Gun people, requesting help

In My Humble Opinion
1

I want to shoot for fun and profit. But I want to learn how properly, and I want to be able to go to a range periodically.

I’ve done a (very little) research and right off the bat I see two things that will form a barrier.

  • Most of the ranges in NY are invite-only, so I’d have to secure an invite…but how do you secure an invite when you don’t know anyone gun-oriented in the first place?
  • NY’s laws on guns are pretty stringent. It looks hard to get a pistol.

I would like to own and learn to fire both a pistol and a shotgun. I have fired both before. I also would like to learn properly, preferably in a classroom situation. I’m aware guns can be extremely dangerous if not handled properly.

I briefly googled “firearms training NY” and a whole bunch of links came up - how do I know what’s legit? I live pretty far upstate so NYC’s out (Albany region) but I also live about 35 minutes from the border of VT so is that an option? I bet they’re more relaxed about guns, too. Is it even necessary to take a class or can you learn at the range…

I have one more question, too, which I’m a little awkward about asking…how are these gun ranges with women of color? I’m not unused to being the only woman or the only non-white in a room, and I don’t mind…provided I’m welcome. And there’s no doubt we have a lot of closed-minded people up here, and I have experienced discrimination before. I’m not saying I’m guaranteed to experience it at a gun club. I’m afraid it seems likely, though. I wonder if any women or any non-white people might be willing to offer their input?

Please note this is not a debate about the merits of guns or gun control.

Thanks ahead of time for any help you can offer! One more thing: My SO is fully on board with this and we’re both trying to do this together. Of course, he’s not white either, so he has some of the same concerns as me. :slight_smile:

2

Try to find a range frequented by off-duty cops and military reservists - these are the kind of people you want to be around at a range, because they know what they’re doing and their presence deters the moronic unsafe types. Also look for ranges with good websites; I definitely judge a business by its website. If it can’t be bothered in this day and age to have a good website, chances are the proprietors are idiots.

3

If you’re truly wanting to become an adept marksman, remember that range time is important, but so is off-range time.

There are many drills you can do at home that involve dry-firing or not firing, that can improve your accuracy at least as much as putting rounds down-range.

In fact…very little of marksmanship has anything to do with the bullet…

4

Hm, sounds like you need New Yorkers. I only know a bit about California. But if you come visit me, we can get you started!

5

One way to start is to go to your local police station, explain you want to learn to shoot, and ask for advice. If things go the way they did for me here in small-town Massachusetts, you’ll be told how to qualify legally for a license to carry, which will most likely involve taking an approved course in gun safety, and you will probably be given a list of instructors/sources qualified to provide it.

Next step, take the gun safety course. Upon its completion you should get some kind of written certification which you then provide to the police when you fill out an application for a license, usually requiring payment of a fee. There’ll be a federal (and state? probably) background check run on you, then when that comes back clean you’ll be notified and will have to come back to the police station to be photographed, fingerprinted, and issued that little piece of laminated plastic that allows you to buy, own, and transport a firearm. Or maybe you get fingerprinted and photographed as part of the application process; I forget.

Anyway, things may be different in New York than in Massachusetts, but I suspect not dramatically so, since the Bay State is not exactly lax about gun control. The main thing is to get that license to carry so you can get a gun and go shooting. You definitely need the safety course; mine was five hours long, classroom only (though the instructor did have dummy weapons we could handle to get a feel for them), and by the end of it (a) I’d learned a lot, the foremost lesson being (b) there was still a lot to learn.

The safety course instructor should be able to provide live fire training or point you to someone else who can do that. I took a couple of training sessions with my safety instructor, first using his guns, then, when my license arrived, with my own first purchase. As a member presumably of whatever range you go to for the training, the instructor could also presumably get you started on becoming a member of the club.

