Positive Attitude

As gun owners, as shooters, as people who have even a passing interest in firearms or shooting sports we represent a community. As part of this community we are accountable for conducting ourselves in way that represents our hobby well and is welcoming for potential new shooters. It’s not difficult to conduct business in a friendly and un-intimidating manner.

I honestly get confused by gun owners who are gruff and flat-out rude. Conducting oneself in a way that has the possibility to negatively impact an entire community is irresponsible and frankly not likely to accomplish anything. This includes gun forums and gun ranges. Gun people are not the only ones who find themselves at either location. I have plenty of people come into the range who are intimidated by firearms and worried about their associated stereotypes without some guy blowing into the range booth with a snide comment. Gun ranges, gun shops and internet forums are the community’s face to the public. Does that frighten you? Because it probably should.

Photo courtesy of West Coast Armory

As gun range and gun shop employees it’s all that much more important for us to provide good customer service to everyone that walks through the door. A gun shop employee is usually the first person that someone who decides to try firearms comes into contact with. Presenting ourselves with a professional demeanor, not being overbearing or trying to “prove” how educated we are about firearms can go a long way with potential customers. The last thing we should be doing to people who are new to the community is intimidating them with too much information or a bad attitude.

Anyone who frequents internet forums should play by the same rules. Forums can be a great exchange of information or misinformation, regardless of which one you’re exchanging it becomes prudent to represent conduct yourself in a professional manner. Squabbles, swearing and inappropriate remarks only further the blatantly incorrect stereotypes of our culture and accomplish absolutely nothing in regards to an information exchange. Think about this: when someone goes to google “Glock 17″ do you really want them to see you calling someone an “idiot ****head who doesn’t know **** about what they’re ****ing talking about”?

Be nice, it’s not actually difficult.

This entry was posted on September 20, 2011 at 08:56 and is filed under Team Gun Nuts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.