Mandatory Gun Training?

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  • Doublehelix

    Master
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    15   0   0
    Jun 20, 2015
    1,874
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    Westfield
    What??? Mandatory gun training? Are you nuts????

    If anyone had suggested that we should have mandatory gun training to get a LTCH card two weeks ago, I would have yelled, screamed, called their mother some nasty names and would have suggested that they probably voted for Hillary.

    I am all about LESS regulations and government control, and am a huge supporter of Constitutional Carry. It is our 2A right to carry without the government getting in the way.

    The only reason I am making this controversial post is because I have had the crap scared out of me TWO TIMES in about a week by careless, wreckless gun owners that need to be taken out to the woodshed and whipped.

    About a week ago, I was at an indoor range where some guy came in with two teen aged boys, and pulled an AR-15 (or some similar facsimile) and started waving it all around sweeping every corner of the range including me and the two boys. He then pulls out a screwdriver, has the rifle pointed at the boys, and starts working on something on the gun. I packed up left within seconds.

    Then on Friday, I had a woman work colleague come into town from Dayton, OH for some meetings, and at lunch we got to talking and somehow the topic of guns comes up, and as it turns out, she has an OH carry permit and carries a small Ruger revolver with her at all times (she had it in the car during lunch).

    We go to our meetings, and then I take her back to her car at about 4:30, and while she is getting in her car, I check my phone and was answering a message when I hear this knock at my window (startled me half to death). It was my colleague. I open my window, and the next thing you know, she pulls out her Ruger and pokes it at me through the window for me to look at. The gun was pointed right at my chest, AND SHE HAD HER FRIGGIN' FINGER ON THE TRIGGER!!! What the....???

    Of course I totally freak out and yell at her to never point the gun at me as I push the barrel away from my chest (bad reaction, but it was instinctual). I asked her what the hell she was doing, and of course, she was apologetic and just wanted me to see her gun. I asked her why the hell she was pointing it at me and why she had her finger on the trigger. She said that it was just natural for her when she picked up her gun to have her finger on the trigger. UGH!

    After my heart stopped racing, I explained Col. Cooper's gun safety rules, and why I wanted to slap her (just kidding), and of course she looked at me doe-eyed and nodded like she thought I was a crazy old coot.

    I guess you can't teach stupid, but this kind of stuff is what gives responsible gun owners a bad name.

    Of course I realize that mandatory training is bad thing for so many reasons, but what the heck can we do about idiot gun owners that don't have a clue how to handle a gun? There has got to be some way to teach them the right way to handle their firearm.

    I know it is going to take me a few days to calm down about that last situation, and maybe I will be able to think more clearly about things after a day or so, but this kind of behavior is just unacceptable. For those of us that are around guns all the time, gun safety is second nature (or should be), but for these novice, first-time gun owners exercising their God-given 2A rights, we *ALL* need to be on board to help them learn the ropes.

    I plan to have a lengthy phone conversation with my colleague later this week... It is my duty as a gun owner.
     

    Gluemanz28

    Grandmaster
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    29   0   0
    Mar 4, 2013
    7,430
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    Elkhart County
    Wow those are some bad experiences.

    When I read your post about the idiot waving around the long gun at the range it got me to wondering if calling a cease fire would be a solution to stop the idiot from hurting you, the teenage boys or other near by. Then have a RO correct the guy or ask him to leave instead of you. This forces the guy to make improvement.
     

    jagee

    Grandmaster
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    24   0   0
    Jan 19, 2013
    44,412
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    New Palestine
    Eet ain't low-ded! (Did I do that right???)


    I'm not sure what I would have done in either of those scenarios. I guess I would make that call in the moment if it ever happens.

    Theoretically, you could have drawn and shot your colleague, she was pointing a gun at you...to me that is a threat to my life. Maybe you should explain that to her when you follow up.
     

    Cameramonkey

    www.thechosen.tv
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    35   0   0
    May 12, 2013
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    Camby area
    Well, while I dont disagree we all need training, mandatory is wrong.

