We all want to see more folks getting involved in shooting. But please … if you don’t know what the hell you’re doing when you shoot, don’t try to teach someone else.
Once again at the range tonight I witnessed this fiasco. Guy brings a cute girl to the range to show her all his guns. First he shows off by shooting an impressive 18″ group at five yards. Then he puts a 9mm gun in her hand and with maybe a dozen words of instruction she’s up and running. Eyes closed, gun pointed at the ground, she empties the pistol as fast as she can pull the trigger because she is clearly scared and her friend has done nothing to prepare her.
So after this horrible performance, you’d think he would pack up and go home, right? Nope. Talk to one of the clearly better-skilled shooters in the next lane to get some help? Nope. Bother to correct her technique so she stops putting rounds into the ground a dozen yards in front of her? Nope nope nope! Next the .44 Magnum comes out. Then the M1A1. Then the 12-gauge! My shooting partner and I (and all the range staff) were just dumbfounded. The poor girl jumped three feet into the air every time a shot went off. She was hip shooting with the rifle because she was so terrified. She flat out refused to try the shotgun.
And just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, he brings out a scoped bolt-action rifle and proceeds to shoot a 12″ group at fifty yards. Have you no shame?
If a person doesn’t know how to shoot, he doesn’t know how to teach someone else. Sorry, but it’s a fact. And while the intrepid gun owner may believe he’s doing a good thing, in most cases it just creates yet another person who is intimidated by, scared of, and unhappy with guns and gun owners.
I’ve gone skydiving. Twice. Do you think I’d make a good skydiving instructor? Would I be doing a friend a favor if I taught him to jump out of an airplane with a big sheet strapped to his back? No. It would be criminal. Shooting is no different. If you want to help a friend learn to shoot, find a qualified & experienced instructor. Not only will you and your friend be safer, but in the long run your friend is much more likely to have an enjoyable experience which will lead to another happy gun owner.
Stay safe! ToddG
“If a person doesn’t know how to shoot, he doesn’t know how to teach someone else.”
Something I’ve noticed is that people like the above example, don’t know that they don’t know how to shoot. Besides, he’s a guy! Doesn’t everyone know that guys have the ability to shoot genetically encoded in their DNA? And those skills are on par with Jack Bauer when there’s a woman involved?
EAF
I had to laugh when I read this because I’ve seen variations of this time and again. I’m willing to bet the “teacher” fired his marvelous groups very quickly and may have given shooting tips like “low” to the shots going into the ground.
The worst I’ve seen is a guy who brought 5 first time shooters in the CC class he was teaching to the range. Absolute minimal instruction on grip, sights, trigger and SAFETY. Instruction was in the form of “low”, “left” and the like. He had told his students to bring their CC weapons, so one nice lady in her 40’s brought her husband’s .44 single action revolver. About 12 rounds from that and she was doing the wrist rubs and hanging way back when it came time to shoot. Three of us couldn’t stand it and took over the class. I started the lady with .22’s, moved her to the M&P9. By the time she left the range she was enjoying shooting and doing it with fair accuracy even with the .44. I know I’m not that good with a handgun, but that incident made me more than a bit leary of folks who claim to be firearms instructors and have the tee-shirt to prove it.
“Doesn’t everyone know that guys have the ability to shoot genetically encoded in their DNA? And those skills are on par with Jack Bauer when there’s a woman involved?”
An absolute truth. I met my bride in 1965 when we both were trying out for a top-10 college rifle team. There are shooting trophies in the living room. Want to guess who made the team and who owns the trophies? Extra points are deducted for an answer of “greener.”
Reminded me of a time when I happened up on the local police chief letting his wife shoot his model 19 with factory 357 loads. After watching her shoot the first 6 rounds it obviously wasn’t going anywhere but down.
I just happened to have my Super B’hawk and some mild cast loads in my truck and after less than 50 rounds had her out shooting him and his 357.