Intro

Social media today is a strange beast. It brings everyone together especially the 2A community and is a massive learning tool when used correctly. In the last few years, there have been social media “celebrities” who try to shoot as fast as possible. These people don’t show targets or how they did but want to show how quickly they can draw their handgun from concealment and shoot. Whether this is for video views or self-confidence. I don’t think it’s a positive trend on the gun community and can turn downright dangerous if people who are untrained try to reenact the videos they watch online.

Dave’s Money Shot

Thankfully this isn’t as bad as it was two years ago but there are still people out there practicing unsafe techniques for more video views on their social media. I have seen the effect personally when I went with a friend to the range. I will call him “Dave” to not directly call him out. Dave said he wanted to practice shooting from concealment and record his draws on the iPhone he recently purchased. I walked away from the firing line and Dave began to practice drawing from concealment with his timer. when I heard Dave begin to curse uncontrollably.

I ran up to the firing line to see what happened and was shocked. Dave shot his iPhone by mistake while trying to rush his draw from concealment.  I didn’t know whether to take his gun away. laugh or just leave so I walked back and packed my things up. He headed to the cell phone store and I went home still in shock at what I just witnessed.

The Big Issue

This is just one example of how people are being irresponsible and trying to outperform their abilities as a shooter. It’s always important for a man to know his limitations and be safe with a firearm. I feel like my generation of shooters struggles to have proper gun safety and respect for firearms. I hope its a trend that changes over time for the better. My friend Dave was lucky it was his phone and not an appendage. It could have easily turned into a very serious situation quickly but thankfully it was only a cell phone and his pride.

I no longer shoot with Dave, but I always debate if I should try again. I feel like I should try to be a positive influence on his range habits. I’m curious what you guys think about this when it comes to social media people influencing young shooters. Let me know in the comments below and stay safe out there.