Do's and don't of welcoming new gun owners to firearm ownership

[Stomper]

Joe's making a reasonable request here, it's high time we look to those things that bind us, protecting our families for one. Be open to allowing others to see that we are open to new folks that have recently realized their past thinking may have been flawed.

For all the talking we've done in the past to attempt to bring others in and now CV-19 might offer a silver lining of bringing more gun owners together and all we can do is piss & moan that "they" aren't welcome?

Feel what you want but at least ponder what Joe's asking for. In other words if you don't have anything positive to say....

Duct tape can also bind us together... just sayin'!

 

[Andy54Hawken]

A low key approach with a emphasis on safety such as :

Keeping your finger off the trigger , until you are ready to shoot...

Keep your muzzle pointed in a safe direction...

Bullets and shot can travel a long ways , even after they hit something...have a safe back stop...

The life you save with this advice , may be your own.
Andy

 

[Lesliet]

One small tip I will put out here is that when you are teaching someone new, or ROing for someone... don't stand directly behind their pistol. Be off to one side a bit, which also helps with keeping an eye on their muzzle direction and where their trigger finger is. People have been killed by standing behind the gun, and the shooter not controlling recoil such that the weapon ended up pointing uprange, and going off while pointed at an observer.

 

[4Freedom]

DO Emphasize gun safety frequently.. You can never say it enough.. Get it embedded in the brains of a new gun owner.. Share videos and web pages.. If they are upset by wanting to practice gun safety, I hate to say they may not be the greatest person to be trusted with a firearm. Put a little bit of a fear (not overwhelming though) into them about how important GUN SAFETY is! Especially, emphasize guns and kids don't mix! Especially ,if those kids did not grow up around guns and know the dangers. A negligent discharge resulting in someone getting hurt will work against all of us.. These are things the media loves to promote , trying to scare people away from owning guns. However, if people just spent a little bit of time being cautious and learning the basics of safety these events never would occur. I hate to say it, but it's true. If people treat owning a gun with the same precautions they did when they first started driving, they will respect their gun as much (if not more) than their vehicle.

 

[Flopsweat]

Duct tape can also bind us together... just sayin'!

"Silence is golden. Duct tape is silver."

 

[Hueco]

Develop habits in low stress environments before relying on those habits in high stress. Ie: don't put the gun under your pillow until you are proficient in target acquisition and using said gun...lest you wake up, freak out, and kill your cat.

 

[bolus]

Has a thread for newbie questions started yet?

 

[awshoot]

The technical stuff is great, but remember the larger point - don't get political - be happy the person is becoming a gun owner. If the 2A was non-partisan in the way that having fire trucks and fire fighters enjoys bipartisan support, there'd be no no threat to the 2A. You don't need to get into abortion, economics, bakers, environmentalism or whatever other political topics may interest you. Doing so just might stand in the way of keeping your gun rights by eliminating potential supporters of the 2A.

 

[bbbass]

One small tip I will put out here is that when you are teaching someone new, or ROing for someone... don't stand directly behind their pistol. Be off to one side a bit, which also helps with keeping an eye on their muzzle direction and where their trigger finger is. People have been killed by standing behind the gun, and the shooter not controlling recoil such that the weapon ended up pointing uprange, and going off while pointed at an observer.

While RO/SO-ing, I've had both newbies and old persons (who were then DQ'd/Ejected/((banned for repeated occurances))) turn either sideways, a bit beyond sideways, or even all the way around, pointing a loaded handgun at myself and at observers... Stand close enough and be prepared to grab an arm or the weapon to prevent them from getting turned enough to shoot you or anyone else!!!

Develop habits in low stress environments before relying on those habits in high stress. Ie: don't put the gun under your pillow until you are proficient in target acquisition and using said gun...lest you wake up, freak out, and kill your cat.

Just............................................................

"Under the pillow"
Not identifying the target/threat
Not using a flashlight or low lighting

 

[Hueco]

Just............................................................

"Under the pillow"
Not identifying the target/threat
Not using a flashlight or low lighting

That's kind of my point...know enough to know where to store said weapon at night for your situation...know how to handle...have the tools needed for the situation you plan to use it in (like a weapon light)...

I don't have a lot of faith in the person that rushes out to buy a gun last minute...in their ability to use said gun, especially under stress. I really, really hope they practice shooting if possible and a ton of dry firing regardless.

A lot of new gun owners right now would have actually been better off buying a dog instead. I still welcome the community growth; I'm just not all that excited about it being due to rash decision making.

 

[bbbass]

That's kind of my point...know enough to know where to store said weapon at night for your situation...know how to handle...have the tools needed for the situation you plan to use it in (like a weapon light)...

I don't have a lot of faith in the person that rushes out to buy a gun last minute...in their ability to use said gun, especially under stress. I really, really hope they practice shooting if possible and a ton of dry firing regardless.

