Having worked in the gun rights movement since 1993, you likely already know I love guns. They’re a right given by God, recognized and guaranteed by the Second Amendment. Owning a firearm is a right, and it can’t go unnoticed that training is a responsibility that prevents that right from going wrong. Of course, training should not be a requirement by the government to purchase or possess firearms and ammo. However, training with firearms is a virtuous endeavor; not taking firearms training courses is foolish. As George Washington said during the 1790 first annual address: “A free people ought to not only be armed, but disciplined…”
No matter the reason you have guns, training is not only necessary—it’s vital. Whether you enjoy hunting, long-range shooting, self-defense practice, sport shooting, or just collecting guns, it’s good to be well-trained. For example, what good is having guns for self-defense if you can’t properly use them? If you want to protect yourself and your family sufficiently, it’s a good idea to be better trained than those who wish to harm you and your family.
Not All Instructors Are Equal
When choosing an instructor for firearms training, it is important to vet them and know what you’re getting yourself into. Government-mandated training doesn’t work. Like a state-mandated driver’s license test, it just provides you with a rubber stamp. The best training you can receive is from people who care, like your dad, who teaches you how to drive correctly on backroads. There are people who practice driving every day. Why are they still bad drivers? It’s because they are reinforcing bad habits.
You’ve likely heard the phrase “practice makes perfect”, but that’s simply not true. Practice makes permanent. Bad practice makes bad habits permanent. That is why it’s essential to practice good habits and make them permanent.
Incidentally, it’s one of the reasons new female shooters start out with a big advantage over new male shooters; women don’t enter the shooting discipline with the same bad habits young men learn (mostly via video games). But that’s another big debate.
There are literally thousands of instructors offering training, and they’ll undoubtedly use their credentials. Some of them are old fudds who have been training people forever. I’ve been in classes where they spoke about knife-fighting for a significant portion of a rifle class. I’ve also been in classes where the instructors claimed to have done security for the Air Force for 30 years, where I saw some of the worst advice you could ever give handgun shooters. You don’t need to learn niche and off-the-wall techniques. You must learn the basics, and learn how to practice those basics perfectly – and how to avoid training in bad habits (see earlier comment about practice making permanent). After that, you can move on to different levels of specialized shooting. I also suggest you take as many notes as possible, as it helps to retain what you’ve learned.
Skill Is a Muscle — Keep It Strong
It would be foolish to lift weights once and expect results. Firearm training is the same; make it a lifestyle, not a box to check. I’ve always said you should spend as much on training every couple of years as you do on the firearms themselves. I know that could be a tall order for some folks, but you’ll be glad you did if your life ever depends on it.
Another part of living the lifestyle is learning first aid and emergency response. An efficient and effective response can be vital, whether it’s stemming blood flow, administering CPR, or managing a gunshot wound; these are all skills that can be taught at a training course and are very important on the range.
What the Gun Control Lobby Won’t Tell You
The anti-gun politicians love to talk about responsibility. Still, the people they’re trying to disarm are often more responsible than law enforcement, better trained than most politicians, and more invested in safety than any bureaucrat. Most police stations only have gun qualifications twice a year, with an average of less than 15 hours of firearm training per year. Anti-gun groups routinely ignore and downplay responsible gun culture, data on self-defense, and civilian training. Don’t even get me started on politicians and bureaucrats.
What the gun grabbers will never admit to is the fact that a well-trained citizen who knows how to handle a firearm, act under pressure, and de-escalate a threat is their worst nightmare. It goes against their narrative. It shows that freedom and safety are not opposites; they’re partners. In fact, anti-gun bureaucrats project ignorance onto lawful gun owners, when it’s untrained, careless, morally bankrupt people who cause problems. The media often ignores stories of responsibly armed citizens preventing violence.
According to gunfacts.info, which compiles peer-reviewed studies and DOJ data, guns are used approximately 2.5 million times per year to defend against criminals, with 182,000 defensive gun uses in public each year. The number of times per year an American uses a firearm to deter a home invasion alone is approximately 498,000 each year. And even though the vast majority of defensive gun uses end without a shot being fired, you want to be prepared for a time when anything and everything can go wrong.
Liberty Demands Discipline
Owning a gun isn’t just about you. It’s about protecting your community, your family, and your liberty. Owning guns can, of course, be a hobby or a way to hunt your next meal, but it should also be a moral and civic responsibility. The greatest gun owners don’t just carry; they train to act competently and decisively. Incompetence gives the opposition ammunition, while skill protects our freedoms and rights. The best defense against villainy and tyranny is a well-trained citizenry, not just in theory, but in daily practice, with plenty of historical precedent to back it up (see the last article).
It’s Not Just Your Right — It’s Your Legacy
Not only do we train to survive, we train to set an example. Whether stepping onto the range, dry-firing at home, or showing someone how to safely handle and operate a firearm, you’re not just exercising your rights –you’re proving their value. You’re keeping the Second Amendment alive, not just as antiquated words on paper, but as a living, breathing part of American life and culture that has persisted and will continue to persist – if we protect that right, actively.
You’re also showing your kids, grandkids, and future generations what it means to be a responsible gun owner and patriot. You’re more than just collectors and hunters, you’re defenders. This builds a culture of strength, discipline, and safety that will be very difficult for any government to regulate out of existence.
Every generation has to choose whether it will preserve freedom or surrender it. Real, consistent, voluntary training is one of the most powerful statements you can make. It shows you will not be complacent.
This is precisely why you must sharpen your skills. Your rights can be tested and violated at a moment’s notice by government and criminals alike. You must embody liberty if you wish for your grandchildren and great-grandchildren to inherit liberty. To see this country remain free, mighty, and sovereign, you must live like a citizen, not just a consumer.
Own the right. Embrace the responsibility. Let us leave behind a legacy that future generations of Americans can remember fondly, knowing we did everything possible to preserve their liberties and rights.
About the Author
Dudley Brown is the President of the National Association for Gun Rights and one of the most influential gun lobbyists in America. With over 30 years of experience fighting for the Second Amendment, Dudley has led legislative battles in statehouses across the country and built some of the most powerful grassroots networks in the movement. He founded Rocky Mountain Gun Owners in 1996 and now leads NAGR as it fights back against federal gun control. A long-time weapons expert and host of the YouTube show Dudley’s Range Rogues, Dudley lives behind enemy lines in Northern Colorado, where he enjoys good bourbon, vintage machine guns, and reminding politicians exactly what “shall not be infringed” means.
Follow @dudleywbrown
