Just the other day, a friend of mine bought a really nice little pocket semi-automatic for his wife to carry for personal defense. The only trouble was, when he took her to the range to shoot it, he also took along several of his own guns so that he could shoot, too. The upshot of the whole thing was that his wife latched onto his 9 mm Commander and informed him that this would be her carry gun. She shot it well, too. Now he has one “nice little pocket semi-automatic” that neither one of them wants.
The biggest mistakes that guys make when buying guns for the woman in their lives is that they either buy some dinky little pistol, or they buy the kind of gun that they would like to have. Here are some things to consider in order to avoid that unnecessary, unwanted gun purchase.
Selecting a personal-defense gun is a very subjective thing. Some guns just feel right, others don’t, and it’s hard to make that sort of decision for another person. Assuming the woman in question is not a gun person (an unfair assumption, but one that is nonetheless often correct), the guy would be smart to go with her to the gun store and let her pick out what she likes and feels good, just steering her away from junk.
An even better idea is to spend the day at one of the shooting ranges that rent guns. This way, she can handle and shoot the various guns to make her decision. Again, the guy’s role is simply to make sure that she makes her selection from quality guns.
With just a bit of searching, one will also find shooting schools that allow students to rent guns. And there, by the way, is an excellent idea for a birthday or anniversary gift—just sign her up for a women’s defense class and let her develop the knowledge necessary to make her own, informed opinion and selection.
Also, a number of women’s defense groups have started up, like the NRA’s Women On Target, that focus their training for the ladies. With just a little checking, you may find an active group near where you live.
In the end, the biggest mistakes that men make is to buy the kind of gun that they think their lady needs and then to elect to teach that lady how to use it effectively. She is much better off to get professional training. In fact, it would be a good idea for both of you to sign up for the same class and learn together.
When my parents married, my mother did not know how to drive a car. My father, who did know, chose to have another person teach her. My father was a smart man.
