Once you finally decide on which handgun to purchase, what should you do next (besides taking it to bed with you—unarmed—and caressing and admiring its beauty)?
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- Take a basic firearms safety and instructional course (if you haven’t already done so). You must learn the four rules of gun safety, and these courses will reinforce them over and over again until you commit them to permanent memory. In fact, Big Daddy Unlimited has its own Shooting Academy that covers this and a lot more.
- Learn your handgun. Sure, you can read the owner’s guide that comes with your handgun, and it’s a great starting point. But there is plenty of information on YouTube from proper stance and grip, to stripping and cleaning. Get familiar with all of them. Know your firearm inside and out.
- Get a gun safe so you have a secure place to store your handgun at home away from children or anyone else that you don’t want accessing your firearm. There are many types of gun safes and devices to securely store your handgun.
- Get a good holster. It’s important to be able to safely and securely carry your handgun. A good holster should cover the trigger and securely attach it to a sturdy gun belt. Although Universal holsters make carrying your handgun easy, comfortable, and convenient, they don’t offer the most secure storage (if you draw your firearm and it pulls the holster with it, it’s not a good choice). There are many good holsters available so purchase one that is made to fit your exact handgun safely and securely.
- Head to the gun range and become familiar with your gun with plenty of target shooting. Learn to grip it properly, learn to load and unload, and learn what to do when it jams or something goes wrong. Practice different stances to find what is most comfortable for you. Get better at shooting from different distances and stances.
- Make sure you know and learn the gun laws in your state but also in any states you plan on traveling to with your firearm. You need to be knowledgeable about all gun laws and how they can vary drastically from state to state. In addition, you want to know if your state has a “stand your ground” clause or castle doctrine so you know what rights you have (or don’t have).
- Take a concealed carry class. Yes, you will eventually want to conceal carry even if you think you’ll only keep your firearm at home (unless you’re in a state that doesn’t permit concealed or open carry).
- Sign up for a firearms self-defense training class or course. Shooting under stress can be intense and will expose weaknesses or issues that you need to correct should you ever need to use your firearm in a self-defense situation. Find a reputable firearms instructor that offers a variety of self-defense classes or courses.
- Join the USCCA or U.S. Law Shield and get insurance. Not insurance for your firearm (but that’s good to have as well), but insurance to cover you in the case you have to use your handgun against someone in a self-defense situation. The USCCA and U.S. Law Shield offer insurance programs to provide legal counsel and cover attorney costs and legal fees with coverages from $500,000 to $3 million.
Finally, join a Second Amendment (2A) Rights organization. Whether it’s a Facebook group, local organization, or state or federal 2A organization, get involved! And don’t vote for politicians that promote gun control in any form. It doesn’t matter what political party line they straddle, always vote for those that will protect the Second Amendment.
And never stop learning. Take classes from reputable instructors, but try not to take an instructor’s curriculum and techniques as gospel. Every high-level shooter knows a thing or two more than another. So, keep an open mind, build your own style with the fundamentals you learn, and dry fire practice as much as you can. Spend 5-15 minutes each day on Dry Fire Training and Technique. A little training goes a long way in making you a more competent gun owner.
If you’re ready to purchase your first, second, third, or 10th firearm, need ammo, or gear, join Big Daddy Unlimited today!
Big Daddy Unlimited (BDU) is revolutionizing the online gun, gear, and ammo-buying process with the largest selection of in-stock products at everyday industry-leading prices! Our mission is to help our members exercise their Second Amendment right at prices they can live with while giving them the VIP service they deserve! Our passion for the 2A is unyielding, and we patriotically defend the freedoms upon which our great country was founded.
Our sales and services teams are the greatest benefit of our membership program and truly what sets us apart from other companies in the firearms industry. A quick call into BDU is the fastest way to solve a problem or grab that hard-to-find item! Give us a call at (800) 915-7709 to become a member today!
