As I write this article the world is dealing with the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. People are trying desperately to obtain everything they believe is needed to keep their family safe. Toilet paper and hand sanitizer have virtually disappeared from the shelves. But, it’s not just those items that people are stocking up on. The media is reporting a huge spike in the sale of firearms and ammunition. Ammunition in popular calibers is increasingly hard to find. Some gun retailers report they will soon be sold out of firearms altogether.
According to the media, the percentage of first-time firearm purchasers in the current market is as high as 90%. It’s not like they think they’re going to shoot the virus; the first-time gun buyers report that their purchases are driven by a fear that social order may crumble. If the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 is any indication, that’s not an unreasonable concern. But, having a gun does not instantly establish a protective barrier around you. So many people buy a firearm for self defense and fire a few rounds and then never touch it again. Some never fire it at all. Defensive firearms skills are a lot more than just having a gun. If you are going to have a firearm for self-defense, you have a responsibility to learn how to use it safely and effectively. There’s a lot more to it than just marksmanship. While there may be better or worse training methods, there are no shortcuts to competence. The necessary skills can only be acquired by obtaining quality training and then engaging in continual practice. In this context, practice doesn’t make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect. By this, I mean that to acquire the skills needed for self-defense, you must first learn the skills then practice them correctly and continuously until they become second nature. Then you must maintain the skills with more practice. In the martial arts, it’s frequently said that it takes 10,000 hours of “perfect” practice for someone to obtain mastery of a single technique. That’s roughly twenty hours of practice a week for ten years. NBA Legend Michael Jordan put it this way: “You can shoot eight hours a day, but if your technique is wrong, all you become is good at shooting the wrong way. Get the fundamentals down and the level of everything you do will rise.” Of course, in today’s world most people have no hope of being able to devote 20 hours a week to a single technique for a month, let alone 10 years. Fortunately, mastery isn’t required to have competence. Building a training base of fundamentals practiced correctly gradually builds upon itself. Little by little, a skill practiced slowly becomes smooth and gradually smooth becomes fast. Competency develops progressively as you continue practicing perfectly.
Let’s face it most people who carry a concealed firearm for self-defense are not skilled in the fundamentals. Many have unrealistic expectations and think that just having a gun will solve the problem if they are forced to defend themselves. When I was growing up in Colorado, such people were referred to as “all hat and no cowboy” and considered a danger to themselves and others. Today we give them participation trophies. But, they still can’t shoot. The bottom line is that firearms training and practice are a must if you want to be able to defend yourself and your family with a gun.
Stay safe. Train well.
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