Untrained Persons Finding a Gun
Rob PincusDescription
If you’re watching this video, chances are that untrained person is NOT you. But Rob Pincus has a challenge for you. Explain to a person in your life who knows nothing about firearms, and perhaps wants to know nothing about firearms, how to use one to defend themselves – without going to the range. Rob demonstrates with two handguns. The bottom line is, we should all be doing whatever we can to prepare our loved ones for that worst-case scenario.
Chances are, if you're watching this video clip, you already know exactly what you would need to do if you found these guns lying on the ground and you had the opportunity to defend yourself or others. Pick it up, touch the trigger, press the trigger. These are relatively simple guns. In fact, the reason I recommend these guns for personal defense is very simply that all you have to do to defend yourself is touch the trigger, pull the trigger. And if you don't want the gun to go off, don't press the trigger. Same thing for this type of a defensive revolver. The reality is, though, there are probably people in your lives who have absolutely no idea how to use this gun or any other gun. And there certainly may be some guns out there in the world that you haven't practiced to use for personal defense as well. What I'm going to do is challenge you to try to explain to someone who won't go out to the range, who won't actually train, who won't go buy a gun, who doesn't even want a firearm in their world, how they could use these guns to defend themselves. What am I talking about? I'm talking about a worst case scenario active shooter situation, something that's going on in a public space with that school teacher, with that family member, with that person you know who doesn't want to learn how to use these guns and isn't going to put in the time, effort, and energy to be prepared to defend themselves. What if you pulled your firearm out, started to defend yourself in that public environment and were shot? You dropped the gun, you were taken out of the fight. That gun's lying on the ground. Your family member's standing there over it. Are they going to be able to use it? Hopefully, you've prepared them to do it, even if you simply told them without ever taking them to the range, here's how you do it. Grab the gun, touch the trigger, fully extend, touch, and press. Whatever it is you have to do to prepare people to defend themselves, that's what you should be doing if you care about them surviving a worst case scenario when they have access to a firearm, even without training.
I actually taught a class on the other side of this. A lady called up and said she didn't want to learn to shoot. She had a boyfriend who hunted, and so she would be around guns. She just wanted to learn to be safe. So in the classroom we went through the safety rules, and I taught her how to unload and check the kinds of firearms her boyfriend had. When I finished, she said, "You aren't going to try to make me shoot?" "The customer is always right," I replied. "If you've changed your mind, we can walk over to the range. But it's up to you." She declined and went away happy, knowing how to handle firearms safely. That's a win.
Rob, thanks for the video. I never thought of this before. In a worse case scenario any of my family members could pick up the handgun and continue protecting me and themselves. But if a bystander needed to finish the job then I would need to talk them through it. Good food for thought. I hope I never have to do it and I hope I never have to talk someone else through it either. Thanks for some great videos.
When introducing someone to handguns, I use a cheap unloaded "Airsoft" gun... one that is a "replica of a real firearm. For example, I recently wanted to get my [adult] brother and wife out to a range to shoot for the first time. Instead of just hauling them out there, I first brought an "Airsoft" S&W MP40 to their house. We talked about how to hold the firearm (finger off the trigger), how to present and aim the firearm, how to rack the slide, how to change the magazine, even how to field strip the firearm. I also went over the 3 critical rules of firearm safety (always assume it’s loaded; finger off the trigger; never point it at anything you don’t intend to shoot). We did all this while relaxing and watching football games, or just talking on the back porch. Doing all this at home took a lot of the mystery – and “fear” – out of firearms, and let them practice in a completely safe environment before going out to the range.
I don't necessarily disagree with your position, but would still be nervously hesitant to have someone unfamiliar with firearms to try to -------- a violent scenario. It may/may not be a good outcome. Yes, the hope would be that by intervening the bad guy(s) would be stopped. But even with trained personnel, often there is collateral damage caused by errant bullets, etc. Is being able/willing to use a gun to defend one's self or others a good thing? I think so. Is having any Joe or Jane Schmoe pick up a gun and blaze away in hopes of getting the bad guy? Maybe, maybe not so much. I am a staunch supporter of 2A, castle doctrine, and self defense. I do think that entails being responsible to get the training and practice requisite to competently use firearms.