Open letter to first time gun owners!

Here we are, 2020 with a new global disaster.  Everyone is freaking out.  There is no toilet paper to be found anywhere and everyone is buying guns.  The month of March saw the largest amount of guns sold in any single month ever.  Not even the panic buying under the Obama years matched the quantity of guns sold in the past month.

What made this different from previous years was not the volume of firearms sold, but that approximately 70% (maybe as high as 80% in some areas) were first time gun buyers.  This is unusual to see this many first time gun owners at one time. 

We the gun community, welcome you to the wonderful world of gun ownership.  But there are several things you must know and understand now that you have chosen to own a firearm.  What you see in the Hollywood movies does not prepare you for firearm ownership. 

First up, understand that a gun is not a magic talisman that will ward off evil because you possess it.  A gun is just an inanimate object that does nothing unless you the operator take action. 

Just having a gun does not make you safe.  Just pointing a gun at evil may or may not make evil go away.  Yes, evil does exist.  And sometimes evil comes wrapped in the package of a true psychopath who has no fear of you or of your gun.  You need to mentally, physically and emotional prepare yourself that you may actually need to use your gun as intended, as a deadly weapon. 

Which brings me to my next point.  Because a gun is a deadly weapon, this means the use of a gun falls under the category of a martial art.  You do not become skilled at any martial art by watching Hollywood movies or YouTube videos.  And no, shooting the .22 down on Grandpa’s farm a few times when you were a kid does not count either. 

In order for a gun to truly be useful,

YOU MUST GET PROFESSIONAL TRAINING! 

Yes, you can self teach, but you will be better and safer in the long run with professional training.

I know obtaining training now is difficult as everything is shut down.  So in the mean time, do the following;  (this should include everyone age appropriate in your household)

1.    Read the instruction manual that came with the gun you purchased.   It will teach you how to correctly operate your firearm.

a.    If you didn’t receive an instruction manual, most manufacturers have them posted on their websites that you can download.

2.    Learn the safety rules and live them.  Guns are not toys.

a.    Treat every firearm as if it is loaded.

b.    Do not point your firearm at anything you do not want to destroy.

c.     Keep your finger off the trigger until you are on target and ready to fire.

d.    Be sure of your target and what is beyond it. (Yes, bullet do go through walls)

3.    Use the power of the Internet and research and learn as much as you can about your specific model of firearm and even on how to use your firearm.

a.    Yes, I know I said YouTube is not a substitute for hands on training.  But giving the current circumstances, it may be all you get until we get past this issue. 

4.    Start dry fire practice. 

a.    In short, dry fire practice is where you practice aiming your firearm at a target and pressing the trigger.  This is done while the gun is unloaded.

                                               i.     DO NOT USE LIVE AMMUNITION FOR DRY FIRE PRACTICE.  Don’t even have it in the same room. 

                                             ii.     The use of plastic Snap Caps is acceptable. 

To wrap this section up, you must learn how to correctly and safely use your gun.  Go get professional training as soon as you are able.  Do not stop at reading books, Internet articles or YouTube videos.

Next I want to cover some miscellaneous topics that you may not be aware of.

1.    Do you have a place to lock up your firearm when not in use?  A heavy safe or locking steel cabinet that is bolted to the wall? 

a.    Yes, your gun came with a simple cable lock if you purchased it new.  But it can still be stolen.  Go buy a safe or locking cabinet you can bolt to the wall.

b.    There are now biometric lock boxes you can bolt to the wall yet have rapid access to your gun and keep the curious from accessing it.

2.    Did you buy a cleaning kit to clean and lubricate your firearm?

a.    Guns are mechanical objects that must be cleaned and lubricated from time to time to work properly.  Think of it as changing the oil in your car on a regular basis. (You do change your cars oil regularly right?)

b.    Your owners manual will teach you how to clean and lube your firearm.  Or someone has made a YouTube video about it.

3.    Did you buy proper safety equipment? 

a.    Specifically eye and ear protection?  This is important to protect your hearing and eyesight when practicing.

4.    Have you found a shooting range near you that you can practice at?

a.    Along with training you need to practice the skills you learned regularly to keep your skills sharp. 

5.    If you bought your gun to be carried concealed outside your house.

a.    Do you have the proper permit?  Many states require a permit and there is a process for it.  Your local Sheriffs office can help with this.

b.    Did you buy a good holster?  The $20 nylon gun sock is not adequate.  Do spend the money for a quality holster. 

c.     Do you actually know how to properly draw your gun from the holster?  This is one area where professional training is a great idea. 

6.    Are you aware of the laws of when you can lawfully shoot someone? 

a.    If you purchased your firearm for self-defense this is important to know.  You cannot just shoot someone because you felt scared.  You need lawful just cause, which can vary from state to state.

Finally, the political side of guns.  Unfortunately when you talk about guns, you get a large barrel of politics to go with it. 

I hope everyone of the first time gun buyers have learned a little bit about why the gun community fights so hard against more gun laws.  That most of the guns laws are stupid and unnecessary. 

That no, you cannot just buy a gun off the Internet.  No, you cannot pay extra to waive the 10 day waiting period before you take your new gun home.  That background checks already exist.  Yes, these are real questions asked by some first time buyers who where shocked these laws existed.

I guess politicians and anti-gun political activist don’t always tell the truth do they?  

Remember, when you felt the need to buy a gun for protection, politicians shut down many guns stores were sued by the gun community to reopen them.

I hope this experience has opened your eyes on why more gun laws are not needed.  And many of the existing laws need to be repealed.  And I hope you change your voting habits and stop voting for more gun laws and the politicians that try to take away your rights.

I’ll wrap this up with the following.

