I have a question for the ladies of our forum. Yesterday, my wife told me that one of her co-workers, (a single mother of two) asked her about guns, she knows my wife is a recreational shooter and would probably be the best person to ask. She is worried about the deteriorating condition of her neighborhood and wanted to know if she should buy a fire arm for home protection. My wife posed this question to me and asked if I would help her choose the right fire arm and teach her about gun safety and shooting. (I am a Marine corps trained Range Master / Range safety officer)I told my wife I would be glad to help out. The only problem I am having is, listening to my wife talk about this young lady, she is not the brightest bulb on the tree. dont get me wrong, In my years on the range I have seen many a male that had no buisness handeling a fire arm. and I encourage anybody who wants to take an active roll in their own deffence. I guess my question comes in now. " to teach or not to teach?" help me out here ladies. Thanks [:)>]

Even the dimmest star in the sky can be taught to keep their gun away from their kids, keep their finger off the trigger, and to keep it pointed in a direction intended to present no danger to another living thing and minimal property damage unless that is her intention.

My advice, though I am not a female, is to invite her over and sit down and talk with her.  The first question you need to ask her is, "If someone is attempting to hurt you or your family, would you be able to shoot and kill them?"  She must assume that to shoot someone will induce the worst case scenario of death.  If she cannot answer yes to that question honestly, then tell her that she would not benefit from owning a gun and it might possibly be used against her.

If she says she can and you believe her, then it's important to stress the basic rules of safety before she ever touches the gun.  Bring out one of your own guns and display it for her.  Ask her to notice certain ways you behave with it (no finger on the trigger, pointing it in a "safe" direction, always treating it as loaded whether it's loaded or not).  You obviously know what you're doing, so there's no need for me to explain this part. [:D]  However, there's a certain amount of what you learn in basic training that cannot be duplicated outside of it.  She needs to learn self reliance and confidence, so remind her that as a single mother of two (no easy job) she's already proven that she's got the desire and know needs to understand and accept everything that comes along with taking personal responsibility of herself.

Good luck!

God Bless Texas

I totally agree with GodBlessTexas.  Everything he said is right on the money.  First and foremost, as far as I'm concerned, is ... would she be able to shoot someone to defend her family?  If not, she has no business with a gun.  If so, by all means help this woman to feel safe in her own home.  

The trouble I see in this question is that no one can ever truly know how they will react in a highly charged, life-threatening situation until they find themselves in one.

Most people in this country in these times have never faced a true mortal danger, one where they could take, or not take, an action which could change the result of the threat.

I suspect that some people who would say they could never shoot someone, when put in an actual situation, might find that they actually could.  Likewise, some people who have no doubt that they could shoot to protect themselves or their family might, in an actual situation, be unable to do so.

It is a wonderful thing that the modern developed world holds so few dangers for most of its inhabitants...but it leaves us unprepared for an occasion where we might need to protect ourselves or others.  The lack of experience becomes a potential problem.

I do feel that anyone who learns to use a gun for protection had better be practicing very regularly, and not just standing still doing target shooting.  This is in part why I'm getting involved in IPSC (mainly for the fun!).

I really don't know how you choose who to teach and who not to just by talking to the person.  Give the woman a starter lesson and see how she reacts to the gun, I'd say.  Then advise her based upon that.  But you'll never be able to know whether or not she would have what it takes to use the gun for defense -- and hopefully neither you nor she will ever find out.  And she definitely should be made to understand that just learning the basics of gun handling and shooting and then sticking the thing in a drawer, handbag, whatever, will not be enough.  Maybe the most important question to ask is whether or not she's willing to make a commitment to shoot regularly for practice to build proficiency, after you've taught her the basics.

Very good points baddog.  Training is essential, but so is practice.  That's a point that I overlooked.  The old saying, "If you don't use it, you lose it." would apply here.  Being a responsible gun owner is a commitment not to be taken lightly, and the lady in question here needs to understand this. You don't just buy a gun and put it in a drawer.  You give good advice, baddog.  [:D]

I think you should train her....
She has apparently decided to buy a firearm and you would not want her to get one and then have no training or worse yet bad training. If she is going to buy one regardless, it certainly can not hurt for you to give her a hand in learning how to properly use/clean/ safely store the gun. I also have a little problem with the question GodBlessTexas posed. I have to agree with baddog. if you had asked me that question a few years ago I would have answered no, I don't think so, however a situation occurred where I did NEED a gun and thankfully one was accessible. I learned at that moment that I could use one to protect my life if I needed to. Thankfully I did not need to use the gun. (since the person ran the second he saw it)
Just my opinion