First impressions are essential, in shooting probably more than in a lot of other things.
Bringing new shooters into the gun fold is the only chance we have to keep our sport and our rights alive. But if we set them up for failure, we are working against ourselves.
When you take someone to shoot for the first time, please use a gentle caliber like .22, and please let them dry fire a number of times, with you watching, so you can be sure they won’t be hurt by the real thing. Then work them up to a full power caliber only as the demonstrate both the skill to handle it, and the desire. When you take the time to do that, you might just find you have created a life long ally.
I ran across this video on EveryDayNoDaysOff, full of negligent discharges, scope kisses, and other gun mishaps. Some are accompanied by laughter from the companions of the shooters, which seems to tell me that the shooters were set up for failure. Many of them are people who are obviously shooting for the first time, either a certain gun, or for the first time altogether.
So, when you watch this video, note both the Negligent Discharges for their safety teaching value, and the first time shooters, for their lesson.