    I might change my tune when we first have:

    Mandatory civics classes prior to allowing citizens to vote (and mandatory voterID, purple finger ink, etc)
    Mandatory parenting classes for those wanting to have kids
    Mandatory economics/home finance classes for those wanting govt handouts
    etc, etc, etc
     

    aturk

    Marksman
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    0   0   0
    Jul 25, 2016
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    Charlotte, NC
    I'm all for mandatory training if you have a CCW. I'm originally from Ohio. Seeing people going through a CCW course is downright scary.
     

    saintnick81

    Sharpshooter
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    Dec 29, 2012
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    Bedford
    How much is this training going to cost? Cost is a real obstacle for many. I have already had to spend $100+ to exercise one of my constitutional rights. Range time, ammo, and good training all cost money. These trainers will have to get paid too. A good trainer is not going to do it for free.

    Who decides what kind and how much training is necessary? Politicians already spend enough time writing regulations about things they don't understand. Nobody has to have mandatory training or get a license to go online and spout nonsense. Don't forget we'll also probably have to add some inspectors to make sure that the training is being done properly.

    While I spend a decent amount of money and time on training every year, and I think everyone should get training, I don't think it should be mandatory. Not everyone is in a place geographically or financially where they can go put a couple hundred rounds downrange whenever they want. I am blessed enough now to be a member of a private gun club and to be able to afford to go shoot pretty much as much as I want. That has not always been the case.

    To the op, both those situations sucked. In the first I would have at minimum said something to the RO and let them handle the situation. Can't blame you for your reaction to the second situation. When you talk to them this week, maybe offer a trip to the range the next time they head your way. Maybe find some training in their area to suggest.
     

    Cameramonkey

    www.thechosen.tv
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    35   0   0
    May 12, 2013
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    Camby area
    I rank "mandatory firearms training" up there with the utopia that is Socialism; Sounds good on paper, but boy howdy do the wheels come off the bus fast.
     

    Kirk Freeman

    Grandmaster
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    8   0   0
    Mar 9, 2008
    47,968
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    Lafayette, Indiana
    The only reason I am making this controversial post is because I have had the crap scared out of me TWO TIMES in about a week by careless, wreckless gun owners that need to be taken out to the woodshed and whipped.

    I feel like you are talking down to me and I am offended. Obviously my being offended trumps any gunshot wound.
     

    HoughMade

    Grandmaster
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    0   0   0
    Oct 24, 2012
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    Valparaiso
    I'm all for mandatory training if you have a CCW. I'm originally from Ohio. Seeing people going through a CCW course is downright scary.

    ...and let me guess. They come out the other side completely safe and Ohio's permit holders have an appreciable lower ND rate than Indiana LTCH holders, right?

    Somewhat related: have you heard of the concept of "feel good" legislation?
     

    bwframe

    Loneranger
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    93   0   0
    Feb 11, 2008
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    Btown Rural
    This is common. Newbies to gun ownership rarely have a clue. They are used to buying anything they choose and throwing away the instruction sheet. Figuring the thing out as they go.

    The trigger is where you put your finger, right?

    I'm only being half-assed sarcastic. "Common sense" and no understanding of firearms leads the average new gun owner to just this.

    Where you point the muzzle, no different. "It's not loaded." on top of "I'm not pulling the trigger."

    It boils down to the fact that they don't know any better.
     
    Last edited:

    NIFT

    Master
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    Jul 3, 2009
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    Fort Wayne, Indiana
    Same subject came up in the classes I taught yesterday and the day before.
    Even with all the stupid stuff I see people do constantly and all the stupid stuff I read about people doing constantly, I am, still, opposed to mandatory training to obtain a discretionary, government issued permit to exercise a constitutionally protected/guaranteed right.

    We, as a people, have abdicated and projected sovereign rights onto others to control us by licensing portions of those rights back to us as privileges.

    Although Indiana is one of the least restrictive states, the first eight pages (8 pages!) of IC 35-47-2 address solely the License to Carry a Handgun.
    Rather than mandated training or even training paid for by "the government," I like the idea of a tax credit, to a certain level, for firearms training. That subject came up toward the end of a recent appearance on the NRA's Cam & Company show.
    https://www.nratv.com/series/cam-an...episode/cam-and-company-season-13-episode-132
     
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