Safety Instruction

"A 26-year-old Phoenix man accidentally killed himself early Sunday morning while explaining gun safety to two Sierra Vista residents.
Samuel Benally Jr. was at an apartment on West Tacoma Street when he said people should keep their guns unloaded because someone could point it at their heads, said Sierra Vista police Sgt. Brett Mitchell.

Benally then demonstrated by putting his own .9 mm Rueger [sic], which he believed to be unloaded, to his head and firing it, Mitchell said."
Link

Gun safety can not be learned from those who know nothing about it. Unless they teach their pupils the hard way.

Teaching a Child To Shoot

I was asked recently "Why teach a child to shoot?" Why is a question that does not come to my mind frequently. To me, it is kind of like asking why we would teach our children to use the stove, a can opener, telephone or a shovel. Guns are not evil things, and the danger that is associated with them is not inherent in the gun. It is within the person wielding the gun.

I believe that if guns are to be present in a family, the children should be taught to shoot. Each child reaches the maturity level necessary at different times, as all children are different. The average time usually occurs around age seven, when the child reaches Erikson's industry vs. inferiority conflict. This stage, often called the Latency, is a time when we are capable of learning and accomplishing numerous new complex skills and knowledge. The skills and values learned at this time often stay with the person throughout their life, and form the foundation of their personality in adulthood. Many competent shooters, of all ages relate being taught to shoot by a father or uncle at age seven or eight.

But why shooting? Shooting accurately is a task that demands concentration and dedication unmatched in many endeavors. Holes in targets that spread across the surface or clump together like clover leaves on a bulls eye is instant, nonjudgmental evidence of whether the shooter is applying what they have learned. Other sports do not have this no error aspect. In basketball, there is always another shot. In football another down. Baseball has another inning. In most sports, scores are accumulated by success. In shooting, scores are tabulated by failures. There are lessons to be learned from that.

Even though I am not a hunter, I have to consider the values instilled in a child through hunting. The quietness necessary to get close enough to game is lost on many children. The one chance or go hungry aspect of hunting, especially as referred to by Rufus Hussey introduces the child to the realities of the adult world. Do your job right, and you will be fed. Continue to do it wrong, and you will go hungry....... Or get on public assistance.

So why teach a child to shoot? If done successfully, shooting provides the child with demonstrative evidence of their competence at a skill that elevates them above the common man. Competence in shooting is not measured by time spent, rounds down range, or firearms owned. It is measured by holes in targets. A ten year old child, competent with his rifle, can best a thirty year old man who is not. The result is self esteem and confidence in oneself. That is the real reason to teach a child to shoot, whether it is plinking at tin cans, or shooting competitively.

There are those who say that if there are going to be guns in the home, they should be locked away from children. Guns should be secured when not in use or under adult control. Children do not all have equal levels of maturity, and parents will often be surprised at what a child does when the child is alone with friends. Teaching the child to shoot removes the lure of the taboo from the gun in the home. If anything, the gun safety that the child learns will serve them well when they are at a friend's home, and the friend want to show off the unsecured gun in the house.

The bottom line though is that we owe it to our children to teach them how to shoot. Firearms are a means of self preservation unparalleled in defensive circles. Even a Chuck Norris roundhouse kick is eclipsed by the power of a 30.06. When we teach our children to shoot, we are giving them power. Power to do good, power to sustain themselves, and the power to preserve their way of life. Yes, we are also giving them the power to do evil, if they so choose. What we must remember is that we must not simply teach our children to shoot, or play ball, or do algebra. We must teach them the value of these endeavors. We must teach them to value themselves. What Randy Pausch said was true. It's a head fake. Indirect learning. We learn best the things that we did not even know we were learning at all. Perseverance. Discipline. Individual accomplishment. Responsibility. Self respect. Respect for others. Confidence. Humility. These are the values a child learns indirectly when taught marksmanship. They are also the values that will insure the child uses what they have learned appropriately.

Boomer's thoughts

On Keeping On Keeping On

"The best way to address the firepower concern is therefore not to try to outlaw or license many millions of older and perfectly legitimate firearms (which would be a licensing effort of staggering proportions) but to prohibit the possession of high capacity magazines. By a simple, complete, and unequivocal ban on large capacity magazines, all the difficulty of defining "assault rifles" and "semi-automatic rifles" is eliminated. The large capacity magazine itself, separate or attached to the firearm, becomes the prohibited item. A single amendment to Federal firearms laws could prohibit their possession or sale and would effectively implement these objectives."

