Gal I know wants to get exposed to firearms, through paintball. . .

[Hoxviii]

OK- here's the deal.

Gal I know is nervous around guns. I've volunteered to have a sit down with her and go over the basics of safety and function of firearms. We did this once, no hardware present- just pictures and descriptions, and she said she really enjoyed it and made her more comfortable with the idea- but not quite comfortable enough to be around the hardware.

Well, she called me up today saying she wants to try paintball to get herself more comfortable with the idea of firearms.

I told her this goes totally against everything a new shooter needs to have impressed upon herself and that everything you learn about real guns can transfer to paintball, but everything you learn from paintball needs to be left behind on the paintball field.

I told her I wouldn't be comfortable with her doing this prior to being exposed to the real thing, while she says she won't be comfortable around the real thing until going through with this.

So question becomes- do I keep pressing, or do I have the opprotunity to still turn this into a safety lesson?

I think it'd be weird champioing muzzle safety one second and then telling her to shoot at the other guy the next.

Or just have her shoot at paper with a paintball gun, but since the ones i have are nothing like a real gun, i feel it would be a lost experience.

If she didn't show a genuine interest in understanding firearms I'd cut it all off right now, but she is showing genuine interest and is learning.

Where do i go from here?

 

[waverace]

take her target shooting with a paintball gun , treat it like a real firearm as far as safety etc is concerned then move on to a .22 or something else with minimal recoil .

 

[akodo]

I say stick to your guns

The person shooting needs to be accustomed to a FIREARM, a device CAPABLE OF KILLING IF MISHANDLED.

Diluting it with a non-gun substitute can lead to nothing but bad. Note this doesn't apply to a person who is comfortable with firearms using airsoft to practice draws or dryfiring.

I suggest suggesting some comprimises

#1 offer to have her accompany you to the range to WATCH you shoot.

#2 tell her you will remove a key part of the firearm. If I ever have someone who really balks at the idea of handling a firearm, I grab a bolt action 22 and in front of them remove the bolt and stick it in my pocket.

 

[Kind of Blued]

The first thing I would do is ask her if she understands how serious you are about firearm safety, and NOT letting paintball-isms tranfer over.

You know when someone is telling the truth and when they aren't. You know when someone is following you, and when they have no idea what you're talking about.

Read my signature. None of us can really comprehend this situation or know this person via the internet. Only you can.

Use your own discretion.

 

[Hoxviii]

My intentions were to do the hardware exposure totally inert. Use a bolt action that i can yank the bolt on and a revolver i can open and ziptie if need be.

You also voiced one of my concerns, that if she gets used to handling a paintball gun that in all reality can't kill that she'll transfer that behavior over to real arms.

I have a little daisy red ryder that I was going to use for the first shooting experience so it would look and feel like a real gun, but if she swept the range I'd be basically safe (but NOT make her aware of that). This would also be handy since I have a 30 foot BB range and trap setup in my garage.

Another issue being what Blued just brought up. I've only talked to her about the paintball thing over the phone- haven't had a chance to face to face it. I asked her if she understood nothing she learns will transfer to real guns and is actually the opposite of what she needs to be reinforcing. She said, "Yes," but I'm really needing to see her face to face.

Ahh, the more i think about it and read over my OP, the more i think of the way I'd respond to myself. I'm sticking to it, forget paintball of any sort, I'm going for the inert exposure. She'll either learn or tell me to leave.

 

[WardenWolf]

There's very few similarities between paintball and a real gun. A few things do transfer, though, and it's important to know what they are.

The CQB aspects transfer very effectively from one to the other. At those ranges, you don't have to arc your shots to hit, and you can't really dodge an incoming shot. You learn to use cover and concealment.

Anything at longer ranges, though, forget it.

 

[Hoxviii]

Yes, but that is exactly what a new comer doesn't need to be thinking about.

This woman has never been within 15 feet of touching a gun in her entire life, and had never been exposed to any real education on the topic until about a month ago.

 

[novaDAK]

Last thing you want is for a person who will be new to firearms to think it's ok to pull the trigger while aiming at other people as happens in paintball.

 

[Six]

Consider a cheap airsoft set that you can set up at home. You can rack the slide like a real gun, remove/load/insert the magazine like a real gun. Aim and shoot at a target like a real gun.

You can show the main parts and controls with virtually zero risk to anyone (Do wear eye protection).

We paid about $20 for a cheap set like that that the kids can play with on occasion (under close supervision, and while often repeating the rules).

Edit:
Our kit is very similar to this: http://store.bbairsoftgun.com/agfcombom84.html

 

[rbernie]

Guys - if this is the path that makes her comfortable, where is the harm in it? When you get to real firearms, you'll teach and reinforce the Four Rules just as you would have if she'd never picked up a paintball gun. If she doesn't comprehend the Four Rules, then she should stick to paintball. If she does, then, well, she does and all is well that ends well.

I fail to see how she'll somehow be permanently corrupted for having picked up a paintball gun. If you dismiss her fears and don't let HER pick her path, you may just never get her to a real shootin' range.

ETA - I think that the paintball-as-intermediate-step approach is kinda silly. But it doesn't matter what I think. What matters is what SHE thinks. Work with it.

 

[crebralfix]

What about Airsoft? The form is much closer to the real thing. You can do the entire safety lesson with it.