Should you get a gun? The real questions to ask yourself before your first purchase.

Should you get a gun? The real questions to ask before your first purchase.

Legal Disclaimer: The author is not a lawyer, accountant, nor mental health professional. None of the following should be taken as legal, financial nor mental health advice.

“Just get a gun.” “That’s why I carry.” “Stay strapped or get clapped.” These are all common responses when someone posts online about a situation where they felt unsafe. While firearms are common tools for defense, the majority of firearm owners treat firearms more as talisman or a commodity. The mere act of owning a firearm does not inherently make one safe; just the same that owning a chef’s knife does not make one a professional cook. There are multiple questions you have to honestly answer before you should own a firearm. As you read through the following topics and questions, take some time and answer them as if someone was earnestly asking you.

Legal

In the U.S., this topic varies widely by state and possibly county. For example in Minnesota, there is preemption, so state laws override any local/county rulings. However, this is not the case for example in Illinois, where different cities and counties may have different rules that you must know and abide by as you live through them.

• What do you have to do, if anything, to legally own and carry a firearm?
• How much of your firearms legal knowledge is rooted in preconceived expectations, versus legal statute?
• Besides the current laws, are you willing to follow proposals and future laws regarding firearm ownership wherein other people do not want you to have a firearm for your safety?
• Are you willing to endure the legal process following a defensive encounter, including a potentially lengthy and drawn out criminal trial?
• Have you considered the pillars that maintain the case for self defense, and are you prepared to maintain them throughout your experiences?
• Have you considered the necessary steps to take following a defensive encounter, including calling a lawyer, calling police, and likely being arrested?

Physical

While the average able bodied person can use a variety of firearms, it’s important to consider that some tools are more difficult to use than others. The firearms with the highest ease of use also tend to be heavier and louder. However, you have to consider your physical limits as to what tool works best for you. Additionally, consider medical training and gear, as these are equally, if not more necessary, than firearms and firearms training.

• How much of your firearms knowledge is rooted in media or fantasy, versus practical application?
• Can you physically use a gun in the event that you need one, and do you have the skills to address traumatic bleeding?
• Will you be able to carry around your firearm without physical discomfort, or work to find solutions to overcome the discomfort?
• What threat models are you realistically likely to encounter?
• Are you physically capable of resorting to other actions in a dangerous event, such as quickly escaping the scene and hiding?
• Have you considered how your loss of fine motor skills will make firearm manipulation more difficult while under stress?
• Are you willing to carry the necessary medical tools to stop traumatic blood loss in addition to a firearm?
• Am you willing to live with a reduced quality of life from hearing damage or other side effects from a defensive encounter?

Mental

Mental health is a hot topic in relation to firearm ownership, to say the least. It’s completely understandable to have a knee jerk reaction to a dangerous encounter and desperately hope that having a powerful tool will give us some sense of security and safety again. However, firearm ownership gets incredibly complicated when we’re in a period of heightened emotions. It’s incredibly difficult, but we have to take a step back and question if managing a firearm is right for you.

• Are you in the right head space to safely manage a firearm?
• Are you prone to depressive episodes that can include suicidal ideation?
• Are you prepared that if you have a defensive encounter, that stopping the threat could lead to loss of their life?
• Are you prepared that you could take the life of a bystander?
• Will you able to manage your life with a firearm, or will your life revolve around that firearm?
• Knowing that some anxiety can come from the early act of carrying a firearm, do you expect that said anxiety can be overcome, or will it consume your daily existence?
• Have you prepared any contingencies in the event you experience a depressive episode, such as having a friend hold onto critical firearm components to prevent firearm usage?
• How do you react to negative situations, like being cut off in traffic, and is that a reaction appropriate for someone who has a gun?

Financial

Finances aren’t easy, especially regarding firearm ownership as there are many hidden costs associated. A gun without ammo can’t shoot and an untrained firearms owner is risk to everyone, including the owner. It’s important to know that you don’t need all the gear up front, but that a fair amount of gear is necessary to gain & maintain proficiency. There’s a fair bit of gear that is vital for training, and that’s on top of bare minimum gear requirements for carry. This is predicated on paying and attending professional firearms training. Classes from professionals can range from $100 to $500+ and can span anywhere from a couple hours to an entire weekend. Especially while early into firearm ownership, you will likely end up spending more than $2000+ to gain proficiency. Naturally, your other finances in life should come first, especially if you take care of others.

• Can you afford not only the gun, but the associated following items:
  • Storage
  • Ammo
  • Training
  • Maintenance
• Are you able to wholly, fully purchase a given firearm without going into debt?
• Do you understand that firearms are depreciating assets and that the resale value of the gun is significantly less than what you bought it for?

Time

Arguably the easiest to answer, but hardest to follow through on, is the question of time. This is the hardest for firearms owners to manage, as time is so limited and life’s other commitments can easily come first. But if you can’t make firearms ownership a modest priority for at least the first couple years, you may find yourself behind the curve when you feel you most need it.

• Do you have the time to understand and acquire any legal paperwork before getting a firearm?
• Are you ready to spend at least 15 minutes a day doing dry fire to gain at least basic firearms handling?
• Can you commit to 4-5 hours every month to independent live fire? Are you going to commit to the hours of professional training to get initial competency?
• Are you going to maintain and push your skills through competition and/or advanced classwork?

Social

This is a highly subjective portion, but it can lead to unexpected consequences if left untouched. As humans strive to live in groups, highly polarizing topics can drive one out of their desired social group.

• Are you one to overshare that you own a firearm, and what would happen if you accidentally shared that you own firearms?
• How would the people closest to you react if you were found to have a firearm on you?
• Are you willing to talk about the other topics of consideration with those closest to you?
• Are the members of your household able to safely exist with a firearm present in the household?

If you’ve gone through and you’re still committed, I think there’s one last question to ask yourself:

• Up to this point, you’ve gone through your whole life without a firearm: can you continue without one?