No doubt about it, the words which Bill Ruger penned in a letter to Congress in 1989 were the basis of the 1994 Assault Weapon's Ban. Fortunately, the actual possession or sale of magazines with a capacity greater than ten was not legislated away. In 1994, the manufacture of such magazines was prohibited in the United States. The result was ten long years of high magazine prices, coddling magazines, and gun marketing based on law making.

During an interview with Tom Brokaw, Bill Ruger elaborated. "No honest man needs more than 10 rounds in any gun," he said. "I never meant for simple civilians to have my 20 and 30 round magazines." The anger of gun owners was unleashed. In a time before the internet, in a move that would make Natalie Maines shiver, many gun owners boycotted Sturm Ruger, refusing to buy any gun made by the corporation. Some would spit on the ground and curse when Bill Ruger's name was mentioned. Even today, as the company moves past Bill Ruger's legacy, many gun owners still hold a grudge for what they deem a traitorous stand against them. Others look at Ruger's stand and see it as a sound business decision. In the political climate of 1994, the production of firearms for civilian purchase was in jeopardy. Some believe Ruger deflected the assault, not only allowing his company to continue to flourish, but ultimately to allow gun owners to continue to purchase new firearms that could accept grandfathered magazines.

Nobody can truly know what is in a man's heart except the man himself, but I knew what was in Bill Ruger's rimfire pistols. When many were refusing to buy, indeed, selling their personal Ruger firearms at a loss (as though crotchety old Uncle Bill cared) I continued to shoot Ruger firearms. The reason was simple. They were affordable, reliable, durable, and accurate. I did not have to agree with the owner of the company to continue to shoot the gun he designed. Hell, I don't agree with Mikhail Kalashnikov's politics either. Neither do a lot of people who own and shoot Kalashnikovs.

In 2001, Smith & Wesson agreed to safety standards and design changes proposed by the Clinton administration. Smith & Wesson, then owned by the British firm Tomkins PLC, also agreed to limits on the sale and distribution of their guns. Gun owners responded by selling off their S&W firearms, saturating a market, and driving down prices. As a result, Smith & Wesson was sold at a loss to Saf-T-Hammer Corporation. Afterwards, Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation publicly denounced the former agreement with the Clinton administration, and the company found itself back in the good graces of gun owners. Although the revolver line of Smith & Wesson would never again be the same, the company survived and went on to introduce their own versions of the 1911 and AR15.

During that time I discovered Smith & Wesson revolvers. Some might sneer, but I am quick to point out that owners can not sell their firearms to saturate a market and eventually cause the sale of a corporation if there is nobody to purchase those firearms. As a purchaser of used Smith & Wesson revolvers, I was facilitating the trade of the guns on the used market, and the Smith & Wesson owned by Tomkins PLC did not profit. Of course during that time, there were those who felt if you owned a Smith & Wesson handgun, you were at best ignorant, at worst in collusion with the enemy. I noticed that while gun owners wanted to show their anger at Smith & Wesson, they did not melt their revolvers down in a smelter of glowing orange gun metal and piss on the stinking hot glob to send acrid steam into their nostrils. They sold the revolvers for what they could get for them.

Today, many gun owners are angry. We have a Socialist gun grabber, actually two of them, in the White House. The author of the 1994 AWB is a heartbeat away from the presidency. Congress is full to the brim with politicians who face the same challenges that were faced in the beginning of the Clinton administration. They will likely fail, as did Bill Clinton, in establishing universal health care, peace in the middle east, respect for the United States abroad, and putting a unicorn that farts rainbows in every home. Obama ain't paying nobody's mortgage, and his cronies are going to start looking for legislation to show they did something, anything.

A year ago, there was an unofficial online initiative among gun owners to introduce new people to shooting. After the last presidential election, some gun owners have found that the people they took to the range voted for Hope and Change rather than Stability and Tranquility. Now they are angry, refusing to take any Omaba Obama supporter to the range.

