Poll: Teaching a giggling gaggle of girls how to use guns

[Mr F.]

So one of my hobbies is firearms, I own a few guns, and really enjoy shooting, and teaching my friends to shoot. I've taught all of my friends how to shoot handguns and rifles at the local shooting range, and they've all enjoyed the experience. My friend's girlfriend's birthday is coming up, and she wants me to take her and a few of her friends to the shooting range and teach them how to shoot.

Now my friend and his girlfriend planned this whole thing out without me, and sprung it on me just the other day. Apparently they've already set a date and time, and invited 6 other people to come with us, all college age girls who have no experience with firearms. I've never taught that many people before at once, usually when I teach people to shoot I do it one on one, and I have no idea how I'm going to be teaching this massive group of people how to not blow their heads off and shoot one another. Any ideas about how to keep everyone's attention and make sure they remember the things I tell them?

Um.

*is first aid trained and knows this sorta shit*

Don't you have to have a licence of some kind in order to teach a group of people how to fire weapons? Is anyone in the group first aid trained? Cause this sounds like an accident waiting to happen. I mean, even for a simple get together as a society at Uni we need first aiders (At least one) around.

Personally? Sounds like you should bail out of this to me and find someone who is professionally trained who can take over. If they all chip in a small amount they can still have a blast, still get trained in how to handle death implements and you are not risking your life (Or your bank balance if something goes very wrong and one of the friends blames you and shit. Getting sued is fun!). Just...

Yeah.

Oh, and if you want to make them listen to you, if you go through with it? Download some pictures online of what happens when people handle guns wrong. Put the fear of god into them. Remind them that if they fuck up, they could fucking die.

 

[Apollo45]

Having some experience in this area, it won't be too difficult as long as they have half a brain between them all. Start out with basic safety, only let one to the line at a time at first, and if anybody screws up by pointing a gun anywhere but downrange, or forgets to check if it's loaded, or anything else you bring the hammer down. Once they have the basics you can let a couple up at a time, but it would be smart to limit the number of guns you have available at any one time. Two at a time would be fine, which means you'd only have to watch two of them. That's not too difficult. Just make sure to lead with safety before even showing them a gun. Make 100% sure they know not to be stupid.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

I would STRONGLY suggest doing this with an Airsoft weapon at first. Gas blowback guns can be had for under a hundred bucks, operate almost EXACTLY like a real handgun (all the controls are the same if you buy a decent model), and have little to no chance of resulting in a casualty.

If it was a one-on-one session with someone you know well, I might feel differently. But there's something about being in a group that lowers your average human being's common-sense quotient.

 

[Frungy]

I don't like guns. Let me get that out of the way before we even get started. One of the perks of living in Japan is that I will probably never have to have one shoved in my face ever again.

That being said, I taught my daughter the basics of gun safety and handling when she was 5. Why? Because the rules are so simple that a 5 year old can learn them and it is an important life skill even if they're just handling a tiny kids plastic toy gun (they can take an eye out). Also, she was becoming increasingly interested in guns after playing some festival games at local festivals.

I have an gas powered BB pistol. It is not an airsoft. The thing will send a 1.5mm steel ball-bearing round through half an inch of cardboard at 3 meters range. It is not, in my opinion, a toy. I used this to familiarise her with guns in general since it operates nearly identically to a real gun with only two differences, the slide doesn't move and there's no bang.

First she handled the gun unloaded (clip out, chamber cleared), and got a feel for the weight and heft. We established the rules:
1. never point it at any living being.
2. never point it at any living being.
3. never wave it around.
4. when not aiming at the target your finger stays off the trigger and pointing in a line above the trigger guard
5. the safety stays on until you're ready to fire
6. never point it at any living being.

We practiced how to hold the gun, how to raise it and lower it safely, mimicked aiming, disengaging the safety, sliding the finger down to the trigger, removing the finger after firing, re-engaging the safety, how to lower and put down the gun safely (without waving it, leaving it pointing away from everyone).

Then we practiced putting the clip in and taking it out a couple of times, pointing out the dangers, how to do it safely and smoothly, etc.

Finally we put it all together and we practiced some basic aiming techniques, how to use the sights on the gun, how to breathe, how to stand, how to fire successive shots for maximum accuracy, etc.

Then we put the safety on, put the gun down, took out the magazine, checked the chamber for rounds, double-checked the chamber for rounds (even though this isn't an issue since the gas is in the magazine), cleaned and oiled the gun, and I presented her with her very own toy bb gun (plastic, spring-loaded, light-weight plastic BBs) and a set of rice-paper targets I'd made (rice paper so she could enjoy the same feeling of the rounds penetrating the target even though her gun was much lighter). I made it clear that if she followed the rules she could keep her gun and I would set up targets whenever she wanted, but if she broke ANY of the rules I would throw away her gun.

For the most part she's kept the rules (I had to confiscate her gun a couple of times because she left it lying around instead of putting it back in the box where it "lives").

If a 5 year old can master the rules of handling a gun then I fail to see how college students should have any difficulty.

I would, however recommend starting them off with an unloaded weapon and taking them through the motions, and at the first sign of anyone messing around boot them out. Simply put, NO gun is really a toy. A BB gun can take out an eye, and one like mine could do a lot worse. If they refuse to handle the gun with respect then they have no place on a range.

This may sound strict, but these were the rules my father taught me, I've taught them to my daughter and I'm confident that she'll remember our little chat for the rest of her life. The likelihood of her ever having to fire a gun is low, but if she has to then she'll be able to fire it quickly, safely, efficiently and with confidence.

 

[lacktheknack]

I think there's something you're overlooking, on account of you being very used to guns.
I'm from Ireland, so my first experience ever even holding a real gun was at a firing range in Arizona.
And let me tell you, as someone unused to guns, it was sobering as fuck!
I was all excited to play with real guns, like some sort of a badass. I even wore fingerless SWAT gloves.
But when I went into the range, where the guns are deafening even with ear protection (not like in movies and games), and actually felt the explosive force of the gunshot reverberate through my teeth...

I would be very surprised if those girls continue to giggle and goof off once they're actually there.

This.

Seriously, they're college girls not preschoolers. Give them some credit.

I'm a pretty laid back woman, but actually holding a firearm would scare me shitless. I don't see why everyone is assuming that these women are idiots. Really, people, are you trying to turn this into another sexism thread?

Nope. If anything, my experience with stereotypes dictates that I'd rather a giggling sorority girl be given a gun rather than a traditional frat boy.

People being so very doom-and-gloom is just silly, though. Guns are scary, so they'll very quickly start paying attention once they're there. Just keep it short and concise and thorough, though. Being elaborate and talking too much may cause them to have attention lapses (as it is with all people).

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

Since people wanted to know how everything went I've edited the OP with an update about the range trip.

Thanks again to everyone who posted advice in this thread.