Use It Or Lose It

Shooting really is a perishable skill. No matter the discipline, the mantra is always ….practice, practice, practice. If you are not practicing your shooting technique on a regular basis, your skills are diminishing. If you are a target shooter, diminished skills can spoil a range trip. However, if you have a firearm that you plan to use for self-defense, diminished skills can make the difference between life and death – yours!

If the unthinkable should happen and you need to rely on your self-defense weapon, you will only be as successful as your level of practiced training. Dry firing will help, but there is no substitute for live fire with your defensive weapon and ammunition. One range session a month is the bare minimum. If you are avoiding a range trip because it’s too hot, too cold, or might rain, keep in mind that the bad guys don’t just conduct attacks on nice, sunny warm days.

In addition, you should regularly rotate through your defensive ammunition. How often you rotate it depends on the conditions to which it is exposed. If it is kept in your vehicle or being carried in the heat and humidity, change it out every 6 months. If it in a bedside table, change it once a year. Of course, changing it out really means shooting it in practice at the range. Stop by the shop and replace those jacketed hollow points at our every day low prices.

Regular Maintenance Makes Life Easier

There is a sign in my dentist’s office that says, “Only floss the ones you want to keep.” Daily horror stories about losing all of your photos and documents urge regular backups of the data on your computer and smartphone to avoid the “agony of delete.” What does this have to do with my firearms? Well, paraphrasing the thoughts above, only clean and lubricate the ones that you want to remain safe, accurate, and reliable. Keeping your firearms well-maintained means that they will work as expected when expected. Stop by the shop with your firearms that need a thorough cleaning, inspection, and proper lubrication. We will do the complete process as detailed here for $39.95.

Own It? Respect It. Secure It . . .

Own it? Respect it. Secure it. Putting these words into action is a simple and powerful way to help prevent firearm accidents and unauthorized access to firearms. That’s why we are proud to be part of the Own It? Respect It. Secure It. (ORS) Initiative℠ and committed to spreading this message every way we can to our customers, community, and members. This message is always a part of every course and coaching session we conduct. We strongly urge you to embrace these principles and make them an automatic part of every single interaction you have with firearms.

Without question, safety should always be top of mind when handling firearms. Safety, when firearms are not in use, is just as important. In fact, we want the safe storage of firearms when not in use to become second nature, like keeping medicine in child-resistant containers.

The more we repeat this message, the more it will remind firearms owners to take important yet simple steps to securely store their firearms when not in use.

We urge you to share this message with your friends and family. And for more information on the ORS Initiative, please visit www.nssf.org/ORS.