Again, welcome to the gun community.  I hope it is a positive experience.  That you get the training you need.  That you enjoy the shooting sports and maybe find a competition you enjoy and participate in as part of your practice sessions.

Welcome to a whole new world, I think you will enjoy the gun community and gun culture.  

-Gundude Mez

April 2020

Let's Talk Holsters

It was right around this time last year that I posted a piece about sexy holsters. In it, I listed things that are important to look for in holsters.

The concealed carrier ranks are growing by leaps and bounds, which is mostly a good thing. However, I'm seeing a large increase in the number of carriers who suffer from the Dunning-Kruger effect. I'm not saying that to be mean, they just don't know what they don't know.

Most recently, I've seen this play into holster choice. Recently, someone asked for recommendations on guns and carry methods, so I gave an answer. When she said that she loves "the clip" (Technaclip) on her gun, I mentioned that it wasn't a good carry method because it didn't cover the trigger and could lead to a negligent discharge. She took that as I was saying she was negligent. I was not. However, her comment made me think that maybe a refresher on what constitutes a good holster was due for circulation again.

The other "holster" (and I use that term very, very loosely) that seems to be popping up again and again is the VersaCarry. Gah!

A good holster will:

1. hold the gun securely in place (no flapping, or migrating)
2. cover the trigger (without being able to inadvertently activate the trigger)
3. allow the carrier fast and consistent access to their gun
4. not require constant adjusting and re-adjusting 

I know how hard it is to find good holsters, I do! There is no one magic holster, no one-size-fits-all solution for your gun.

I know they are expensive, but shouldn't we put as much consideration into buying our holsters as we do our guns? I have three different holsters for my carry gun, just so I have options depending on what I'm wearing. I've put nearly $300 into holsters for my $500 gun, and I had to accumulate them slowly. I carefully considered the pros and cons for each holster, but the one thing I never compromised on was the safety of the holster. Each holster meets the four criteria listed above.

If you are holster shopping, or know someone who is, please make sure you scrutinize the holsters and make sure they are safe.

Things like the Technaclip and VersaCarry fail spectacularly when scrutinized for safety.

There Is No Such Thing As An Accident

My sister's youngest daughter was running through the living room and knocked over a margarita glass that was sitting on the floor, which shattered the glass.  My niece looked horrified for a moment, then shrugged and said, "accidents happen".

No they don't!

Accidents don't just happen and we have to get that concept out of our head.  It removes our personal responsibility to utter that phrase, when, in fact, someone is responsible and was negligent - otherwise the so-called "accident" would never have happened.

I tell my students this all the time and I receive blank stares, sometimes even stammers, "but ... but ...".

Let me repeat that: There is no such thing as an accident.

As a society, we have allowed the word "accident" to mean "unintentional". We need to remove "accident" and "accidental" from our vocabularies.

In my real life, I'm a medical instructor.  I teach fledgling youngsters how to become professionals in their field.  One of the classes I teach is phlebotomy, and that's where I hammer this concept home.  The textbooks are notorious for talking about "accidental needle sticks".  There is no such thing.  There are unintentional needle sticks, but there are never any accidental needle sticks.  In fact, every "accidental needle stick" I've ever seen has been a "negligent needle stick".

For example, let's say a phlebotomist is getting ready to draw blood and has the index finger of her non-sticking hand in front of the needle to stabilize the patient's arm.  Let's just say the patient is terrified of getting his blood drawn and flinches away right as the phlebotomist begins to stick.  Instead of the needle going into the patient where it belongs, it is now buried deep into the phlebotomist's own finger.

Was it intentional?

Nope.  Trust me, no phlebotomist on the planet wants to get stuck with a needle. But that doesn't make it an accident just because the phlebotomist didn't intend to stick herself.

Was that an accident?

Nope.  It was negligence, pure and simple.  The phlebotomist was negligent for putting a body part (the index finger) in front of the sharp, pointy object destined for the patient.

Another example:  Five years ago, my youngest son was hit by a car as he was skateboarding.  It was a bad collision that he was lucky to live through.

Did the driver of the car intend to hit him as he was crossing the street?  No.

Did my son intend to get hit by a car as he crossed the street? No.

Was it an accident? No.  It was negligence.

Both my son and the driver were negligent and that caused the collision.  The driver was negligent in that she was speeding in a residential area and not looking for kids in or near the street.  My son was negligent in assuming that he didn't have to look both ways and that a car would (or could) stop for him.  If either one of them had been paying attention, the collision would never have happened.

One more non-gun example: I was a wrangler for years.  I took out trail rides and was responsible for keeping my guests and horses safe at all times.  I took the responsibility very seriously, and to this day I believe that if there is a "wreck" or if a guest falls off, it is the wrangler's fault.  If the saddle slips to the side and the guest falls off, the wrangler was negligent in his or her duty of ensuring safe and properly adjusted tack.  If a horse starts kicking at the horse behind it, the wrangler was negligent: either he didn't watch the spacing between the horses and correct it; or he put the horses together who didn't get along; or he had a known kicker and didn't put the kicker at the back of the line where it couldn't kick anyone else.

Why am I going on and on about non-gun-related things?  Because as shooters and instructors, we are very well aware of the fact that there is no such thing as an "accidental discharge".  Ever.  There is either a "negligent discharge" or a malfunction, but never an accident.

However, we need to change the way we look at "accidents" in our daily lives as well.  We can't practice (and preach) that there is no such thing as an "accidental" discharge, if we don't take responsibility in the other aspects of our lives as well.  By accepting responsibility for the "accidents" in our lives, we can act on that responsibility and in the end, we will all be safer.

Remove the word accident from your vocabulary and you'll be amazed at how differently you begin to look at things.