Now that you’ve decided to buy your first gun, you’ve got to choose what gun to get. While it helps to ask others their opinions, you’re going to get all sorts of recommendations on what your first gun should be. It’s great to get feedback about certain firearms, but when going to buy your first gun, ask yourself the following questions.

What’s The Purpose Of The Gun?

This is the first question you have to ask yourself before you buy your first gun. It’s the foundational question to know what kind of gun you are looking for. For example, the purpose of a small, concealable handgun is very different from the purpose of a bolt action rifle chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor. Below are some examples of categories of guns that fill a specific purpose.

Popular Gun Categories

• Concealed Carry – Small, compact, concealed pistols that are known to run reliably
• Home Defense – Lightweight, pump-action 20-gauge shotguns, Short Barrel Rifles (300 Blackout or 5.56), Full-size pistols with night sights, flashlight or laser
• Competition – Fits the division requirements in the competition, easy to reload, highly accurate
• Collecting – Antique revolvers, world war era rifles, low serial numbered firearm
• Hunting – Rifle or shotgun chambered in the proper caliber to instantly kill the animal you are hunting for
• Plinking/Fun – Rimfire .22 rifles or pistols, pistol caliber carbines

 What About Ammo?

A gun isn’t very effective without ammo. Be sure to buy your practice ammo in bulk to save money.

Specifically, is ammunition for the gun available or hard to find? Depending on the purpose of the firearm, at the minimum, two types of ammunition should be available for it; hollow points and full metal jackets. You’ll want to use hollow points when hunting or concealed carrying. However, if you plan to shoot a lot at the range, full metal jacket ammunition is much cheaper for practicing.

The cost of ammunition may also be a factor when choosing what gun to buy. Even if the ammo is available, it’s important that you can afford to buy large quantities to practice with. Hollow points are more expensive than target ammunition, but it’s just as important to shoot hollow points through your gun as well to feel the difference and ensure the ammo pairs reliably with your gun.

If the purpose of your firearm is for collecting and it is chambered in a rare round, this question may not be as important. However, expect the ammo to be hard to find. In some cases, you may look to purchase reloading supplies to hand-load rounds that are specific to your new gun.

Is The Gun Comfortable To Handle?

This question should be for rifles, pistols, and shotguns alike. You never know until you try, so always try before you buy. One size gun does not fit all and without picking up the gun itself, it’s hard to know whether or not it fits you and your hands. If you have small hands, read our blog post, “Best Handgun for Small Hands”.

If you live near a range that rents firearms to try before you buy your first gun, definitely take advantage of the opportunity to shoot as many as possible to see what guns fit your grip, shoulder, and more. A fully loaded gun weighs a lot more than an unloaded gun. If you aren’t able to try before you buy, at least visit your local gun store to pick up and feel the guns you are interested in purchasing.

How Well Do You Manage The Recoil?

Pick a gun that’s comfortable and fun for you to shoot, otherwise, you’ll never want to practice with it.

You may be able to grip the gun, but can you manage the recoil when the gun is fired? One of the most shocking differences to new shooters is how close the 9mm and .380 rounds are. While they’re almost the exact same size, these two loads are not the same and pack a different punch. Without firing the gun in this situation, you won’t know how well you can manage the recoil.

The biggest tip I can give is to always say yes to shooting a gun if it’s offered to you. Ask friends and family members that own firearms if they are willing to go to the range with you and shoot guns they have. If a firearm dealer or manufacturer sets up a demo day at your local range or gun store, go to the event and learn as much as you can about the guns they have.

There may be local or even regional instructors near you, sign up for classes and ask the instructor what guns they will be providing or allow you to shoot during the class. If you’re interested in demoing something specific, see if the instructor has that firearm. It never hurts to ask when it comes to trying out guns you don’t typically get to shoot.

The worst gun you can buy is a gun you can’t manage and don’t feel comfortable shooting. You should look forward to the fun of shooting your new gun!

 Buy Your First Gun: New Or Used?

Not everything you see online is a good deal. Not everyone you meet online is an expert. Do your research, take your time, and choose the gun that’s right for you.

Many first-time gun buyers are on a budget and are looking for market value deals instead of retail pricing. There’s nothing wrong with buying a used gun, however, they are a few things to look out for. Do you know and trust the seller? Even if you do, it’s not a bad idea to meet up at a gun range and test the weapon out before you buy it. Gunsmithing repairs can be expensive and time-consuming. Buying a broken gun could mean months of waiting to get it repaired.

