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A week from Friday we kick off The Guardian Conference in Oklahoma City. Three days, 15 instructors, and a lot of rounds downrange.
Most of you reading this won't be there. That's fine, because this email isn't really about the conference. It's about what happens on a firing line, and that applies to anybody who spends time at a range.
I'm not writing about range safety because I think the people coming to our event need the reminder more than an average gun owner. If anything, the opposite is true. On average, the person who buys a ticket, books a flight, and burns three vacation days to go stand in the Oklahoma sun and take instruction is safer than the average gun owner.
Gun safety is a skill. It is not a personality trait, it is not a level of seriousness, and it is not something you either have or don't. It is a skill, which means it gets built one good rep at a time and it decays when you stop practicing. People who train more have more good reps IF they train properly. That is the entire mechanism.
Which means all of us, the folks who get to the local range a few times a month or year, are the ones who should be thinking hardest about this.
So here are five things worth your time before your next range trip.
1. The 3 most common safety violations at the gun range
In my experience, three behaviors account for something like 98% of the safety violations I see on a range: unsafe reholstering, letting the muzzle wander during administrative handling, and the lingering trigger finger. The uncomfortable part is that the people doing these things almost never know they are doing them.
2. 6 required behaviors to stop negligent discharges
We studied 300 negligent discharges from public news reports and asked one question of each: what behavior would have prevented this? Six patterns emerged. Follow all six like it's religion and NDs stop happening. This is an anchor article on our site for a reason.
3. Complacency and firearms, a dangerous combination
Matthew Maruster served in the Marine Corps infantry and then as a police officer, and he makes an argument here that stings a little. Experience does not automatically lower your risk. More time around guns means more exposure, and complacency tends to move in right where competence lives.
4. Our free Gun Safety course
Free, online, and an actual deep dive on the traditional safety rules rather than a five minute checkbox. If it has been a while since anyone walked you through the reasoning behind each rule, this is worth an evening.
5. Introduction to trauma medicine
Safety also means being ready for the moment something goes wrong, and that applies to the drive home as much as it does the firing line. This one covers why a trauma kit belongs with your range bag, two places to get free training, and what actually belongs in a good kit.
If you are coming to Oklahoma City next week, I'll see you on the range. If you're not, go get your reps in anyway.
Stay sharp,
Jacob Paulsen
President | ConcealedCarry.com
P.S. A personal policy of mine: I don't go shooting alone. Whoever is with me is part of my anti-complacency team, and we have a spoken agreement that everyone watches everyone and nothing gets to slide. Try it the next time you go out. It works better than any sign posted on a range wall.
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