There was a time, not too long ago, when most of those involved in the shooting sports learned their skills through training that was handed down through their family. Kids were taught the important rules of gun safety from family members. Young hunters first went out with their parents and learned to identify, stalk, and collect game. They were taught to judge distances and how to make every shot count because family members knew these skills were an important part of the shooting sports, and shooting and hunting were an integral part of the family's activity.

There is no quick fix when it comes to shooting prowess. The defensive handgunner must be well versed in defensive tactics, speed reloads, drawing techniques, the use of cover, and a whole raft of other skills that sure aren't going to be learned overnight.

Today, however, we find more and more folks taking up the shooting sports when it has not been a part of their family tradition. In many cases these are people who have reached an age and an employment level when they have the time and the funds to take up an interesting outdoor hobby. Many of them want to take up shooting and hunting without having that lifetime of training to support it.

You can ask just about any hunting outfitter for stories of "dude" hunters and get an earful. Some outfitters will tell you about hunters arriving for an expensive guided hunt with rifles that have not been sighted-in. Their scopes were mounted at the gun store, and they didn't know enough to know that they had to be sighted-in for a specific load. Others arrive at the hunting camp with all sorts of new gear that they don't have a clue how to assemble--or use. Worse yet, when they finally do sight some game they fire off a magazine of ammunition without coming anywhere near their target because they don't have a clue about marksmanship, judging distances, or field shooting positions. And we've all been to shooting ranges and seen some shooter operating his firearm in an unsafe manner simply because he doesn't know proper gunhandling and range safety procedures.

Unfortunately, we live in a society that chooses to apply the quick fix to just about any endeavor. All you really have to do is just read a magazine article or two and look up a few sites on the Internet and you're in business. Right? Wrong. In the shooting sports there's just no quick fix.

Shooters must begin by learning how to safely operate their firearm of choice. Safety should always be the first concern. Then they have to learn the complicated hand-to-eye coordination that is necessary to firing the gun accurately. Learning these basic shooting skills takes time and a lot of practice.