[Annie]

hello everyone. i joined this site cuz i wanna get educated about firearms. am thinking of doing some target shooting and maybe eventually get a real gun. i tried target shooting once and discovered i had dead on aim. don't believe things people say about having guns makes you more likely to get shot. could somebody please explain that? like it or not this country was founded on certain rights, one of them being the right to protect yourself with a firearm. anyway, i am ignorant on the subject of firearms and would like to read your posts and hopefully talk to peope and learn something. thanks for letting me join.

Annie

 

[45_Storm]

First off, welcome to the site!

I know I'm new here, and I hope you learn a lot from the others on this site, as I know I will. For your questions about owning a weapon is more likely to get you shot, I believe it refers to those who believe they have a bulletprrof shield on them anytime they carry a weapon, and that they would be more likely to attempt to stop a criminal in the process of a crime than an unarmed individual would. For those people who attempt to intervene during a (insert your choice of criminal activity here) without proper training/knowledge, it can lead to an unfortunate shooting of a citizen who was trying to help. That being said, it's still the damn criminal's fault for pulling the trigger, can't blame the citizen for his attempt to do the right thing, IMO.

*Soapbox mode on* May I say though that I found your post to be exceptionally hard to read and follow, and had to re-read several portions of it to catch what you were saying. Please use capitolization and proofread your posts prior to hitting the submit button. *Soapbox mode off*

 

[Annie]

thanks

Thank you for your reply Storm. I went back and reread my post and really am not sure why you had trouble following it. seemed perfectly clear to me and i saw only one typo. in any case i appreciate getting your quick reply.

Annie

 

[45_Storm]

Thank you for your reply Storm. I went back and reread my post and really am not sure why you had trouble following it. seemed perfectly clear to me and i saw only one typo. in any case i appreciate getting your quick reply.

Annie

I just had a hard time with the lack of capitalization is most of it. Maybe I came across a bit to over the top. Anyways, from one newb to another, welcome!

 

[Brent L]

Its always heartening for us to hear someone who is interested in shooting and is willing to take the necessary steps to learn.

One of the best ways to learn is to ask questions and visually observe the various shooting disciplines- there are many! You already have taken the primary steps by actually shooting and posting on this board.

The statement you paraphrased is very broad. Storm_45's answer was but one view- albeit a correct one. I propose another view which is taken by people who make that statement.

They view it from a standpoint of personal injury- whether accidental or intentional shooting. They have an unreasonable fear of any firearm, and try to discourage firearms ownership. Unfortunately, they will never be convinced that there are no statistics which support the belief that owning a gun will result in the owner getting shot. Theirs is an emotional response to years of propaganda in the news media. They have never had to defend themselves- always relying on someone else to do that job. Believe you me, if any of these folks were the victim of real crime and/or violence and lived, they would be purchasing a gun in short order!

Have an open mind and never fail to ask questions. Remember, there is no such thing as a dumb question if it's sincere!

 

[Annie]

Hi Brent,
Thank you for that explanation of that statement I asked about. That actually makes a lot of sense to me and I agree that there is an emotional response to the idea of people carrying guns -- that somehow it's always a bad thing. When I was young, I was held up at gun point -- gun was right against my head. I'll never forget that helpless feeling I had not being able to defend myself. Now I am a single parent and wonder what I would do if someone broke into our home. How would I protect my kid? Hopefully I'll never have to find out but I feel like it's my obligation as a parent to make sure I could defend her if I had to. And I've never heard any statistics supporting gun owners in regard to violent crimes, just a lot of numbers about how that makes people more likely to be victims of violent crimes. It's awfully hard to get balanced views on things.

Thank you for your reply.

Annie

 

[allmons]

Welcome, Annie!

You'll find lots of people here who want to help you learn. Part of the joy of firearms is introducing new people to this old hobby.

Errr - I should warn you that shooting is as addictive as video games. Once you start, it tends to snowball, and you want just one more gun, one more caliber, one more holster.... well, you get the idea.

Remember that the MOST important thing about firearms is to be safe.

Any questions, call on us.

Howdy from a Tennessee Volunteer!!

 

[Brent L]

Annie, my sister, you're welcome. I suggest that you get some practical instruction from a trained professional shooting instructor who is NRA certified to teach. This will eliminate any bad habits from developing and give you a good foundation from which you can build your skill and proficiency.

I'm assuming that the pistol is the firearm you shot? You didn't say...