So You're Thinking About Buying a Gun

The most important decision to make before a purchase is to decide what is the purpose of this gun? When you can concisely answer this question, you have cleared the first barrier to becoming a responsible gun owner.

The next question to answer is: how am I going to store this gun to prevent unauthorized persons from gaining access to it? If you don't know what a reasonable person would do to prevent unauthorized access, or why you should worry about the "Reasonable Person" standard, now is the time to seek training, before you start buying hardware.

If you are at a point in your life where you are considering purchasing a gun, you should take training on a guns safe operation before you make the purchase. The analogy of driving a car is suitable. Most reasonable people will learn how to drive a car before they purchase a car. Before you learn to drive a car do you know if you want an automatic or a manual transmission? Do you know how powerful an engine you will need for the purpose you want the car for. You can take someone else's advise and purchase what they tell you but then you have limited yourself to another persons perceptions and bias.

It is the same with firearms. By taking an NRA Basic Pistol Shooting Course you will learn about firearm safety. You will also learn about the different types of hand guns. You will have the opportunity to shoot three different types of hand guns and learn their manual of arms (operating characteristics).

If you have acquired knowlege to determine that your purpose will require a rifle or a shotgun there are courses for those as well.