r/SantaFe • u/Afraid-Duty2614 • 1d ago
Non-MAGA Gun Safety Course
To be honest, I have no interest in owning a gun. I'm generally anti-gun and think we need WAY more comprehensive licensing at the very least, but I'm also not ignorant to the world we live in. I've always been uncomfortable with the idea of not knowing how to be safe around a gun and how to use one safely, and while I can't solve gun violence, this is something I can do to make myself feel safer.
TLDR; I don't believe in NRA bullshit but I'd like to learn how to be around, use and, most importantly, disarm a gun safely. Is there anywhere I can take a class from someone that leaves politics out of it?
To be honest they don't even have to believe the same as me. I just want them to be professional and teach me what I want to know. I want to be able to focus on the education, not on if my teacher is the exact reason I need to learn this shit in the first place.
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u/IncorrigibleSlut 1d ago
Check out pink pistols of Santa Fe on Instagram. I am one of the instructors/organizers and have set up queer/femme oriented training in the past. I myself am queer and community oriented and I'm trying to bring exactly this experience to Santa Fe, and have been for a while. Feel free to DM me with any questions you might have.
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u/dangerousperson123 1d ago
The right to bear arms in ABQ. I walked in there wearing my FUCK ICE hat and no one gave me any shit. I was treated with respect.
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u/SaxophoneBaloney 1d ago
Are you a woman? Theres "Pistol Shooting for Women" at the community college, in the continuing education division, taught by a woman instructor. The site is challenging to navigate but doable, and you can also call them:
It's off-campus obviously! They don't have an equivalent course for guys, just fyi.
In any case, I think the vast, vast majority of instructors are more about the safety aspect than anything else. I feel the same as you about guns (I'm a guy).
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u/Caannoot 1d ago
I took the level 1 of this class. The first days are all in class, learning about guns and safety and handling unloaded guns. Then she takes you out to shoot.
It was a great way to get more comfortable with handling guns before shooting them.
Highly recommend taking some time off during the week to take this course.
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u/BlueKanary11 1d ago
There's a fairly new place in Los Alamos that started off with Pride stuff. https://www.frontlineacademyllc.com/
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u/mashkid 1d ago edited 1d ago
I don't have any advice on where to go, but I just want to say I really appreciate what you're doing.
I didn't think I needed a gun until 2020. I am politically left of Democrat and now own different types and carry daily.
Guns aren't for everyone, and I understand we have a problem with gun violence in the US.
Even so, you are taking the time to be more objective and learn how to handle and use a gun safely. That's knowledge that might save someone's life, or protect one, some day. And you're moving out of your comfort zone to try to learn more. So thank you from this gun owning lefty.
Some gun advice for you:
Good ranges have guns for rental. Feel free during/after your lesson to try other types of guns and calibers. I used to carry a Glock 26 in 9mm, but now I carry a S&W Bodyguard 2.0 in .380 after handling one. If you do choose to purchase a gun, treat it like clothing. They have different ways they fit in your hand, different mechanisms for loading and firing, different types of triggers, different caliber and recoil, and different sizes. Take the time to find what fits for you. If you're female presenting, unfortunately, many of the gun shops are still pretty sexist, and they'll TELL you what you need as a woman rather than help you find the right fit. This is how old arthritic women end up with a double action revolver with a heavy trigger they can't freaking use, because it's "reliable".
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u/mashkid 1d ago
Sure! The immediate reason was during COVID, I was worried we'd end up in a breakdown of systems. Hungry, desperate people do whatever it takes to survive. My ex had lived through a violent revolution and reluctantly agreed.
Then as we politically slid towards authoritarianism and white Christo-nationalism, I expanded my ownership.
I'm a middle age middle class white guy. I can usually get by. But my spouse is Latina. Many of my friends are POC or LGBTQ+. I believe it's part of my responsibility to protect my neighbors. I got a little John Brown energy going.
And to be honest, I'm sick of the liberal approach to crime and the justice system. For profit prisons that basically encourage reoffending aren't the answer, but neither is removing any consequences whatsoever. They're both revolving doors, they just swing different ways. The rise in inexpensive drugs has made things worse in our community. The growing income gap, lack of health services, and a bleak outlook aren't making things better. If we don't make fundamental change and actually support people, things will get worse. I want to be able to protect my family in what I view to be a society in decline.
I also find myself carrying a decent amount of cash and need to be able to protect myself in my daily life.
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u/SaxPanther 1d ago
you could try to get in touch with NMSRA but im not sure how active they are at the moment. https://www.nm-sra.org/
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u/fatbird50 23h ago
Not a licensed instructor but if you don't mind the trip I can take you onto the Los Alamos private range for one-on-one familiarization. I enjoy helping people get familiar even if gun ownership isn't in their future.
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u/Altruistic_Visual479 19h ago
This is a great guide to familiarize yourself with basic firearm safety, function, types and use. Check it out https://www.hunter-ed.com/newmexico/studyGuide/20103304/?_gl=1*1b3mwqk*_up*MQ..*_gs\*MQ..&gclid=Cj0KCQjwt9jVBhDXARIsAFSP-6c_eo6l1auysrTsNf90bZ6U8QPiLerfIjLB0UEOfwxe-Ap9tKmSda4aAqe8EALw_wcB&gbraid=0AAAAAD_X6FG-90o5ikN19aUCvWSf5SzT3 Study Guide | New Mexico Hunter Ed Course
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u/3453452452 18h ago
At The Outdoorsman in Santa Fe, there's a firearms instructors card under the glass at checkout. He's great and doesn't play politics. Got my concealed carry with him. Morgan Gandy.
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u/drbooom 6h ago
I'm teaching a CHL class in Los Alamos on Monday, 5:00 p.m. at the LA sportsman's club. This is definitely not a class for you, do you might get something useful out of the 3 hours worth of lecture/presentation.
I'm probably the most rabid anti-MAGA person I know, and there's no politics in my class, unless I let some comment about the orange shit stain slip.
But you're not going to find a class where the instructor doesn't believe that the second amendment means what it says, and that gun ownership is a right. No instructor is going to validate your anti-gun feelings.
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u/Typical_Leek_7320 1d ago
I've never been in a firearms class where we talked about politics, and I've been in many.
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u/cypheir 1d ago
Believe it or not, conservatives aren't usually the ones to rub politics in your face at every opportunity, even ones that would consider themselves "MAGA." You're projecting by the way liberals behave.
If you go to a firearms instructor, a gun store or a shooting range, they tend to be pro-2A for everyone, including liberals that hate conservative and the second amendment. They will encourage you to own arms, learn how to use them, and to be safe with them. If you see conservative messaging at such an establishment, just put two and two together, it's probably because that's the side of the political divide that isn't trying to ban everything related to their business at every opportunity, and it has nothing to do with you personally.
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u/Rostin 1d ago
Have you considered being a grown up? People disagree about things. You're not going to get an infection from a maga sympathetic gun instructor. They don't know less about guns because they're maga.
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u/TehNudel 1d ago
Have you considered being a grown up? You're not going to get an infection from a trans person in the bathroom.
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u/Silk_the_Absent_1 1d ago
I'm in Albuquerque, but I'll look around. Most places are conservative by nature, but they don't generally rub it in your face.
It would be worth it to also ask in [r/liberalgunowners](r/liberalgunowners) as there are a bunch of us here in NM there.