A First Handgun, For A First Timer

Anyone who has ever been to a public shooting range a few times has probably seen the need for safety training. The problem with making it a requirement for buying a pistol or rifle is you are opening the door to restrictions on the 2nd Amendment.

However, I have no problem with making it mandatory as part of CHL training. We do have a smattering of it in Texas CHL classes.

Well, I think Texas has the right idea, not Georgia. My son, who lives in GA, told me that he just went and applied for a CHL permit and got it. At least in TX you have to have some amount of classroom training and must prove you can hit the broadside of a barn (a very large barn).

I lent my Glock 17L to a friend to take the CHL class with. Well they ran late and ran out of daylight so he was shooting in the dark and couldn't see the sights. He still shot well enough to pass the test.

Speaking of him: when his father died, he got Dad's guns. Along with the Python was a couple of semi-autos, one of which was in 40S&W and was the compact version. He bought some snap-caps for it and did some practicing at home. Turns out that was a very bad idea.

When I took him to the range, I wasn't watching him closely enough and he got the thumb of his weak hand nicked by the slide. After a bandage, he proceeded to continue shooting. Fortunately he heard me yelling: "Stop, Stop, Stop". He had his weak hand, bandaged, thumb wrapped around the back of his strong hand. The slide would have nailed him again. He had muscle memory of doing it wrong.

One day at Bass Pro Shops they had to send for an ambulance because one guys hand was cut so badly. The RO told me he was sitting on the floor holding his hand trying to stop the bleeding.

TBT, sometimes you have to protect people from themselfs.

You also have a right to own as many automobiles as you want. However, in order to drive one on public roads, you have to prove your ability to operate one without endangering yourself or those around you.

Having spent several years as a Range Officer, I've seen a lot of people hurt, some when shooting my guns, which I thought they knew how to use. I've also seen people turn their body and point a loaded gun at someone they were talking to, and their finger was on the trigger. Range Officers don't have a problem with constipation.

I will have to admit, that I wasn't for everyone owning a 1911 because the nature of not knowing how to properly handle the pistol, safely, without incident.

Being the military in a combat zone, allows a young man to learn certain survival skills, one being how to use his head for more than a hat rack.

Cutting to the chase; It was in Vietnam when I learned about "Hammer Follow" with a G.I. 1911A1 Colt .. I was in a culvert late one night when I went to chamber the first round, from a fully loaded magazine. The pistol fired, without me making any attempt to discharge the round. Fortunately, nobody was injured as the result, but it weighed on me for years, and I never got over it. The guy that I passed it onto, had the same problem, but nobody was hurt then.

Many years had passed, until I decided to buy my Colt Combat Commander. I was already well into revolvers, but my ignorance was still lacking the proper safe handling of the 1911. Then one day, I began making trips to see a gun smith about getting some work done on my 1911's. At first, I was trying to get some work done my Colt Officers Model, because it was shooting way too low.

Then one day, I took my Commander to his shop because the firing pin stop was falling out, causing the pistol to lock up. I had already ordered the over sized block from EGW, I just needed someone to fit it.

The gun smith took one look at the Commander and pulled out his own personal carry piece from his holster; He too had the same pistol !
I let him talk into having a few things done to the pistol, one was a trigger job. Back then I spent a good amount of time at the range, and it was no time, that I would find out about "Hammer Follow" again.

Just a reminder; The Commander is designed like the Series 70 and Pre-Dated 1911s from the past, before Colt began installing the firing pin safety levers.

I was at the Range, with my Commander pointing down range, while I began to chamber the first round, all of the sudden the pistol went into full automatic, until the last round was fired. Fortunately, there was no incident, except me having a accidental mishap, due to my own ignorance.

I went back to the gun smith and I told him had happened; I talked a little and he told me that he would check out everything.

He didn't tell me what I did wrong , he just told me that I needed to get educated about the pistol. As soon I picked up my pistol, I began ordering every book, every periodical, and every video that I could find on the 1911. I soon quickly learned how to plant information about the pistol firmly between my ears, after constant reading, looking at the video, and practical applications . That was the best advice the gun smith had told me; and I never went back. Just another bit of information, that before I had the INTERNET to rely on.

Tman,

Nothing but respect for your opinion and I totally get what you are saying to an extent. While pure in intent, the first thing that comes to mind is setting ourselves up for abuse of such a thing. We simply do not have a government that we can trust with such a regulation. The dangers of putting that kind of power in their hands far outweigh the danger of an accidental discharge by an untrained firearm owner.

Another thing that comes to mind is the frequency of accidents that could have been prevented with proper training. Accidental discharges are usually the result of carelessness and not a lack of knowledge of the weapon. You can't train stupid out of people.

On a final note, it is my belief that the Constitution does not protect our right to purchase or drive automobiles directly as it does firearms. Our right to arm ourselves is above all a right to self preservation and the ability to remain free of tyranny and oppression. It is a right of the most basic sort that transcends material goods and conveniences like automobiles and transportation in general.

That is absolutely absurd DA. On what grounds did they make you jump through those hoops? PA is shall issue and I love it. People ask me all the time how they can get a permit to carry and I ask them what county they are in (around here it's either Allegheny or Westmoreland) and usually hear Westmoreland. At that I tell them to jump on the internet and print out the form, mail it in with $20 and wait a couple weeks until it arrives. I also point out that getting a permit is the easy part. Knowing the full breadth of the decision to carry is the real weight behind it all. Research (as you pointed out above DA) is essential. Know your firearm, know how to use it, know the laws, and know full well the responsibility of choosing such a task and the life altering decisions that might have to be made in the blink of an eye.

I've never had any formal carry or firearms training myself. I'm self taught. My parents didn't like guns and I grew up in a house devoid of them. I made the decision to own and carry a firearm after having a several instances hit close to home (one being a friend of mine murdered as he walked in the door after work with his wife and infant daughter already killed) and I made the commitment to learn and train until I felt comfortable with the decision. I train to this day. Rarely do I "punch paper" at the range.

In the ongoing weeks ahead, I hope that all us on this forum might provide information on the proper and safe handling of handguns, for those in need of it.

TBT; I wished that was true, but I the was only one kicking my heels up. I have been keeping a record on this police for almost two years, and now my day has come.

DoubleAction

December 22nd, 2009
11:00 pm
Happy Trails Jeff Turner; It’s About Time.

That is why we have Elected Officials in this county !!!!

Good Job Everyone !!!!


*Pity The Fools In CC : Double A ; You sure called that one !!!

Pity The Rest of The Fools

blogs.ajc.com/clayton-talk/2009/12/21/this-and-that-in-clayton/comment-page-1/

Now we come to the handguns that most us don't recommend for a first handgun for a first timer.

For obvious reasons, I don't recommend the 1911 as the first handgun, for anyone who is not familiar with it's operation, internal functions, and internal safety features. This might hold true with all my choices.