Hey there.....I'm interested in learning how to use a handgun and buy one for my personal protection. I am a small woman and I've never owned or shot a gun before. How do I go about learning to shoot? Should I go to a rifle range or take lessons? I would like to get the feel for different types of handguns before I just go someplace and buy one. Where and how do I begin? I am in the middle TN area and any recommendations of local resources would be greatly appreciated.
fundamental safety, yes
check with local law enforcement, fairly likely they will have that sort of thing scheduled from time to time, no bank account required
(you will need a gun of course, but any 22 rimfire pistol or revolver will do for the 1st few sessions at least)
corneredcat.com, yes, good advice (better than mine), do that
rifle range, no (not unless it's a combination handgun/rifle range)... not if your prime interest is -
interested in learning how to use a handgun
ask friends and friends of friends, look for common sense honest folk who shoot safely (not that hard to find in middle Tennessee), and might well let you fire a few rounds in a safe and practical manner, and maybe go along to a rental range where you could do a few rounds of this or that
beware of even the best intentioned advice of gun forum folks who pitch make/model/ caliber XYZ for personal protection
extreme few people actually need paid-for-professional training, until they have
at least shot some rounds downrange
(time enough to win the Steel Challenge later on)
and until you have fired some rounds downrange yourself, no way can our words tell you what it feels like, or what will best suit you, so don't leap to conclusions based on what we "experts" think about it
it's your hand, not ours, and that counts for an enormous lot in handguns
step #1 is to shoot a gun, safely, and supervised (yes), by a safe and experienced shooter, tactical not yet required
professional training is obviously not evil, anything but, but only about a few 100 million American shooters learned to shoot without need of hiring a pro
(some millions have benefited greatly by doing so a bit later, of course)
if have a public range available, hang out (bring hearing protection), but hang back, watch
the people, not the targets, look for ladies who can shoot handguns, ladies that you might strike up a friendly conversation with. I think you might be surprised at how many there are; bring a friend of your own along just for company, if that makes you uncomfortable
aforementioned law enforcement sponsored and supervised events are a real good bet, even if you just go to observe and ask questions
(it's not about going from ground zero to a CCW permit in one day, it's about getting comfortable about shooting, and learning safety basics)