[pax]

Some folks seem to think firearms require little training and no practice whatsoever in order to use them effectively in a life-or-death situation. This is a lie. An attractive lie, but a lie nonetheless.

Another attractive lie -- actually a half-truth -- is that you can teach yourself how to shoot. The complete truth is that if you want to learn to shoot safely, efficiently, and well, an experienced person can easily show you how to do things that will take you many years to learn on your own, and without the sidetrips into dangerously incompetent territory which teaching yourself often brings. Shooting is a physical skill, and thus really requires hands-on instruction for best results.

There's no sense in practicing doing something wrong. That just engrains bad habits that will need to be unlearned later.

Learn what you need to know from a competent and responsible instructor. Practice what you have learned until it becomes second nature. Lather, rinse, repeat.

pax