Have you taken a non-shooter out shooting?

Have you take a non-shooter out shooting?

  • Yes

    Votes: 157 92.4%
  • No

    Votes: 5 2.9%
  • Not yet, but soon!

    Votes: 8 4.7%

  • Total voters
    170
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I paid for lunch for a lawyer friend for answering some questions for me once. During lunch, he got to talking about his mid-life crisis and facing his fears....one of which was guns. We left lunch and went strait to the range and shot pistols. From there, we went to Classic Arms where he bought a Beretta. Today, he has a carry permit and shoots trap regularly.

During that lunch, he talked about how if someone were to break into his house he'd "just give up." He also went off about cop killer bullets. I listened and laid out the truth for him. I saw him this week at the range and he told me about how he had been robbed at gunpoint. Someone surprised him from some bushes with a gun already leveled on him. He had a .32 in his front pocket....don't know the brand. He thought about pulling it but the guy had his sites on him already. He gave up his keys, wallet and watch but didn't get hurt. He was upset it happened but even more disappointed the training he had done wasn't put into play. He also had a Kimber on his hip and I bet he fights back next time or if that someone ever comes in his house uninvited.
 
Yes, recently took an extreme anti-gun guy from our church out shooting. We went to the desert and spent the whole two hour drive answering questions and asking many of them ourselves, also spent a good deal of time dealing with gun handling and safety. Shot everything from .22's to .50 cal. He now is okay with guns but isn't going to buy one anytime soon. A halfway convert.........so far.
 
Cool, looks like we're doing our job. I've taken my fiance and my daughter. My fiance now has her CCW and a pistol and my daughter keeps asking when we're going back!:)
 
I enjoy taking women to the range. It began with my wife and her friend. They're both ~safe~, and good shots. Women listen to the part BEFORE going. They take notes. They bring the instruction books for their weapons. They seem to actually WANT to know how the weapon "works" and how to keep it clean. Then, they apply what I've taught them. It's easy and it's always turned out well.

KR
 
I try to introduce non-shooters as often as possible.

I've had opportunity to take two different people from the U.K. - one from Southhampton and one from Aberdeen, Scotland. These were memorable experiences on both sides. Neither individual had ever HELD a "real gun", much less fired one.

In both instances we shot everything from a "two-two" to a .44 Magnum, to several military-style rifles. Particularly enjoyed the historical aspects of the Garand. One of them called me a few days after returning to England to tell me about a conversation with his grandfather who thought the Garand was a "remarkable weapon". He has the targets from the .44 Mag, Garand and AR15 hanging in his office and says that he often recounts the range visit to his friends and business aquaintences.

Hopefully, the experience removed some of the negative mystique that abounds about firearms among the young and inexperienced in the U.K.

BTW - I hope I haven't offended any of our good friends from across the pond, as I know there are plenty of good people there who are not happy about the current state of firearm ownership (or lack thereof) in their country.

stellarpod
 
Yes - if taking someone that used to plink with a BB as a kid and wanted to learn a little about USPSA counts. Now they're shopping for their first auto :)
 
A question:

Does taking them out shooting actually change their politics (or help to change), or just introduce them to the sport?

I ask because I could see one getting into the sport, but then turning into one of those fabled "Duck Hunters" that looks at any gun but his single shot rifles and his break-open 12ga as un-necessary.
 
Several dozen within the last four years. At least six people that I took to the range for the first time are now gun owners and shoot on regular basis.
 
Does taking them out shooting actually change their politics (or help to change), or just introduce them to the sport?

Depends on the person.

But oftentimes introducing somebody to firearms in a positive way will remove any phobias they have about guns. Removing the fear of guns is the first step to bringing an anti around.
 
Yes, 3 friends of mine.

The first thought it was cool. I ended up getting him a Turkish Mauser for christmas one year. So far it's his only gun, but he said he has plans to buy a .22 pistol in the future...

The second one now goes target shoothing with me all the time, and has a few guns of his own. He's got an SKS, a Ruger 10/22, a Nagant, and a TT-33 Tokarev.

The 3rd one seemed really nervous on the way to the range for the first time. He kept asking "are you sure we won't get in troube for this?". He was under the impression that target shooting was illegal I guess...

I've taken him to the range a few times now, and he has lost his fear of guns. I dont' know if he'll end up being a shooter like the other two, but at least he isn't an "anti" anymore...

I have taken several others to the range who were pretty new to shooting, but not first timers...
 
I am like a missionary. I am out to convert as many people to the wonderous joys of shooting as I can. It is only by reaching out to those who have not enjoyed our wonderous experiences that we can grow as a community.

Okay. Yeah! I take folks out shooting. Better to have more shooters than less.
 
Ironic story on how I started...

Ever since I was a kid I have been into guns, shooting, etc.. I'm 21 now.

My interest didn't really peak until right before I turned 21. Two of my friends wanted to go shooting (they also didn't shoot regularly), so me, another friend, and the two girls who originally wanted to shoot (ironic how the girls were the ones to get us to go shooting with them).

We went shooting, tried out the Glock 9mm, Sig Sauer P226 9mm, and a Kimber .45 ACP and a .44 magnum.

We all had a blast, I had the time of my life! After that day, I've been researching and my interest in shooting peaked farther than the 2 girls that took me shooting.

1.5 months later, I now own 2 handguns (Sig Sauer P226 and a Colt Government .45 ACP) and 1 shotgun (Remington 870 Wingmaster 12 ga.)

I take a lot of my friends out to go shooting, most who have never shot a gun before. All of them so far seem to have opened up to the sport, but still have that fear of firearms in general. I guess living in California partly is the reason to it.

They all love to shoot, but none of them will consider ever owning a firearm. But at least they dont have a problem with it.
 
I actually took three teenagers shooting for their first time this weekend. We were visiting my mother-in-law who has some acreage in central Florida and I always take a few firearms with me as I usually can sneak off for an hour or so to get some shooting in. I have been trying to get my youngest step-daughter to shoot for some time now and I finally convinced her to try some handgun shooting. Up to this point she has only shot my .177 air rifle. Some family friends were at the house with their two teenage sons and they had never fired handguns before either, so off to the back forty we went. I gave them a safety briefing, impressed the 4 big rules on them, showed them the basics of sight picture, grip, stance and a rundown of how each gun operated. I started them off with my Beretta M21a (.25 acp) and moved on to my S&W M10 and G17. They all had a blast and were pretty proficient in keeping all hits in the kill zone of a standard silouette in addition to making some cans dance! It broke the monotony of the afternoon, I got some much needed practice in and hopefully got three good kids interested in responsible firearms sports. A good day all around!
 
introduced my wife, several of my friends, and two coworkers to the joy of shooting.

All enjoyed it, some took to it more than others/
 
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