Seminar for Gun-Phobes (Seriously, I'd like to arrange one.)

[Hoi Polloi]

I saw the ongoing discussions about legal seminars and thought to myself, "The moms I know wouldn't ever go to something like that. It would be great if we had something for them!" Then I remembered how many posts I've read out there asking how to get a wife or mother interested in shooting or getting a CHL as many are fine with the husbands carrying, but leave guns to the men. Some are even flat-out scared.

I would like to propose a field day of sorts marketed to those who don't have guns and have no intention of having them. It would be informational, would have no pressure, no scare tactics, no cliches, no guilt trips. It would be marketed under the presumption that "You might not have guns in your house, but your friends, neighbors and relatives most likely do. How can you keep your children safe? Or maybe you have your grandpa's old rusty gun in the closet and wouldn't know which end was up even if you did want to use it. Come to this no pressure informational day... blah blah blah."

Off the top of my head, a flow might look like this and cover 2-3 hours, preferably on a Sat morning.

What Types of Guns are There? And Why do People Have Them?
-Cover the 4 rules.
-Cover the different types of guns and explain what their use and purpose is. Ideally have each type presented by a different person who regularly uses that type of gun and can speak to and illustrate personal experience, how it is used (holstered, etc), and why they chose to carry. For example: an older RV traveling woman (revolver), a college female student who was threatened or attacked (semi), a middle-aged dad (shot gun), a middle-aged woman (rifle), a military or LEO guy would then balance with what a "professional" uses by showing some big, decked out thing and explaining how he uses it.
-Pass out take-home sheets that illustrate and name the different types of guns and their primary purposes.
-Participants may handle the different kinds of guns that clearly have their triggers tied to immobilize them. Have clearly displayed info summaries by each saying the type of gun, the particular gun make & model, and the primary uses of it and have people available to answer questions one-on-one.

How Does a Gun Work?
-Cover the 4 rules
-Name and identify the different parts of a gun, explaining how they work. Particularly emphasize the safety processes.
-Pass out take-home sheets that have an illustration identifying the parts of a gun by name and explaining how to take apart and reassemble them.
-Participants field strip hand guns in small groups, hopefully with an "expert" in each group to help guide.

What are the Texas Laws Concerning Guns?
-Cover the 4 rules.
-Cover the Castle Doctrine. Explain why someone would want to use a gun under this law.
-Cover the MPA and traveling. Explain why someone would want to use a gun under this law.
-Cover CHLs. Explain why someone would want to use a gun under this law.
-Cover LEOs. Explain why someone would want to use a gun under this law.
-Cover myths and misconceptions. Explain where people can get up to date information on this topic.
-Pass out a take-home packet that summarizes the above. Include information like local IDPA/USPCA/etc, local ranges where guns can be rented, and so on.

How Do You Keep Your Kids Safe Around Guns?
-Cover the 4 rules.
-Show the Eddie Eagle video.
-Have a brief presentation on how to introduce and talk about the video at your house, especially if you do not own guns.
-Have a Q and A session with the panel.
-Have a lot of Eddie Eagle supplies available for them to take away for their families. Include a bag big enough for them to fit everything they're walking away with into one place.

Range Tour
-Cover the 4 rules.
-Explain how a gun range works and terms commonly heard at a range.
-Explain safety procedures in place at a range and rules concerning children at a range.
-Show the different parts of the range and explain how and when they are used (rifle, handgun, etc bays, clay shooters, etc)
-Walk down to the targets and explain how they're used at different distances and why.
-Illustrate using a gun at the range.
-Allow any who are interested to shoot. Offer to take a polaroid picture if they'd like to take it away.
-Thanks for coming!

Free Shooting (no range fee) For Participants All Day

[Charles L. Cotton]

This is an excellent idea and I'd be happy to put one together and add it to the library. I don't know how successful we would be in getting the target audience to attend, so I'd like to get some input from the ladies with friends who are afraid of guns. I don't think we'll get true hardcore anti-gunners to come.

Chas.

[seniorshooteress]

I have been trying to get my sis-in-law to go to the range with me ever since I got my CHL. Every time she comes for a visit I show her my latest gun. I like little guns and have 22, 25.32, 38, 9mm, 380's. (also have some larger S/A and revolvers ) I offer to let her shoot any of my guns she would like to try. She says she is "kinda" scared of guns. Hopefully one of these days I will get her to the range and I try to explain to her as long as you keep your finger outta the booger hole the guns isn't going to go bang. I hand them to her, unloaded of course and let her get the feel so she isn't afraid of touching it. I think she would benefit from a course such as mentioned.