By Guest Contributor ScotShot Scott, Firearms Instructor
New Jersey – -(AmmoLand.com)-
“Tell me, Clarice… why do we press the trigger?”
Nervously, she replies, shuffling her feet, “Dr Lechter, Dr Lechter… to fire the gun.. we press the trigger to fire the gun..” Her voice trails off.
“No, Clarice, that is IN-cidental.”
Perhaps we wouldn’t send a new gun owner to a well-known lover of meat, Chianti, and lima beans to learn the basics, but I like to think that there’s some truth in the example. I also think that describing the moment when the trigger trips the firing pin as a “surprise break” may increase apprehension in new shooters, who are all perfectly aware that pressing the trigger causes the gun to fire and they’d rather it wasn’t a surprise, thank you.
What goes on in peoples’ minds when they begin to increase pressure on the trigger, perhaps to fire a gun – any gun – for the very first time?
Many are perfectly calm and remember everything we worked on in the classroom. For some though, the nervous voice in their head almost immediately says “why hasn’t it FIRED yet?”, and they slap the trigger. This jerks the gun and undoes all the good work they just put in regarding stance, grip, presentation, aiming, breath control, etc. Less frequently, but still, commonly, they may well press the trigger well but then immediately flick it off, or rush the gun back to their chest, perhaps with their finger still on the trigger.
All of us who teach firearms, particularly handguns, to new shooters, are aware of these things and many more, which is why we always give only one round to people we haven’t
