MaBelle Posted January 5, 2020 Posted January 5, 2020 If so, how proficient do you feel you should be before you are armed? I'm not talking basic safety, that's a given. I mean what percentage of shots should you make, if not on the bullseye at least in the circle? Quote
prairiewindmomma Posted January 5, 2020 Posted January 5, 2020 (edited) IMO, carrying a gun is a liability to everyone around you until you can carry safely (trigger lock) and until you can use it effectively. I 100% believe you should not only be able to hit a target but also deal with moving targets and less than ideal conditions. My Dad was in law enforcement and a sharpshooter, and that has shaped my beliefs. It’s not that hard to become that proficient. It’s just time and money for the rounds and the range time. ETA: inside the small circle at 75’ 80-90% of the time.... Edited January 5, 2020 by prairiewindmomma 7 Quote
MaBelle Posted January 5, 2020 Author Posted January 5, 2020 (edited) 7 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said: IMO, carrying a gun is a liability to everyone around you until you can carry safely (trigger lock) and until you can use it effectively. I 100% believe you should not only be able to hit a target but also deal with moving targets and less than ideal conditions. My Dad was in law enforcement and a sharpshooter, and that has shaped my beliefs. It’s not that hard to become that proficient. It’s just time and money for the rounds and the range time. That's how I feel. I've got two sons in law enforcement (one of them the best shot in our state police academy in 50 years) and they are my trainers. I suck at moving targets. 80% on stills. But I still carry when I'm riding alone. Had an eye opening encounter once. My guns are for short range personal protection. But if I were carrying in church I'd be looking for someone to hand my gun off to if there was a problem. We have our own range, I just always have something else to do. New Year's resolution to improve my percentage. Edited January 5, 2020 by MaBelle 5 Quote
G5052 Posted January 5, 2020 Posted January 5, 2020 My son is an MP in the Army National Guard, and I know what he does to keep his skills sharp because he may have to use them one day. I know moms in my area who do and who have had very, very little training and practice. It scares me. So if I ever do, it would be with a commitment to getting full trained and practiced on an ongoing basis. 2 Quote
Ottakee Posted January 5, 2020 Posted January 5, 2020 21 minutes ago, G5052 said: My son is an MP in the Army National Guard, and I know what he does to keep his skills sharp because he may have to use them one day. I know moms in my area who do and who have had very, very little training and practice. It scares me. So if I ever do, it would be with a commitment to getting full trained and practiced on an ongoing basis. I took the concealed carry class and could legally carry (with the permit) but I feel the same way. I do not in any way feel prepared at Thai moment to carry. My brother took several classes starting with guns 101 ...how they work, parts of them, safe handling, etc. Then he took the concealed carry class and then several more plus quite a bit of time at the range. He doesn't carry either. I am all for the right to carry but I want those that do to be well trained in proper use, how to shoot under pressure, etc. As we can see from so many questionable police shootings....even those with training struggle under pressure. 4 Quote
Jaybee Posted January 5, 2020 Posted January 5, 2020 I don't carry. I don't have a problem with others doing it, but I personally don't want to. If I did, I'd want to feel very confident in my skills with the gun because I'd practiced regularly and had good training. I'd feel better if others who carried had that too, but I'm afraid many people overestimate what their skills would be under pressure. 2 Quote
TheReader Posted January 5, 2020 Posted January 5, 2020 1 hour ago, prairiewindmomma said: IMO, carrying a gun is a liability to everyone around you until you can carry safely (trigger lock) and until you can use it effectively. I 100% believe you should not only be able to hit a target but also deal with moving targets and less than ideal conditions. My Dad was in law enforcement and a sharpshooter, and that has shaped my beliefs. It’s not that hard to become that proficient. It’s just time and money for the rounds and the range time. ETA: inside the small circle at 75’ 80-90% of the time.... This. I don't carry, but debate doing so. If I were to carry.....I'd want to be *very* accurate, *very much* of the time. Without that confidence, I don't know that it's worth the risk. Quote
Joker Posted January 5, 2020 Posted January 5, 2020 I don't carry. I feel that anyone who does should have to show proficiency and practice often. My mom carries but hasn't actually shot a gun in at least 40 years. 🤬 That shouldn't be legal, IMO. 4 Quote
Selkie Posted January 5, 2020 Posted January 5, 2020 9 minutes ago, Joker said: I don't carry. I feel that anyone who does should have to show proficiency and practice often. My mom carries but hasn't actually shot a gun in at least 40 years. 🤬 That shouldn't be legal, IMO. Didn't she have to take a training class for concealed carry? In our state, you have to pass a shooting test as part of the training. Quote
Joker Posted January 5, 2020 Posted January 5, 2020 (edited) 15 minutes ago, Selkie said: Didn't she have to take a training class for concealed carry? In our state, you have to pass a shooting test as part of the training. There is no training required in my state. ETA: My state is one of the least restrictive. You can carry at 18 and you don't have to prove you know what you're doing. It's not OK. Edited January 5, 2020 by Joker 3 Quote
