Rob Pincus
New member
Please read:
In working very hard in the gun safety industry, I have found two very
diverse attitudes. The first is what I hoped I would find: concerned and
thoughtful caring on the part of instructors, manufacturers, shop & range
owners, etc; and a willingness to pass that along to others. Thank God for
them and the work they do.
The second however, is the "jaded view" which all too often exudes from
those who really "know it all", or at least believe they do. This comes
across as a tendency to group "them" and "us" and treat "them" (those who do
not know how to shoot) as stupid, inferior, or of little consequence. I've
seen it at gun shops where a clerk talks down to a newbie asking what "we
grizzled veterans" might think a simple question. But every time we do
this, we shoot ourselves in the foot. We tear open the gap that keeps the
"rest of the world" from understanding and appreciating our position. Given
the terrible political and litigious climate facing us today, we simply do
not have that luxury any more. We must all recognize that we must be very
positive vocal ambassadors for the Second Amendment.
A guy came by our booth at the SHOT show and, seeing a fundamental message
on gun safety, sneered "anybody who doen't know how to shoot deserves to
shoot themself". What a moronic position, and this from a guy in the gun
industry! Nobody is born with safety knowledge - not for cars, sharp
objects, poisons, electricity... we learn by experience (the "hard way") or
by somebody teaching us (the "easy way"). By his insipid commentary he
thought to make himself out to be some big, tough know-it-all, and instead,
he merely demonstrated the ignorance that has put us in the place we are
today.
We all need to take upon ourselves to be teachers; to share the knowledge
that will cut down the number of accidents and injuries that, in turn,
directly threaten our gun rights. We no longer have the luxury of scoffing
or saying "they get what they deserve". WE are paying the price for the
ignorance of others; WE are being blamed for damage caused by uneducated and
irresponsible individuals. WE must become active in this cause because WE
are the ones who believe in the Second Amendment and our rights to keep and
bear arms.
I would encourage everyone who is not already involved to look into things
like the NRA Education & Training Dept's Instructor program (via
http://www.nra.org). It is very inexpensive, it can be a great way to make
money as a side job giving classes (or you can host classes for free if you
are so inclined). If not, help out with the local Boy Scouts or 4H
organizations that have firearm safety programs, or start a program of your
own. In any case - become a vocal proponent of gun safety; write your
Congress, be a part. As the famous quote so correctly put, now is the time
we all hang together or [our gun rights] will surely all hang separately.
Michael Marks
_________________________________________
What Micheal did not mention is that he is th e president of SafetyOn, LLC, the developers of the SafteyOn gun education software. Check out his site at www.safetyon.com .
In working very hard in the gun safety industry, I have found two very
diverse attitudes. The first is what I hoped I would find: concerned and
thoughtful caring on the part of instructors, manufacturers, shop & range
owners, etc; and a willingness to pass that along to others. Thank God for
them and the work they do.
The second however, is the "jaded view" which all too often exudes from
those who really "know it all", or at least believe they do. This comes
across as a tendency to group "them" and "us" and treat "them" (those who do
not know how to shoot) as stupid, inferior, or of little consequence. I've
seen it at gun shops where a clerk talks down to a newbie asking what "we
grizzled veterans" might think a simple question. But every time we do
this, we shoot ourselves in the foot. We tear open the gap that keeps the
"rest of the world" from understanding and appreciating our position. Given
the terrible political and litigious climate facing us today, we simply do
not have that luxury any more. We must all recognize that we must be very
positive vocal ambassadors for the Second Amendment.
A guy came by our booth at the SHOT show and, seeing a fundamental message
on gun safety, sneered "anybody who doen't know how to shoot deserves to
shoot themself". What a moronic position, and this from a guy in the gun
industry! Nobody is born with safety knowledge - not for cars, sharp
objects, poisons, electricity... we learn by experience (the "hard way") or
by somebody teaching us (the "easy way"). By his insipid commentary he
thought to make himself out to be some big, tough know-it-all, and instead,
he merely demonstrated the ignorance that has put us in the place we are
today.
We all need to take upon ourselves to be teachers; to share the knowledge
that will cut down the number of accidents and injuries that, in turn,
directly threaten our gun rights. We no longer have the luxury of scoffing
or saying "they get what they deserve". WE are paying the price for the
ignorance of others; WE are being blamed for damage caused by uneducated and
irresponsible individuals. WE must become active in this cause because WE
are the ones who believe in the Second Amendment and our rights to keep and
bear arms.
I would encourage everyone who is not already involved to look into things
like the NRA Education & Training Dept's Instructor program (via
http://www.nra.org). It is very inexpensive, it can be a great way to make
money as a side job giving classes (or you can host classes for free if you
are so inclined). If not, help out with the local Boy Scouts or 4H
organizations that have firearm safety programs, or start a program of your
own. In any case - become a vocal proponent of gun safety; write your
Congress, be a part. As the famous quote so correctly put, now is the time
we all hang together or [our gun rights] will surely all hang separately.
Michael Marks
_________________________________________
What Micheal did not mention is that he is th e president of SafetyOn, LLC, the developers of the SafteyOn gun education software. Check out his site at www.safetyon.com .