The Keefe Report: Be a Mentor to a New Shooter

by
posted on August 11, 2020
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
ment.jpg

According to some sources, as many as 2 million Americans have become new firearm owners since the beginning of this year. As an NRA member, you are an influencer and likely know someone who has recently chosen to exercise their Right to Keep and Bear Arms.

NRA, chartered in 1871, is an educational, recreational and public service organization dedicated to the right of the individual citizen to own and use firearms for recreation and defense. Every law-abiding firearm owner of good repute should be an NRA member. Many of those who purchased firearms over the last six months did so for protection of themselves, their families and their homes—and it is NRA that protects their right to do so. You should encourage them to join.

For nearly a century and a half, NRA has been the leader in firearm safety training, and the association continues that role to this day. In addition to the training resources offered by NRA’s Safety & Education Dept., American Rifleman offers information not just to our members, but also for all those interested in responsible firearm ownership at americanrifleman.org.

Written by Digital Managing Editor Evan Brune, “The NRA: Your Resource For Firearm Training And Knowledge” (americanrifleman.org/resources) concisely describes NRA’s role in firearm safety through the NRA Education & Training Division. This includes a number of distance learning classes, with “Basics of Pistol Shooting” being one of them.

There is also “The New Gun Owner Guide: 3 Essential First Steps“ that begins with NRA’s safety rules and offers some resources for beginning shooters. It also links to the NRA Publications Mentor Program, and there are several articles that every new gun owner should read—as well as a helpful video on gun safety basics. You can learn more at americanrifleman.org/mentor.

But in the pages of this magazine and online we also dig deeper than basic firearm safety. For those who purchased a carbine in the past six months—or at any time really—we enlisted one of today’s most respected trainers, Sgt./Maj. Kyle E. Lamb (Ret.), to cover things every AR carbine owner should learn.

In his article “The AR-15: Best Home Defense Gun?,” he wrote: “The AR is very easy to shoot. Head out to the range and test my theory. Ask anyone who wants to join in on the fun to try shooting a scored event, under pressure, with a pistol at home-defense ranges. After you see their performance, try the same with an AR, I will bet money you see much better control of the system.”

You can read the story at americanrifleman.org/arhome. We actually asked him to do a series on the carbine called “AR 101,” which also includes stories on basic AR shooting positions and another on how to zero the AR, all of which are online.

But it’s not just with the modern carbine that we offer more advanced techniques. We went to retired FBI agent Bill Vanderpool, who was one of the last to teach FBI agents how to use double-action revolvers, with an in-depth article on “Running the Gun: Double-Action Revolver Revisited.” This article would be very useful to any new revolver owner, as well as anyone who has had one for decades (americanrifleman.org/double-action).

Every day, the staff editors of American Rifleman post content to americanrifleman.org. Whether you’re interested in new firearm evaluations, the history of the gun, firearm safety or just being a better shooter, there’s something there for everyone—and it’s all just a click away.

Latest

IHTOG Lee Metford 1
IHTOG Lee Metford 1

I Have This Old Gun: The British Lee-Metford Rifle

In the late 1880s, the British military adopted its first bolt-action rifle chambered for the .303 British cartridge. This is the Lee-Metford, the first step on the way to the iconic Lee-Enfield.

Colt Delivers M4A1 Rifles to Guatemala Through Foreign Military Sales Program

Guatemala’s military recently acquired more than 2,000 Colt M4A1 rifles through the U.S. government's Foreign Military Sales program as part of the country's ongoing military modernization efforts.

Going Pro: Springfield Armory's Echelon Pro Comp

Springfield Armory has expanded its Echelon line of handguns with several new Echelon Pro Comp offerings, bringing a number of what the company calls "performance-oriented enhancements" to the platform.

Steel Yourselves—Metal is Back

These days, it’s safe to say that injection-molded polymer of some sort is the most prevalent material from which to construct a pistol frame, but lately, that trend seems to be reversing. Metal is back.

NRA-ILA Names National Shooting Sports Foundation Official Partner of the 2026 NRA Gun Bus Battleground Tour

This sponsorship through NSSF’s Protect Liberty PAC puts the firearms industry trade association on the road through Election Day.

Ori-gun-i: The ZEV Technologies FDP Carbine

The American art of folding polymer and steel into a working firearm reaches what might be its zenith with the Zev Technologies/Magpul FDP.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.