Beware of buying a dirty gun. If the previous owner didn’t take the time to clean the gun before selling it to you, there’s a good chance they never did any maintenance on it while they owned it. The gun could have a variety of issues due to improper care and storage, be on the lookout for rust or other signs of corrosion. Don’t spend your hard-earned money to buy someone else’s problem.

The upsides of buying new?

You may be paying a bit more, but you know exactly what you are getting for your money. Almost all new firearms come with a manufacturer’s warranty and guarantee against defects. Also, when you buy a new gun, you’re getting a firearm that’s never been registered to another owner. From a legal standpoint, buying new is a safe bet, you’re guaranteed a weapon that’s never been stolen or used in a crime.

Is There A Manufacturer’s Warranty?

Over time, things will break and unless you are a gunsmith/armorer or know one, you may need to send the gun to someone who can fix it. Before you buy your first gun, you need to know everything there is about the manufacturer and their warranty. Look up how long the manufacturer has been making firearms, how long the firearm you’re interested in purchasing has been produced, if there are any recalls on their firearms, and most importantly, what their warranty policy is as well as how long it is for.

The first thing to look for in a warranty policy is if the policy is only good if you bought a brand-new pistol or if it also covers used guns that have been transferred to multiple owners. If it’s only good for the original owner of the firearm, you may think twice before purchasing a used gun. The second thing to look for is if the warranty is good for a certain term. Some companies may offer a 1-year warranty while others may include a lifetime guarantee. The last thing is to find the policy section that covers what they will not be responsible for so there are no expectations if you make a mistake when using your firearm or for blemishes created by you.

Are Aftermarket Parts And Gear Available For The Gun?

Make sure there are plenty of aftermarket accessories available for the gun you choose. Unless you’re really, really good at fabricating your own.

If we go back to the purpose of the gun, the gun may not be as important as the aftermarket parts available for the gun. For example, If you’re looking at concealed carry handguns, make sure there are holsters designed for it. It may also be important to know if the holster can accommodate night sights, laser attachments, and even spare magazines.

Before deciding to buy your first gun, begin with the end in mind of what you want your complete gun set up to look like. This will help determine if the gun you’re looking at purchasing will be able to offer everything you want. There’s nothing worse than buying a gun, only to find out that you can’t use it the way you need for it to work!

Another example is if you’re interested in mounting an optic like a red dot on the firearm you purchased. It’s important to know if you can mount it onto your new rifle, pistol, or shotgun. Pistols without tac rails won’t be able to mount flashlights and some lasers onto them. Rifles that come with iron sights built into the upper won’t be able to swap out iron sights without machining them off.

When you make your first gun purchase, always budget for additional accessories. You need at least two spare magazines and a holster (if it’s a pistol). Also, consider aftermarket sights if the gun comes with sights that are not easy for you to see or align. Adding an optic, whether it’s a red dot or a rifle scope, can be a wise decision as well. Your new gun budget may be a set price, but when you think about your end set up, there may be other costs that you’ll need to include.

Opinions On Buying Your First Gun

Going to buy your first gun is not a decision to make overnight. It’s also not a decision others can make for you. While doing your research on firearms, if you ask people for opinions, recognize them as opinions only. Listen and take away knowledge that will help influence the right decision. Don’t feel any pressure to buy something just because someone else likes it.

Someone may tell you the recoil management on a gun is easy, and it may be for them. However, it may not be true for you. Their opinion is not necessarily a true fact, but rather an observation based on their experience. Find resources that are trusted and do your own research until you feel comfortable making a purchasing decision.

Opinions can be helpful in the decision-making process. If someone provides you with a list of accessories or aftermarket parts available for a gun you are interested in, that may make your decision easier. Maybe you want to know if a specific ammo type runs well in a gun you want to buy? Talking to other owners about their experiences is a great idea. Be confident in your first gun purchase and be sure to practice shooting it at least once a month.

If you’ve been paying attention to the defensive or competition handgun market over the past 10 years, you’re likely aware of the growing trend toward slide-mounted mini red dot sights (MRDS) in addition to (or in place of) standard iron sights. Most handgun manufacturers now offer at least one model with integrated mounting provisions for a red dot sight and makers that don’t are feeling a lot of consumer pressure to add them.

The reasons red dots are becoming more commonplace on handguns (and we feel this trend will continue until it’s “the norm”) are largely the same as the reasons red dots have become ubiquitous on combat and practical competition rifles: firearms mounted with red dots are easier to use, simpler to learn, and faster to shoot.

