Suggestions for reference sheet to give to new shooters

[Siderite]

I'm taking a friend shooting before she heads off to grad school in the fall. She's never shot before, and I wanted to put together a "reference sheet" for her to take with her that has some basics and pointers to places to learn more when she has time.

So far I have:

The Four Rules
1 All guns are always loaded.
2 Never point the gun at anything you are not willing to destroy.
3 Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on target (and you have made the decision to shoot).
4 Be sure of your target and what is beyond it.

http://munchkinwrangler.blogspot.com/2007/03/why-gun-is-civilization.html
Ethics essay, explaining why firearms help with equality and civilized behavior.

http://www.corneredcat.com
Website with information for the female shooter, written by a female shooter.

http://www.a-human-right.com
Website of photography and essays related to the right to keep and bear arms.

http://thehighroad.org
Forum dedicated to discussions of firearms and the right to keep and bear arms. A good place to ask questions and get polite, useful answers.

Does anyone here have suggestions for other things to include? I'd like to include more ethics-type essays on firearms and RKBA, since this particular friend is on the fence with regards to firearms and their utility.

Thanks,
Siderite

 

[Baba Louie]

Siderite
Upper right corner of each page here... THR Library. Open.
Scroll down to TFL best thread links (left column under FAQ's Guides).
See if anything therein floats your boat. Guncite is also a good read.
My favorite is the Tamara/Betty (Runt of the litter) thread

 

[Neo-Luddite]

Boy Scouts of America Rifle and Shotgun Merit Badge booklet.

Nothing much on handguns--but still the best primer on gun handling anyone could want. For my money, it's a must have.

 

[ReadyontheRight]

Ba/uu/r

 

[yhtomit]

Here's a PDF

Here's a flyer I made when a friend and I organized some classmates to go to the range (see here for most of the text, too): http://www.thehighroad.org/showpost.php?p=3245180&postcount=9

This one is obviously geared to a specific outing -- one day I ought to generalize it a bit! (And fix typos at the same time ...)

timothy

 

[RNB65]

Keep it simple. Don't overwhelm a newbie with details. Just teach 'em the basic safety rules of gun handling and show them how to properly operate the gun they're shooting.

 

[Siderite]

Thanks!

Thanks for all your help!
-Siderite

Here's the finished form:

Firearms Reference Sheet

The Four Rules(from http://www.corneredcat.com/Safety/fourrules.aspx):
1. All guns are always loaded.
2. Never point the gun at anything you are not willing to destroy.
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on target (and you have made the decision to shoot).
4. Be sure of your target and what is beyond it.

Safely Unloading a Gun (from http://www.corneredcat.com/Safety/empty.aspx):
Semi-automatics: Remove the magazine. Then lock the slide open and visually look in the chamber. Poke a finger into the magazine well to be sure it is empty. Then run the tip of your pinky finger into the chamber to be sure that there's a hole in there rather than a live round. Look again before you close the slide.

Revolvers: Roll the cylinder open and visually count the chamber holes. Then run your finger over the holes and count them again by feel. Visually count the holes again before you close the cylinder.

Before we go to the range trip, you might want to read:
http://toolazytofail.com/2007/06/14/new-shooter-going-to-the-range-with-me-read-this/
This page explains some of the things you might want to know to help plan for the trip.

Ethos
http://munchkinwrangler.blogspot.com/2007/03/why-gun-is-civilization.html
Ethics essay, explaining why firearms help with equality and civilized behavior.

http://www.thefiringline.com/Misc/library/Metal_and_Wood.html
An essay on the freedom firearms represent.

http://www.ejectejecteject.com/archives/000013.html
An essay on why guns are worth having because of the cost of not having guns.

http://www.a-human-right.com
Website of photography and essays related to the right to keep and bear arms.

Information and Learning More
http://www.corneredcat.com
An excellent website containing information for the female shooter, written by a female shooter.

http://thehighroad.org
A forum dedicated to discussions of firearms and the right to keep and bear arms.

http://www.michaelzwilliamson.com/blog/?p=9
Essay on why ballistic fingerprinting won't work.

http://www.nraila.org/GunLaws/Default.aspx
NRA Gun Laws compilation - federal and state laws

http://www.packing.org
Compilation of laws related to concealed carry.

 

[DogBonz]

maybe...

An illustration of the basic sight alignment and one of those targets that are divinized up like a pie to tell you what you are doing wrong.

 

[fletcher]

You might add suggestions on how to clear FTF/FTE and deal with other malfunctions.

 

[indie]

^ i agree on the FTF suggestions. That would be a great quick reference for a noob like me

 

[crankshop1000]

How about... Double verify that the weapon and any mags are empty and that ammo is stored away, TAKE IT OUT AND PLAY WITH IT!!!!!! Dry fire at the TV,learn the trigger pull,learn double versus single action,learn how the safeties work,learn how to field strip and clean it. Study a parts breakdown sheet. Learn how a semi-auto functions or how a revolver advances the cylinder.All good things to know before you shoot.You can do all of this before even taking a trip to the range.Chuck.