6 Things New Gun Owners Need To Do Once Quarantine Ends

New Gun Owner? Do These 6 Things Once The Quarantine Is Over

Became a new gun owner during the great quarantine panic of 2020? That's okay; welcome to the club! We're glad you decided to finally join us.

However, as the song goes all things must pass. Eventually, the lockdown will end and we can all start going out and doing stuff again. As a newbie gun owner, there are a few things that you really ought to do once the quarantine is over.

Get Firearms Training

The first thing you should do is get some firearms training. We can't emphasize this enough. If you are a complete and utter novice, having never owned and barely ever fired a gun before, YOU NEED TRAINING.

The good news is there's plenty of it about.

For starters, we heavily recommend a basic training course to start with the fundamentals. The NRA Basic courses are a great starting point, especially Basic Pistol if you bought a handgun. We also recommend any beginner course that also includes some range time, to get started on the basics of marksmanship. If you're keeping a gun for protection, accuracy is darn near everything that matters, so you need to learn how to shoot it.

Get Your Concealed Carry Permit...If You Want To

If you feel that you would like to join the ranks of people who conceal and carry and thereby exercise their Second Amendment Rights outside the home, the logical next step is to get your concealed carry permit.

In most states, this will require some additional training which basic training courses - such as NRA Basic Pistol and state-sanctioned hunter's safety courses - sometimes but don't always satisfy. Check your state and local laws for what course is required, please.

The saying goes that a gun you have on you is better than the gun you have at home. We all have to choose to carry or not for ourselves, but if you believe that it's right for you to do so, then getting your concealed carry permit is the next logical step.

Get An Implement Of Safe Storage AND THEN USE IT

If you haven't already, get some sort of implement of safe storage. Your gun needs to be kept in a safe manner.

Imagine a hypothetical gun, kept loaded, in a hypothetical nightstand drawer. Imagine a hypothetical child, curious as children are, opens the drawer and gets out the pistol...and then pulls the trigger, striking a sibling, playmate or parent.

It happens in real life. People die because of it, and negligent parents go to prison for it in some cases. This is why safe storage is necessary, especially if you're keeping a loaded gun for self defense.

There are a lot of different things you can use for safe storage. Even a simple lockbox, put out of reach of tiny hands, is effective at locking a gun away. Better yet, an actual safe.

Regardless of WHAT kind of storage device you get, make sure you're storing your guns safely. In a drawer or cabinet is not enough.

Learn To Clean And Maintain Your Gun

Granted, you should be learning this during the quarantine period, but if you don't get to it...then you need to learn the ins and outs of the gun you bought, starting with how to field strip, clean and maintain the weapon.

A gun that isn't maintained will not work as well as it should, and yes that even includes Glock pistols and DEFINITELY includes AR-15 rifles and pump-action shotguns.

You should learn as much as you can about the make and model firearm that you bought. It's quirks. It's foibles. What other owners have learned through experience as how best to own and operate it.

Get Quality Eye And Hearing Protection

You should also definitely invest in some quality hearing protection and eye protection. No, those cheap disposable ones that you get for a couple of bucks from the hardware store are not enough.

It's a good practice to get electronic ear protection, though you can double up on ear plugs and passive ear muffs if you want to stick to passive ear pro. Look for the highest Noise Reduction Rating you can find and afford for both.

If you're going to start shooting, you want your ears and eyes protected. You don't get hearing back, folks.

If You're Going To Carry, Get A Good Gun Holster And Gun Belt

Returning to intending to carry after quarantine has ended, you will also need to get yourself a decent gun holster and a quality gun belt to securely attach it.

There are many good out there. What you're looking for is a holster that covers the trigger guard, retains the pistol securely when you're out and about, creates a solid platform on the waist for you to draw from, and can be worn comfortably for extended periods.

As for a gun belt, the typical belt you find in stores is just not good enough. You need a good, strong belt that will hold the pistol, holster and your pants up. Look for dual-sided leather or web belts made for concealed carry. With a steel reinforcing core, so much the better.

Get Out And Train

Whatever gun it is that you purchased, whether it's a shotgun, rifle, carbine or a pistol, you need to get out and train with it, and at that safely and competently.

Get some training first, so you can learn the fundamentals of safe handling and the fundamental skills you need to work on to develop good marksmanship. Do all the dry firing you possibly can. Then it's time to hit the range.

Get out and shoot. It's a good idea, if you're a total newbie, to have someone around that isn't, so you have some experience to help guide you.

Chances are, an experienced shooter is going to jump at ANY chance to get out and shoot, and will be happy to teach you whatever they can.

Remember, it is everyone's right to carry and bear arms. This is a right that isn't granted by the government, it is inherent to all mankind. It is just that many governments took it upon themselves to inhibit that right, in the name of the supposed "greater good."

However, we - as gun owners - must hold ourselves to a high standard in terms of safety and responsibility. We welcome you to our ranks, but caution you that we want you to become safe and responsible, as well as proficient. We are, after all, only as strong as our weakest link.