My Wife expressed interest in getting her LTC/getting a firearm for defense

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Ok, I know this thread has been done over and over.... But each case is a bit different in my mind, so I ask anyway.

My Wife was dead set against firearms only a few years ago. She didnt want to see or hear or know about what I had. She understood why I thought it was important, but she very much disliked them being in the house.

My collection grew a bit, I talked about them more, they became more apart of daily life, and she honestly felt better in 2 situations when in the Worcester area when she knew I was carrying.

She has now been to the range twice, on her terms.... She shot my 10/22, she shot a 9mm a few times she shot my 12ga ( oops mistake..... ) she generally just watched, but was very "OK" with everything.

She made the trip with me up to the shop I frequent ( every weekend [smile] ) recently and was very much impressed with everyone that worked there, attitude, helpfulness ect.... the owner of the shop very much impressed her ( I happened to be talking NFA stuff with Paul the owner ) When we got in the car, she excitedly asked " when are we getting me a gun?"

That was a few weeks ago, and since she has mentioned it again. I asked her weather or not she was looking for a "range toy" or a weapon for defensive purposes. Her reply was that she thought it might a be nice to start learning how to use one, with the intent to maybe have one available for defense at home....

Up until now, my wife as zero access to any of the firearms in the house. she has not taken a safety course, she has not shot regularly, and is not proficient with them. This has been my choice as I told her in my belief for our house, she needed to practice to have the combos to the safe ( yes, I can feel all of your comments coming )


So, my questions. How to start? What to start with? Should she just sigh up to take a class to get her LTC or should I teach her?

I had considered a .22 pistol/revolver. I would prefer a revolver, but obviously there expensive in the state of MA.

I had also considered getting a single shot, break open shot gun in .410 for her as a teaching tool.... but I dont know
 
She should take an NRA Basic Pistol class, get her LTC, and then choose her own gun.. Her gun choice should have absolutely nothing to do with your preferences..
 
My wife hit me with that same "I think we need to get ME a gun" and I jumped on the opportunity to start taking her shopping. She had taken the LTC course and had her permit, but no gun.

Everything I showed her that I had was too big, too small, too heavy or too ugly.

She liked my Browning Buckmark, but had trouble cocking the gun. She instead bought a MkII Ruger with a 5" Barrel and a red dot sight, and she loves it.

Let your wife TOTALLY pick the gun she wants.
 
My wife is actually the one that got me interested in getting my LTC. We took the NRA pistol course together, and I got my LTC-A, but she is still "getting her act together" on her application. But, she has decided she wants a S&W 617 revolver when she gets her LTC. I totally agree with the advice to leave the decision to the wife!
 
When I finally got my IWB holster, I stuck my gun (currently my only firearm) in it and went to head out the door and my wife asked me "what the hell are you going to leave me?" I tell her sorry, this is coming with me today. My wife leaves the room muttering something about how we need one in every room. My wife is sold on getting a 12 gauge! She has fired one a few times with her family in Maine and loves them. Strange how these things happen. A couple of years ago she wasn't comfortable with a firearm in the house, and now she doesn't feel comfortable without one in the house. Just a matter of time now before she gets her LTC.
 
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License first.

Then she does what she wants. You don't tell her what shoes to buy do you?

No, definitely not. I guess I didnt mean for it to come off that way. It was her question what she should get, and what the best thing to start with was. The only thing "I" want is something that will be practical for her to feel comfortable and learn on.

drb
 
Try to find her a safety class that has a live fire portion, this should give her a chance to fire different types of guns.

Mrs. Polibious has experienced a similar transformation to the stories above. She was very uncomfortable with the idea of guns. I talked her into taking a safety class with a live fire portion strictly to learn more about guns (I figured it was money well spent if she felt better about them). She took the class, had a lot of fun and applied for her LTC A, which she has, no restrictions (for about two years now). The other day she heads out, muttering something about more pepper spray. She comes back with the spray and tells me that when she bought it, the man that sold it to her said, "You know, if you had a .38 snub nose you wouldn't need that." I chuckled and said, "It would be better for him too." She looked at me , dead serious and said, "He is wrong anyway!" I raised an eyebrow and said, "Ok, take it easy." Thats when she smiled and told me, "What I really need is a .45." I love that she said NEED!
 
Basic Pistol is the way to go. Take the right class and she'll have the opportunity to shoot several types and calibers of pistol in the class. I know GOAL does this and I'm sure a few others here could point out similar classes. A trip to Manchester Firing Line or the S&W Shooting Center could also go a long way towards getting her more experience with different firearms, with some sampling she she be able to narrow down her choices better.
Just my .02 but if you have some range guns, I would try to steer her more towards the defensive minded pistol. For instance, she might love a Ruger MKIII .22 but that won't do much for defense. She can always shoot your range guns for fun.
 
Basic Pistol is the way to go. Take the right class and she'll have the opportunity to shoot several types and calibers of pistol in the class.

If she's in MetroWest/South Shore, check out one of our own trainers/paid NES sponsors here for Basic Pistol:

RKBA Personal Safety <http://www.northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/forums/175-RKBA-Personal-Safety>
http://www.massltctrain.com/
 
I had considered a .22 pistol/revolver. I would prefer a revolver, but obviously there expensive in the state of MA.

