Went to the range yesterday to practise. There was a guy who checked in ahead of me who had just bought a Glock for home defence. He was talking to the staff member who checked him in, and got a bit of extra help. It was this guy's first time at the range ─ ever.So...he was put in the lane next to mine. This was an adventure. I was sort of praying at first that the wall between lanes was strong enough, cos I had a bad feeling about this.First indicator something was not good: The guy had never been to a range before, so he asked me how to put his paper up. Ooookay. Which was something I didn't mind showing him. I did find it dismaying that the guy was trying to clip the paper diagonally to the angled bits of cardboard, rather than the level parts. Corrected that, helped him figure out the motorised track system, then went back to my lane.Then, apparently because I was helpful, he came over and asked me the correct way to load his magazine. I started demonstrating how to do it, and in the end I found out that he actually didn't need the whole drill, but "just" wanted to know if he was putting the cartridges in facting the right direction. (No, I'm not kidding.) He went on to shoot. He seemed to be an okay shot for someone who was totally green. I didn't see him miss the paper at three yards (where I started him, advising him to focus on fundamentals first).Then came the hilarious part. He came over and asked me why his 'clip' (I gently corrected him, lest he run into a real gun fanatic later) kept falling out almost every time he fired. At this point, logic said he was likely hitting the mag release while shooting, due to improper grip. I went through proper grip, as well as indexing (which he questioned the safety of, ironically, so I explained, and also highlighted the four pillars of safety). He went back to his lane, and that must have been it, as he apparently no longer had the problem.I actually walked behind him to see how he was doing, and saw him rack the slide. He was riding it forward. soft sigh I gently clued him in to the need to let it slingshot and why. Ironically, and as if the universe sought to drive home my point, he immediately had what appeared to be a double-feed, at which point I said he should place the gun on the bench facing downrange and go get the RSO, because I wasn't comfortable clearing anyone else's malfunctions.In speaking with him, I found out that he lived in a bad area where there had been break-ins and break-in attempts, and he had just bought the Glock at a pawn shop for home defence and open carry in Kentucky.Now, what gets me is that he could obviously afford a firearm, he walked in and paid with a crisp $100 bill (and barely dented it), but he didn't bother to get training. It's the same range at which I received my own training, so there's really no reason not to. To his credit, he at least was trying to figure it out on his own before he needed it, rather than just wing it when his life was on the line. Which is good, but he could have gone so much farther than he did if he'd spent $50 and two hours with an instructor.If you're new, and you haven't sought training, please, please do so, for your safety as well as the safety of those around you. Buying a firearm for self-defence, I'm totally onboard with that. However, simply buying one is only the beginning of the process. It should be a life-long endeavour you commit to, in terms of training, education, keeping up to date with the laws, etc. Be able to defend yourself, but please seek at least minimal pistol safety and operation training.One problem I've noticed in this community is that everyone seems to jump in asking about the best holsters, belts, carry positions, etc. You occasionally see someone ask about defensive training. It's rare that I see anyone pop in and ask about basic safety and operation training. I'd love to see someone hop in and ask, "Where's the best place to learn self-defence law?" No, training and the law are not as sexy as the actual gear and such. However, they're just as imperative.You can't expect to defend your life properly or successfully if you don't have the fundamentals down. Before a certain point, you're more of a hazard than a help to yourself. So please, do seek at least basic training, if you haven't already. via /r/CCW http://ift.tt/2sm7vZ0
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