And this is in addition to a friend who hasn’t gone shooting for years, and another friend who wants to learn basic firearm handling and safety. Three guests lined up already — damn shame Lissaville Gun Club only allows one guest per month!
This latest new-shooter-wannabe is my friendly co-volunteer Delta (not her real name), who does meds at the Lissaville Animal Shelter. We initially broached the topic the Sunday after this summer’s bloggershoot, when she asked me why I was so hopped up and what I’d done the past weekend. I casually mentioned that I’d gone shooting with some friends, and she was FASCINATED. Ever since she’s been periodically checking to see how my journey to the LTC was going.
Well, this past Sunday I was able to happily tell her that I had my license. Her overriding emotion at this point is curiosity. She asked me why I was interested in shooting — whether it was entertainment or self-defense — and listened closely to my explanation of why it was both. I did a quick Four Rules rundown on gun safety, and she agreed wholeheartedly that guns could be very dangerous, but it was the intelligence and diligence of the handler (or rather lack thereof), not the weapon itself, that caused danger. She told me frankly that she’s never held a gun, never seen a gun at close range, and doesn’t know at all how they work, but that all the people she knows who shoot love it. Finally, when she heard that I was planning on going shopping next weekend, she enthusiastically accepted my invitation to go shooting once I was all set up.
Boo-yah!
So . . . what tips do y’all have for me? I’ve been reading good stuff here, here, here, and here. I also tried, and failed, to find Jay G’s ruminations on taking new shooters/female shooters out. (Jay, why can I never find what I’m looking for on your site???)
My plans so far:
1. Give her an index card with the Four Rules to memorize before we go shooting. Quiz her in a friendly way to make sure she has them pat before we hit the range.
2. Outdoor range would be better than indoor range. It’s not as loud and I can have her go plinking with a .22.
3. Cans are good — bean cans, tomato cans, the bigger the better. Anything that will go “BINK!” and either move or fall over.
4. If weather prohibits the outdoor range, try and pick a slack time of day for the indoor range. The upside is that we could have the targets as close as we liked, to start off with.
5. If we’re at the indoor range, make sure I have some spatter targets; something that will splat bright orange or green and give her instant gratification when she makes a shot.
6. Concentrate on safety basics; technique can wait until later. If she gets in the habit of safe handling NOW, chances are she’ll keep those habits.
7. Start on something small. We’re planning on getting a Sig 239 for my gun and a Sig Mosquito for training purposes; that will give the feeling of handling a real gun but the kick and cheap firing cost of a .22.
8. The outing won’t be about me. I can go practice anytime I want. It’s about making sure Delta learns to safely handle guns and has fun while doing it.
What else should I keep in mind?
UPDATE: Thank you, everyone! I agree that I’ll need to be rock-solid on my own bangsticks before I let anyone else handle them. As I wrote in an email earlier, it’s a bit scary and humbling; I feel like anyone being introduced to shooting should be with someone super-knowledgeable, with decades of experience and ten different guns to try. That being said, since I’m the only gunnie Delta knows, I’ll just have to make sure I do a very safe and good job!
Also, Jay G links. Thanks!