How do you get someone over their fear of guns?

Status
Not open for further replies.
M

MikePGS

Member
Joined
Aug 4, 2006
Messages
2,348
Location
Metro Detroit, Michigan
I know some people just don't like them because whatever idealogy they ascribed tells them not to, but I actually discovered someone who doesn't like them for a (somewhat legitimate reason). My girlfriend, daughter and gf's friend were at a restaurant last night and the GF's Friend (from now on GFF) was talking about her boyfriend recently purchased a Ruger GP100 and wouldn't shut up about it. She then went on to say that her mom was deathly afraid of guns. The reason given for this was that when the GFF was an infant, her mother had picked up some sort of gun that her father had left around the house (safety first, right?) and it "went off" (I tried to explain that guns don't just go off, but could see arguing that point would have been fruitless) and blasted a hole through their house and into the neighbors home (neighbors weren't home at the time). I could see how this person would be legitimately afraid of firearms. Also my girlfriends mother once shot "a shotgun" and ever since then the 5' 2" 120 lbs soaking wet woman is also afraid of guns, and seems to think of them negatively in general (huh I wonder why she might not like them). How do we as gun owners help these people over come their fears and show them that guns are not evil scary things but tools, no different than a hammer and nails?
 
Take them shooting! Never start with anything bigger than a .22lr the first time out, but once they see that they fired a gun and no one got hurt, I feel fairly certain they'll be hooked. Make sure they're shooting at something fun, like a can or something. It's a little more satisfying for beginners than shooting paper.

A friend of mine was 100% against the ownership of semi-automatics and 110% against anything that held over 5 rounds.

That is until I let him try my 10/22 with the 25 round butler creek.

I try to take as many people who have never shot a gun as often as possible. Every person we convert may eventually buy a gun for themselves and take someone else shooting. Sort of a "pay it forward" kind of thing.
 
People have to get themselves over fears. You can help as much as possible, but ultimately there is nothing you can do to get her over her fear. She has to confront her fear, and even then she may just remain affraid. You can try to convince her to confront her fear.

At a certain point, you just have to accept that some people are affraid of guns and leave it at that. I would try to help her to get over her fear, but don't push it. She might be fine with her fear and it might be more stress than you need on your friendship.
 
Take them shooting. When I was in college, I took two soon to be liberal friends to the range. A few boxes of ammo later, they figured out that my AR was not evil. Neither was my Beretta. One thing led to another, and they became Republicans.
 
Take them shooting as people already said.

I have been dating a girl for awhile and she comes from a family of extreme anti's. Her dad is basically Sarah Brady in male form. I decided to show her my Ruger 10/22 (in all scary black with a little tacticool to it) and she freaked out when I showed it to her. She wouldn't even touch the stock. She resentfully agreed to go shooting with me, and by the time we got kicked off the range by the RO at closing time, she had gone through a brick of ammo.

She shot the 12ga once, even after my advice against it, after seeing me shoot trap. She will not be doing that again (shoulder), but wants to shoot skeet/trap with a shotgun better suited to her size. You have to work them up gradually from .22lr in order for them to like shooting.

She is now very pro-2nd and laughs at her prior misconceptions.

It seems to me that it is misinformation and lack of familiarity plus seeing violence on CNN that breeds the fear and anti-mindset.

As for people who have had a negative experience with guns like the OP's story, they are much harder to deal with. Start with the safety rules lectures and don't let up.
 
I agree with taking "gun virgins" shooting just make sure you give 'em a rundown of safe gun handling and monitor them closely. If they get over the irrational fear encourage 'em to take a saefty course.
 
i dont know, if they are honestly terrified. i tried teaching my mother in law once. i did get her to actually hold my s&w 686, but she started shaking so bad she dropped it in the dirt! i wanted to club her with it, but i was nice, and tried to get ther to shoot my bb gun. she pee'd her pants. that was it. i gave up and never tried again!
 
Sometimes when I hear the "gun went off" comment, I wish it was socially-acceptable for me to unholster one of mine, shake it around, yell "GO OFF!" at it, and throw it on the ground.

...wouldn't be prudent.
 
Some hoplophobes are beyond our help, and require professional psychiatric assistance. I'm not kidding or saying that as a cheap shot.

I've known a few people who, with no understanding of guns or their operation, witnessed fatal shootings of loved ones by accident or otherwise. Those people are not susceptible to the usual trip to the range, weapon familiarization, etc.

Trouble is, psychiatry does not acknowledge hoplophobia as a legitimate disorder.
 
All we can do is have a standing offer to take anyone to the range that is willing to go and keep those trips as fun as possible. There are fears born from ignorance and there are unreasonable phobia's that are deep seated and all but incurable. Little can be done about the latter, at least by you or I.

When in college, I frequently met people who where dead set against guns. I'd always offer to take them to the range. Most of the time, they declined to which I would respond that if nothing else it would be a chance to get to know the enemy. More often than not, they would aggree to "see what all the fuss is about". About 90% would end up a burgoning "gun person" by the end of their first trip to the range.

My recipe for sucess was to start them on .22LR's and let them work their way up the power at their own pace. If it hurts or is uncomfortable, we stop and go on to something else. I'd make sure that the targets were close enough that they could see where they were hitting and that they were ensured success. More than once, people who started with a .22 worked their way up to .44 Magnums before they left. A couple of 100 pound girls got to the point where you had to watch them or they would go through a whole 50 round box of .44's and not leave any for the rest of us.

I also focused on safety. Both safe shooting habits and what mechancial safeties there were to keep a gun from being accidentally fired.

As GI Joe was quick to point out : "knowing is half the battle".
 