I know what you mean about .22 revolvers in this state. I was lucky enough to pick up a Taurus model 94 from a member on here pretty recently. It is a great gun especially for the price and my girlfriend absolutely loves shooting it. Don't give up on brands/models because of our awful state regs, if you look around and are patient you can find what you're looking for...or just save up and pick up a S&W 617.
 
A couple of suggestions. Have her attend a "Women on Target" course. Gives her a chance to experience all types of firearms without you or other "gun slinging superheros" trying to tell her what she's doing wrong. Not judging anyone but trust me, when Women shoot together they have a better time than learning from thier husband/significant other USUALLY.

Have someone else teach them safety and proper technique. The wives of my 2 best friends will listen to me and enjoy shooting with me. Even though their husbands know as much if not more than me. Advice from others seems to sink in more without arguments. This is not always the case, but sometimes can prove helpful to a marriage.

Don't force your gun likes/dislikes on her. My wife is a 'wheel gun/lever-action" girl. Me I am Polar opposite. She just can't comfortably rack a semi handgun. And she likes the looks of wheel guns.

Don't undersell her on Caliber. My wife bought herself a S&W 19-2. I started her on .38 only. After a few range trips I let her try .357. Boy was she pissed off that I "held her back and treated her like a girl".

But a .22 she likes is super important. Let her shoot a few hundred/thousand rounds and she will appreciate the cost savings. Plus eliminates a lot of bad habits that can develop easy. On top of that a few .22's make it easier to introduce other new people to the sport.
 
If she's in MetroWest/South Shore, check out one of our own trainers/paid NES sponsors here for Basic Pistol:

RKBA Personal Safety
http://www.massltctrain.com/

Ok, that clinches it. I suspected by the name that you might be the "Len" that helped Jeff with the live fire portion of the basic pistol class I took with him a few sundays ago. The NES logo on your ear protection kind of gave it away too :) Anyway, just wanted to say thanks to you for a great class. Being new to firearms, having that live fire portion of the class with a wide variety of calibers was invaluable and a great leaning experience. I finally got in to an appt. with my local PD. Despite reports of Fitchburg being a bit of a "yellow" city, after my appointment im fairly optimistic I'll have an unrestricted LTC A in about 6 weeks. Thanks again Len.
 
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Ok, that clinches it. I suspected by the name that you might be the "Len" that helped Jeff with the live fire portion of the basic pistol class I took with him a few sundays ago. The NES logo on your ear protection kind of gave it away too :) Anyway, just wanted to say thanks to you for a great class. Being new to firearms, having that live fire portion of the class with a wide variety of calibers was invaluable and a great leaning experience. I finally got in to an appt. with my local PD. Despite reports of Fitchburg being a bit of a "yellow" city, after my appointment im fairly optimistic I'll have an unrestricted LTC A in about 6 weeks. Thanks again Len.

Ron

Doh! That was supposed to be a PM. Guess I shouldn't send messages so late at night from my iPhone. Oh well, thanks anyway Len! :)

P.S. Big +1 on the RKBA personal safety endorsement!
 
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Phlach,

Don't worry, no harm, no foul. [wink]

Thanks for the kind words, that was indeed me working with Jeff. Jeff is a great instructor and goes way beyond the NRA requirements by providing all the different caliber guns for you folks to try out.

Good luck on getting the unrestricted permit.
 
She should take an NRA Basic Pistol class, get her LTC, and then choose her own gun.. Her gun choice should have absolutely nothing to do with your preferences..

+1 just be careful, my girl just started to gain interest, went to AFS and she likes the Sigs. I'm not sure if my wallet will be able to handle her tastes. But that is what I will get her. I don't want her to have a bad experience with buying a firearm.
 
My wife just did her class and is waiting for her LTC to arrive. When she expressed interest in shooting, I brought her to MFLR to try out a ton of handguns. She wound up picking the Ruger SR9. I went ahead and purchased one and she has since become a great marksman with it. I also picked up a GSG522 with a Primary Arms RDS for her to learn rifle marksmanship, and she has done great with that as well.

Just bring your wife somewhere she can try different guns and let her chose.
 
Obviously Jenlynn knows what she is talking about. The key is you need to let her buy the gun SHE wants, not what you want her to get or what you want her to get so you can play with it.

I found out that my wife was less impressed with features, specs, and caliber, and more with how the gun actually felt, both in her hand and during the act of shooting. I was trying to sell her on a small revolver or .380, and after going to many manufacturer gun club public shoots, we went to a Springfield Armory shoot, and she fell in love with the Springfield Armory XDM 9mm 19+1 capacity!!!! :) :) :)
 
FWIW "Women On Target" is opening up at clubs all over the state. It's a good way for her to get her BFS cert at minimal cost. See Coyote33's post above...

I also agree with the "do not force" gun choices on her. You can educate, inform, etc, but let her make the actual decision. Applying pressure often ends up faring poorly. (You will waste money and your wife might be deterred from shooting, and that's kind of pointless. )

-Mike
 
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Excellent.

I would start out with the basic course. Some people will let You go with Her for free, check around. Also The Second Amendment Sisters are a great group for Women as well. I didn't see them posted here yet.
 
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