Taking liberals to the range and discovering they voted for Obama is like taking a crackhead to rehab and finding out they scored another rock on the way out. It hurts. You begin to wonder what is the point of participating in a futile activity. Should that stop us from trying to advance and gain support for our beliefs? Obama was and is for socialized health care as well. Much more so than gun control. Socialized medicine will radically change my life, probably more than a new assault weapons ban. Socialized medicine will probably drive me into another career outside of nursing. I will never be a government employee again. Should I let patients suffer ignored because of a stupid decision they made in the voting booth? A decision they had a right to make? I don't think so.

This is still the United States, and people have the right to make choices. Whether I believe those choices are intelligent, ignorant, or just woefully misinformed does not matter. I have a right to make my choices, and other people have a right to chose as well. This is the United States. It is not illegal to vote for a worthless inexperienced Socialist. It is a mistake, but it is not illegal. I see no reason why I should not take an Obama supporter to the range enjoy shooting with them. It's illegal to smoke crack, manufacture machineguns, market child pornography, and have consensual sexual relations with a girl under the age of eighteen. I do not willingly and knowingly go shooting with people engaged in those activities. We are talking about a choice in a presidential election. Exercising one's right to vote, no matter how ignorantly, will not be a no-go when it comes to me introducing novices to shooting.

One thing is certain. Gun owners will eventually have their second amendment rights whittled away to a pile of shavings and a splinter if we do not increase our numbers. With concealed carry legislation a growing force in America, and the second amendment being recognized as a fundamental right to self preservation, the cause for gun owners has become universal. It's not about hunting anymore. The second amendment is something that every person but the most profoundly puerile pacifist can appreciate. The key is to get people shooting. Remove the fear of guns. Remove the fear of acting in self defense. Help people understand that self defense is not just a right, it is an imperative. When one's life is threatened, self defense becomes life. As such, political threats to the right to effectively defend oneself are assaults not just on one's way of life, but on one's life itself.

It is readily apparent that more people voted for Obama than Sarah Palin. If we only take Palinites to the range, we will fail. The consequences of failure to preserve the right to effective self defense for ourselves is simply too great. We must increase our numbers, our awareness, and as a result, our political clout in the voting booth. To do that, we must bring Obama supporters into the fold. Whether they remain Obama supporters is inconsequential if they vote as gun owners. They will not vote as gun owners unless they shoot, and are educated as gun owners. The first step to getting a gun grabbing Obama supporter to vote as a gun owner is a trip to the range. I'm still willing to help them make that first step.

I will not allow what I do NOT do to define who I am. What I do not do is a reflection of who I am, not a definition. Who I am is defined by what I do, the action I take. I am a nurse with a gun. I will continue to teach anyone to shoot, regardless of race, gender, religious or political persuasion. I will teach them to shoot so that they may be better equipped to save their own life. What they chose to do with their life and the knowledge and skills I have given to them is their responsibility. Hopefully, along the way I will have planted the seeds in enough people that I will have done my part to preserve all of our rights to self determination.

Mahalo

Teaching an enthusiastic new shooter is a task that demands competence from the instructor. See how many mistakes this new shooter makes, and how her instructor catches or fails to catch them. Also, listen for the standard lines of gun counter bullshit.

A Gun Safety Class

LIFE Magazine, March 1956. An Indiana grammar school class in gun safety for children.



A cringing class is holding its breath and ears as Officer Rod Rankin aims a 30-30 rifle at can of water in a demonstration to impress kids with the destructive power of guns. ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo


In the same magazine article, Officer Rankin is shown holding his open revolver before a wide eyed class of boys as he teaches gun safety in the classroom.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
There is no self absorbed DEA agent, no Glock Foeties, no negligent discharges, no danger and no apologies. Instead there is learning, understanding, appreciation, and respect. Officer Rod Rankin is simply an officer of the law doing his job to serve and protect his community.

What have we become in the past fifty-two years? The world is so different now. It did not have to change. We can take it back. Protect a person today by teaching them about guns. Hands on. Safely. Effectively. Make no apologies.

I'm off to the range.

An Appeal to Reason(s)

Dear Xavier:

I saw on your blog that you were getting frustrated with Blogger. I just wanted to send you a note expressing my appreciation for you sharing your knowledge on your blog. I have been reading your blog for years. It is the first one I check on my daily round of the Internet. I have learned a lot from reading your thoughts.

After shooting competitively for many years and teaching friends and family informally, I decided to become an NRA-Certified Instructor in April of this year so I could teach even more people responsible gun ownership. I'm now certified in Pistol and Personal Protection in the Home. Before the year is out, I will be certified in Personal Protection outside the Home as well. Next year I will add Shotgun for good measure. This past weekend I taught my first CWP course.

