These days more and more people are getting their concealed carry license or have a gun in the home for protection. Some may carry nearly 100% of the time, others occasionally or hardly ever. No matter which group above you are in, safety and preparedness must come first, and in that order.
Just a few weeks ago a man in a local town heard a noise in his basement and ending up shooting and killing his son. Now I do not know all of the facts, but I believe two errors were made here, 1. Did he ask for the possible intruder to identify himself, and 2. Be sure of your target (and beyond). By violating two of the several rules of gun safety he accidentally shot and killed his son, tragic for both father and son.
You MUST FOLLOW and PRACTICE the rules of gun safety. In addition: If you are always ready you will never have to get ready; 2. Practice frequently and practice the fundamentals of marksmanship and firearm safety. 3. If you think you can handle anything that comes your way you are probably wrong. Preparedness is about training. Training is about repetition. Under stress you will only do what you have practiced doing, and may not do that very well. You need to practice all types of in-the-home and outside-the-home scenarios. Inside the home practice should include “IDENTIFY YOURSELF!”, and possibly “STOP! I HAVE A GUN!”. Practice clearing jams and failure to fire. Practice with an unloaded gun, then with a loaded gun, and practice often. Have some one observe you while you practice and point out what you are doing right and wrong.
Remember the first three rules of gun safety:
1. Always keep the firearm pointed in a safe direction.
2. Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.
3. Keep the action open and gun unloaded until ready to shoot.
4. And other rules of gun safety such as Know your target and what is beyond.
Bullseye shooting and plinking can be fun, but is not a substitute for self-defense training. You might want to consider shooting in some of the I.D.P.A. (International Defensive Pistol Association) matches held during the summer months at the Issac Walton League in Oxford, OH. If you do, don’t worry about where you place. The idea is practice, practice, practice.
