock since she kept repeating "It's a car note" over and over. There was even a discussion of Cerakoting as she mentioned a desire for a "pretty" gun (pink, in fact).

I mention this encounter not to make fun of her ignorance (literally "lack of knowledge" in this case). The reason I tell this story is that I've been reflecting on what I know about guns and more importantly what I don't know. We all start out at one time or another in the same place my co-worker is coming from which is an interest and not much, if any, knowledge.

I started out shooting when I was a kid, and most of what I know (and many a bad habit) I picked up here and there along the way from other shooters, Boy Scouts, my lunatic grandfather, magazines and the internet. Some (perhaps most) of what I know is pure fertilizer (in fact, some of the things I've written here probably fall into that category). I've spent a lot of time seeking out accurate information from reputable sources to correct some of that fertilizer, but I have a long way to go still.

It would be easy to say new shooters should take an intro to shooting course from a reputable trainer and progress from there. Based on personal experience, some of those classes are better than others and the worst of those are more harmful than helpful.

Unfortunately, I don't have an easy answer to offer since learning to sort fact from crap is part of the learning process. For my part, this encounter served to renew my commitment to learning and being a resource to new shooters. Hopefully, I can serve up more insightful help as opposed to worthless fertilizer.

Needs

Let’s talk about needs for a moment.

No, I am not talking about the current media hysteria about “why do you need ________ [fill in the blank with the current evil, PSH instilling, inanimate object of the day]?” So, put away the torches and pitchforks (like anyone would want to waste good ammo on me these days). What I AM talking about is the concept of need versus want in a bad economy for those of us who are not independently wealthy (curse you losing lottery ticket…. CURSSSSE YOOOUUUUU!!!!).

Anyway, I’ll be alright. I promise.

For the sake of this discussion, I am going to assume that most of you are like me. You have a limited amount of disposable income and a wish list a mile long. Which brings us to the heart of the subject. We really have to learn how to prioritize our purchases.

Just like with any household budget, we have to pay for rent, food, lights and water before we think about cell phones, internet and satellite. We need to approach our firearms budget the same way.

It’s not easy.

We all want the new, shiny, sexy at the expense of the tried, true, dull and boring. I am no exception. Looking at my wish list, there is a lot of drool worthy stuff there, but there are also some basic tools that haven’t been taken care of yet too. I bet, if you are honest with yourself, you fall into the same category. Do you have a good .22LR rifle? Do you have a .22LR version of your carry weapon to practice with? Do you even have a carry weapon for that matter? Do you have enough ammo and the right accessories to use your existing weapons adequately?

So, how should I, or anyone else for that matter, tackle this problem?

The answer is: “It depends.”

Everyone’s situation is different. A newbie firearm owner is in a different place than an experienced competition shooter. Both have to prioritize, but they come at the problem from different starting points. Same goes for folks living in different geographic areas (my deepest sympathies to those of you in Colorado for what your kool-aid swilling legislature is about to do to you).

I will offer up the following suggested firearm’s budget/priority list as a means to analyze need versus want. Your mileage may vary.

1. The basics. I think we can all agree that everyone needs at least one .22LR rifle and handgun. How else are you going to train on any kind of regular basis with ammo prices where they are? Besides, they are just plain fun to shoot, and they are about the best tools around for introducing new shooters to the sport.

I would suggest you buy ones that will be similar to your planned or existing “big” guns. For instance, are you in love with ARs? How about a Smith & Wesson M&P 15-22 or the new Ruger SR-22 rifle? Are you afflicted with the 1911 fetish like me? Sig, GSG and others make a 1911 style .22 pistol. Are you into revolvers? You get the idea.

2. Accessories for the basics (and anything else you buy…this is more of a recurring budget item). Ammo, slings, holsters, cases, extra magazines, optics, sights, aardvarks, unicorns, entering the arc two by two, and extras of everything, etc. It’s best to get them now while you are getting to know your new firearm, and you haven’t committed to buying the next shiny toy on your list. Do not skimp on the ammo budget. Especially on the .22s, especially in this climate. I would suggest keeping 1000 rounds of .22 on hand as a bare minimum. That’s a day at the range for some people.

3. Where you go from here depends a lot upon your particular situation, likes/dislikes, etc. Some people may get their full sized or carry handgun next. Others may go the hunting rifle route. People living in Colorado are busy selling their first born for an AR, two dozen PMags and a case of .223/5.56 ammo. People in New York are trying to save up for the single shot, bolt action .50 BMG rifle because that’s the only thing left that they can buy.

4. At some point, you need to consider protecting your investments with a gun cabinet (at a minimum) or a safe. Most people reach that point somewhere between two firearms and “did you buy a gun store?”. People with small, untrained children need to bump this item up to number 1.1 to be purchased at the same time as their first gun.

You need to realize that a gun cabinet is not adequate theft protection. It is merely a means to keep the curious and the young from getting into trouble. Gun safes range widely in price and quality. Do your homework. Make sure your floor will support it (most good safes start at about 400 pounds and go up from there) and, more importantly (especially for renters), that you can bolt it to the floor and/or the wall.