I thought it might cheer up your day to know that four more responsible citizens will soon join the ranks of CWP-holders, partly because you inspired someone you have never met through your blog. Many more are soon to follow. Please keep sharing your thoughts.

Also, if you ever visit Columbia, SC, please let me know. I'd be honored to show you around.

Cheers,

a reader from SC

A day or two ago I received an email from a reader that I have asked to publish here. Permission was granted.

While the issues I am still having with blogger are unresolved, and the internal strife at The High Road is on my mind, there are more important issues at hand. At this time in the history of the United States, gun owners face a turning point concerning who we place in office as president. This presidential election has the power to irreversibly impact the rights of gun owners, both with the power of Presidential veto and through placing a blatant anti-gunner in office as the President of the Senate. At present there is a 2 or 3 vote pro-gun majority in the US Senate. We do not need a confirmed vote against us as a tie breaker.

The next US President will likely appoint at least one, perhaps three Supreme Court Justices who will consider the meaning of the second amendment in upcoming legal battles. The narrow SCOTUS majority for gun owners shown in Heller v DC could be overturned by a single appointment. At least three appointments are likely. Justice John Paul Stevens is 88 years old. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 75. Justice Antonin Scalia is 72. Gun owners in the United States could be irrevocably affected for the next fifty years, perhaps forever. Gun rights could be erased as a generation of gun owners die off stripped of their firearms, leaving an apathetic progeny that has never experienced the right to keep and bear arms.

This is a crucial time. There is much at stake, and it goes beyond blogs and forums for gun owners. This is not a time to be bickering or fighting among ourselves. This is a time to solidify our vote and make damned sure that the right to keep and bear arms is preserved. The only way to do that is by force multiplication. We must build our numbers. Each gun owner has one vote. We must educate each other on the impact of our votes, and we must convert more people to law abiding voting gun ownership.

This email gives me hope. You will notice in the small group of students a bald man not unlike myself. A black man. A woman. A young man. A wide strata of people who only wish to defend themselves from harm. Gun ownership and the desire to be safe extends across all lines. It is a universal human desire and an absolute human right. We must not let the right to keep and bear arms disappear because we were too stupid to see beyond other issues. Without the right to keep and bear arms, the government is no longer restrained by the people. The government no longer is controlled by the vote. It becomes a monster and it will eventually enslave the very citizens it should serve.

A Recipe for Marksmanship and Maturation

When a person asks me to teach a them how to shoot, the first step is that I require them to memorize the Four Rules. This request performs two functions. First, it gives them the minimum knowledge needed to be safe with a firearm. Second, it demonstrates that they are serious about learning. It is a simple test of willingness and open mindedness. If they balk at learning the Four Rules prior to going to the range, then I will not instruct them.

Once they can recite the Four Rules, we get together with an unloaded Ruger MKII, usually at the new shooter's home to provide them with a comfortable environment. I do not bring ammunition, only the first gun they will shoot. I demonstrate how to hold and operate the firearm, how to check the chamber, and how to make a safe weapon. I focus on safety and responsibility as well as the basics of handling the gun. I assess the student's anxiety level, which at times may be quite high. I want them at ease handling a firearm. We talk about eye dominance, and I check them to see which eye is strongest. I draw a diagram to illustrate the basics of sight alignment, and I allow them to dry fire the pistol, with the expectation that the gun will be handled safely. When it is not, we back up and start again.

I ask them why they want to learn to shoot. Almost always, the reason is self protection. I explain that a person must be willing to take a life to save their own if they are to successfully employ a firearm in self defense. I make it clear that the time to come to that epiphany is well prior to an attack. Realizing the need once an attack commences is often futile. If the person has a pressing specific need, I try to help them towards a more immediate solution, explaining that gun skills develop into a means of effective self defense over time, and that a firearm is not a magic wand to make bad guys go away.

I explain that to realize the benefit of a handgun in saving ones life, the shooter must be able to hit what they intend. I explain that that a shooter who is unable to hit their target may as well be tossing lit firecrackers at their attacker. They have a noisemaker, not an effective tool to stop an attack. Marksmanship matters. Only then do we go to a range and load a weapon.

