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I'd kind of like to make this a informational thread for new or veteran gun owners to reference to. Would be great to spread some knowledge around. I've seen quite a few people posting up about wanting to get or just got their first firearm so maybe this will help. This first video I watched all the way through. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0v-mxvnFLfc This video I skipped thought but seemed like good stuff. There is 5 other parts of this series. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sk1VOTyo8I0 I'll add some of my own tips and rules. Please feel free to add your own stuff to help the new guys out. -Always handle a firearm like it is loaded. Finger off trigger until ready to shoot. Pointed in a safe direction away from anything you don't want to shoot. -When you hand a gun to someone, verify it is unloaded. When you are handed one, you should verify it is unloaded. -Teach your children about firearms. If you get rid of the curiosity and inform them, you reduce the risk of them doing something stupid. My daughter is 3. She has been around guns all her life. She knows not to touch them at this point in time. She helps me clean them and is right with me when we shoot. When I feel she is ready, she will be shooting with me. -Hearing protection. If you keep a gun for defense, I recommend shooting it once without hearing protection. Get used to the deafening sound and the ringing in your ears. Remember if you need to use it for an intruder, you won't have time to put in ear plugs. You need to be ready for what will happen. Don't do this with an extremely loud gun, maybe use lower level ear plugs. Also do this outdoors to minimize the sound. Remember that hearing loss is permanent so do so at your own risk. -Shoot your ammo you use for defense. Some ammo can get expensive and many people don't like to fire the stuff they store in the gun. Just like hearing protection, you need to know what to expect. When I got my shotgun, my wife didn't want to shoot it with the 00 buck load. This is the ammo that stays in the magazine at home. I made her shoot it because I wanted her to know what the recoil will feel like if she needs to use it at home. Shoot some hollow points to make sure your handgun feeds them properly. You don't want to be in a situation where you find out your handgun doesn't like the ammo you loaded into it. -A firearm doesn't make you invincible. You are only as good as you train. Shoot it often. Shoot from different positions. A bad guy will not stand there at exactly 50 feet and not move. You might be ducking behind a wall, laying on your side. Try different positions out. Practice in your home and know how your home is laid out, from a tactical standpoint. Of course do this with an unloaded gun and keep your finger off the trigger. -Know what is behind what you are shooting at. This goes for range time and in defensive situations. Bullets can travel for miles and you are responsible for every single bullet you fire. -Clean your firearms. Not only will this keep it in pristine working condition, but it helps you to understand it. Be one with the gun. -Have the right frame of mind. I personally have a loaded sidearm on me or within a few feet 99% of the time. One time I knew I was in the wrong frame of mind. I took the magazine out and the round out of the chamber. Know yourself and what your stress levels are. Don't put yourself or others in danger because you cannot handle what's going on in your life at the moment. I'm sure I have other stuff I'll think of later. DISCLAIMER: The information in this post and the rest of the thread is "use at your own risk." I will not be held responsible or liable for your actions or improper use of a firearm. These are only my views and thoughts and may not be suitable for others. Please read the safety manual that came with your firearm. Remember safety first and don't shoot yourself or others.

I get the message, but his examples and delivery are pretty sophomoric (esp. the machine gun at the fast food restaurant example). And 'self-regulation' also isn't an effective technique all the time... as shown by the recent economic collapse. It's funny how he advocates personal responsibility, but people will still be idiots and while it's great that "the buck stops with them" -- what about the people they've injured or killed. Yea, they're responsible and have to deal with the 'punishment', but they're still alive. He also uses the slippery slope argument... which is a logical fallacy. Plus his political money pull for the NRA, for "freedom"... c'mon, really? I wonder if 'Nutnfancy' has kids of his own and what kind of goobers they are (or aren't).

+1, My opinion has always been that you don't finance a luxury item. That's what this is basically if it is NOT your only/main means of transportation. Trust me, I know how hard it is to NOT have a bike, but judging by what you said, you've got a lot of things going on. Wedding, a new house, a new car. The last thing you want on your credit is more debt when looking for a house. The mortgage market is VERY strict now. Even a clean, high credit score is not enough. If your Debt to Equity ratio is even remotely off, you'll be denied or you'll pay tens of thousands in higher interest rate on a mortgage. Even a pre-approval is not set in stone. Again, Trust Me on this. If you don't have $5k to pay in cash, what are you going to do for your down payment on your house? How are you paying for the car. More debt or less equity... if you MUST have a bike, look for a used one. Plenty of good ones for you to ride around on for under $2k. Do you have all your riding gear as well? Helmet, leather jacket, proper boots, gloves, etc? Cost of maintenance. Also home maintenance is something everyone forgets. Not sure if this is your first home, but you'll need to drop some Kwon when you first move in. Lawnmower, garden hose, curtains, furniture, blow-up dolls, washer and dryer. $5k easy. Don't forget that eventually your wife will also lose her diamond engagement ring even though you told her to be careful with it as you guys are moving then she'll do something stupid and take it off in a "safe" place and a day later she can't find it but somehow it's your fault and you have to buy her a new and larger one and you can't get insurance to cover it because you didn't rnew your rental insurance or you didn't officially move into your nw home yet so it's not applicable...or so I've been told this could happen . Then you'll need to budget annually a minimum of 1.5% of the value of the house for regular maintenance items like the unexpected hot water heater, paint, lawncare, roofs, etc. Not trying to overwhelm you. but getting married is stressful enough, but also adding a new home purchase and being stretched thin is not good. Every woman wants financial security. It's the biggest cause of divorce. don' get started on the wrong foot. Save up and then pay cash for the bike you really want. Nothing better than looking at your bike knowing you have a free and clean title in hand. Just my 2 cents and the events of the story above may be hypothetical situations that may or may not have happened to the author