Learning firearms and baby ears

[Punisher84]

thanks for the input. i do not carry because i do not have a permit. I am following instruction of my LEO brother as well as a good friend who is retired from the service, and their advise is not to keep it loaded until everyone in the home is trained on how to use it. She is not trained. That was the original question.

I don't want to come off as rude,condescending, etc so please don't take it that way, but you are going to get yourself hurt or killed.

An unloaded gun is useless, it is a doorstop, a paperweight, or at best a heavy projectile you can throw.

If you can't get quality training right now and you're afraid of an accident then load a mag and just don't chamber the round. Or at the very least leave the gun empty COMPLETELY and keep a loaded mag next to it.

The problem is that regardless of what you'll get told from people you trust sometimes, they are wrong or just giving you the cautious answer, I know your brother wants you to be safe and trained, but the problem is he's leaving you vulnerable by telling you to leave the gun unloaded.

There may not always be time to load that gun and when you need it you will need it NOW. I hope you get some good training and take some of what I and others have said here to heart.

[kckndrgn]

With your wife being pregnant,it's entirely upto her if she want to go to a gun range. I will tell you this. When my wife was pregnant with our son, she worked at a gun range. Infact she worked there until just before her 8th month.

We talked the OB and her opinion was that she was more concerned with lead than noise. So much so that every 2 months my wifes lead levels were checked.

Our son is now 15 months old and is doing just fine. At least your will has agreed to get training after the baby is born.

BTW, congrats on the baby on the way!

[Guest GT_Rat]

The water is simply absorbing the acoustic energy instead of allowing it to reflect back towards the shuttle off the pad - high energy transmission is why we use lots of things to direct energy dispersion.

Think about what most cooking pans are made of...

There are an absolutely stunning amount of links showing water's more efficient transmission of acoustic energy all over the web. It varies according to the medium's temperature and density, but even warm fresh water is several times more efficient than air wrt acoustic energy transmission.

Sounds good enough to me...

Exactly! They are using the energy the water absorbs in transmitting the sound/blast via the water to reduce how much energy is reflected back into the rocket/shuttle/whatever or into the surrounding countryside as noise.

[Wingshooter]

My wife went to the range with me when she was 7 or 8 months pregnant. That was about 10 years ago, and our child still has great (but selective ) hearing . I don't have any statistics to back up the risks, though.

Sounds like a golden opportunity to get an AR with a suppressor

Edited August 14, 2009 by Batman

[Guest GT_Rat]

I think all kids have selective hearing. My wife complains that I have selective hearing.

[Smith]

If you are still concerned, make sure you go to an outdoor range. If anything I'd be concerned about air content. Outside is much better all round.

[strickj]

WHAT! Somebody say something?

[Smith]

WHAT! Somebody say something?

Well, I guess you can go def with your head up someone's rear!

[Guest clownsdd]

David i wish you were here to tell her that She's definitely the boss and the boss doesnt like being wrong. Me and her stepdad are going back to the range this weekend.. maybe we can get her to tag along. I know she's eager to shoot the 9mm, especially after shooting the sig mosquito a few months back.

If the boss ain't happy, nobody's happy.

Good luck.

[Guest abailey362]

just get some big ear muffs and put on her stomach while at the range...and take pictures

[Guest foister82]

just get some big ear muffs and put on her stomach while at the range...and take pictures

I LOL'ed... really. A customer asked if we needed to call an ambulance.

[Guest archerdr1]

she could put ear phones on her belly! just kidding. that is what I told my wife when she was expecting and I wanted to take her to the range. She smacked me, I thought it was funny. even told her that I could put an ear plug in her belly button so the baby couldn't hear it. she didn't think that was funny either.

[Guest Phantom6]

I would be more concerned with lead ingestion than with sound and conventional wisdom says don't get pregnant women around firing ranges in the last tri-mester.

Buy a gas powered airsoft pistol with the functions and controls most similar to the firearm that you have and train with that. The pistol will be about $100 and will have the same weight and feel as your regular gun and the little plastic pellets are cheap. The three cardinal rules of gun safety still apply:

1. Always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.
   
2. Always keep your finger off the trigger until you have sights on target and are ready to shoot.
   
3. Always keep the gun unloaded until you are ready to use it. (Keep in mind here that a firearm used for personal protection should be maintained in a "ready to use" state at all times unless cleaning, dry practicing or put away for storage).
   

If you practice inside your home like in a hallway, use a clean old sheet or blanket that does not produce a bunch of lint as a black stop hung at least an inch or two away from the wall and collect the plastic BB's for reuse if budget is a concern. You need to use something as a backstop anyway 'cause these little suckers are whizzing down range with a pretty stout ammount of velocity and will dimple your walls easily.

After the new baby arrives, get some professional training for yourself and your wife. Generally speaking, a handgun carry permit class will not fill this bill. The NRA has an excellent course called Personal Protection in the Home. This is a good starting point. You have several good instructors in your area there, Bob Camponovo who teaches out at the Cherokee Rod and Gun club off Reservoir Rd. just outside Kingsport is one that comes to mind. You can also go to the NRA's Instructors, Education and Training pages to find classes being held in locations anywhere in the country. If you can't find a class near you, we (Austin's Tennessee Firearms School) run that course about once per quarter and are just an hour and forty five minutes away, just outside of Knoxville in Oak Ridge.

Best wishes for your safety, security and with the new baby.

[Guest Muttling]

I haven't read the entire thread so please excuse if this has been suggested before....

Buy her some pepper spray for the purse and for the house. After your spawn pops out you can teach her to shoot, but not when she's pregnant.

[Guest grimel]

thanks for the input. i do not carry because i do not have a permit. I am following instruction of my LEO brother as well as a good friend who is retired from the service, and their advise is not to keep it loaded until everyone in the home is trained on how to use it. She is not trained. That was the original question.

1) don't need a permit to have it loaded and on your person in your house/yard

2) LEO and retired service members are among the last people to ask about firearms. There advice is just wrong, you gonna wait until the crumb cruncher is 10 or so before loading up?

3) if you are going to keep it unloaded, at least keep a mag loaded.

[Guest grimel]

possibly, and there's never really been a problem. We just keep our doors locked. Never had an issue with a break in, lawn intruder or anything.

Then don't worry about teaching her to use your pistol. Obviously, it won't ever be needed. Do you have smoke detectors? Ever had a fire?