Minimim Pistol Skill for Disinterested Owner?

[gh1950]

I've watched and coached different people for different qualification tests. I try to not let my opinion be colored by the dozens of LEO's that struggle with their annual qualification.

I think the security guard test is probably a good minimum.

The current GA LEO qualification test includes "point shooting", it wasn't always that way.

The debate about instinctive/point shooting vs. aimed shots is one of those that will go on forever.

My observation is that anyone with normal hand/eye coordination can 'point" shoot adequately out to about 5 yards, but the trained marksman, even if not trained in point shooting will be more accurate.

Also the "aimer" may be fraction of a second slower on the first shot, but follow up shots will be delivered more accurately and quicker.

So the question becomes "how accurate is accurate enough?"

 

[MRH]

People of all ages and backgrounds have successfully defended themselves with firearms for literally hundreds of years, with little or no training. Many gun owners have been taught by their parents, mostly fathers, and many of them veterans. Either way, taking their skill set to the next level is always a plus, but not a necessity, in many cases. I would wager that the vast majority of folks who defend themselves successfully with firearms on a regular basis are common folks, just like you mention in the OP...People without training, non enthusiasts, etc...

Don't mistake what I am saying. I believe training is great, and if any experienced shooter can contribute to a good gun owner's skill set it is a positive thing, but I will never concede that to own or carry a gun that a person must pass some kind of curriculum.

In self defense situations, I believe mindset is every bit as important as an actual firearms skill set, if not more so.

I would not worry too much about the criteria of someone I am helping until I have assessed where they are as a shooter. Everyone is different. I don't claim to be an expert, but I will always try to offer the best, most honest advice I can give, and my advice is not uninformed, so it is worth a little something, at least.

 

[BIKER13]

get em a shotgun

 

[Clarke123]

There are many "Firearms Enthusiasts" out there (like members of ODT), but many more who own a firearm and never use it OR who don't really know how to use it! Firearms are NOT toys, and should not be treated as such ... Respect for what they can do is one of the most important lessons anyone can learn (kinda like learning to swim!)! I cringe at the thought of the scores of video games that treat them that way. I also cringe at the thought that there are people out there who own firearms and don't know how to care for or use them properly ... including keeping them away from children as well as those who should NEVER have access to a deadly weapon (irresponsible teens/adults of any age)!

Personally, I firmly believe that firearm safety begins at home and should be professionally taught in High School (on an annual basis each-and-every grade year)... but that isn't politically correct and the "Thought Police" may be pulling into my driveway with blue-lights flashing before I finish this post!

 

[Bere09]

I'm going to shoot for a much higher standard and say that every gun owner should be able to safely navigate a USPSA or IDPA competition. Not win. Not be competitive. Just safely navigate. There are guys that can shoot 2 inch groups at 30 yards that I've shot with and after watching them try a USPSA or IDPA competition, the thought of them concealed carrying scares the crap out of me. These are usually the same guys that make excuses for why they suck and how competition will get you killed in the streets.

 

[JDS556762]

I’m happy with those types of people at least knowing muzzle awareness

 

[GAgunLAWbooklet]

Well, a year or so ago I took a woman shooting who had owned guns for 40 years, and had been left one by her late husband, and she'd been shooting many times in her life, but only every few years, and not at all in the last 10 or so.

We started off with a full sized humanoid target at 5 yards, and I asked her to, on my signal, pick up the gun from the table and empty it into the target as fast as she could.
I emphasized that this drill was about a home intruder scenario, and that speed was more important than accuracy.

She probably took 5 full seconds just to pick up the gun, acquire a half-decent grip on it, and pull the long (and heavy, to her) double-action trigger for that first shot. Miss.
A few more seconds for the second shot. A hit up on one shoulder or collarbone.
She seemed to be trying to aim with the sights, but it wasn't working for her.
The third shot was a miss.
Fourth shot hit the target in the hip area. That might incapacitate a bad guy, especially if it breaks his pelvis.
5th and final shot was another miss.

The 6th shot remained unfired.
About 25 seconds had elapsed total time.

She asked me if she did anything wrong. Then, before I could answer, she suggested, "Oh, I forgot to c-0-c-k it. Was that it?"

That was her skill level on that day, and probably any day of the last 5-8 years, prior to this range session.

I don't think it was "good enough." She was, for all practical purposes, incapable of using that gun in self-defense. Although perhaps if there'd been a REAL threat in front of her, she'd have moved a lot faster and the adrenaline would have given her the strength to pull that DA trigger as if her gun had a butter-smooth custom action job with extra light Wolff spring kit.

 

[GAgunLAWbooklet]

I'm going to shoot for a much higher standard and say that every gun owner should be able to safely navigate a USPSA or IDPA competition. ....

Hmm..... so there'd be no accuracy standard, but the goal is to practice safe gun handling and muzzle discipline while moving station to station?

 

[Mister Heavyhand]

......"aim small, miss small"

 

[GAgunLAWbooklet]

You can have rights without the ability.

You have the right to date Megan Fox, but not the practical ability. It just ain't gonna happen.

This thread is about identifying a "good enough" skill level for defensive handgun use.
And the fact that cops, soldiers, and even armed citizens in many other states have to pass qualification shooting tests shows that shooting paper targets at a range IS, and always has been, a method of determining competency with handguns.

Unless you think that maybe people could just write an essay about how they "would" do it.