What Do New Gun Owners Need From Us?
Image: Logan Peralta | LP Creative Media
Buying a gun is only the beginning of a new customer’s journey. Whether the first-time buyer is interested in a new hobby or defending themselves, there’s quite a bit more they should (or must) add to their shopping cart so they can be the safe and responsible gun owners we would all prefer to have as our friends, neighbors and customers.
The problem is it can be overwhelming for new gun owners to figure out what those things are and where to get them. You can help by putting them all in the same place.
Must-Haves
A gun is just a mechanical lump of metal and plastic, inconveniently shaped for using as a blunt weapon, until its user learns the basics of safety and operation.
Selling someone their first gun is only enough to turn a customer into a gun owner. For a buyer who wants a new hobby, guiding them to a qualified instructor may be enough. For a buyer who needs a defensive tool right now, sending them home to wait until they can get to your recommended instructor is perhaps less useful.
Taking a few minutes to demonstrate the basic safety rules, to teach loading and unloading (with dummy ammunition!) and to walk through performing simple manipulations doesn’t take a lot of expertise and may save a life. Even if the customer doesn’t remember everything, giving them the chance to see and try basic skills in person is a start for them to build on later, when they are able to learn and practice more.
Without ammunition, a gun is just a mechanical oddity. The entire reason they exist is to throw projectiles at targets. While picking the right ammo that will work with our guns is obvious after a few trips to the range, some new gun owners may never have even fired one before.
While we normally suggest trying several options before putting the money into buying a gun of your own, not everyone does for a variety of reasons. Besides, even if someone knows how to figure out and find the correct caliber for their own first gun, it doesn’t mean they know how to choose the best ammunition for their purposes.
What’s appropriate for the range is often not appropriate for self-defense — and we all know there are a lot of gimmicks out there. Consider offering a package deal with reputable practice and defensive ammunition together, or at the very least include pointing out appropriate choices when selling to someone who has identified themselves as new to guns.
Gun stores are required to have secure storage or safety devices available for customers to buy, and new guns often come with simple trigger or cable locks. Offer better and steer new gun owners toward higher-quality alternatives instead of what we know to be cheap options offered merely for compliance with the letter of the law.
A full-size safe might be out of budgetary range, but a small lockbox able to be attached to a bed or other large piece of furniture might not be. Even a hard-sided case with higher quality locks and a security cable can be a workable solution that’s safer and more secure than a flimsy trigger lock easily defeated with a simple screwdriver.
It’s not just about upselling; it’s about offering something closer to real protection against theft and unauthorized use.
Nice-To-Haves
Whether it’s wise or not to buy a first handgun and plan to carry it right away, many people do. You might encourage education and practice before taking this step, but it doesn’t mean they will listen.
Regardless, you can set them up for success by making a safe holster or other carry method available. For range or training use, an outside-the-waistband holster paired with a sturdy belt is ideal and may be a good starting point for a brand-new user who does intend to conceal carry their gun “someday,” along with a concealment holster.
While universal or unstructured holsters may be simpler, a store can set themselves apart by offering higher-quality options matching the gun being purchased and meeting safety standards such as trigger protection, gun retention (including by friction fit), an opening that does not collapse and secure attachment mechanisms.
Earn extra bonus points by having sample holsters and dummy firearms available so shoppers can handle and try before they buy, perhaps as part of a short class offered to all new gun buyers.
Replacement and upgrade parts and accessories might not be part of an initial sale, but the desire for them often comes quickly on the heels of any gun purchase. New gun owners are not immune. They can, however, be a bit less knowledgeable about exactly what to buy.
It’s especially true for increasingly popular optical sights. Choosing a specific option, then figuring out how to attach it to the gun can be confusing for anyone — especially with the various footprints, mounts, plates, screws, torque settings, backup sights and everything else that goes with them.
Having package deals with installation included — for optical sights, common repairs and more — are an easy button for the new or uncertain gun owner who doesn’t want to DIY changes to their expensive equipment investment. It’s a bonus, as it will allow them to focus on learning how to safely and appropriately use their new gun instead of worrying about making sure their modifications work properly and aren’t detracting from their shooting experience.
Knowing The Law
Gun laws are complicated, and they deserve to be a separate area of attention. When and where can you bring your gun in your vehicle? What is required to legally carry your gun on your person? How and when is it appropriate to use a gun defensively?
The details vary from place to place, and it can be overwhelming and confusing for a new owner, who might not even be aware of how regulated guns are.
You need to be careful about offering legal advice, but you can provide reliable sources to help a new gun owner get their bearings in their new legal landscape. They can range from referrals to trusted instructors or specialized attorneys, to reliable printed material, to high-quality websites and videos. Many of the concealed carry insurance services also make educational resources available, often for free to non-members.
Just pointing out gun laws are complicated may be enough to set a new owner on the path to learning them instead of assuming they know what is necessary from random comments and videos.
How You Can Help
A first-time gun buyer doesn’t have to be a one-time customer if you can be trusted as a reliable resource.
It’s not just about making money, though. It’s also about helping new gun owners also be the responsible gun owners they can and should be. It’s about welcoming someone into our world instead of allowing them to fumble around, lost, confused and afraid of the equipment they just bought for fun or empowerment. It’s about turning the dial toward safer handling and storage across the board, and being part of reducing the accidental property damage, injuries and deaths that can result when a person is new and unfamiliar to their guns.