There happens to be a fish and game club with an outdoor range in my own town, and it was pretty easy for me to join that club; the application rules said you needed a couple of sponsors but as it turned out my instructor was happy to be one and all I had to do was show up at a club meeting to present my application and I automatically got another sponsor, and provisional membership which became full after I’d attended another meeting. I did have to take a (free) range safety course before being allowed to shoot without a range safety officer being present.

Assuming you get licensed and admission to a range, start your shooting career with .22 caliber – quieter than more powerful guns, very little recoil, and the ammo is way cheaper than the higher caliber stuff so you can shoot and shoot and shoot. I went in cold to a local gun shop, confessed my newbiehood, and asked for help in picking out a gun. The staff were very helpful and encouraging, and let me hold and dry-fire a number of choices till I found the one that fit me. You really need to handle the candidates to find the one that suits you.

I’m pretty new to this too – started back in the fall. I started with a handgun, then after a while acquired a lovely little CZ Lux rifle. It’s easier to get rewardingly good with a rifle than a pistol, I’ve found; in fact, I’m doing pretty well already.

6

Can you go to a gun store and ask? They’re usually pretty nice and want to bring new people into the sport.

7

Forgot to address this.

My local fish & game club is overwhelmingly male, as was the safety class, but nobody’s given me anything like a hard time. Of course, I’m a rather frumpy grayhaired old woman with a just-one-of-the-guys vibe (easy to achieve when you’re usually dressed for mucking out stalls as your next stop after the range), I don’t pretend to be anything but a still-learning newbie, and at the range I’m pretty businesslike about shooting while being quietly friendly to the guys – and gratefully accepting help with jams or other problems, also thanking them for correcting me if I transgress a range safety rule such as stepping behind the yellow line if somebody’s going downrange to reset a target.

I too had worried about sexism when I got into this, but it hasn’t been at all a problem. My experience has been, if the guys see you’re serious about learning to shoot and respectful of the demands of the sport, you’ll be fine. And this, by the way, has held true for all ages of men at the range. If anything, the older guys enjoy helping with problems and offering advice on improving your shooting skills, and none of the ones I’ve met so far have been at all patronizing about it.

8

That’s a good source of information, too; but the license to carry is a must-have, and

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh; just Googled “New York State getting gun license” and found this site. Looks decently comprehensive on what would be required. In fact, that same site has a wider run-down of useful information.

9

They are usually pretty nice, and yes, they want to bring new people into the sport, but if you follow this course of action remember that they are in the business of selling guns. Don’t let them talk you into something you don’t want, because when you walk in they’ll assume you’re shopping and the stereotype of women not knowing anything about guns is just as strong as the one about mechanics ripping women off because they don’t know anything about cars.

Incidentally, you do not need a carry permit to legally possess or transport a firearm. It’s good to have, but if you don’t get one you’ll still be fine as long as you assiduously follow the laws of your state regarding transport of firearms.

10

This is not true in Massachusetts.

Statute governing transport

11

A FOID card is not a carry permit. Illinois requires FOID cards for purchase and ownership but the state has no provision for concealed carry, which is what a “gun permit” typically means.

…and it appears that New York requires a FOID or whatever they call their equivalent to purchase a handgun. Incidentally, the laws for New York and New York City are very, very different, so if you live outside the city don’t even contemplate bringing one with you on a visit, CCW permit or not (NYC does NOT recognize New York state permits).

The point is this: once you have the weapon you can put it in your trunk or otherwise according to state law and go to and from a range without a CCW permit.

I hope this helps, and that it doesn’t make your head explode.

12

Woman shooter here, though not of color - and my experience at shooting ranges in central Indiana (not the most progressive of places) has been fine. In fact, once they see that I’m serious about shooting and paying attention to safety, the men are generally very friendly and welcoming.

13

I almost spit-taked when I read this.

The biggest opinionated morons and unsafe assholes I’ve ever met at a range were law enforcement.

Like this guy.

