Blind leading the blind

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CZ223

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So the thread about dumb things you have seen at the range is gone just when I witnessed a bad one. I was at the range Yesterday when this young guy and younger woman showed up wanting to practice. It quickly became apparent that he was trying to teach her how to shoot. B-A-A-A-A-D idea. She produces a Colt Lawman that was given to her, nice gun. Anyway the first thing he does is take her gun, load it and, holding it at low ready he cocks the hammer back. He then proceeds to raise the gun and, as he does, it goes off and the round hits the ground about 4 feet from his feet. :banghead: I checked the gun to make sure it was safe, it was, he wasn't. Later on, she asked me to show her the difference between a 357 mag and a 38 special, he didn't know.:uhoh: Honestly, she shot better than he did. I really wanted to tell her that she needed to find a better instructor but I didn't.
 
Maybe it's the gray hair :))), but as soon as she asked me a question, I'd of gone straight into covering the four rules and coaching her doing some shooting. Luckily, on my range, the ratio of low information shooters to good folks is fairly low...
 
I don't think you needed to tell her to find a better instructor. I believe she figured that out for herself. From what you wrote she seemed a good deal smarter than he was.
 
I don't watch a lot of you tube but from what I've seen there's a lot of idiots who BS their ladies into thinking they know something.
 
Yeah I've seen a lot of self professed "gun guys" who scare me with their complete lack of knowledge or training or application of said knowledge or training.
 
In my experience as a handgun instructor, I have found that women take instructions better than a lot of male students. The women tend to have a lot more respect for a gun. A lot of the male students have seen a couple Die Hard movies, had a BB gun when they were a kid and believe that is the extent of anything they need to learn with a gun. Obviously this isn't the case all of the time, just my observation.
 
I tend to be very careful about offering unsolicited advice; you never know how people are going to take it. If someone is doing something unsafe on the range I address the specific behavior and that’s it.
 
Al Thompson said:
Let's keep this on track....
Click to expand...

I'm sorry but if that was directed at my post I was posting in direct response to this post.

Al Thompson said:
Maybe it's the gray hair (), but as soon as she asked me a question, I'd of gone straight into covering the four rules and coaching her doing some shooting. Luckily, on my range, the ratio of low information shooters to good folks is fairly low...
Click to expand...

If my response wasn't "on track" I apologize
 
I think you did well by keeping it on the high road. It is hard to not go into instructor mode after seeing such a start. Maybe just start lightly to see if they're receptive and proceed carefully.

If all goes well maybe offer to set up a time for a second session.

Mark
 
I'm sorry but if that was directed at my post
Click to expand...

It absolutely was not. Your post is still visible and valuable. :D

Totally agree about easing in, sometimes it works, sometimes not. I usually just sort of casually ask the question "can I show you something that might help?". Most folks like to say "Yes", so I usually get an in right away. I also like to show or demonstrate something simple that helps immediately (grip usually) to build my credibility. ;)
 
As someone smarter than I noted years ago, in your circle of friends and acquaintances, you are probably the firearms SME. Always good to know how to teach or instruct adults (very different than children) in at least some basic steps.
 
My friends always refer to me as a gun expert. Although I am happy to help them on such issues, I am by no means an expert. I just know a bit more than your average bear. I learn something new about firearms just about everyday. An expert never stops learning.
 
I teach a lot of people to shoot. Just the basics of gun safety and operation not true SD stuff as I am not really comfortable with all of it and always recommend that they go to a licensed trainer for more in depth training.
I agree that most women/girls are far easier to teach than are men/boys. There is definitely the macho factor but I believe the major problem in today's world is the video game issue. Virtually all of the young men and boys that come out with us have played COD or Battlefield or any of the other shooter games. They come in thinking they know how to operate an AR because they can do it on a video game. I really think they expect to have an "auto aim" button on the gun. One young kid, maybe 8 or so, visited my house a couple of years back when I was cleaning some guns and he zeroed in on the scoped 10/22 declaring it to be a "sniper rifle". I wonder where he got that?
I teach the four basic rules first. I virtually always start women off with .22 variants because they can get the feel of the gun without the recoil and then build up to the larger calibers. Most of the people I teach are NOT ready to jump into firing a .357 right off the bat but can generally feel fairly comfortable within an hour or so. I DO NOT let people shoot at my range with their 16 year old boyfriend teaching them. Heck I am shocked at how poorly LEOs in our area understand the different weapons when they come out to shoot.
 
I usually offer quips if I see someone struggling with a new/rental gun.

Something along the lines of 'You have the mag in backwards' or if they look confused, 'Would you like some help?'
Both are usually greeted with a 'Yes, thank you!'
 
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