5. Now we get to the luxuries. Your primary needs are covered, and we can now entertain the thought of some of our wants and desires. Barbecue gun? Everyone wants something to show off. You want a reproduction Sharp’s .45-70? Knock yourself out. Suppressor? Patience (and an NFA stamp) grasshopper. Duplicates of what you already have? Because two is one and none is one. Something custom? Because nothing says I have money to burn like a tricked out Ruger 10/22 with an integrally suppressed barrel that will shoot groups .0025” smaller than a Wal-mart special.

The main point here is to think through your situation and spend your money wisely.

Firearms 101 - The Rules

I posted this over on my personal blog, Preachers and Horse Thieves, a while back before GunDiva invited to the party here. Since we are starting a new year with an imminent battle over gun rights and responsible gun ownership, I figured now was a good time to repost this here.

I originally prepared this for a friend who is interested in learning to shoot. Enjoy.

The Four Rules

1. All guns are loaded.

2. Never point the muzzle of a firearm at anything you are not willing to destroy.

3. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target and you are ready to shoot.

4. Know your target and what’s beyond it.

Memorize these four rules. They are the basis of all firearms safety. It is highly unlikely to the point of being statistically impossible to be hurt by or hurt someone else with a firearm when obeying the four rules. Further, there is no such thing as an “accidental discharge” when properly handling a modern firearm in accordance with the rules. More importantly, no matter how many safety features that are designed into a firearm, the most important safety feature a firearm can have is the trained mind of the person holding it.

Further explanation of the Rules:

1. The longer version of Rule 1 is “Treat All Guns AS IF They Are Loaded.” Every time you pick up or are handed a firearm, you personally should check its chamber or cylinder to verify whether or not it is loaded before doing anything else with the firearm. If someone else is handing the firearm to you, it is not a matter of trust/distrust to verify that the firearm is unloaded. It is a signal to responsible shooters that you are not a fool who will waive a gun around indiscriminately, that you respect firearms as tools that must be handled mindfully in the same way that you would operate power tools and respect your life and the lives of others. Responsible gun owners/shooters EXPECT you to verify the condition (i.e. loaded versus unloaded) of the firearm. 
2. Rule 2 is fairly straight forward. Bullets come out of the muzzle end of the barrel. They come out fast and have a lot of kinetic energy that they are just waiting to dump into something, anything in their way. So, don’t point the barrel at anything you don’t want a bullet to hit or go through. Such as your wife and child, your car’s engine, the neighbor’s house, etc. If you would like some examples of what bullets will do, go to: http://www.theboxotruth.com/index.htm for plenty of examples with photos. 
3. Rule 3 is also pretty straightforward. If your finger is on the trigger, Mr. Firearm is no one’s friend whether it’s loaded or not. If your finger is not on the trigger, the chances of a loaded firearm discharging are significantly reduced. Most modern firearms have been designed and tested such that you can literally hammer nails or tent stakes or small children with them and still not discharge; however, smart people follow the rules religiously and don’t tempt Murphy’s Law. 
4. Rule 4 typically gives people the most fits. Once a bullet is fired, it does not stop until its kinetic energy is completely dissipated. Where and how that energy gets dissipated depends on several variables including bullet design, muzzle velocity, trajectory, target density, gravity, etc. For instance, a 230 grain .45 caliber bullet fired at 1000 feet per second (which is a typical bullet weight and speed for a 1911 style handgun) parallel to the ground at a shoulder height of 5 feet will travel approximately 156 feet before impacting the ground due to gravity assuming it hits nothing else in its path. If the bullet hits a rock at impact, it could ricochet in unpredictable directions with unknown consequences. That same bullet fired straight up at 90 degrees to the ground will climb to over 15,000 feet before coming back down. Big difference. For this reason, most firearms ranges have some sort of ballistically proven back stop material to safely dissipate the energy of a bullet and secondary measures to prevent you from inadvertently shooting someone in the next town. A huge pile of dirt works very well which is why it’s used almost exclusively at outdoor ranges. Concrete and/or ½ inch to inch thick steel works well with some caveats. Sheet metal doesn’t work too well which is why cars do not provide very effective cover in shootouts despite what Hollywood has portrayed.

Last thoughts on safety:

1. Obey the rules and no one gets hurt.
2. Disobeying the rules might get you shot and not necessarily by someone else.
3. Do not fear the firearm. It is only a tool used to hit a target in the same way a saw is used to cut wood. They are neither good nor evil. They just are.
4. If you are not sure, ask questions. There are no stupid questions.

A New Project

A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine from Defensive Pistol contacted me about his tactical handgun course.  He's been teaching basic pistol for a couple of years now, and has been holding his tactical class about once a quarter.  But demand for his tactical class has gone up and he's looking to add instructors, so he contacted me.

I couldn't answer him fast enough!  Hell yes, I will help him out and teach his tactical classes. We get to work on:

• draws
• point shooting
• flash site pictures
• reloads (administrative, tactical, and one-handed)
• and outage drills

Essentially, he told me, anything that we've done at a Defensive Pistol match we'll be covering in class.

I'll be co-teaching his class first, in a couple of weeks, before I branch out on my own.  Since it's a class of his own design, I want to make sure I'm teaching it the way he wants it taught, so there will be lots of note-taking on my part.  Since I am a teacher in real life, I know how it feels to turn your "baby" over to another teacher.  Because of that, I'll be diligent in making sure the class is taught the way it's designed.

I love doing new things and I think this teaching gig will be right up my alley!