14

Ah, I love that video. “I am the only one in this room who is qualified enough to —BOOM!” Yeah, undoubtedly there are stupid, lazy, unsafe cops out there. I guess I’m lucky that all the ones around these parts seem to be pretty skilled, but there are certainly exceptions. YMMV.

15

I do have to give the guy (DEA Agent Lee Paige) some man-cred: while obviously feeling like an idiot, and being in considerable pain, he turned it into a positive lesson.

16

Fun? we can help. Profit? Meh…

Yeah, as an ex-cop I can attest that cops aren’t always the bastion of firearms proficiency and professionalism you hope they are.

I’m a firearms instructor. Most any gun shop will offer beginner classes, and while they do sell guns, it’s unlikely they’ll just try to “sell a chick some gun” because they assume she’s not educated in these matters. Responsible instructors want you to do well, be safe, and enjoy shooting. Youtube is full of idiots handing their women a ginormous pistol and laughing when she cracks her noggin with the recoiling barrel. Real intructors don’t do that.

Seeing that there are no public ranges in NY, I’d start with an NRA instructorand ask some questions. I plugged in 12201 and 50 miles to start. Do your own search to get more accurate.

Hereis where you apply for permits, and before you get a permit, you have to take thisclass!

You’ve taken a good first step in asking for help. Let a professional in your area guide you the rest of the way and you’ll have fun, be able to protect your home and family, and maybe bust a few clay pigeons now and then.

Now about that profit. When you get as good as young Patrickhere, you can go on the road and rake in the dough!

17

I read not long ago that single women of color are the fastest growing segment of first time gun owners.

Otherwise, good luck!

18

I’m going to a range myself this Wednesday, with a female friend who wants to learn to shoot.

19

I’ll echo that the NRA is a great resource for gun safety and training information. As a somewhat controversial political lobbying group, they believe and want to spread the message that guns and shooting are part of mainstream America. They love initiating women into the shooting sports as it counters the image of gun owners as exclusively male and rural and angry. They also argue (convincingly to me) that members of racial minorities often need and benefit even more than whites from lawful gun ownership (not saying that the OP lives in a ghetto, but it’s notable that a couple of the plaintiffs in the Heller case that challenged D.C.'s gun ban were inner city black residents).

This should be a good starting place:

Point is shooters love shooting and like most hobbyists, are flattered when someone new shows an interest in their hobby.

Wear an NRA or GOA cap and I think the odds of any uneasy experiences will be very low indeed.

20

If you go with your SO, please be prepared for the lesson teachers and the range folks to make the assumption that HE is dragging YOU along, rather than vice versa.

Try not to get too peeved about this.

I’m introducing my husband to the sport with a pistol (I always shot rifles, as I was better with them, and when I did shoot regularly, it was in another county, not here) and it is amazing how many times the lesson that is supposed to be for him ends up being for the little ignorant wifey instead, because obviously a huge red-blooded male like my husband already knows the basics of shooting. sigh

Otherwise, I’d echo the following:

Go to a police station and ask for their recommendation for lessons and for ranges.

Go to the lessons and them for their recommendations for ranges to shoot at.

Find the ranges that have overlapping recommendations between group one and group two, and go there to shoot regularly.

Consider taking some time to learn about the NRA and their offerings - it will most likely come up at some point at the range, and if you know a little about them, you’re better able to have opinions if asked, or to know to keep your head down about certain subjects that are controversial.

Be careful bringing guests with you to the range when you first join - most ranges have rules about that, but from what I’ve seen (this is in the Bible Belt, so this may not have anything to do with range culture in NY State) regular shooters tend to think poorly of people who join and then spend most of their range time “showing off” their new piece to family and friends who most likely don’t know what they’re doing when handling it.

Last advice - don’t let sellers or more experienced shooters bully you into any particular equipment or type of equipment, including firearms. There’s a reason there are multiple makes of everything under the sun, and you have to figure out what works well for you. No-one can “look at you and tell that you need x” no matter how persuasive they are about it.

Have fun and let us know how it goes!