If you are like me, most of your friends are pretty savvy about guns, gear, and personal defense. We share ideas with each other, shoot together, and we train together. However, there is a growing group of folks who are concerned about their personal defense—concerned enough to consider buying a gun–but they don’t know much about it. If you and I take the Second Amendment seriously, we should never pass up a chance to help these folks.
We should probably start by taking that person out for a cup of coffee and discussing the importance of gun safety and our responsibilities as armed citizens. Lots of people talk about rights, but they forget to consider the responsibilities that go along with being free Americans. Our new friends will understand that safety is essential, but they don’t know the particular nuts and bolts of gun safety. They should also understand the importance of the law and our duty to follow it. We can help with all of that.
We can also help the newbie in selecting a suitable defense gun. They probably don’t need a custom-tuned pistol, as we carry, but they do need a serviceable pistol. We can let them handle and shoot guns from our collection to find one that seems to suit them. Our most important service in this regard is to steer them toward quality, affordable firearms, and into something that will actually work for them.
Next to helping new shooters find good guns and gear, one of the most critical assists we can make is to point them towards proper professional training. Some are going to tell you that they have been shooting since they were kids, but you can help them understand that, in many ways, defensive shooting is a whole different discipline. Good training is essential, regardless of who we are.
Finally, we can help them understand that shooting skills are quickly diminishing skills. It takes regular practice to maintain the skill level that we attained in that good training school. With your help, they can understand the difference between training and practice.
We can all take and make the time to go one-on-one with new folks who are concerned for their own safety. My home town has a very active Well Armed Women group that is made of, for the most part, new shooters. I am always glad to volunteer my time to teach this group of enthusiastic new shooters. I always come home feeling like I have done something positive for our cause. You should seek out similar opportunities–believe me, they are out there.
So each of us needs to seek out opportunities to work with new shooters, especially those interested in their own personal protection. You’ll be glad that you did.
