Editor’s Note: The following is a syndicated article by author George Harris that first appeared in USCCA’s Concealed Carry Magazine Volume 13, Issue 3, April 2016 under the title, “In the Beginning: New to Owning a Gun.”
QUESTION FROM A READER:
With the evolving current events in the United States and the rest of the world, [my spouse and I] have made the decision to own one or more firearms, probably handguns, for personal protection purposes. We have resisted this measure for some time simply due to our lack of knowledge on the subjects of firearms, personal defense training and education, the law and other regulations regarding firearms, and a host of other reasons too long to list.
You might say that we don’t know what we don’t know and have decided to take the plunge and get engaged in expanding our knowledge base. Fortunately, a friend of ours passed on his copy of Concealed Carry Magazine, and after reading it from cover to cover, we got motivated to start the process. Please help us to get started by giving us some suggestions about where to start and the processes necessary to become responsible and knowledgeable gun owners.
RESPONSE FROM GEORGE HARRIS:
I have to say it does my heart good to hear from people like you and your family. All too many people buy a gun and a box of ammunition, then get their concealed carry license and call it good with no other education or training, not realizing or caring whether they could perform successfully if they ever had to use the gun for its intended purpose.
There are many aspects of gun ownership that should be considered prior to and in the early stages of owning a gun. Some are common sense and some have to be learned.
You have already completed Step 1 in the process by deciding why you want or need a gun. Just to broaden your horizons, some people want to have a gun for recreational purposes, which might include casual target practice, hunting, competitive shooting or collecting interesting pieces of history. These, along with personal defense, are good, solid reasons for wanting to own firearms. After you accomplish your initial goal, don’t be surprised if you branch out a bit into some of the other areas of firearms usage simply for the enjoyment of it.
A good next step would be for you and anyone else in the family who will be using firearms to get a little education on types of firearms. A word of caution here is to treat this endeavor seriously by seeking the advice of a professional in the business of firearms training and education. There is so much misinformation (by well-meaning individuals trying to be helpful as well as in the media channels of today) that you have to be careful about where you get your education. When you have an electrical problem, you don’t call a plumber for help, and so it is with firearms.
Simple safety comes before anything when learning with firearms present. Two things top the list: muzzle management and trigger finger discipline. The muzzle is where the bullet comes out of the gun. It should be pointed in a safe direction where, if it were to fire, no personal injury and minimal property damage would result. The trigger is what makes the gun fire and should only be touched when the muzzle is pointed in a safe direction or at a target that you intend to shoot. There are more rules that you will learn, but these two are where you start.
Your firearms trainer should be able to easily explain and show you the differences between pistols, revolvers, rifles and shotguns (at a minimum). Nomenclature — what the various parts of a gun are called — is important as well. This will help you to recognize one gun or part from the other and start you on your way to becoming firearms conversant.
One of the most overlooked aspects of firearms ownership is handling. Simple things like opening the action of the firearm to verify that it is clear and free of ammunition when it is first handled are absolutely imperative. Firearms are mechanical devices and not particularly intuitive as to how they operate, so a little hands-on training with a professional will go a long way to you becoming familiar with firearms.
Since you think that a handgun will be your best choice for personal protection, you will need to learn the difference between a revolver and a semi-automatic. There are positives and negatives to each; however, becoming familiar with both prior to purchasing will help you make the most informed decision as to which suits your needs the best. There is no right or wrong answer here and certainly nothing that can’t be changed in the future as your knowledge and comfort level evolve.
The pistol and the revolver both have triggers, sights and muzzles that operate similarly but have differences in operating buttons and levers that should be learned to determine what the comfort level in handling might be. Even the triggers, which cause the handguns to fire, have slightly different feels and functions with enough variety to require a decision as to what best fits your needs.
Then there is how to load and unload each handgun with live ammunition to get it ready to do its job. One has a cylinder to hold the ammunition and the other has a magazine, each with its positives and negatives.
After safety, you will need a thorough understanding of handling, loading and unloading, as well as how to clear a malfunction or stoppage should the gun cease to work when you need it to work.
SEE ALSO: Op-Ed: Gun Ranges Should Allow Shooters to Draw from the Holster
While learning the handling aspect, it is always a good time to learn maintenance, cleaning and lubrication as well as preservation of the finish. A gun is like any other mechanical device — it needs a little attention now and again to keep it in top working order.
A discussion regarding the fuel for the gun — the ammunition — can and should be had prior to first firing the gun. You must be able to recognize what fits a particular revolver or pistol. Generally speaking, the .380 ACP and 9mm Parabellum for semi-automatics and the .38 Special for revolvers are the recommended starting points for defensive handguns. In addition to what fits, the differences between practice ammunition and carry ammunition must be addressed in order to purchase what is needed for each particular application.
