By MamaLiberty

Or… who in heck gets to determine the “perfect” or the “good?” I mean, for anyone else…

Ever hear gun owners, for instance, spend inordinate amounts of time and effort arguing about what gun, ammunition, accessories or practices are “best” and, all too often, sneering at any who don’t share their preferences? Sure you do… and even though the 9mm vs .45 wars are mostly funny these days, when taken to extreme this type of argument probably serves to discourage more than a few new shooters, people tempted to leap off the fence between “gun control” and freedom. When these new people visit our fora and blogs, do they get mostly courteous answers to their questions, or blistering ridicule for their questions and initial choices? You know that the latter is all too common.

Think back on the early days in your experience, with guns or much of anything else. What was the best influence, the worst? Did you find a mentor who would both encourage and challenge you? Or did you have to discover what was best for you on your own? Did someone’s sneering, patronizing bad attitude almost cause you to turn away? And how did that influence your attitude toward new people later on?  Some food for thought, maybe.

This story, posted at the Buckeye Firearms Association gives us a good look at this topic. It tells the story of an instructor who, just by chance, was in the right place at the right time to make the difference of a lifetime for one person with very few self defense options. He could have told her what a piece of crap her gun was, dismissing her out of hand… but he chose to look at the big picture and recognize her courage and strength instead. It is a great story, and one I hope every gun owner will read and take to heart.

Save a life or sneer at an idiot – your choice
by Greg Ellifritz

The whole experience gives me pause. How many times have you been at the range and looked down your nose at somebody shooting a HiPoint or Jennings? How many times have you silently thought “idiot” when someone fumbles with their gun? How many times have you looked askance at shooters using the “wrong” grip? I know I do all of those things almost every time I’m at a public shooting range … but I won’t do it anymore. What if those “idiots” are really just people like this woman … inexperienced, poor, and without anyone to teach them how to do things right? By the luck of the draw, this woman pulled up a chair next to a professional firearms instructor at the range. She could have just as easily sat next to “Bubba” who will tell her that her gun is a piece of shit and that there’s no way she could ever learn to defend herself in an hour.

We shooters need to do better. It doesn’t matter if someone has a shitty blaster or if they don’t know how to hold it correctly. They might be in a situation like this woman was in. We need to help these people the best that we can. Who knows what an impact we will have?

Save a life or sneer at an “idiot.” It’s your choice.

[Read the whole story at the source.]