Buying your first gun is almost as significant a moment as the birth of your first child.
Both acts take a lot of preparation. They require a lot of responsibility. Most importantly, if they’re treated poorly the consequences could be dire.
The Constitution says it’s your right to own a firearm. It’s time to step up and seize what is rightfully yours. But before you get your first gun there are some key things to know.
There are over 30,000 firearm related deaths in America every year. You don’t want you or family to become one of those statistics. Owning a gun means owning the responsibility of having one.
Read this article carefully because it could save yours or a loved one’s life. These seven tips will help you prepare and make a good purchase.
Decide Why You Need This Gun:
What are your plans for your gun? Are you interested in it for self-defense?
Is it for hunting or other sports?
How you want to use your gun will help you determine which type of gun you need. For self-defense, a pistol is best to conceal and carry. For home defense, you may want something with more firepower.
For hunting, you’ll most likely want a rifle.
These are all suggestions. You need to find the right gun for you. You don’t want to get too much power or too little for how you want to use it. Down the road, you can get other guns for other purposes.
Train With A Gun Before you Buy One For Yourself:
The best way to decide what type of gun you want is to fire many different ones. The more target practice you take, the more comfortable you’ll become with shooting a gun.
You’ll also be able to decide which model you gravitate towards.
It’s imperative you go to a shooting range a few times before buying your firearm. You may find you don’t actually like shooting. If that’s the case, owning a gun could be dangerous for your safety.
Shooting ranges also teach gun handling safety. That way as soon as you get your gun you’ll know what to do with it.
Have a Plan For How To Safely Store Your Gun:
After you’ve decided which type of gun you want you then need to figure out where you can store it. You want your firearm to be accessible so you can easily grab it in case of an emergency.
But you don’t want your kids to be able to find it and play with it like a toy.
That’s why when it’s not being used, your gun should be under lock and key. It’s also important that your whole family knows where the gun is kept. You don’t want anyone triggering it accidentally.
Guns are a great way to teach kids responsibility. So make sure everyone knows the rules for safe gun handling.
You Should Be Your First Gun’s First Owner:
While it’s cheaper to get a used gun, your first firearm should be brand new.
There are a lot of shady dealers out there who may try to rip you off with an inferior product. Since you are new to guns, you won’t notice any of these potentially dangerous defects.
New guns also come with warranties so if anything does happen to your piece you can get it replaced. If you do have to get a used gun, try a gun auction site. These sites have certifications that can put your mind at ease.
Choose A Mainstream Caliber:
Down the road, you may want to experiment with more unique guns and bullets. It’s important to have a wide depth of knowledge of different gunfire. However, your first gun should use a common caliber.
Ubiquity will help with the affordability of bullets. You’ll be surprised at how expensive they can be. If your gun requires bullets that everyone has, they’ll be more affordable.
For handguns, keep to a 9 millimeter and for shotguns, you want a 12 gauge. You’re not being boring by buying a mainstream caliber. Just think of this gun as your train wheels.
If you really love your shooting lifestyle you can take those training wheels off with your next gun purchase.
Know Your Rights:
Under the federal constitution owning a gun is protected by law. But there are different laws and ordinances from state to state. These limitations include where you can buy, who can buy, and what types of guns are available to you.
While this does sound like the government is treading on our constitutional rights, you have to play ball. You don’t want to be fined or jailed for having an illegal weapon.
Before you even start shopping, it’s best to figure out what is legal for you in your state or municipality. You don’t want to get your heart set on a particular gun and find out it’s unavailable to you.
Determine If You’ll Be Able To Use Your Gun When You Need To:
The last thing you need to learn before buying your gun is whether or not you’ll be able to pull the trigger. Sure you’ve been to the shooting range and fired at many targets. But what if that target was a human who risked harming your family?
If you don’t have the confidence to fire the gun in that situation you might as well not get one at all.
Guns escalate situations. If you aren’t prepared to end the situation, don’t buy one.
Buying Your First Gun Should be Taken Seriously:
It’s your right to have a gun, but you also need to be responsible with it. Buying your first gun is an amazing moment, with these tips it will become an amazing lifestyle.
Becoming a gun owner is something all Americans should consider. If you enjoyed this article check out more like it with this link.
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