Interested in picking up a gun? That’s great! Welcome to the club. You may be thinking “hot damn, I’m going to go pick up something today.” That’s fine, but there is more to being a firearms owner than just physically possessing one.
Well, I guess that technically makes you a firearms owner, but real firearms owners are responsible.
There are 5 things that you should think about before you go to the store and pick out a random gun!
1. Knowing the basics
I know this may not be what you want to hear, but you should really have all of your bases covered before you purchase a firearm. Knowing and understanding the basic rules of gun safety, function, and use will give you a solid foundation and that’s what we’re all about here.
Without this understanding you are setting yourself up for a tough and potentially dangerous road. Take a class or do some research before committing to owning a gun. Cruise through our beginner’s guide to get some good information on the basics.
2. Think about personal safety and how you’ll store your gun
This is a very important part of being a gun owner. If you are in the market because you feel that a gun will protect you, that’s excellent, but you need to be realistic.
Having access to a firearm does not instantly make the bad guys go away. Firearms are not the end-all be-all to home security. Sure, they are an incredibly powerful tool, but you will need to be trained to be effective and to eliminate the potential danger you pose to yourself.
Also, you need to think about storing your gun. Leaving it laying around is not the responsible thing to do.
Is your house secure while you are out? Never.
Do you have kids? Pretty much anything other than locking it up is out the window now.
Do some research on keeping guns out of the wrong hands. There are definitely options, but you will need to have these in place before you bring a gun home.
3. Ask yourself why you need it and how you’ll use it
This seems to be something that we all fail to remember. Many people, myself included, have bought a gun just for the hell of it. This is not necessarily a bad thing.
We are all enthusiasts! However, it’s not a bad idea to think about why you need it and how you’ll use it. This can save some headache.
If you want a gun for home defense, than you should buy a gun that is good for home defense! If you want to carry concealed, maybe you should look at compact guns instead of full size ones, unless you’re just that ambitious. If you’re just buying a gun to say you have one and keep in a drawer, you might want to think deeply about this decision.
Regardless, it is your right to buy and own a gun in the way you see fit. But please, at least do it safely and responsibly so you don’t end up on the news!
4. The cost of shooting and maintaining
Being a firearms owner/enthusiast is an expensive interest. Guns are expensive. Ammo is expensive. Range fees are expensive. And if you haven’t caught it yet, “black rifle disease” is wildly expensive.
There is a lot more to think about financially than just the initial purchase of a gun. You need to think about the things listed above and if you can realistically afford to do it. Of course there are options for a shooter on a budget, but if you don’t have a lot of money to drop on ammo, then maybe you shouldn’t get a .45.
Buying a gun can be compared to buying a car. There is the initial investment, but there will always be a reason to shell out some more cash. You will want to upgrade a part, a part will break, you need to do maintenance, and most importantly, you need to feed it!
Ammo for a gun is like gas for a car, you will always need to buy more of it. Then there’s the secondary costs that you might not think about, such as a gun safe, training, accessories, range gear, and anything else you may want. Just some food for thought because you amount of gun stuff you can buy is endless.
5. Laws! Learn the damn laws
This is pretty cut and dry. Learn about gun laws on a federal, state, and local level. You are granted the right to keep and bear arms by the 2nd Amendment on a federal level, but each state is different in how they regulate guns.
Double check your laws before you do something like buy a gun off craigslist, open carry, or use for home protection. Check up on if your state has a castle doctrine, duty to retreat, etc.
Know the ins and outs of you possessing a gun in your state, both concealed, open, and also at home. Also make sure to know your rights. Master the 1st, 2nd, and 4th amendments because these are incredibly important.
If you do your research, you should not ever have to worry about the government interfering in your personal life. Gun-wise, at least.
You can still go buy a gun, but if you think about some of these things, it will make your life easier in the long run. Can’t say I didn’t try!
