Chapotraphouse

Everyone else is posting good advice so I’ll just share a fun anecdote from my hunter/firearm safety course. We were practicing different carries for shotguns (empty in classroom), and the instructor called for my attention. I turned to address them and in doing so swept the gun at everyone in class. Oops! I became the “bad example” for everyone in class. Treat every gun like it’s loaded, always be aware of your target and what’s behind it, only point your gun at something you intend to shoot, and always maintain trigger discipline.

And another story - always seat the rifle/shotgun butt fully against your shoulder! We were shooting clays, and the guy next to me shot a 10ga with the butt a few inches from his shoulder - I just remember him having a very sore shoulder after that.

I used to fuck around and target shoot from Nordic skis a decent amount with a .22 and that was a good lesson in learning to still your breathing and steady your sights. I think training under duress like that is good for handling.

Also - just stay safe. Keep it locked up when not using it, treat it loaded at all times, and remember it is a literal last resort. But guns aren’t going anywhere in the US, so it’s very important to learn to use them safely and understand the gravity around their use.

Good on you for trying to do your due diligence.

To quote my mom when my dad wanted to buy another pistol - “if you’re so concerned about a home invasion, why don’t you start by locking the doors?” Ideally one will never fire their weapon outside of the range (ie in defense), and should ensure every other safeguard is in place before deferring to a firearm.

:::spoiler cw suicide I lost a relative to suicide when they were able to easily access an unlocked gun and ammo. So for everyone’s safety consider that it should not be easily accessed by any means when not actively being used. Even a bit of hesitation/difficulty in its access makes a big difference in thinking through how it will be used