.........and the gun went off.


could try to introduce a sense of cause-effect:
.........i got in the car and it went through the garage door and kept going till it hit the neighbors house.

well, i am never going to have a car [and seldom an original thought]
and just seeing one makes me afraid.
so, you want to cure me of what fear?

good luck
 
I am engage3d to a wonderful woman who is very much in favor of gun ownership, and is comforted by the fact I carry all the time. She owns a .38 revolver, but she is scared of it, especially in single-action mode. I am easing her back into shooting; she used to own a Smith & Wesson .38, a Detective Special, I believe.

Anyway, she wants to get her concealed carry permit, but she comes from the school of "Guns are For Protection, Not Necessarily For Shooting" school of thought. I don't think she ever fired her S&W. Me, I come from the "Shooting Is Fun And A Necessary Training Element To Carrying" school.

So, I have been making the effort to get her trained up, but it's a slow process. She's very nervous firing a gun, and she has a bad flinch. I'm thinking of buying a .22 revolver to get her used to shooting, but I don't know if she'll ever get into it, although I have no doubt she could punch some .38 caliber holes in a bad guy if necessary.

I think the key, as has been stated here, is slow and easy. I make trips to the range during which we never fire anything but her gun, and I don't "show off" the meager skills I have accumulated. I do not try to get her shoot if she's not comfortable doing so; she really hates going to the range when her son, and he's gun-crazy. He particularly likes to shoot my AKs, and my M9 Beretta.

She's coming along, albeit slowly.
 
I agree with Duke of Doubt.

Fear of an inanimate object is irrational. Of course, being a Liberal is irrational. So at least they are consistent in being irrational.
 
Take them shooting, but... quieter. Silencers. Works every time, for me. :)


(In all seriousness, many people are simple afraid of recoil/noise. A silenced .22 is quieter than a pellet gun.)
 
Ditto to all of the above.

I also have begun passing along the gunning heritage I got from my father, to my wife and kids. My wife was the worst scardy-cat but has come along pretty well. I am doing this for all the reasons others have stated.

Moreover, at my suggestion, I had my wife buy a pistol (of her choice, a Beretta U22 NEOS .22-LR semi-auto, really a target pistol) with her own money and GO THROUGH THE BACKGROUND CHECK IN HER OWN NAME. Why? Obama and his anti-gun supporters. I want them, when they look out over the gun-owning landscape (the gun databases), to be astounded how many separate gun owners there are and how hopeless it would be to try to "disarm" them in the name of some political or social (or socialist?) goal.

Go and do thou likewise!

Bill_Rights
 
Take them shooting, but... quieter. Silencers. Works every time, for me.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately the great and wise leaders of Michigan have ruled that commoners shall not have access to such things. Oddly enough though, we can have full auto. Don't even get me started on the logic of that...
 
Two things: education and experience.
Education consists of de-programming them of the bs they pick up from TV and movies, and the news and anti-gun politicals; get them to understand all the aspects of how firearms work (for example: no, the bullet from this EBR will not go through five buildings and kill some baby in its crib six miles away). Drill them thoroughly in the safety rules.
Then the experience; take them to a range with a .22 rifle and handgun and let them see how much fun it is, and that it isn't inherently a dangerous sport as long as they maintain safety discipline.
 
I forgot to say, in my post #18, above, that I insist that part of our (the family members I am training) trips to the range to shoot is mandatory participation in field stripping (back at home), cleaning and lube of the firearm before we lock it away in a safe place.

I believe that seeing and handling the "innards" of a firearm is as valuable as safety training, firing technique, etc. in DEMYSTIFYING guns. As much as anything, I am trying to get my family and any others I invite to not be FREAKED OUT by guns.

To know them is to love them!

Bill_Rights
 
Last edited:
I'd like to add that if a person really has a fear, but is willing to give it a shot, you could start them out on airguns. They're quiet, and a lot less intimidating.

If they really have no interest in shooting you could offer to give them a lesson in safety, and a lesson in how firearms operate.
 
How do we as gun owners help these people over come their fears
Click to expand...

You have to shoot them in the chest a few times...but they must have on a bullet-resistant vest.

Here's the logic (hahaha)... I played baseball as a kid. What we did to get our (new/newer) catchers who were afraid of getting hit with the ball to not be afraid was to get them in their gear and hit baseballs at them (after a couple of shots they learn to tuck their arms better). Usually we start them off with tennis balls and work their way up to baseballs. Worked every time.
 
DukeofDoubt
I've known a few people who, with no understanding of guns or their operation, witnessed fatal shootings of loved ones by accident or otherwise. Those people are not susceptible to the usual trip to the range, weapon familiarization, etc.

Trouble is, psychiatry does not acknowledge hoplophobia as a legitimate disorder.
Click to expand...

Those are the type of people you start with by looking around their kitchen. Get out the chef's knife and then put a hunting knife next to it... Once they can accept that yes that knife is a tool, then you can begin to make progress. :scrutiny:

Of course some people are just scared of really loud noises (brontophobia). I don't know how to alleviate that one. Maybe a really really good set of earmuffs?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

N
  • Locked
How Do You Fix Fear?
2 3 4
Replies
90
Views
3K
Girodin
G
W
  • Locked
How do you argue with someone like this?
2
Replies
37
Views
2K
Feanaro
Feanaro
T
  • Locked
Legitimate fear of guns?
2
Replies
25
Views
1K
Onward Allusion
O
B
  • Locked
CPS called on me and girlfriend because I own guns.
2 3 4
Replies
87
Views
9K
Jorg Nysgerrig
J
D
  • Locked
Its not hard to cure a fear of guns
Replies
18
Views
1K
Boom-stick
B
Back
Top