This is another addition to of a series of articles where I intend to share my journey into gaining an understanding of firearms. I am sure there are others out there who, like me, were either taught to be afraid of guns, or else simply have no knowledge about guns at all. I share this in order to help any who might be on the fence about the topic itself, and also to show that a person can go from knowing next to nothing about the subject and still learn properly and thoroughly. As an admitted novice I must add that advice from experts who may visit this sight will always be appreciated!

A friend of mine asked me about which gun safety course I have taken. The fact is I have taken more than one, and still have a few more on my list. I firmly believe in learning from more than one source, and because of the importance of the subject, I am practicing what I preach.

The gun safety courses I took prior to the purchase were online, and did contain a lot of good information, but these lack the interaction with the instructor. The place where I made my purchase offers safety classes several times each week, and I will be attending a couple of these classes next week. I will also be taking one offered by the NRA as well.

The State of Texas also requires a special course for those interested in CCL (Concealed Carry License). The purchase I made is very much not (at least in my limited understanding) a concealed carry gun, but I will still take the course and obtain my CCL. I was looking more toward home defense, stopping power, and accuracy than concealed carry. While Texas is going to move to open carry, but I am not at the point of going with open carry yet.

Most important to me, however, is a course I will be taking in January.

I will be attending a class designed to help gun owners understand Texas law regarding the use of firearms in this Sate. See, there is more than just having a gun, knowing how to operate it and shoot accurately. Knowing when you are justified in using the weapon is of paramount importance! It isn’t just knowing enough to not shoot yourself in the foot. This is a big and often complicated subject. You need to go to people in the field and learn from them.

I have been teaching self-defense and personal safety for a long time, and I teach that the two most important factors in personal safety are not getting hurt, and not going to jail. If either of these two aspects are lacking, what you are doing in not self-defense and not personal safety.

I will be sharing my experiences with these course here, but because it is going to be Texas specific, I will not be going into the fine points. For now, I will say that if you are a gun owner, knowing when you are justified in using the weapon is extremely important, and should be as important to you as being able to hit whatever you are trying to shoot.