WVMountainBoy
Member
I am in no way professing to be a guru or even well versed as I'm constantly learning. I am however the one in my little social group that has the most interest in handguns and especially their role in self defense. I'm often asked by folks about CCW or gun ownership. Once we get past just chatting and it gets a bit more serious and they start asking my opinions on caliber, makes and models, carry positions and holsters, and such I try to take on the role as teacher, even though I may not have any qualifications under my belt other than having been raised around guns and having carried a pistol since I was 21. When its someone that I actually have time to work with, I do it in steps.
1. No gun present, going over basic safety rules and practices such as:
A: Never point a weapon at something you don't intend to destroy.
B: All guns are always loaded all the time.
C: The gun is inanimate, it can not go off at will or show any form of malice. It is a machine and will do as it is designed. It is like your car, you must maintain it or it will break down. Probably at the worst moment possible and it can kill you or someone else during that failure.
D: If you can't follow any of the above rules, you don't want/need a gun.
2. Handle in a safe setting the weapons I own or have access to. Learn to operate the safeties of the various models and see basic function in the most popular schemes.
A. Fire the lower calibers to the larger, looking for fit and sensitivity to the recoil (Not had many who liked touching off my Super Blackhawk)
3. Refer them to my highschool buddy's father who teaches a local NRA handgun safety course for a very low fee. He also brings some weapons to the range to allow them even more experiance.
4. Take them to my trusted dealer and let them find their weapon of choice.
5. Refer them to sites such as this one and accessory resources such as MidwayUSA so that they can get all the accessories and further their knowledge.
I've had just as many friends decide that they're not currently ready to own a handgun as I've had go through with the purchase and obtaining of a CCW. I'm usually just as glad to have someone decide not to get a gun as I am to have one get a weapon. Its easy among the folks here and elsewhere that are advocates for being armed to forget some people aren't ready to to commit to the responsibility and maturity necessary to own a firearm. I've also learned there are just as many immature 30 year olds as there are immature 15 year olds.
1. No gun present, going over basic safety rules and practices such as:
A: Never point a weapon at something you don't intend to destroy.
B: All guns are always loaded all the time.
C: The gun is inanimate, it can not go off at will or show any form of malice. It is a machine and will do as it is designed. It is like your car, you must maintain it or it will break down. Probably at the worst moment possible and it can kill you or someone else during that failure.
D: If you can't follow any of the above rules, you don't want/need a gun.
2. Handle in a safe setting the weapons I own or have access to. Learn to operate the safeties of the various models and see basic function in the most popular schemes.
A. Fire the lower calibers to the larger, looking for fit and sensitivity to the recoil (Not had many who liked touching off my Super Blackhawk)
3. Refer them to my highschool buddy's father who teaches a local NRA handgun safety course for a very low fee. He also brings some weapons to the range to allow them even more experiance.
4. Take them to my trusted dealer and let them find their weapon of choice.
5. Refer them to sites such as this one and accessory resources such as MidwayUSA so that they can get all the accessories and further their knowledge.
I've had just as many friends decide that they're not currently ready to own a handgun as I've had go through with the purchase and obtaining of a CCW. I'm usually just as glad to have someone decide not to get a gun as I am to have one get a weapon. Its easy among the folks here and elsewhere that are advocates for being armed to forget some people aren't ready to to commit to the responsibility and maturity necessary to own a firearm. I've also learned there are just as many immature 30 year olds as there are immature 15 year olds.