My family owned firearms 100+ years ago on my father's side and 40+ on my mother's side in the old country (rural Italy) and after coming to the states, no one on either side of my family had a gun or knew anything about them at all. Here in suburban/urban NJ there is little knowledge of guns in general. After getting into guns, though my family was a little hesitant at first due to me being pretty young (22), I turned my mother, father, sister, brother, and 2 friends into shooters of some sort. Granted they may not be as into it as me but they all had no idea at first or were against it, and ended up loving it after a trip to the range each. Taking people to the range is definitely the best thing we can do for gun ownership.
Some tips:
- Don't be a know it all. Go easy. Most people will have a lot of ideas about guns that may seem silly to us ("thats the kinda bullet that makes a head explode right?" "is that the one from XX TV show?") EASE THEM OUT OF IT. Don't go crash course. If you overload with information you just make guns look too complex and they will probably not enjoy it as much. Show them how to use a particular gun, teach them safety, basic shooting tips, and the rest comes with time. When you hear something silly like that, just correct it mildly. "no, that bullet does not make a head explode, that's just the movies" "yes, this gun was in XX TV show but it doesn't quite do that in real life"
- Don't be overly political! All things aside, simply cause most people don't consider listening to four hours of political ranting an enjoyable Saturday afternoon. You're here to show them how to shoot and introduce them to guns, not simply debate gun control. Sure, a little bit is good, "see, criminals have guns and commit crimes anyway, so us good people ought to have the ability to train and practice with our own, just incase" but don't go into detail about why you think 922(r) is a load of bull, you'll probably just annoy your guest.
- Be positive. A lot of people have preconceived notions about gun owners. Some people think we're dumb toothless hillbillies who just like to kill stuff for no reason. Some people think we're introverted weirdos planning a murder spree. Sad to say, but true. Remember that as someone's first trip to the range and maybe their only contact to the gun owning community, you represent everyone! Follow safety, don't be a fool, don't come off as paranoid, just be normal.
- And I'm not sure if this last one is common elsewhere, but so far everyone I've taken to the NJ gun shop has seen the AR-15's, etc. on the wall and said OH MAN LOOK THATS A MACHINE GUN. Make sure you explain to them that those are semi-automatic, one bullet fired per shot, and just bear cosmetic resemblance to the military ones.