introduction to firearms – Page 6

Checklist: Matters to Consider When Deciding on a Handgun

If you’re thinking about becoming a handgun owner, you may be wondering how to begin. Perhaps the thought of walking into a gun store makes you nervous. Or confused. The extreme variety of firearms from which to choose can be daunting and baffling.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, The 4 Basic Rules of Gun Safety ]

Click the image below to enlarge this PDF document created by SemperVerus to help you narrow the options to your specific situation. Download, print, and take it to your gun store to work through the choices with a knowledgeable and helpful firearms retailer.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Self-Defense Training Directory ]

Checklist: Matters to Consider When Deciding on a Handgun

[ Read the SemperVerus article, The Process of Becoming a First Time Gun Owner ]

To help you compare how you handle different firearms, see this list of worthwhile items to evaluate compiled by TacticalProfessor Claude Werner for testing and deciding what gun is right for you. Also see his Pistol Evaluation checklist.

You may find A Glossary of Gun Terms by AmmoMan.com, Gun Glossary For Women Shooters by Carrie Lightfoot at The Well Armed Woman, USCCA’s Terminology Guide, Pew Pew Tactical’s Handgun Training Terminology You Should Know, and USA Carry’s Firearms Terms for the Beginner to be useful in your personal firearm education.

Also see TheTruthAboutGuns.com for “Guns for Beginners” articles, GunMagWarehouse.com for A Beginner’s Guide to Buying a Handgun, and Pew Pew Tactical’s Beginner’s Guide to Guns.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Learn the Basics of Ammunition with Winchester^® Educational Infographics ]

And learn about USA state gun laws at

[ Read the SemperVerus article, A Directory of Holster Makers ]

Invite SemperVerus^® to present its 5 life-changing success-generating components—prepare, aware, be, know, do—to your organization to inspire and motivate your members.

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The 4 Basic Rules of Gun Safety

Col. Jeff Cooper (1920–2006) was a US Marine, the creator of the modern technique of handgun shooting, and an expert on the use and history of small arms. He introduced the concept of the mental alertness color code which indicates the degree of peril a person is willing to act upon and which facilitates a person to move from one level of mindset to another (situational awareness) to enable the person to properly handle a given situation.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Checklist: Matters to Consider When Deciding on a Handgun ]

As a way of encouraging universal firearm safety, Col. Cooper also advocated a simple 4-point set of rules anyone can understand:

EVERY gun is loaded until proven otherwise.
Point the muzzle ONLY at what you want to destroy.
Put your finger on the trigger ONLY when you’re ready to fire.
KNOW your target and what’s behind and around it.

The 5 Elements of Self-Defense Law

Attorney Andrew Branca has distilled the laws in all 50 states that concern themselves with self-defense. He says, “There are at most 5 elements to any self-defense case (and often not even that many). That’s true in every one of the 50 states, and all US territories.” Be sure you adhere to them.

The 5 Elements of Self-Defense Law are:

Innocence
Imminence (ability, opportunity, jeopardy)
Proportionality
Avoidance
Reasonableness (subjective and objective)