In this article, we’ll elaborate on the key reasons why MRDS on handguns are taking over the market. We’ll also cover the pros and cons of handgun red dots, in addition to the basics of shooting them well.

RED DOT SIGHTS ON HANDGUNS HAVE BEEN USED IN COMPETITION FOR DECADES

Aimpoint was the first big name to popularize the use of its simple, rugged red dot “scopes” on rifles and handguns, as far back as the mid-to-late 1970s. In the 80s, IPSC handgun shooters began to build custom scope mounts on their revolvers and 1911s to allow the installation of red dot scopes (and they looked very similar to traditional scopes, with a tube-shaped profile).

This tube-type red dot scope also became very popular in Bullseye handgun competition, and red dots of all types remain legal in the sport to this day.

However, the “micro” or “mini” red dot sights of today didn’t start appearing until around 2005, and their use on handguns definitely took a leap forward in 2009 with Trijicon’s introduction of its excellent RMR (Ruggedized Miniature Reflex) optical sight, which remains a top choice for duty, defensive, and rough competition use.

ADVANTAGES OF MRDS

SINGLE FOCAL PLANE

The human eye can only focus on one thing at a time, in one focal plane. When shooting a handgun with traditional iron sights, most people are told to focus hard on the front sight, while the rear sight and the target will necessarily be slightly blurry. However, studies show that our biology prioritizes a “threat focus” when under stress, so you are likely to focus hard on an attacker (often specifically on the attacker’s weapon in a defensive situation) or the target (in a stressful, timed competition) rather than on the front sight, unless you’ve practiced long and hard to do otherwise.

One primary advantage of the MRDS optic is that there is only one focal plane required: you simply focus on the target and if you align your handgun properly, the red dot will appear “on the target” where you are aiming. There’s no confusing 3-focal-plane nonsense or shifting your focus from the target to the front sight and back.

WIDER, LESS RESTRICTED FIELD OF VIEW

Traditional iron sights, using a common “center hold” where the bullet impacts the target just above the front sight, require you to cover the bottom half of the target with the sights to achieve proper sight picture and sight alignment. You’re only seeing the top half of the target, with your sights and firearm obscuring everything below.

A red dot, even the relatively small window of a MRDS on a handgun held at arm’s length, will still allow a much greater view of the target, the point of aim, and the area below it, compared to iron sights. Depending on the distance, you can often see the entire target through the window as well as much of the surrounding space.

MORE ACCURATE

Most shooters find they can shoot more accurately with a red dot than with iron sights, particularly at distance and when speed is an issue. With the dot, you can easily “holdover” for longer shots, while still seeing the entire target in the window. Your eye will also automatically center the dot on a round bullseye target, which is easier to see clearly at distance when using a “target focus,” as discussed above.

FASTER TRANSITIONS, FASTER SHOOTING

There’s a reason “open guns” at handgun competitions nearly always include an optical sight. The speed and accuracy advantages are undeniable. Even skeptics of the “newfangled” MRDS will become converts if they practice with it and shoot back-to-back strings using a shot timer. Transitioning from one target to another is simply faster and easier if you don’t have to worry about aligning your front sight, your rear sight, and your target. The numbers don’t lie… where speed is paramount, the red dot is king.

BETTER FOR “OLD EYES”

Many older shooters who have trouble getting an effective sight picture with iron sights can find renewed handgun prowess by adding an MRDS. Even if the actual “dot” or reticle isn’t super crisp for these shooters, they can still easily align the dot on the target and make effective hits.

DISADVANTAGES OF MRDS

 DURABILITY ISSUES

Although the most recent generations of the MRDS, at least the top quality (and expensive) ones, can absorb quite a lot of abuse, they are still complicated electronic devices that include glass and solder and wires and batteries. So they are inherently more fragile than simple, low-profile sights made of steel.

Also, some MRDS optics’ mounting screws and/or plates (particularly on Glock’s MOS-equipped guns) have been known to break due to the forces involved, and people have been beaned in the forehead by flying red dots. So be sure to vet your combination of handgun and MRDS thoroughly and carefully before any serious use.

EXPENSE

Prices have come down and entry-level MRDS are now available for well under $100 (though we wouldn’t recommend them). However, a good one will cost you from around $300 up to $700. In some cases, this is more than the price of the pistol you mount it on. Though the practical advantages of the red dot are undeniable, many people find the expense to be a deal-breaker.

