Firearms training is important whether you need it for a license or not. Practice makes perfect and advanced skills can help prevent accidents, so why wouldn't we train?

Firearms are a great way to keep your loved ones safe and sound. They provide the firearm owner with an extra layer of protection that is not available otherwise, as well as give those around them peace of mind.

Firearms Debate

Firearms are such a hot topic of debate. The question is often centered around whether people should be able to own a firearm or not. The idea that guns are inherently dangerous is a widespread conspiracy that seems to continue in circulation. The weapon does not hold the power, the person wielding it does. With that in mind, let’s look at some firearm training statistics.

shooting by uslikajme from Pixabay

Firearm Safety

Firearm safety comes in three fold:

Firearm storage, firearm routines, and firearm training. Did you know that it is estimated that 66% of male gun owners receive firearm training? That percentage decreases to 49% of women who own a firearm get trained on shooting a firearm. It gets to an even lower percentage when you consider that an estimated 13% of people who live in a home that owns a firearm have received firearm training. Yikes! That means that 13% would include children, grandparents, spouses and so on and so forth. I wonder how many firearm accidental deaths could have been prevented with proper training?

The Dilemma

Unfortunately, most firearm owners learn to shoot their weapon and then pack it away in case of a rainy day. They may take comfort in knowing that their gun is available for the worst case scenarios. They may feel like they are able and capable of shooting if put in a position that requires action to be taken. The intentions may be all good and well, but when coming face to face with the reality of a threatening situation, there are many factors that come into play.

Have you considered the extensive training and drills required of active military members or police officers? Why do you think they have practiced their shooting so extensively? When confronted with a dangerous situation, our brains go into survival mode and our body has unique responses that are automated to help with survival. You have most likely heard of fight, fright, or flight? Once confronted with danger, our brain jumps into that survival mindset and our body has reactive responses that impair how we would normally respond. Consider how tricky it would be to shoot and aim if you are shaking. What about if your hands start to perspire or you hesitate since you can’t think clearly and you are wired to go in flight mode and run from danger.

pistol by MikeGunner from Pixabay

Why Take a Firearm Training Course?

Whether you are an expert or a navis gun owner, there are so many benefits to taking shooting courses.

• Practice makes perfect! The more you practice the better you will become in any skill set. Practice is important for any activity, but practice will specifically increase your accuracy and speed when it comes to shooting. Increasing accuracy and speed will enhance your safety when it comes to life threatening situations. It is a good rule of thumb, if you are going to shoot, you have to be willing to shoot to kill. The more accurate and speedy you can get with your shooting, then you are more likely to hit your target and put yourself out of danger by attempting to shoot an intruder and missing. (Yikes, not a scenario that is comfortable to consider.)

• You need to create safety firearm routines. It is important to learn how to use a gun safely to help prevent accidents. As referenced in the past, there are four main safety rules you need to eat, sleep, and breath.
  • First, only point a weapon at something you are willing to shoot.
  • Two, always assume the weapon is loaded.
  • Third , keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot.
  • Last, be aware of your surroundings. The more time and practice you have with these four rules, the more equipped you will be in the day to day operations as well as when a situation gets risky. It just takes a moment to slip up and have an unrecoverable accident.

• Learn proper form and position. In order to be effective, you need to learn how your weapon operates and what is the best way to position for accuracy. The more you practice proper shooting position, the more natural it will feel. Learning how to shoot a weapon the wrong way can have long lasting negative effects on your body. The recoil and response to a trigger pull can be jarring. Sometimes, you just need to learn from an expert how to have the best proper stance and how to position yourself for success with firearms. Be aware of the habits you are forming when you shoot. Bad habits are hard to break and can lead to shooting failure or gun safety issues.

training by PiotrZakrzewski from Pixabay

Conclusion

It can be easy to pass judgment on gun owners or stand strongly on an extreme opinion that firearms are dangerous. Unfortunately, accidents do happen with firearms. It is disheartening how the media can portray statistics in a way that sways public opinion. Sometimes it feels impossible to understand how an item could get so villainized. A good place to start in the interest of increasing safety and changing the generalizing negative perceptions is to start being informed and being responsible. There are so many things that are out of our control these days, but gun safety does not have to be among the list. Get informed. Get trained. Stay sharp. Keep practicing. Remember, a gun is only as good as the training of its owner. Let’s take that responsibility seriously.

References:

https://proshotsrange.com/2020/07/06/3-reasons-gun-training-important-everyone/

https://www.shootingclasses.com/blog/posts/why-is-it-important-to-get-firearms-training/

https://www.recoilweb.com/the-importance-of-firearms-training-129286.html