New Year Resolutions For Gun Owners

2024 is just hours away. Many of you are taking stock of 2023 and setting your goals for 2024.

As a safe and responsible gun owner, you may want to add your goals when it comes to your firearm skills and knowledge.

If you haven’t thought of it that way in the past or don’t know where to start, I will be sharing a few simple tips to help you take your skills and knowledge to the next level in 2024.

Number 1. If you’re a beginner, don’t try to learn how to use a gun on your own. That’s very dangerous when you don’t know what you’re doing. Seek professional instruction from a certified instructor. It’s the best investment you’ll make.

Number 2. Don’t rush your development. Trying to do things you’re not ready to do is a sure way to get hurt or hurt someone else. Learn to crawl before you walk, before you run. This doesn’t only apply to beginners. Experienced shooters who want to execute more advanced skills are also somewhat new to those skills.

Taking a training course on how to perform these skills correctly and safely is just as important. The learning never stops.

Number 3. Never compromise or get complacent with safety. With firearms, there are no do-overs or saying I’m sorry.

There is no shortage of preventable accidental shootings that are a result of either ignorance and sadly, pure complacency on the part of experienced gun owners who “thought” the gun was unloaded and decided to skip a step or two in the safety process.

A sad example to drive home this point is a tragic accidental shooting that happened in Tampa, Florida earlier this year (2023). Two sheriff’s deputies who were best friends and roommates were playing video games. When they were done, as a joke, one of them pointed the gun at the other, “thinking” it was unloaded, and pulled the trigger.

Guess what? The gun was loaded, and the bullet struck and killed the other deputy.

Every single safety rule was broken by a sheriff’s deputy with over 120 hours of professional instruction. This wasn’t ignorance. It was complacency and negligence.

So, make sure to memorize and understand the firearm safety rules and apply them religiously at all times.

Number 4. Always have a plan when you practice. Going to the range or practicing at home just standing and shooting at a paper target is doing nothing to prepare you to defend yourself from a real violent attack.

Working on specific skills each time and challenging yourself will do wonders to help better prepare you.

An experienced, certified instructor can guide you properly on how to make that happen.

Sadly, I rarely see anyone at the range doing anything other than shooting endlessly for bullseyes.

Occasionally, someone may be shooting with one hand. I never see anyone using a timer practicing troubleshooting skills and high-pressure drills.

Take it from someone who’s been a victim and stared down the barrel of a gun. No matter how many bullseyes you get, it will mean little, if anything, in a real-life situation that is unexpected, unpredictable, and over in seconds. Start thinking differently about your training.

And number 5. Become as knowledgeable in the lawful use of a firearm as you are skilled in using it. No matter how good you are with your firearm. The laws in your state are specific as to how you may lawfully use your firearm in self-defense. Ignorance and/or assumptions of the law are not an excuse or a get out of jail card.

If you follow these suggestions for just a few minutes each day, consistently over an extended period, you will become a safe, responsible, confident, and lawful gun owner and protector for your loved ones. Like anything else you want to get better at, wanting it and wishing it isn’t going to make it happen. Making a plan takes commitment. Working the plan takes discipline. Getting results takes time. Hopefully none of us have to test our skills in real life. But if we must, all that commitment, discipline, and time will prove priceless.

Train Hard, Often & SAFELY!