took friend shooting... suprised me

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P95loser

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I received a call from my friend today who is 23 years old... we both had nothing to do today and in our conversing he told me he had never shot a gun before. I told him to come over and we would shoot my ruger P95 9mm and my remington 870 12 guage pump....

We get out to my land and start shooting, I have to show him everything about the guns first... he shot the 870 4 or 5 times and got a kick out of it.

Now comes out the 9mm... I brought 100 rounds and set up targets every 15 rounds or so. I noticed inbetween magazines he was just laying the gun on the ground in the grass and would throw the earmuffs down in the grass as well... I will lay down my gun on the ground to set up a new target, but i will lay it on cardboard or something. This suprised me that someone would just throw a gun on the grass with no regard.

Just throwing this out there for whomever...
 
he told me he had never shot a gun before
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Why would you assume he'd know better?

If he was "throwing" it that's one thing, but, were YOU actually setting it down on cardboard?

People will do the best they can figure out in the absence of instruction (you telling him what to do with it) or imitation (you setting it down per your normal practice). It is not out of line to carefully place tools and such on clean grass (vice dirt) so he might have done what seemed right.

Sure he could have asked but it sorta falls under the
I have to show him everything about the guns first
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part. It is YOUR job as teacher to explain.

It's like teaching a child to use silverware, it isn't necessarily a "natural" thing, no matter how old hat it seems once you've done it a while. Absent a parent's instruction and/or "do as I do" example you wouldn't expect a kid to place the fork and knife neatly on the side of the plate instead of the tablecloth or napkin. At least you'd be a little out of line to get upset about it.

From now on, add it to your own "class for non-gun owners". ;)
 
nah i didnt get mad at all, its stainless and i clean and oil after every shooting...

it was just interesting to see how much care (or lack thereof) a new shooter takes in handling and safety...

I showed him the basics and basically kept a watchful eye.
 
Again, as a new shooter, where's he going to earn handling and safety except from you?

It shouldn't be surprising, it should be predictable.

Course I learned in Cub Scouts, and again at camp, and from my dad, and from other guys dad's.

But there's a lot of people out there nowadays who never got any training at all and never bothered to learn on their own.

Good job taking a new shooter out and showing him the ropes! We need more of that. :D
 
IMO, some folks just don't think it important about the proper care of or give any respect to any inanimate object including guns and tools, whether it's their tool or not. Seen quite a few myself.

Then, there are folks who don't think it important about the proper care of inexpensive or what they think is inexpensive inanimate objects. Had my niece (then 7 years old) simple drop (on a table covered with a towel) a slightly built up 10/22 after shooting it. I had a talk with her in a kind but stern voice about the value of the gun and proper handling and care to straighten her out. Not a very serious infraction as she was new to shooting and didn't comprehend monetary value and proper care, but I just hate to see a tool, any tool, misused and abused.

It would be interesting to see if you would bring up the subject with your friend and what he thought the value of the gun is (my guess would be his guess will be $200 or less). Correct him about the real value and/or proper handling from there.
 
You know that grass may actually be better on the finish than even cardboard. Nice and soft...
 
IMO, some folks just don't think it important about the proper care of or give any respect to any inanimate object including guns and tools, whether it's their tool or not. Seen quite a few myself
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Bingo.

Many other gun owners I know have no qualms about laying hteir rifle in a steel truckbed or setting their pistol on a rock. Me? If it's not in my hand, the hardest surface they will contact is wood. I have always made it a point to instruct (or show by example) those using my firearms that they are to be handled with kit gloves.
 
I'm not in the "kid glove" school myself, though I have no problem with it.

In my view......

It's a tool. If it isn't a "collectible" it was made to be used. And if you use it in the outdoors frequently, you're going to hit it on things, get a little holster wear, etc.

So on the odd occasion I set guns down in the field I do it with care but no particular concern. It's steel, it can take it. A few dings over time is to be expected in both outdoorsmen AND their tools. :)

end of my unasked for opinion.
 
I had someone at the range for the first time. They made some unkind comments about cowboys wanting to keep guns in a holster on a hip. Thought it was mucho macho and a bit over the top.

Attitude did a 180 when I told them the piece they were holding was $700 (Kimber Stainless). In no way was I going to leave the better part of $1,000 on a bench somewhere unattended. Likewise I have no intentions of seeing it accidently knocked on the ground and royally dinged.

The shooter had no clue as to the cost of a handgun. Maybe that was the case here.
 
He made it clear that he had NO idea what he was doing and you still didn't give him detailed instructions. What's the question?

When I take a beginner out, the first thing we do is a safety lecture, followed by proper handling and operation, and some basic aiming skills. By making a big deal of it, I make the point that safety is very important. That is followed by intense supervision on the firing line along with coaching. I do not hesitate to correct unsafe acts or what I consider careless on inappropriate handling of my weapons.

Do I take the fun out of it? Not according to the people I take out shooting. Several have asked if I can take their friends out also.
 
I had a buddy wrist flip my new revolver closed. I bit my tounge, but quickly took it back. I know he didn't know better, be he will when we go to the range next time.
 
I'm not in the "kid glove" school myself, though I have no problem with it.
In my view......
It's a tool. If it isn't a "collectible" it was made to be used. And if you use it in the outdoors frequently, you're going to hit it on things, get a little holster wear, etc.
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+1

If it's dry out I lay my guns on the grass all the time. I certainly don't throw them, but a little grass never hurt anything.

Plus I get better deals buying used guns if they look like they've been used, and all I care about is that they work :D
 
My dad always told me that lending out a gun was like lending out your wife amongst other colorful things. I have always taken that to mean that if you can't trust the person to take care of your wife you shouldn't trust them to take care of your firearm.

Being a newbie, direction is the best route especially now that "he has been shooting before" will open up more opportunities with other shooters so your teaching and comments are important and a reflection on you.

Good work on adding another enthusiast to the group. :D
 
Like Fisherman66 I had a buddy flick my brand new Ruger sp101 closed...I didn't bite me tongue....he's a piano player so I said :how would you like it if I jumped up on the keys and played them with my feet like Jerry Lee Lewis?"He got the point......
Now maybe your buddy just didn't have a clue,but I always tend to baby other people's stuff more than mine,no matter what it is...just to be polite.
 
....he's a piano player so I said :how would you like it if I jumped up on the keys and played them with my feet like Jerry Lee Lewis?"He got the point......
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More soda on the keyboard... :D

I figure it's okay to drop a MAS 36 or a MAS 49/56. Not like they've ever been used for anything else.
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Yet more...I gotta stop drinkin' pop while reading these... :p
 
I think Brad made a good point. At least this new shooter wasn't playing with it while you were setting up a new target. Nothing much scarier than someone you don't trust with a firearm behind your back...
 
The shooter had no clue as to the cost of a handgun.
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I think 99% of the people who don't shoot have no idea. THe news constantly bombards the sheeple with stories of cheap assault weapons in the hands of ghetto gang bangers.

To the average person, they probably have the impression that a gun costs well under 100 dollars, and even asuming graft and corruption in military procurement, probably don't think the military pays much more than that for a rifle.

When I took a buddy out shooting for the first time, he enjoyed it and expressed an interest in getting a gun. He was shocked to learn how much they costs and decided right then not to get one cause its too expensive of a hobby.

Of course, thats when I mentioned how much the ammo we blew through had cost us too.
 
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