Teach him the basics--sight picture, breathing, safety, trigger control, etc. DON'T worry about the more "high speed" stuff like drawing from the holster, shooting while moving, double taps and so on until he gets out of the academy. His firearms instructors are going to have a specific set of techniques that they will teach him and that he will need to learn--a task that is easier to accomplish from a "clean slate". Teach him to walk and that will let others teach him to run.
As far as what weapon to start with...
my first handgun was a 1911 at the age of 18. If he's old enough to take on a man's job, he's old enough to use a man's tools. .22s may be easy to shoot, but look at what the local departments use and get him used to that round (9mm and .40 are pretty much the industry standard, although I know a few Departments up my way that use .45s). Same with equipment...I don't want to turn this into a revolver vs. semi-auto debate, but the reality is that virtually
every LE agency out there uses semi-autos and that is what he should train on. Teach him how a revolver functions and how to make one safe (crucial general weapons knowledge that
all LEOs should have), but teach him to shoot on a semi-auto.
But it offended my sense of propriety that someone could be going off to be a policeman without ever having picked up a gun in his life
Nothing personal, but nothing irritates me more than quotes like this for two very different but equally important reasons (and I'll temper my response since you
did throw the smiley on there).
1)
I joined the Army at 18 having never shot
anything but my Grandpa's pellet gun. Qualified expert with the 1911 and M16 and was
surgical with my M203. I also saw guys "raised with guns" who couldn't hit 100yd targets, let alone the 300s. Prior experience
may help but it is not a valid indicator of performance.
2) I have been a LEO for almost 14 yrs, and have known 100s of years' worth of LEO experience from guys in rural to the most urban departments in my state. I have never had to shoot anyone and the majority of LEOs out there will finish their careers never using their weapon off the range. The Hollywood/TV mythology that cops do nothing but shoot people is possibly one of the most damaging to the profession. Showing that attitude to an impressionable future LEO may very well get him in the mindset of pulling, or using, that weapon prematurely. There IS a violent, physical component to what we do but your future LEO is far more likely to get into a hand-to-hand brawl with an unarmed person than into a gunfight--has he ever been punched (REALLY punched) in the face? Does he know how to wrestle or grapple? Does he know what it's like to get the wind knocked out of him or get hit from behind and still have to fight off an attacker? THESE are the lifesaving skills that he should learn before getting on the job
long before he needs to worry about shooting.
Enough ranting...thank you for trying to teach a young man a valuable skill and taking an interest in helping him in his career.
Best of luck in his ambition. Be safe.