I prefer to use my four inch stainless Ruger MKII as an initial training tool. The low noise and recoil of the pistol allows the new shooter to concentrate on marksmanship. I recommend double hearing protection and safety glasses to prevent bad habits such as flinching from the beginning. The cheap 22 caliber ammunition allows the new shooter to learn on the cheap.

I like my stainless Ruger because I do not have to worry too much about it getting knocked around. The single action trigger allows the new shooter to achieve success faster. The pistol is well balanced, very "pointable," and reliable. I do not want my burgeoning shooter to have to fight equipment. I take only the Ruger MKII with us to the range. I shoot with it just as my student does. I do not want to give the impression that they are shooting a firearm that I would not. I emphasize that I return to basics with the Ruger anytime I feel myself slipping. I also emphasize that good marksmen are not highly skilled in tricks. Superior marksmen simply perform the basics better and more consistently than other shooters.

I have the shooter shoot at paper plates from a distance of about 15 feet, building confidence as we go. I keep a close watch on muzzle and trigger discipline, and am firm and clear with my corrections if need be. I teach sight alignment, and then flash sight pictures. Rather than focus on precision, I concentrate on the new shooter's ability to hold the sights on target while squeezing the trigger. This ability is fundamental to marksmanship. I place the paper plate targets on a cardboard backing. The goal of the first range lesson is two fold. I look forward to the new shooter conquering their fear of the handgun, and I expect them to be able to get all ten rounds consistently on the paper plate. I have a printout of the "Wheel of Corrections" handy so self motivators can refer to it themselves. Sometimes we shoot at the wheel of corrections itself.

If the new shooter tires before they reach their goals, we stop. I want to keep it fun. I am as much interested in building confidence, a joy of shooting and competence as I am in building marksmanship at this point. I never want the training to become drudgery. If I find the new shooter to be a prodigy or a hard charger wanting to just shoot and shoot, I will set up multiple targets or I will increase the distance to keep them challenged.

Only when the new shooter is hitting their target consistently with a MKII will I discuss another firearm, and never on the first range session. I make the point over and over again if necessary that it is not the gun that matters, but what the shooter can accomplish with it. I refrain from shooting very much myself. I am there because my student wants me to instruct them, not to demonstrate what an accomplished pistolero I am. The instruction is about them, not me.

To determine which direction the training will take, I again talk with and listen to my student after the initial range trip. I have found that many new shooters, influenced by Hollywood, shun revolvers. I present the revolver as a viable option for self defense, one with it's own advantages over a pistol. We discuss the merits of various platforms. I talk about the role of the handgun's weight in absorbing recoil. We discuss the need to stop an attack immediately through incapacitation. I explain the role of a significant caliber in performing this task. The next choice will be an slight increase in caliber, a double action trigger, or perhaps both. If the student feels ready for a change, I allow the shooter to hold, manipulate and learn to operate their next choice of handgun away from the range, without ammunition, the same as before.

If the student decides on a revolver, I move them to a Smith & Wesson Model 17 and we continue to work on trigger control. Eventually they will move towards a four inch .38 special, and then to a .357 magnum or a snubbie revolver, depending on their needs.

If the student chooses a pistol, a full sized 9mm double action gun is the next step, possibly with a .40S&W or a .45ACP in the future. At this point, I want the shooter to learn to control the double action trigger. Again, I focus less on sight alignment, and more on smooth trigger control. By now, the student should have sight alignment down. We continue as before, with double hearing protection and paper plates at 15 feet, increasing the difficulty through distance if necessary. I usually see the marksmanship evaporate, and I must remind the student to concentrate on the basics they acquired with the Ruger MKII. If their confidence starts to slip, we return to the Ruger to regain it.

During this range trip, I again keep the number of firearms available to a minimum, requiring the student to work with their new choice or revert back to the Ruger. I want the new shooter to be able to clear the hurdle of a different trigger or a larger caliber, but I want them to be able to take the basics they learned and apply them to achieve competence and confidence. I reiterate that it is their skill with the basics that makes for effective marksmanship, not a magic weapon. After this session, I encourage the new shooter to grade their progress and reassess their goals. This independent introspection is fundamental in maturing as a shooter. We talk about the best tool for the job. If they want a firearm strictly for home defense, I propose a shotgun for consideration. If they want to swap from a pistol to a revolver or vice versa, we plan on doing so for the next session.