Prior to going to the range, fitting the handgun to the individual shooter’s hand will enhance the first shooting experience and increase the likelihood of hitting the target consistently from the start.
One way to tell if your instructor is fully knowledgeable is if and how the fitting process is done. Fitting guns to shooters is like fitting shoes to feet. There are different sizes of hands and different sizes of guns. One size does not fit all! The key is to center the grip of the gun in the web of the hand between the thumb and index finger so the muzzle will point at your target as if you were pointing your index finger. Without shifting the grip, the trigger finger should be able to reach and pull the trigger to finalize the fit. Using these guidelines, blended with the comfort of how the gun feels in the hand, will give you a good starting point to maximize control and accuracy when firing.
Many gun shops these days also have a range associated with them. The new vogue in these shops is a “try before you buy” program. If you are lucky enough to live near one of these shops, you will be able to fire the gun of your choice before purchasing. This will confirm your decision one way or another prior to making an investment in hardware and the accessories that go along with it. Many times, these shops offer rudimentary training to their new customers to support their purchases.
Keep in mind, where training is concerned, you usually get what you pay for. A firearms trainer who makes a living training and educating others on a full-time basis is a good indicator of quality. There are trainers who are good who only do it part-time, but as you said, you don’t know what you don’t know. Get a good foundation from a known source and you will have few bad habits to unlearn.
Carry and storage locations are always considerations after the purchase is made. Start simple at first with a strong-side belt holster and complementing ammunition carriers. With experience, you might want to experiment a bit with other carry locations like many of us do. It’s certainly no sin to own multiple holsters for one gun.
Storage locations are designed to protect the gun from unauthorized users (among other things). A touch-pad lockbox secured to something substantial so it can’t be picked up and carried off is a good beginning point for a new gun owner. Ease of access for the authorized user of the firearm should be a consideration as well. Usually, when you need a gun, time is of the essence.
When you apply for your concealed carry license, have a list of questions regarding your legal concerns in your locality. You should be able to have most of your questions answered or, at a minimum, be referred to the government authority responsible for that information.
I’ll end with a personal bias. Each of you needs to have your own gun to use, care for and learn to shoot well. You never know when one might have to back up the other, plus it’s fun to practice your new endeavor together. It’s a lifelong process, so why not take every opportunity to learn and improve your knowledge and proficiency? Your lives might depend on it!
Discover how you can join nearly 300,000 responsibly armed Americans who already rely on the USCCA to protect their families, futures and freedoms: USCCA.com/gunsamerica.
Seldom does one gun (firearm) meet the criteria of everything required to be considered a “fun gun” for everyone – be it a shotgun, a rifle, a pistol, or revolver. My father who was an Army Ranger who along with his squad hunted down Jap & German saboteurs in the Panama Canal Zone during WWII, loved one type of gun. His pick was the (30-06 Springfield) Garand M1 which he carried all over the Canal Zone. He informed me back in the 1960’s that there were only two firearms needed by anyone. Those weapons were a rifle shooting the 22 Long-rifle cartridge & a shotgun which can shoot anything from birdshoot to buckshot – preferably a 12 or 20 gauge double barrel shotgun that are simple to shoot & clean. So, my first firearm was a 20 gauge bolt-action JC Higgins shotgun (not a double barrel that my father wanted me to buy). Its recoil was about half that of any 12 gauge shotgun, I have shot about 100 different firearms in my 70 some-years.. I received a small arms expert ribbon in the USAF in 1967 using a M16 carbine, but I never liked any of them because they feltI like lightweight Matel toy guns. For close range defense, I vote for a revolver that can shoot both .357 magnum & the lighter recoil cartridge, the .38 special. This simple “gun” is manufactured by Ruger, Taurus, Smith & Wesson and numerous other gun companied. If I thought I would have to defend myself against more than one person, I would want a pistol with power amd a large capacity magazine & one of the best is the Glock Model 40, 10 mm. If I were just beginning to shoot and/or buy firearms, I would try a rifle and revolver in 22 Long-rifle. The name-brands I have purchased over & over again through the years are Browning, Winchester, Ruger, Taurus, Mossburg,, Savage-Stevens, Remington, Marlin, Smith & Wesson, and some others. Try to buy a firearm you will enjoy shooting. The only thing more important is having a gun that has an excellent safety record.
I think of firearms like golf clubs. Different firearms are needed for different purposes, and the better you get at shooting sports, the more likely you will want more clubs in the bag.
When I play golf, all I need is a 5, 7, 9 and a putter. People that play better can appreciate the differences between more clubs than I can. These three work just fine to get the balls into the water and/or weeds.