Nonconformist's Guide To Gun Ownership Part 3

Part 1 was mostly equipment. Part 2 was mostly friends and family. Part 3 is going to be my take on the whole "gun culture" element.

Now's when things start to get a little nasty :) Well, not really. But here's the basic situation (and this is an honest, clear appraisal, I assure you):

• There is definitely a "gun culture" that have a unique set of values, communication style, they dress differently, shop in different stores, and have different hobbies and interests than the rest of us
• Those who are inside this "gun culture" most likely were born into it and don't realize that it is any different than the rest of us
• The "gun culture" insiders may get quite defensive if you suggest there is a gun culture
• There is legitimate "elitism" in this gun culture. There is even some "hazing" of sorts for newcomers. Yes, it exists. If you point it out, you will likely get attacked.
• You don't have to fit in or join this gun culture, but you can learn a lot from the gun culture insiders without having to join in
• Internet forums are full of the gun culture insiders

Your first encounter with the elitist gun culture will probably happen when you go to the gun counter to seek buying your first gun. Certainly the sales guy at the counter doesn't intend to put you off, but it will be very normal for you to feel put off. Once you feel put off, it may be very hard to separate the factual information from the cultural opinion. So if you don't want to swallow it hook, line and sinker, then you need to know how to navigate what is, quite frankly, kind of a minefield.

The Myth = The Gun Culture Does Not Exist
If you bring up the idea of gun culture elitism, or the clearly obvious cliquishness of the gun folks, within the company of these gun owners, then you are likely to not make any friends and you may be attacked. The form of the attack is going to be "there is no elitism, there is no gun culture, you are the one who is wrong".

Make no mistake, it does exist. I am not trying to paint a broad brush or say that all individuals who are friendly to the "insider" idealism of the gun culture are all fully in agreement or tend to be hostile towards outsiders. In fact many are reasonable and friendly and very willing to help. But there still is kind of a herd mentality, and I'd say those who are willing to relate to you on your level are the nonconformists of their group.

You are standing at a crossroads of culture. Your whole peer group, family and friends are likely in some other kind of subcultural group, and you need to gain some insight from another one, but doing so without either being sucked into the new group or being attacked by it may be tricky.

Here are some of the things I have experienced from this gun culture.

• Strong adherence to some particular choice of guns, and open attacks on those who choose differently. Some folks will attack you if you decide to carry 9mm instead of a .45. There is kind of a hysteria about 1911 type pistols from this group that may not make sense to you (I, for one, can't stand them). Some may feel free to pick on you for your choice of gun (God help you if you have a Smith and Wesson Sigma, as I do).
• Strong sense that guns, gun rights, or gun-related choices are the top priority. The gun culture, or specifically concealed carry, self-defense subculture insiders, for example, will openly boycott businesses that post a 30.06 (compliant no-guns sign), and will advocate quitting a job if your employer does not allow you to carry a gun while at work. They may strongly advocate never visiting a country or state that restricts gun rights, even for vacation. They may think you are nuts for not completely changing your wardrobe in order to suit carrying your gun, plus all kinds of other extra gear like spare magazines, pepper spray, knives, etc.
• Some will suggest that if you are Generation X member, you are a lazy good-for-nothing leech on society. If you don't join the NRA, you are a traitor to the cause. If you support the ACLU, you are an ultra-traitor. etc. You should vote, and act mostly based on gun laws and ignore most other issues

Like I said, this is not all of them, but it is enough of them that it sends a clear message to newcomers of "we don't want you here". This is ok, because I bet you don't want to join their group either. But unfortunately if you are going to go to a gun store and buy something someday, you are going to have to interact with these people.

Gun Store Guy
When I went to check out a gun at a store for the first time, it was the first time I had ever handled a firearm in my entire life. I didn't know what the gun counter etiquette was. I didn't know why they removed the magazine and opened the action. I didn't know whether I should ask them to remove the trigger lock. It was a rather intimidating situation that didn't have to be that way.

I think sometimes the gun store guy is sizing you up. I am sure a part of it is that they want to know if you are a looky-loo or if you are really there to buy. That's fair enough.

For example, I am a guitarist. I'm no weekend hobbyist, but a part-time, former full-time pro. One time I went into a guitar store with a coworker who also plays the guitar, but he's a weekend hobbyist. When I went up to the counter, the guy at the counter was chatty, suggested I might want to check out this not-for-sale vintage guitar they had hanging up back there, and automatically sold me my strings I was buying for half of the marked price. Hey, I'm an insider. They know that. They know me! My coworker was baffled. He asked me why they let me play that "do not touch" guitar?!?! And why did they sell me strings for half price??!! He said he usually cannot get them to give him any help, they charge him full price for everything, and won't let him touch anything. They can tell, he's not in the club. I don't really know how they can tell but they can. The gun store is no different!

