Should there be required training for new gun owners ?

[DuneHopper]

Should there be required training for new gun purchasers ?
I am not saying a person needs a license to own a gun. However I am asking do you think people should be trained before they are allowed to have one.
I was trying to think of a analogy to compare it to and thought this.

Years ago a person went to the DMV got a license and went driving. Eventually they included a actual driving test.
Due to safety concerns they eventually decided that a permit for persons under 18 was a good idea.
I have the right to buy and own a car, I however should not drive unless I know how.
My brain tells me the same thing about gun owners, I am bothered but what I see as plain ignorance on safety and use.

Me and my wife were having our morning coffee talking about guns ( I love her ). Anyways she told me about this guy she works with. He took bought a new gun and is ex-military, and took his wife to go shooting in BLM. He thought he would play a practical joke on here. He took his 357 loaded 38 and shot it one handed, with just a little kick to it.
His wife decided looked easy enough. So he chambers a 38 round and then 357 next to it unknown to here. She fires the first one and goes not bad, fires the next and almost took her head off. Military training teaches combat safety not common safety. And this brings me back to anyone that first buys their first gun should have to take a safety class.

I ca not help but think this would sure put up a huge argument for gun haters, If people we trained it would be just like people learning to drive. I can already hey many say I know my guns bla bla bla, Well then this would not apply to you. I do think that if you can not show you either go to a range or have had safety training them it should be a no go.
And I think concealed holders should be required to take a safety class.

I am not telling anyone to compromise our 2nd rights, I am saying education goes along way in keeping our rights.
We can stand by and watch are guns are stripped away, or compromise and pass legislation to prevent it through training. I hear in this forum people complain and fear our goes may be taken, well then attack where they attack us.
They say guns are unsafe, lets prove them otherwise. The 2nd awesome as it is does not tell anyone you know how to handle a gun safely anymore then owning a car means you know how to drive.

Probably gonna catch slack but its how I feel and I am a 100% 2nd supporter, and support all rights to own and carry.
But we may lose these rights if we do not learn to fight for our rights like they do against it.

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[Kimber Custom]

Not according to the constitution.

 

[RVTECH]

A hearty YES from me and I have always thought so, unless the purchaser can provide evidence of official firearms training. We need to have training before applying for our CHL so why not a basic safety course for first time buyers? I base this on what I see from obvious first time buyers at the counters at various shops I frequent but specifically Wholesale Sports. This has nothing to do with compromising our 2A rights but more as instilling some initial, basic safety training to hopefully prevent the NDs we read about too often.

 

[Robo]

When my son lived closer we used to go shooting quite often. He was accustomed to shooting since he was a pre-teen and was well versed in gun safety. One of his young friends had recently inherited a few cheap pistols from his father and wanted to go shooting with us. He was totally ignorant of firearm safety, and after firing a few rounds turned, pointed his pistol at us with his finger on the trigger yelling out "this is really cool". I admonished him and gave him a quick lesson in gun safety. He continued to demonstrate careless gun handling and I finally called a halt to our shooting session. As a former military police member and fire Marshal, I believe strongly in firearms training and education.

 

[DuneHopper]

Not according to the constitution.

I wish I could agree the constitution would save us, but time and time again amendments change things,
sometimes good like slavery some times bad.

The 16th was unconstitutional as an example and well we see it now in every day life. And the 23rd should have never happened in 1960.

But these two alone have changed how we are taxed and allowed representation for a entity that is not part of the union of the United States. Taking away guns is not near as hard as it was to take money from us.

We are a society need to start thinking, our rights have been stripped before, or as the government says modified.

 

[Kimber Custom]

Nobody walks into a gun store ignorant about the concept of what a gun does or what it is capable of.

Do you think a safety class would have changed the outcome of your friends stupidity with his wife?

BTW there is no 'right' to drive car. It's a privilege granted by the state. There are many people on the road without a license so how has this licensing made us any safer? I even know a few people with licenses that shouldn't be behind the wheel of a car - ever. Why compromise our rights?

There are times where compromise is necessary; thanks to our forefathers this isn't one of them.

 

[Peteralexander78]

I do agree that some safety checks need to be put in place for anyone, new and old. They can be as simple as just taking an online test or written at a gun shop. Too many times do I see people that would deem themselves as knowledgeable about guns or grown up with guns make unsafe choices that don't affect themselves but others.

 

[RVTECH]

Nobody walks into a gun store ignorant about the concept of what a gun does or what it is capable of.

But they may be ignorant of the basic rules of safety to prevent the gun's unintended capabilities.

 

[Kimber Custom]

Don't get me wrong; I love training. I'm an Appleseed instructor, a competitive shooter and all around firearms enthusiast eager to learn new skills to make me a better marksman. Training is where the smart money is. It's MANDATORY I have an issue with.