A lot of new gun owners right now would have actually been better off buying a dog instead. I still welcome the community growth; I'm just not all that excited about it being due to rash decision making.

I agree completely!!!

A big/loud dog is great for home defense!!! But people now want carry permits......

There are limits to what can be taught on an outing, esp a first time or one time outing. Gun handling/safety is primary. Passing on the ethics/practices and myriad "use of force" doctrine/legalities during such a session is nigh on impossible and probably inadviseable due to attention/retention, and the tendency to be overwhelmed. (Witness the thread started by new user SunshineShan80... and that is just about ammo selection but turned into a wide ranging discussion over several days... just can't teach it all in one sittingj!!!)

Maybe the best thing that can be done is to encourage new shooters to watch videos and get training in all aspects of gun use, home defense, self defense, and use of force legalities...

 

[Spitpatch]

Speed-reading this thread allowed me to observe the most important thing is missing (grant me a bit and I'll get to it).

With guns and horses (and probably a host of other interests/hobbies) there is always, "that guy" (or girl) who has gained enough knowledge of the pursuit to feel confident in some areas. Simultaneously, they feel confident in areas they have no experience with. With horses (especially in the drama-dynamic of a horse barn serving multiple horse people), the "type" manifests itself most usually in the form of a very unhappy middle-aged female who has owned horses for anywhere from 18 months to 18 years. She not only dispenses her advice liberally to anyone unfortunate enough to be in her proximity, she insists her way is the only way. Males are not exempt from assuming the "type". Usually younger, they are a recently minted "cowboy" who "knows all the tricks" and similarly dispenses his advice regardless of request or lack thereof.

Don't be "that guy".

And for those of you who've been patient with me, here's what I found totally absent in this thread.

If you maintain the attitude that you DON'T know it all (because most of us don't know half of it), chances are good YOU will learn something from the new person to the sport.

 

[tac]

There's a whole lot wrong with the laws governing gun-ownership here in yUK, but politics are never part of it. All politicians are not anti-gun, indeed, my own Member of Parliament is a game shooter and keen deer-stalker. Add to that that many members of the Houses, upper and lower, are ex-military and are shooters. Her Majesty the Queen is the Patron of the National rifle Association, and even I reckon that beats a movie star into a far distant second place. YMMV.

Many members of the Upper House are also major land-owners, too, and I mean major in a way that even an American might be impressed, in spite of him or herself's opinion about the yUK and those who live in it. One guy who was, at one time, my 2i/c, now owns around 45,000 acres of Scotland, with around fifteen different deer-stalking venues [we have no bears left - the Romans killed them all ] His son, by way of contrast has only the 'second estate' of some 11,000 acres, poor soul. I'm told that he manages, but it's hard to see quite how [sarcasm off].

Basically, gun-owners can be, and are, regularly screwed by politicians of ANY persuasion, so politics are never mentioned when teaching noobs in THIS country. In any case, noobs here can't even own a gun until they've done their six-month probie time, passed at least two compulsory tests, and gotten the correct tick in the box from the club secretary - who is their first referee of three - so that they can apply for a Firearms Certificate. That way we rightly expect not to have to duck too much on the range when a noob picks up a gun...

 

[Ruger Rich]

• Wear all the camo gear you got and tuck your BDUs into your jackboots.
• Wear your MAGA hat.
• Bring your .454 Casul to get em started right
• Use 12ga shotgun with 3.5" shells, put lil lady on a stump, aiming a a watermelon 3' away, and tell her to lean waaaay back
• Bring beer
• And whiskey
• And blunts
• Show them how well you can curse
• Call them dumbazzes when they grip a pistol ineffectively
• Make sure you have an AD/ND on at least two of your demo draws
• Bring .460WM with a muzzle brake
• Tell them they don't need no stinkin headphones, rolled up cotton works fine
• Yelling, lots of yelling to make your points heard
• Point and shake your finger a lot!!!

Hmmmm, well, that's a good start anyway.....

To that honorable list I'd add: Chew and spit a lot.

 

[bbbass]

To that honorable list I'd add: Chew and spit a lot.

Good one! I'm open to seeing more suggestions added to the list!!!!

 

[Ruger Rich]

Good one! I'm open to seeing more suggestions added to the list!!!!

Well I did pass on burping and farting

 

[bbbass]

Well I did pass on burping and farting

Nono, that's a good one. Eat lots of burritos first!!!

What else???

 

[Flopsweat]

Nono, that's a good one. Eat lots of burritos first!!!

What else???

Was scratching on the list? You can get really creative with that one. Keeps them on their toes.

 

[HA556]

Duct tape can also bind us together... just sayin'!

Any chance we can use something a little less stressful? That stuff just pulls the living tar out of my hair!

Don't ask!!

 

[SunShineShan82]

Any chance we can use something a little less stressful? That stuff just pulls the living tar out of my hair!

Don't ask!!

Waxing before using duct tape can help with that. hahahahaha