What Are The Benefits Of Joining A Gun Club?

Local Gun Clubs are a great Resource for Defensive and Recreational Shooters

In almost every town and city where law-abiding gun owners live, there's a gun club. That gun club may specialize in just hunting and rifles or it may extend to pistols or more. Each gun club provides some very basic advantages: a place to train and meet others whom are like-minded in self-defense.

No one gun owner or concealed carrier knows it all. I can't think of anyone who's fired every single pistol and revolver in existence or trained for every possible contingency. It's just too time consuming and not relevant to the average concealed carrier.

Gun clubs can be a great way to expand your mind. Your mind, after all, is ultimately the thing that will get you through an actual self-defense scenario. Your gun is useful. Having it in a is very helpful. But nothing compares to the power your mind has to assess a situation and react accordingly.

Three Advantages Of Gun Clubs

1. Schedule of training courses

Whether you're interested in getting an out-of-state concealed carry course out of the way so you can travel a bit easier across state lines or simply looking to sharpen your skills with pistols - gun clubs generally advertise schedules for training events. They may not all be regularly offered but if one place doesn't have a course coming up, they can usually refer you to some place nearby that does.

This is great if you're ever interested in becoming a state-certified instructor or just becoming more proficient with your concealed carry handgun.

2. Opportunities to try new firearms and firearm techniques

We all stand to . No matter your age or your relative ability, there's always the opportunity to learn a new way to grip a handgun or practice more efficiently. And who knows? You'll also help to teach others as well. Teaching a firearm-related skill reinforces it way more than practicing because you have to illustrate and explain why a technique works for you.

3. A dedicated place to practice with like-minded individuals

Not every gun club is cut out for every concealed carrier. Some have more of a sportsman focus - honing in on skills necessary to hunt and track animals. But even those clubs have a lot to offer a concealed carrier because not every self-defense situation will be cut and dry. Whether it's getting NRA certified courses for hunting or discovering new ways to get cover and concealment, there's a little gem readily available for everyone.

Bonus: Group discounts on tactical training.

A lot of gun clubs don't have tactical trainers or specialized tactical training built into their schedule. If you're talking with a bunch of guys and gals who are interested in learning more about tactical-based training, often times you may be able to get a group discount rate for those specialized trainers. More importantly, it's an excuse for your group to come together and learn something fun and practical that may otherwise not be offered.

If you're in a gun club, what are some things you took away from the experience?

Tell us about it in the comments section below!

About The Author James England (@sir_jim_england) is the contributing editor for Alien Gear Holsters. He is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and private defense contracting in Afghanistan.