With my keen observational skills I’ve realized that there are now a lot of new gun owners out there. It’s great to see people taking responsibility for their own safety and acquiring the tools to do so. Not all tools are physical, however. If you have a hammer and can’t hit the nail it doesn’t help you much.
Same with the gun. Having it is great but learning how to use it is far, far more important. Now, there are people who will tell you that if you don’t meet some bizarre minimum training criteria that they came up with you shouldn’t even have a gun. Feel free to ignore them. Your life has its own realities and any decisions regarding it are yours and yours alone.
I grew up in small town Illinois. It’s not like there was a qualified (or even unqualified) trainer on every corner. I understand that it’s not always easy to get away to get training. Nevertheless, I will encourage you to do so as much as you can. You can learn quite a bit from the internet these days. Practice at home is always useful. Neither of those completely replaces hands-on training with a qualified teacher and most classes are not that expensive.
I am mainly writing this with new gun owners in mind but those of us who have been shooting for years can still use some skills refreshers from time to time. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone ever say, “I’ve had just too damn much training.”
In other words, the gun is less important than you are. You’re likely better off with Grandpa’s shotgun or an inexpensive handgun that you know how to use than you are with a shiny new premium handgun or AR platform. Let’s explore some details.
Table of Contents
How much training do you need?
If you’ve read any of my other articles you’re probably ready for this: it depends. If you intend to carry your gun in public then I’d say you need more training than if you want it for home defense. At your home you’re in a known, familiar environment which can help when you’re trying to do something new, like defending yourself from a real threat.
If you have previous experience from an old military stint or perhaps from some family shooting as a kid then you may already know the basics. On the other hand, if you have literally never held a gun until you walked into the gun store recently then you have a bit more work to do.
A basic, “Intro to” type of class is good for all new people. If you intend to carry your state may have a training requirement. Different states have different standards so it may be anything from just an online class to having to fire a qualification course. Either way, it’s a pretty basic standard and you should do more.
Besides, shooting is fun. Training is fun. You will learn new things, meet new people, and just have a good time while you’re doing so. Assuming you have a decent instructor.
Many gun stores will cover the basics
The gun store where you bought it will either have classes of their own or know where you can find someone. The same with local ranges. Ask someone. In my experience most gun store owners or employees are happy to talk about guns to all comers. Business permitting, of course. If there are 15 people standing around waiting for help maybe you should make your questions succinct.
Some stores will have their own classes. For example, in Tucson one of the local stores runs several classes every week: Diamondback Shooting Sports training. If you’re in Tucson or plan on visiting these guys are worth taking a class from. I’ve taken several there myself and will continue to do so.
What to look for in your trainer.
Some of this is very subjective and it’s just going to depend on your interactions with the trainer(s). Many of the trainers you find are going to be military or police trained. They may even still be active or reserves. It can be intimidating to be around people with that much experience when you’re just starting. All I can say is: remember that, at one time, they knew exactly as much as you do. They should absolutely give you an idea of their experience and knowledge up front so you know they’re knowledgeable.
They should also exhibit patience and awareness of any limitations you may have. With my knees, for example, going to a knee to take a shot or get behind cover can be problematic. A good trainer will note that and come up with different ideas for someone like me.
I learned to shoot a handgun with a Weaver stance. That is currently out of favor for many (even most) trainers in favor of isosceles. Too bad. I shoot better Weaver (actually I’ve kind of evolved into a hybrid of the two) and a good trainer will recognize that and just roll with it. If you’re not using their preferred stance, grip, or whatever they may certainly offer you tips and suggestions to improve things but that’s as far as it goes.
What to avoid in your trainer
In my stance example above if anyone tells me I’m doing it “wrong” that will likely be my last class with that person. Please note that there are “wrong” things one can do, like have a finger on the trigger at inappropriate times. That’s not what I’m talking about and your trainer should be pointing those out to you.
One of the best things I heard at one of my classes is this sentence: “We teach you a way, not the way.” A good trainer recognizes that everyone is different and that people will end up being more comfortable and effective using different approaches. Avoid a trainer who can’t grasp that basic fact.
Firearms trainers should absolutely take their jobs seriously. That doesn’t mean they have to take themselves seriously. They can joke around with you and be loose and friendly. And they have to be on top of safety at all times. If someone is behaving badly with a muzzle and the trainer doesn’t step in then you should perhaps move on.
Traditionally, gun skills were passed from generation to generation via family. This can also work if you have someone who is knowledgeable in your family to teach you. It can also backfire badly if your Uncle Joe, who was in the Army 20 years ago, is who you have. What you may be learning are some really bad habits that have passed from generation to generation. The family dynamic is not the same as that of a training class. I’m going to point out that beer is also bad in this context.
Using what you’ve learned
You’ll go and get your training and learn new things and have fun and it’ll be a great time. You’re not done yet. You learned new things. If you don’t practice those new things you’re going to lose them. There will be a great many things you can practice at home that will cost you not one thin dime.
The following should be done with an unloaded firearm.
- Dry fire practice is excellent for sights/trigger work.
- You can practice magazine reloads with empty magazines.
- Drawing from a holster (and reholstering) is easy to do at home.
Work on these things just a few minutes a day in the week after your class and you’ll help cement what you learned. Don’t worry too much about speed when practicing. Focus more on doing the manipulations correctly and with proper trigger discipline (keep your finger off of it while practicing all but dry firing.) You should become comfortable handing your gun. If you have the time then by all means speed it up later but quality is your main goal.
Conclusion
Learning and practicing good techniques and becoming comfortable with your firearm of choice is what you’re going for. The better you are at manipulating your gun the more likely you are to be effective with it should you ever need to use it. I don’t really think there’s such a thing as over-prepared in this area. Especially that trigger discipline one.
I try to take a few classes a year. I live in a city where good instruction is readily available and I have a schedule I can manipulate to get free to take the classes. Your life is different from mine and it may be harder for you to break free for a gun training class. It’s still a good idea and I’m going to encourage you to take the time and spend the money.
As I said above, this can be a lot of fun. Go out, shoot some paper or steel, learn something new, meet some new people, and come back better prepared for the things you bought the gun for in the first place.