After this point, the instruction becomes much too individualized to provide a guide. The student has taken control of their own learning, and I allow them to set the direction and progress. I encourage the student to begin thinking about obtaining their own handgun. I will bring multiple firearms to the range for them to try out. I am open at this time to allow the student to try out a 1911 or a Glock. I will allow them to go up again in caliber if they want to see what a specific round feels like. By this time, the student is no longer a new shooter. They have become a person in control of their own destiny and they only need guidance as to how to fulfill their individual needs. They are now one more advocate for the right to keep and bear arms.

Todd G's thoughts

Packin' for Protection

From the Florida Times-Union:

In most classes, the teacher doesn't point a gun. But none of the almost 40 people in a bunker-like back room of the Jacksonville Expo Center at the Fairgrounds even raised an eyebrow when Charlie Berrane calmly aimed and sighted a revolver. The firearms instructor worked his way methodically through safety tips as he explained the correct way to hold the pistol and squeeze the trigger. "Do you know the story about the man who brought a knife to a gun fight?" Berrane said. "I want you to win your fights."

Almost 100 people turned out July 19 for two concealed carry classes at the Jacksonville Gun Show. Hundreds more milled through rows of bullet blasting goods in the main vendor's area. Despite a nationwide economic decline, gun store and range workers say First Coast residents aren't cutting back on self-protection.

Jackie Miller, owner of Bullseye Gun and Pawn, said she has seen increased traffic from gun novices whose interests were piqued by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that interpreted the Second Amendment and legitimized private gun ownership.

Protection, not recreation

She said most people aren't looking for guns for recreational sport shooting - they want to safeguard themselves from crime. She has tracked a steady 20 percent increase in sales, and all of her concealed carry classes are full well before registration ends. Brenda Trickler, business manager at Gateway Rifle and Pistol Club, said her outdoor range is packed every weekend. She said the range has become popular with gun enthusiasts interested more in safety than target practice. "It's a lot about what people see on the news," Trickler said. "Some people think you can't walk to your car by yourself anymore, and they want protection."

Statistics from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Division of Licensing also show a consistent upward trend in the number of Duval County concealed-carry applications during the past five years. In 2004, Duval County submitted 1,385 applications - sixth highest in the state. In 2008, that number jumped to 4,230, supplanting Hillsborough County as fifth-highest statewide.

Miller said this increased interest is changing the face of her clientele. What used to be a male-dominated culture has increasingly become more coed. Women hold 16 percent of the concealed-carry licenses in Florida, according to the Division of Licensing. But Miller said she thinks the number of women in an average class is more than twice that. "It's not as man-centric as it used to be," Miller said.

Education for all ages

The faces in Berrane's class reflected the same trend. There was an even distribution of male and female, young and old, experienced and inexperienced. And that's how he likes it. "These classes are about being prepared, and everyone needs to know that," Berrane said. "Police can't be at your doorstep if there is an emergency, so you might be forced to protect yourself."

A woman standing next to him in a black T-shirt with bold block writing on the back silently reiterates his point: "I carry a gun cause a police officer is too heavy."

matt.coleman@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4654

Doug Freeman,
Trigger tested, but 'not a gun nut'

Carrying a gun is more than just peace of mind for Doug Freeman. The owner of Marvin's Electronics in Murray Hill grew up around guns and owns multiple weapons for hunting and self-protection. He's used them for both. In 2006, Freeman shot a 26-year-old repeat felon who he thought was planning to rob him. The man, Vincent Hudson, had entered the store acting erratically and repeatedly asking for money. Freeman, thinking Hudson reached for a gun, shot him. Hudson was struck five times but lived. Freeman said he's not proud of the shooting - but he was more worried about protecting his family and employees from a potentially dangerous man. He'd rather Hudson would have walked straight out of his store. "I'm not a gun nut," Freeman said. "I didn't buy a handgun to kill people. I bought it to protect myself and my family."

Maria Martinez
Gun-bearing mother

Maria Martinez homeschools her children, and reading and arithmetic aren't the only subjects on the syllabus. The 38-year-old mother said she and her husband are gun owners and stress firearms safety with their children. They have all their guns locked and inaccessible to the kids, but she said it's important they realize the inherent danger of firearms. She's enrolled her kids in the National Rifle Association's Eddie Eagle program, which teaches children the proper behavior for dealing with guns. "You don't touch it," Martinez said she told her children about gun safety. "If you pick it up, you could kill somebody, and they're not coming back."

