We Are Our Own Worst Enemy

I went gun shopping recently. Now I'll be the first to admit that I always go shopping with a little fear and trepidation. Part of that comes from the fear of spending too much money, but a fair amount of trepidation about dealing with Gun Shop Guys (and Gals).

Why the trepidation? The inevitable misinformation that accompanies a trip to the gun shop.

For example, we were looking at one gun and wanted to try the trigger. I'll admit I'm a trigger-whore, a lot of which comes from my preference for a 1911 with its smooth, simple single-action trigger.

So we put a snap cap in the gun, and started to release the slide. "Wait!!!!," said the gun shop guy.

(Yep, here it comes.....)

"What?"

"Do you know how much damage it does to the gun when you let the slide slam forward?"

"Huh, no"

"It's terrible....you have to hold the trigger back when the slide goes forward to prevent damage to the firing pin!!!"

Now let's think about this for a moment. When I fire a semi-auto, what happens? The gun goes bang, the slide moves back, the spent cartridge ejects, a new round is loaded, and the slide slams forward.

So why not keep the trigger back? Well, let's imagine that the shopper is new to shooting. There are currently many, many new gun buyers. We have to assume they have had no training. And this lesson teaches them incorrect trigger use. Not good.

Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.

We went to another shop because we didn't find the gun that just did it for us. There we got to experience the second pet peeve of mine: Shock and Awe

We were looking at a gun that was available in two calibers, 9 mm and .45 ACP. Now we're specifically looking for a very small-frame pistol. Small frames can be hard (and nasty) to shoot. My thought in considering the 9 was that it can usually carry more rounds and the 9 mm has less felt recoil.

Here it comes....

With a harrumph, hitching up of the pants, we hear from the Gun Shop Guy, "9 mm? That's for pansies!" (It was actually another "P" word, but this will do)

".45 is the only way to go. Hit someone with a .45 and they will be knocked back 6'. With a 9 they will hardly notice it."

Not true, but not completely my point.

To summarize my caliber argument, if 9 mm is so weak, would you like to stand in front of me when I'm shooting my 9?

Here's the point:

We need to be welcoming to new shooters. We need to give them accurate information rather than repeating more drivel.

The image we want to project is a group of intelligent, aware people who are welcoming of people to our sport.

The more warm, welcoming ambassadors we have, the more allies we will have. We will have what we need, more people who understand the issues, or look to us for accurate information on the issues.

We need to stop acting like the gun nuts that those who would like to disarm us like to portray.

We need to stop aiding and abetting their efforts.