I think it's irresponsible of a gun shop to let someone out the door without some basic handling skills. I think it's foolish to buy a first time gun without having shot a few to know what you want/like/need.

However, I still think of a gun as a tool and nothing more. I'm not required to get a safety briefing before purchasing a table saw or hammer (or even the car in the OP) so why a gun? Particularly when it's a protected right.

 

[kev1]

I'd be very carful about mixing a right with a privledge. I do not believe more burdens on our rights will help. Not sure training always changes human nature.

 

[accessbob]

I am one of those who agree that new gun owners should have some training. But I disagree on it being mandatory before you can buy, own, or even use one. The right shall not be infringed. And that includes letting stupid people have guns and use them without training. It would be great if all would just willingly get some training or safety instruction beforehand. But the reality is that if you tie that to owning and or using one, you have just limited what the framers of the Constitution labeled as inalienable rights.

 

[RoneKiln]

I agree first time gun buyers should have some training first. I do not trust any regulatory body to control that though. There's a lot of things I think would be good to enact in our society in principle, but impossible to effectively put into practice. This is one of them. Partly because in my experience, most people that are stupid with guns are that way regardless of training. I know a lot of people that I firmly do not believe should be allowed anywhere near a gun. There is no way in hell I'd trust any outside body to try to control that.

I would fully respect and support a store politely asking me to show some form of evidence that I had experience with a firearm before selling to me (especially if they promoted free or very cheap classes). I would vehemently oppose the government requiring that. I just don't trust it would be handled responsibly or reasonably.

 

[RoneKiln]

Edited due to double post.

 

[Redcap]

Absolutely not.

 

[RVTECH]

Is hunting a privilege or a right? Because regardless of what it is Hunter's Safety is required (at least in Oregon anyway) before you can purchase a hunting license and I have never seen anyone on the soapbox about it.

 

[oknow]

everyone need training but we also need personal responsibility so get training. but we don't need the government to get any bigger before long you will have to shoot a 1/2 in group at 50 yd.s before you are qualified, the government has to much power now we don't need to give it more.
Right now you are required to get a drivers training and look how much good that does.

 

[Kimber Custom]

Is hunting a privilege or a right? Because regardless of what it is Hunter's Safety is required (at least in Oregon anyway) before you can purchase a hunting license and I have never seen anyone on the soapbox about it.

As much as I think it should be a right, it is a privilege. In much the same vein as driving.

 

[Nwcid]

Training will not fix stupid. End of story. There is no contest to that one.

Yes training can teach stuff but does not keep human nature from taking over. On top of that what is a 4, 6, 8, 12hr long class going to teach someone and make it stick? Ok so they get trained that you should never point a gun at some one. They get to the range with a new gun and are all excited. They shoot a few rounds then human nature takes over and you still get the situation above with a loaded gun pointed at you. Then after the fact person my think "oh yeah I should not have done that" but the situation still happened. I have been scuba diving for about a year now. Since we are new I have been very vigilant about checking and rechecking everything, every time. Well one day we were doing some training and at the end there were some scooters to play with. Well I was still half geared up so I got excited to try. I put my gear on, checked my air, put my mask and fins on and jumped in the water. I had forgot to close my zipper on my drysuit which I had partially undone. Sure I did not get hurt, but I was "trained" and practiced hard not to do it. Human nature got me............

Next the people the would actually benefit from the training are the people that do and are willing to go do it on their own. You can force training on someone but that does not mean they have to learn it or even comply. You have a drivers license, do YOU follow ALL the rules? I know I sure don't. On top of that the quality of the training depends on the instructor. So many instructors in so many fields do even know half of what they should.

Now what might actually help new gun owners (or any owners) is inexpensive classes they can attend voluntarily to learn the basics. I know some places offer things like this but they either seem to be expensive but mostly it seems classes are not just basic "gun" classes.

 

[good2eat]

Mandatory - No

 

[DuneHopper]

Nobody walks into a gun store ignorant about the concept of what a gun does or what it is capable of.

Do you think a safety class would have changed the outcome of your friends stupidity with his wife?

BTW there is no 'right' to drive car. It's a privilege granted by the state. There are many people on the road without a license so how has this licensing made us any safer? I even know a few people with licenses that shouldn't be behind the wheel of a car - ever. Why compromise our rights?

There are times where compromise is necessary; thanks to our forefathers this isn't one of them.

Really that your answer LOL You just through assumption all over as fact.

There is no way to look at some one walking in the store to know if they are trained.

Do you think a safety class would have changed the outcome? DUH, he would have known the recoil
would have harmed her and learned about proper position to hold the gun again duh !

The car thing I addressed it not as right and the whole license thing did you not read my post or just jumped to conclusions when you say what you thought way gun control post.

I really hope you were not serious in your responses ???