So the first time I was there, I was apprehensive and didn't know what I was doing, and I didn't buy. I was very put off. Then I went back to my good gun owning friends (all two of them) and asked what I did to project this "I'm not worthy" message and they advised me on what I should expect. Next time I went I got a whole different kind of treatment.

So here you go, gun store etiquette 101:

• Be educated. Know first what you are looking for, and ask for that specifically. When they ask you questions like "are you going to be using this for self defense or target practice", know the answer. If you have decided you want a striker-fired, compact double-stack 9mm, then when they try and tell you that "you really want a steel frame gun where you can see the hammer" or "new shooters should start with a revolver because of the simplicity" then you should just tell them you are not interested. Know what you are looking for. Have a list of the exact models you are looking at, and do some pre-planning before you get to the gun shop. You have a right to your own informed opinion.
• Academy has a store policy, they do not remove the trigger locks. IMHO, do not shop there for this reason alone.
• You are expected to clear (that is, unload, check to be sure it is unloaded) any gun handed to you. This is normal protocol for passing a gun between persons. It is also normal protocol for anyone passing a gun off to clear it, and hand it over with the magazine out and the slide locked open (if possible). Most gun counter clerks will do this as a routine, and you should learn this habit as well. It's a courtesy mostly in a gun store since they all know these guns have never been loaded but it is a very good 100% habit and a requirement for safe gun handling. The counter clerk will probably not hand you the gun, but will probably open it, clear it, and set it down on the counter. This is routine protocol.
• When you are handling the gun, do not point it in the direction of the clerk or the store. Keep it pointed behind the counter away from people. You will get in the habit of doing this as well but for the first couple of times, you will have to think about it.
• You need to feel how the gun fits your hand and feels on balance. To do this, you need to insert the magazine, release the slide with the slide release and "ride the slide", which means hold it and slow down the release (letting it snap down on the force of the recoil spring freely onto an empty chamber supposedly can damage some pistols), and then handle the gun with your finger off of the trigger to check for the fit
• You can evaluate the sights, aim at something on the wall behind the counter, not the clerk!
• You should check the trigger. Ask the clerk first!!! This is called "dry firing", so you should say, "is it ok for me to dry-fire it?". They will either say, "sure, go ahead", or "sure, but let me put a snap-cap in it" (a snap-cap is a fake cartridge that you put in to protect whatever needs protecting for guns that are not safe to dry-fire), or "no" in which case put the gun down and leave the store without spending a penny. If there's a trigger lock, ask them to remove it first, then ask to dry fire. If they won't remove the trigger lock, put the gun down and leave. To dry fire the gun, you will probably have to rack the slide to get it cocked so you can fire it unless it is a SA/DA. Know how to do this! If you are right-handed, you hold the gun with your right hand like you are preparing to fire with your finger off of the trigger and not inside the trigger guard, and with your left hand, pull back on the slide at the serrations while pushing forward with your right hand to pull back the slide, then release (this is called "sling shot").
• Check all other controls, including the slide release, magazine release, safeties (if you decided to get a gun with a safety), make sure you can operate them easily with the gun in position, and also try it left and right handed to make sure you could fire the gun with either hand if you have to.
• If you are at all serious about purchasing the gun, I think it is perfectly reasonable to ask the clerk to demonstrate how to field strip the pistol. It takes me less than one minute to do this with either of mine. They should do it right there on the bench. Field stripping means removing the slide from the frame, removing the recoil spring, guide rod and barrel from the slide, and then putting it all back together again. You will have to do this each time you celan it, so it's good to know how it's done and see how difficult it can be.

If the gun counter clerk offers any unsolicited advice such as "That gun is a piece of junk, it's a rip off of a , you should buy the real thing" or "I would never buy any Smith and Wesson after they made that deal with that commie pervert Clinton" [statements I have heard in gun stores with my own ears], then you should choose to either just ignore them, or shop elsewhere. If they have a gun in the store, then they should be willing to sell it without the commentary. They may offer other advice like "a snubby is really the best carry gun" or "for home defense, you should get a 12 gauge shotgun" and that all might be well and good, their opinion, but you don't need that advice so just ignore it politely. "Thanks, but I am really interested in only this gun".

Realize that once you walk in, they probably can tell you are not a part of the clique. They are not going to treat you like a part of the clique. It gets better with time. Nowadays when I go into the stores where I shop for guns and accessories, I get a warm greeting and they know me. I still don't fit into the clique, but I don't get the cold shoulder. Funny how buying something from them might get you into the club faster :)

The Online Gun Community
One advantage of an online community is it allows a level of anonymity. As you probably are well aware, there is a wealth of information to be had from online forums, user groups and that kind of thing. During your research for what gun to buy, how to carry, etc., certainly you have happened upon some forums or user groups such as defensivecarry.com, thefiringline.com, thehighroad.us, or texaschlforum.com. When the time comes to find a CHL class, a holster, a used pistol, user reports of the reliability of a particular pistol, or those kinds of things, then the advice of a large pool of users can be a huge benefit.

But with the baby comes the bath water.

