N00bie shooters

I have never recruited any true non-shooters to take up a weapon and make holes in paper. Like Armed Canadian did.

I did INSPIRE some guys, that already had the propensity to go shooting, but just hadn’t gotten around to it, to start up, or start up again, in earnest. Now.

And they didn’t just pay for range fees, buy ammo, and paper targets. They became range members with yearly dues, they took their kid to Hunter Safety Training, and they BOUGHT firearms. More than one, each, actually. And all the accouterments that go with them, like range bags and gunsafes and spare magazines and such. I’m mainly talking about Chuckles and Corky here, but there are others around us inspired to go blasting at paper circles and all that entails.

I’ve even inspired MBtGE to do new things. He had let his NRA membership lapse, and now he has renewed it partly because I got one. He was sold on the utility of the 9mm and .223, but my research for my own purchases, and bouncing those ideas off him, got HIM to reconsider the .45 and .308 because that was where my conclusions were leading me. Now he is sold on the concept. I can’t take all the credit, as it was Jeff Cooper that led me that way. And some of the other folks on my blogroll. (I’m looking at YOU Tamara…) That and my own prejudices and awareness of American military history. And all this rethink and my contagious enthusiasm accelerated MBtGE’s acquisition rate.

If I ever start shooting more accurately than MBtGE I bet he buckles down to exceed me again and will try to stay ahead from that point on, so I may continue to inspire someone much more advanced than me.

All I need to do now is get someone who has NEVER fired a gun interested, familiarized, and competent with some shooting of their own. And to see that person go out and purchase a gun of their own. Then it will have come full circle. I will officially have added to the ranks.