BARMAK CONSULTING​

It cannot be denied that the right to bear arms happens to be a basic right for Americans. After all, when there is a threat like an intruder to your house and responding law enforcement personnel are still a few minutes away, the only line of defense you have against that threat is the firearm.

​

Of course, firearms training involves more than just learning how to point and shoot. Many aspects of it need to be covered for you to become a fully responsible firearms owner.

 

 

The Benefits of Owning a Firearms

 

 

1. It Enforces Personal Responsibility

​

Becoming a firearms owner is no joke. Once you have a gun in your house, there is no longer any room for negligence. Suddenly, you become more serious about weapons storage, transportation, emergency access, licensing, and other important subjects. 

​

After all, a gun can ensure your security, but it can also be a liability. Thus, under the right conditions, owning one will force you to become more considerate about the people around you.

 

2. Improve Your Physical Abilities

 

Once you have a gun, you should start considering your physical abilities and limitations. Do you have good eyesight? What about your coordination? Do you have enough strength in your arms to handle the recoil? Sure, you should ask yourself these questions when buying the firearm in the first place, but that can be addressed through further training.

 

Of course, having a gun allows you to engage in several sporting activities, which allows you to put your skills to the test. Through continuous gun training and taking part in shooting competitions, you may find yourself a more physically-abled person.

 

​

3. It Boosts Confidence

 

There is a certain degree of intimidation when you have to first fire the gun. However, your gun shyness is but a minor hurdle to clear as constant usage of your firearm on the range can slowly remove it.

 

At first, you will be fumbling through the basics such as checking on the safety, aiming, firing, and reloading your weapon. However, with constant use, you will find yourself doing all of these on instinct. Again, constant training will make you a more confident shooter, especially when the situation demands it.

 

4. It Relieves Stress

 

Firing a gun safety brings a unique form of excitement that courses through the body. As soon as that bullet leaves the chamber and you feel the recoil travel from the gun to your arms, you may feel adrenaline pumping through your body. Also, you might find that your mind becomes laser-focused, and your thoughts become clearer.

 

In a controlled and safe environment, firing a weapon does bring a form of calm and relief to your body. This is needed as you are required to be calm and controlled whenever you face an emergency and you need some form of protection. The less you are stressed out in a dangerous situation, the more likely you will come out of that safe and alive.

 

 

The Necessity of Firearms Training

 

As owning a firearm is a right, it does carry a great amount of responsibility.

 

In 2019, there were 39,707 gun-related casualties in the United States alone. A staggering 60% of this number can be attributed to suicide while 36% goes to homicides. As for the remaining 3% the figures are as follows: a third was due to legal intervention like a gunfight wherein police are involved, another third is attributed to mere preventable accidents, and another third is for undetermined causes.

 

What these figures tell us is that being a responsible gun owner remains a necessity nowadays. There are many ways to become such, but the most direct method will involve some form of firearms training. 

 

As for the necessity of being trained to handle a firearm, there are three reasons which are as follows:

 

1. Development through Practice

 

As was previously stated, close to 1% of fatalities involving guns was due to some preventable incident. In firearms training, you will be trained on the basics of handling a weapon to efficiently use it in emergencies.

 

Constant practice will help you steady your aim and improve your focus when shooting. More often than not, a lot of gun-related accidents are caused by the shooter not being in a calm and controlled state while also fumbling through their weapon.

 

2. Guidance from the Experts

 

Training always involves the assistance of someone who knows the trade better than you. This is where an expert will become handy as they can teach you how to safely use the gun while instilling some confidence in your skills.

 

Things like posture, aiming, and maintenance are things that are best taught to you in person and an expert will go through every point so you become better as a gun owner. Of course, they can detect the mistakes that you are doing and address them as quickly as possible. This way, the chances of you mishandling your firearm are greatly reduced.

​

3. Creating Healthy Habits

 

With training, your ability to shoot a firearm will not be the only thing embedded into muscle memory. You should also develop skills that keep your firearm safe at all times.

 

In training, you will learn important tasks such as checking if a chamber is loaded or if the safety is released. These tasks alone can prevent accidental misfires from happening in the first place. 

 

Thorough cleaning and maintenance will also be taught so you will know how to carefully disassemble your weapon, replace broken parts, and re-assemble everything again. Take note that a broken weapon is a liability as it might not fire when you need it and fire when you don’t want it to.

​

Some Preliminary Considerations

 

Now that you know why owning a gun is beneficial and why you are better off being trained to use it, the next thing you would have to figure out is which gun to purchase. Each available firearm type has its advantages and drawbacks, as well as varying purchasing prices and maintenance needs.

 

However, before all of that, there are a few things that you must sort out first.

