New Gun, New Habits

Cajun Arms Firearms Training

Safety Considerations

Your safety is your responsibility. Whether you are armed or not. No one will be there to help you in the first crucial minutes of a violent and/or criminal incident. It will be up to you to react and affect whether or not lives are lost. So many new gun owners during these crazy past few years, have purchased a gun (“I can’t believe I’m buying a gun”) and stuck it in a drawer or maybe a safe. They may or may not have ever loaded it. Perhaps some took the gun to the range, bought a holster, received a carry permit, and now they carry it. Are these people good to go? Do you think they can defend themselves?

Perfect Practice and Professional Training

A violent crime can impact anyone, at any place, at any time. Personal defense, if taken seriously, is a way of life. Hope is not a plan. Learning a defensive style of shooting is very different from plinking at tin cans or shooting a bullseye target at your local indoor range. The defensive student will need to learn to compress their skills in a very short amount of time and space into fractions of seconds. This ability will take new learned skills that should be practiced until conscious thought is not required to perform on demand. As we often say in class, during a violent encounter, what little brain power we have available needs to be focused on getting out of the situation: not trying to remember a proper grip or trigger reset. Becoming proficient in defending ourselves with a gun is much like martial arts. It takes good instruction and proper reps during practice. Lots of practice - until the motions become second nature. Do yourself a favor and take a class. Not just a basic pistol class. Take a true defensive pistol class. A well taught defensive firearms class can be considered one small shortcut to your ability to survive a violent event. Remember, while your training is important, a proper mindset is your most important tool. Be aware. You do not need to go through life being ultra paranoid, but be aware of your surroundings and the people in them. Never become too complacent. Know your exits, know your potential hot spots, and just BE AWARE. Avoidance is an underrated and often unmentioned tool. In some situations, just don’t go! Say you are walking to your parked car and see a bunch of young men loitering around your vehicle. Rather than risk any type of potential encounter, keep walking and call 911 and ask for assistance in retrieving your car. Make self-defense part of your life and always try to expand your knowledge base. Play the “what if” game with like-minded associates. Make your defensive learning a source of continuing education. Until next time, make good choices.