Katy Posted January 5, 2020 Posted January 5, 2020 We don't, though the adults in our family are allowed to. Also daughter of a law enforcement officer and sharpshooter. My dad wanted me to carry more often, but he also wanted me to practice shooting 3x+ per week. I have neither the time nor the desire for that. Also we live in safe neighborhoods with fast police response and we are often foster parents. None of that would make me feel that it would be safer to be armed. I think that you need to practice until it is muscle memory to hit the target inside circle 95% of the time. And by muscle memory it should be SO automatic you don't feel the need to think through the steps or timing your breathing, you just automatically do it, easily, without thinking, with adrenaline and without. Honestly from what I heard not many people in the military are that good, but that's my personal standard. If/when we move far enough out in the country that police response might be a minimum of an hour if it's really an emergency, or a couple of days if something happened that demands police response but it isn't an emergency I would probably be more relaxed about it. But I don't feel the need to take that risk here and now. However I also tend to have pretty poor situational awareness unless someone is specifically giving me the creeps or I have intuition something is wrong and I need to be careful. I could totally see it taking 10-30 seconds for it to even register with me that someone is shooting in my church. 2 Quote
Selkie Posted January 5, 2020 Posted January 5, 2020 10 minutes ago, Joker said: There is no training required in my state. Yikes... Quote
Joker Posted January 5, 2020 Posted January 5, 2020 (edited) 7 minutes ago, Selkie said: Yikes... Yep. I've been on my way into a store before and watched some random person shove a gun in the back waist band of their jeans. I leave because I don't want to knowingly be around that kind of stupid and dangerous. It definitely has shaped how safe I feel in some places. I live in a place that needs stronger requirements. Edited January 5, 2020 by Joker 1 Quote
prairiewindmomma Posted January 5, 2020 Posted January 5, 2020 MaBelle, I know a lot of people who carry while riding also....make sure your horse is spook proofed. Quote
Reefgazer Posted January 5, 2020 Posted January 5, 2020 2 hours ago, Selkie said: Yikes... Don't even need a permit to open carry in my state. Quote
SamanthaCarter Posted January 5, 2020 Posted January 5, 2020 (edited) I don’t, but two of my sisters do. All five of us siblings learned to shoot from our dad, and are pretty good shots. I don’t think of myself as able to do the calm under pressure that you need for a well placed shot. Did any watch the video of the shooting in TX? That kind of reaction speed, calm (no attempt to jump to cover, loosing time) and well placed shot was phenomenal. I do believe my father could do it. He shoots regularly and in his 17 years in the military, he constantly impressed people at his skill (he was medic, they were astonished because they didn’t expect much). In his civilian years, he’s has on at least one occasion lost an anesthesia patient on the operating table from a self inflicted accidental discharge. I remember him speaking of one where the guy had the gun in his pants, shot himself in the leg and bled out. 😭 So it goes without saying my sisters are careful and competent, but in an emergency, I really don’t think either would be fast and certain enough to be much help. 😉 Edited January 5, 2020 by SamanthaCarter Quote
maize Posted January 5, 2020 Posted January 5, 2020 10 minutes ago, Arctic Mama said: The good news is that, when you’re carrying, you always have a choice whether to draw or not. In my experience, the weight and responsibility of being armed makes me hyper aware of what risks I can and cannot take on. It makes me much LESS likely to make a risky shot in poor lighting or what have you, not more. I don't see how it is possible to be less likely to make a risky shot if you are armed than if you aren't; how would you make any shot unarmed? 3 Quote
fairfarmhand Posted January 5, 2020 Posted January 5, 2020 1 hour ago, SamanthaCarter said: I don’t, but two of my sisters do. All five of us siblings learned to shoot from our dad, and are pretty good shots. I don’t think of myself as able to do the calm under pressure that you need for a well placed shot. Did any watch the video of the shooting in TX? That kind of reaction speed, calm (no attempt to jump to cover, loosing time) and well placed shot was phenomenal. I do believe my father could do it. He shoots regularly and in his 17 years in the military, he constantly impressed people at his skill (he was medic, they were astonished because they didn’t expect much). In his civilian years, he’s has on at least one occasion lost an anesthesia patient on the operating table from a self inflicted accidental discharge. I remember him speaking of one where the guy had the gun in his pants, shot himself in the leg and bled out. 😭 So it goes without saying my sisters are careful and competent, but in an emergency, I really don’t think either would be fast and certain enough to be much help. 😉 If I remember correctly, the Texas shooter guy owned a shooting range. I can imagine he shoots a LOT! 1 Quote
mom2scouts Posted January 6, 2020 Posted January 6, 2020 18 hours ago, Reefgazer said: Don't even need a permit to open carry in my state. My state requires a permit for concealed carry, but anyone is able to open carry. Quote
MaBelle Posted January 6, 2020 Author Posted January 6, 2020 On January 4, 2020 at 10:29 PM, prairiewindmomma said: MaBelle, I know a lot of people who carry while riding also....make sure your horse is spook proofed. My horses are rock solid. Our shooting range is right next to their pasture and they're frequently at the range for desensitizing. 1 Quote
MaBelle Posted January 6, 2020 Author Posted January 6, 2020 20 hours ago, Margaret in CO said: On that note, does anyone have a favorite carry purse? I got two on Amazon but I usually use only carry when riding so I use a holster that fits below my knee. Easy to reach on the horse. Quote
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