Wife agrees to learn to shoot.

[Rikki]

My wife has finally agreed to go the the range with me to learn how to handle and shoot my 45. It all happened because our perimeter alarm (english bulldog) went off last night at about 2 am. Seems there was someone wondering around our house. So step 1 i dialed the police told them someone was outside and ask for a cop to drive by. Step 2 i secured the entry points to the house which can be done by from just outside the bedroom door giving me cover as well as a completely open field of fire of 90% of the house. Step 3 waited for the cops to show up to secure the outside of the house. I had the wife on the phone with the dispatcher the entire time so we would know when they were outside and at the door.

When the cops showed up they got the guy and it was the local bum that looks for unlocked cars to get into and take any change that is in them. He never takes anything larger the coins. After everything settled down i sat down with my wife and we talked about what happened and i asked her well do you think having a gun in the house is worth it now. With great reluctance she agreed having a gun for protection was a good thing, before she couldnt see a reason to have a gun in the house. So now we are going to the range this week so she can learn handling and shot placement.

 

[ThreadKiller]

OK great, but you don't intend to start her on the 45 do you?

Tim

 

[Rikki]

Laugh no she will be starting with a 22 and going up to what she finds she is most comfortable with.

 

[cstuard]

Good deal-that's about how we started too.Just remember, it's your job to make sure she has fun. Keep the targets close and big.Could take a couple years depending how often you shoot before she is really comfortable.You may even have to fake it sometimes.But the end result of her being comfortable and having fun is worth it. And in between I've always thought that ANYTHING CLOSE at 30 feet translates real well to a center of mass hit at 10-15 feet so if the SHTF at least some of those 10-15 rnds will do some good.Best wishes!

 

[Rosstradamus]

They say a conservative is a liberal who's been held up at gunpoint. It's too bad it took a scare to make your wife see the wisdom of your ways, but at least it was only a scare.

 

[Standing Wolf]

...the cops showed up they got the guy...

Amazing!

 

[labgrade]

Decent awakening, I'd say, rikki, but please do set the record straight that she has the willingness to actually use the firearm to defend herself/family.

One that won't/can't shoot in self-defense is getting set up for something perhaps more serious than "just" pointing a gun at someone.

Perhaps an uneeded observation, but one I think important enough to bring up.

 

[Smaug]

Good for you. I'm glad something more serious didn't have to happen to open her mind a bit.

My mother was followed home from the grocery store and mugged in her own kitchen, and she STILL doesn't want a gun in the house. (for fear that it will be taken from her and used against her) I told her that if she even PULLS the gun on a guy, that will be the end of the problems.