The main thing to look out for is that the opinions and advice from many of these forum members comes from the viewopoint of a gun-culture insider. Much of this input is very biased, although certainly accuate and useful within the context. You will need to probably reject some of the information.

For example, one hot-button is the infamous "caliber war". Usually it's 9mm vs. .45ACP. You have the zealots on one side who say that 9mms are toys, and .45ACP is the only way to go. On the other side you have the 9mm advocates who believe higher capacity is better. Then this ends up turning into a capacity war. The 5-shot-revolver crowd chimes in, says if you can't hit what you are aiming for in less than 5 shots, you shouln't be carrying. Or that if you think you need 17 rounds, you are a nutcase. Then you get into an autos vs. revolvers war. And on and on! It never ends. Hey it's an internet forum. The primary purpose is arguing.

Well at some point if you find yourself in the cross fire of such a war (pardon the pun), it may be your choices being attacked. As a newbie, you might not really be all that confident in why you made these choices. Maybe you just took my advice :) So maybe it's easy for you to feel personally attacked on these forums.

Also, one common cultural element to the gun forums is the "first, bring a gun" attitude. On the extreme end, this turns into a "dress around your gun" debate, or maybe "carrying a gun is not comfortable, but it's comforting", etc. If you ever reveal that you are interested in dressing fashionably, then prepare for the onslaught of people suggesting that if your personal safety is not more valuable than your fashion choices, then your priorities are upside down. Blah blah blah. This is par for the course.

Likewise sometimes a gun review might say something like, "the CZ P-100 is a piece of junk because it has the worst trigger in the history if pistols". Well, "worst" is clearly qualitative. So what makes it bad? It's got a long stroke, and a heavy pull. Not as long and heavy as a typical DAO revolver like a hammerless Smith ultralight. But no matter. They are comparing it to a 1911 or other very light-trigger pistol, so this opinion is very biased. So you have to get used to sorting through the opinions and find the real information.

My personal example is my first gun. It is a Smith and Wesson SW9VE, aka "Sigma". The first generation of Smith and Wesson Sigma pistols had a number of problems. #1, Smith and Wesson had a political problem. They agreed with the Clinton administration on some kind of gun control thing that is old news and irrelevant now but this put them on the black list for a lot of old and in the way gun people. #2, at the time the main striker-fired, polymer-frame pistol out there was a Glock, and this Smith and Wesson had quite a striking resemblance to a Glock 19. In fact, Glock sued S&W over some kind of patent infringement, resulting in some change to the S&W. So in many people's mind, this gun is a "fake Glock". S&W settled that suit with Glock. #3, the first generation pistols were plagued with reliability problems. And #4, the trigger... introduced at a time when DAO striker-fired pistols were uncommon, the Sigma was compared with Glocks and noted to have a much heavier trigger that many fans of semi-automatic pistols did not like.

So the conventional wisdom was, Sigma = bad. Every gun forum I read had lengthy Sigma bashing threads dating back for a decade. There would be a small contingent of Sigma fans extoling the virtues of the current models but no matter, they were swatted down by the rest of the community. I did my own research, tried it in my hand, made a choice and I bought one. Still I get bashed on these online communities for owning a Sigma.

Well six months later I bought a Kahr. Kahr has a reputation as a "premium" pistol. They have a high reputation for reliability, quality of materials, and design. I had shot two or three of them, really liked them, and decided to buy one for myself.

Well, with over 600 rounds through it, the Sigma has been dead-nuts reliable, I like to shoot it, it is comfortable and very accurate. It does everything exactly right and was a tremendous value. The Kahr, on the other hand, has had reliability niggles from day #1, with half the round count is still picky about handling, has little issues, and is less comfortable and harder to shoot. By the way the Kahr, purported to have an "excellent" trigger, has just about the same trigger weight as my "horrible" Sigma. So see, these reviews and internet opinions are not really objective in the least.

Your New Gun Culture Friends
As you make new friends who are gun friendly, many of them are likely gun culture insiders. In Texas, they probably hunt. They probably have more rifles than they do hand guns. They will invite you to go shoot with them, maybe even invite you to go hunting.

Face to face interactions are far different from the internet. You may bring your Hi-Point or Kel-Tec or *gasp* Sigma to the range and your gun friends may rib you about your junk gun for a minute but once they shoot it, they'll quit hassling you. Likewise when you are invited to go shoot with these gun insider friends, they will have lots to offer in terms of hands-on advice that you can benefit from. So go out shooting with them, learn what you can, and be nice. One of these days you may need help getting a stuck round out of a jammed gun or maybe you decide you want to buy a rifle and you would like to get some advice, so having these more experienced friends on good terms is a very good thing.

I have been to two gun shows and found that I won't go back. Gun shows are like a Gun Culture Convention. The prices are not worth it, they are usually the same or higher than the discount type local stores. They are crowded, and there are a bunch of People Not Like You there. It's a fun spectator sport but not my favorite use of my time.