Luis Melendez
Not a statistic

Luis Melendez knows what a bullet wound can do to the human body's delicate internal structures. The surgical assistant and medical instructor has worked in the Shands Jacksonville trauma unit and seen his fair share of bloodshed. That's why, he said, he decided to sign up for a concealed-carry class with his 18-year-old son. "I don't want to be one of those guys, another statistic," Melendez said. He and his son picked up multiple guns to complement their newly acquired knowledge from Berrane's lecture. Melendez also bought a couple of gun locks to keep his firearms safe. But, he's not done yet. "I'm still looking for a good safe," Melendez said. "I want to teach my son about the guns and make sure my family is safe."

Gloria Louis
Afraid no more

Living on the city's Northwest side has Gloria Louis on edge. The retired teacher moved six months ago to what she now considers a bad area of town. She's heard of shootings and home invasions in her neighborhood and she doesn't want to be a victim. Even though she admits she's afraid of guns, she said she hoped going to a concealed-carry class could lessen some of that unease. A few of her friends in the NRA convinced her to attend a class because the first-hand experience might calm her fears about gun safety.

Teaching Our Youth

Today I went out shooting with the son of a friend. Lee is a young man who has an interest in pistol weilding, as well as old military guns. He had been waiting for this shooting opportunity for months. I gathered up a box of pistols, everything from Ruger MKIIs to a HK P7, to some 1911s, along with a CETME, an Kalashnikov, and a couple of Riot Guns. I lugged a crate of ammo and all my range stuff to the car, and took off. Five days prior, I had sent Lee an email containing the Four Rules to memorize, and a short list of what to bring, including a good attitude. I instructed Lee to learn the Four Rules, that he would be tested.

When I arrived, I had Lee recite the Four Rules before getting in my SUV to go shoot. He recited them without error or hesitation. Very good! I started Lee out on his father's Ruger MKII. I had him shooting at 10 yards, into paper plates. Lee did fine with the Ruger, and I kept him on it for about 200 rounds. I taught him that 90 percent of pistol marksmanship is trigger control. More specifically, being able to move a trigger while holding a gun in your extended hands without altering sight alignment. Lee got to where he was shooting 3 inch groups, but I could tell he wanted to move up in caliber. I explained that this might be a mistake, but Lee wanted to shoot centerfire.

I broke out a Beretta 92FS, and demonstrated it's functions to Lee. He was liking this a lot more. His groups expanded and left the paper plates a bit. I had him slow down, and work to get those groups back. I put him on the HK squeeze-cocker, and Lee saw how important his grip was to maintaining trigger control. He got back on the plates, and I shot the Beretta a bit to get the point across that it was not the equipment.

When Lee was back on the plates, he wanted to try out some plastic fantastic stuff. I had brought along two HK USPs, a fullsize and a compact. They were both in .40S&W. Lee shot them both and was all over the cardboard, mainly down below the plates. He didn't like that. Lee asked about Glocks, and I gave my opinion. Then I brought out my 9mm Commander, and Lee began to get on the plates again. He really liked that pistol, and he wanted to try a .45 1911. With a Colt .45 in his hands, Lee spread out his groups a bit, and then brought them back down to about 3 inches, staying on the plates. I told him this was damned good shooting for the first day.

Lee was wanting to explore those long guns, so I broke out the CETME first. Lee liked that one a lot. He was unable to expend my supply of .308 before the desire to shoot a Kalashnikov got the better of him. Finally, Lee went to the Winchester Riot Gun, and saw why it reigns supreme as a home defense tool. I put him on four plates arrayed across 15 feet at varying heights and he was able to hit all four in rapid sucession. Now he was pumped!

When we went back to the .22 pistol, Lee was all over the boards again. To correct this, I had him load just one round at a time into the MKII magazine. Doing that makes a person slow down and really make that one shot count. Lee began to get back on the plates, then to trim his groups a bit. I instructed Lee on dry firing, and again on the Four Rules. In fact, all throughout Lee's shoot, I would quiz him on the Four Rules, and he would unerringly state them.

Lee performed excellently on the range. He had no safety infractions, and he is a credit to his generation in his respect and dedication. I think there is hope for the Second Amendment!