I was approached last night at work by a young man in his mid 20s expressing his interest in getting his concealed weapons permit. He heard I was an instructor and wanted to know if I would teach the class. In principle I said yes and spoke with him about the responsibilities behind carrying a weapon for self-defense, but I got the distinct impression that after I said yes, I was boring him with details.
We have talked about guns before and I know he knows squat about them, about using them for self defense or even shooting them for fun. His whole schooling comes from Movies, TV and Rap Music which could be summarized with his statement “I want a Desert Eagle!” Even though he is a single father which should make him a bit more mature, I really do not see it there. Then again him having a kid and not owing the means to defend the kid makes me uneasy about not giving him instruction.
I am a firm believer in personal responsibility. I also believe that you should carry a firearm if you want to since it is your right and I shouldn’t do anything to curtail it. The again it is my responsibility as instructor that I should not give help or to fail somebody that might do more harm than good with a firearm. I know I can teach him the class with special emphasis on Home Firearms Safety since he has a kid but, what if it does not take? To tell you the truth if he were to shoot himself I wouldn’t be worried: you pay your monies, you take your chances and I will actually make fun of you for not following the Firearms Safety Rules and getting an extreme ballistic remedial class. But I am afraid that his lack of maturity may lead to a child being injured or dead or an innocent bystander on his way to Jackson Memorial Hospital.
I am going to give this one some seriously deep consideration.
UPDATE: Thanks to James and the Pastor for guidance. The young feller will have to do without my instruction for now. I hope he matures enough to take on the responsibility.
Go with your gut, I say.The lack of seriousness on the part of your potential student (and the fact that he listens to rap music) indicates that he probably should not be a gun owner because he’s more than likely to do something stupid and get himself (or somebody else) injured or killed. Additionally, it would tarnish your image if he did something wrong and it got back to you somehow (either as an instructor or as a co-worker.)
Point him to somebody else who is likely to drill responsbility into him if you think he can handle it. But either way you should avoid teaching this guy unless you absolutely must.
My .43 cents (adjusted for inflation.)
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Each of has a moral compass that we can choose to follow or ignore. The truer you are to yours the more you will contrast with this world where everything is acceptable somewhere. Thomas Jefferson said it so cool; “In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.” Rock On.
Integrity- defined as adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.
Pastor Kenn Blanchard
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