 

1. Needs - First of all, you have to establish why you are buying a gun. Here, there are no wrong answers provided that your reason does not violate any law.Some people buy guns out of necessity, i.e. to protect themselves and their families. Others buy it for competitive and utilitarian reasons. Perhaps they want to learn how to for animals or become a professional shooter in competitions.

 

And some buy guns to collect them. These people might want to start a weapons collection of sorts featuring different weapon types, models, and manufacturers. 

 

The point here is that the reasons you have for buying a gun will impact the type of guns you will purchase and which one best suits your needs. Some guns are impractical for one reason but highly applicable for another.

​

2. Gun Laws - Although the right to bear arms is universally applied in some countries like the United States, there are regions within the country that treat gun ownership rights differently. Some states might limit your options to handguns while some allow you to own shotguns, rifles, and other long guns.

 

The state laws will also affect how you can transport those weapons. Some allow for open carry, which means you can have your guns holstered to your side. Some do not allow for open carry, thus requiring you to have your guns at a container at all times except when you are in an emergency. Learn the laws of your country and state first before you start shopping around for options.

​

3. Storage - Your reason for owning a gun and your preferences will also affect the kind of storage you will need. As a gun collector, you might be content with display cabinets. However, if you are purchasing a gun for safety and competitive reasons, you might want a container that is safe and secured, yet easy to access.

 

The layout of your house will also be important here. You want your guns to be safe and hidden when not in use. On the other hand, you’d rather not spend a long time having to get a hold of them, especially in emergencies.

​

Picking Your Firearm

 

Assuming that you are in a state with less-restrictive gun laws, you should have multiple options for guns to pick from. There are several gun types in the market to choose from and each has its own set of advantages and disadvantages relative to your skills as a beginner.

 

Rifles 

 

A rifle is a long-barreled firearm that is best for longer distances. They are ideal for long-ranged due to their accuracy and a homestead.

Alternatively, rifles are great if you want to buy guns for athletic reasons as there are rifle models out there that are designed for hunting and competitive shooting.

 

The rifle has some general sub classes based on the firing mechanism they employ.

​

​

Bolt-Action - These rifles require you to manually reload each cartage by pulling at a bolt and then firing. They are simple and accurate but have a slow rate of fire.

 

Lever-Action - These rifles feature a lever that you have to regularly pull to eject an empty cartridge and feed another. They are faster than the bolt-action and still accurate.

 

Semi-Automatic - These rifles take advantage of the recoil of the barrel to eject an empty cartridge and load another. Popular semi-automatics include the M1 Garand, the AR-15, the AK etc.

​

Shotguns

 

A shotgun simply pertains to any firearm with a long and large barrel that fires shells. What makes shotguns ideal is their versatility by way of their ammunition. You can opt for the standard shotgun shells which fire small pellets or slugs which are bullet-like ammo that is best for hunting large animals. For law enforcement, there are also non-lethal bean bag rounds as example.

 

Shotguns come with different designs as well. For civilians, what is readily available are the single-shot and pump-action varieties. A single shot shotgun requires manual reloading in every one or two shells fired. A pump-action shotgun, on the other hand, requires manual reloading once every 7 to 12 shells fired. Model depending.

 

The shell type you will choose will also determine the effective range. Shells are effective at close range since they spread out immediately after firing. Slugs, on the other hand, can travel longer as a single piece and makes the shotgun effective at mid-range.

 

Also, the shell type of your choice will determine the lethality of your shotgun. Example: Bird shot may lightly injure but terrify attackers. However, buckshot can either incapacitate or gravely wound

​

Handguns

 

Perhaps the most readily available firearm in any state, the handgun is a smaller firearm that can be carried in one hand. Due to their short barrel, handguns are ideal only from close to mid-range but are easier to carry and conceal.

 

Also, handguns are best recommended for absolute beginners as they offer manageable recoil and a consistent rate of fire. As always, handguns can be further classified according to their primary firing mechanism. When one talks about handguns, they can fall under two sub classes.

 

Revolvers - Seeing heavy use in the Wild West, revolvers feature a cylinder that can store up to 7 cartriges. Each bullet fired causes the cylinder to “revolve” and place another bullet next to the firing pin.

 

l  Pistols - Modern pistols are semi-automatic by design and can carry up to X amount of rounds depending on state laws. Due to being semi-automatic, they have a faster rate of fire. Some models are also modular, which allows for further customization through aftermarket accessories.

​

To Conclude

 

Owning a gun is only as complicated as you want it to be. The very first concern that you must clear, however, is that you possess the right mentality and maturity to own a firearm. Do not skip training and practice. A responsible firearms owner invests time into proper practice and training.

​

​

​

​

​