RETICLE WASHOUT/FLARE

Most red dot sights either automatically adjust to ambient lighting conditions via an electronic sensor or are manually set to a specific brightness by the user. In both cases, the reticle/dot can be washed out or become nearly invisible when shooting from a dark space into a light/outdoor space, for example, or when shooting inside a dark room but with a tactical light illuminating the target.

This can be mitigated somewhat by turning up the dot’s brightness higher than you would typically want it, but it’s still a potential issue. In addition, when you crank up the brightness of the dot too high, there is almost always some “bloom” or flare around the reticle and it can appear less crisp and larger than it needs to be for utmost accuracy.

FOGGING, RAIN, OR DEBRIS CAN OBSCURE OPEN-LED EMITTERS AND/OR THE SIGHT WINDOW

The open-type design of many mini red dot sights (including the Trijicon RMR) can allow rain or condensation to obscure the LED emitter (the “red dot” that’s reflected on the optic’s window), and a drop of water in the right spot can also cause the dot to “fracture” and appear as several dots in the reflecting window.

While this condition is relatively rare, it certainly is a consideration and within the realm of possibility, particularly for police officers who carry their duty handguns in an external belt holster in cold weather, and then enter a warm space, or shooters who use their handguns in the rain.

Furthermore, if an open-emitter MRDS-equipped handgun is dropped in the dirt, snow, or mud, debris can obscure the emitter and/or the sight window and can be difficult to remove.

There is a very recent trend toward fully enclosed MRDS like the Aimpoint Acro and the Holosun EPS series, and this can eliminate the issues above, but these sights are pretty expensive and are more bulky than traditional open-emitter MRDS types.

ASTIGMATISM AND RED DOTS

People with astigmatism or other eyesight issues can sometimes have a hard time getting a sharp sight picture when using a red dot. The dot can appear blurry, or perhaps shaped like a teardrop or question mark, or even two dots. Trying a green, rather than red, reticle can sometimes alleviate this, as can trying a different brand or model of MRDS and seeing which one looks the best to you. The best advice here is try before you buy.

BATTERY LIFE

Though some MRDS types are available with solar panels to enhance battery life (or with tritium+fiber-optic illumination), the best-looking, best-shooting, and most versatile red dots all run on batteries. The top manufacturers promise battery life between 6 months and 5 years depending on use and brightness settings, but the fact is you’re still going to want to change your battery sooner than recommended, just to be safe.

(We’ve had a battery on a frequently-used Trijicon RMR last for over 3 years, but we don’t recommend putting this to the test, particularly on duty or defensive-use optics.)

At a minimum, we recommend you change your battery every year on New Year’s Day, or your birthday, or other memorable day (and change all the batteries in your home smoke/carbon monoxide detectors, and your Liberty safe’s SecuRam electronic lock at the same time).

The Deltapoint Pro and most of the Holosun red dots have top- or side-mounted battery access, while the RMR must be removed from the slide to replace the battery, which of course requires you to clean and remount the screws with threadlocker, and re-zero your optic after reinstallation. Some find this a hassle, and some feel it’s a small price to pay for unparalleled durability.

HOLSTER/CONCEALMENT OPTIONS MAY BE LIMITED

The larger the optical window and the more durable the MRDS housing, the bulkier it will be when mounted on top of your handgun. Some holsters are incompatible with red dot-equipped handguns, and the additional bulk and sharpish edges of some mini red dots can make concealed carry (particularly pocket carry) a chore.

DIFFICULT TO LEARN

Now, we aren’t contradicting ourselves. In the intro above we said that MRDS handguns were “simpler to learn” than iron sights. However, what that means is that for a new shooter, it’s easier to learn to align a red dot on the target than it is to line up the rear sight, front sight, and the target for a proper sight picture.

For someone who has been shooting for years and is accustomed to the “front sight, press” school of handgun shooting, switching to an MRDS-equipped gun can be mildly frustrating at best and infuriating at worst. We’ve known several shooters who simply refused to try to learn to shoot a red dot after one try, because they found it so counterintuitive. But if you dedicate yourself to regular practice, a red-dot-equipped handgun may become your favorite tool.

COUNTERFEITS

It’s an unfortunate fact of our global economy that anything that is in high demand (and is relatively high in price) will inevitably attract counterfeits from China. So, if you are shopping for your “Trijicon” MRDS on sites like eBay or Amazon, be very careful to check multiple sources, read reviews, and learn the tell-tale signs of counterfeits before you get burned on a knock-off at a “great price.”

TIPS ON SHOOTING A RED DOT OPTIC-EQUIPPED HANDGUN WELL

 The main difficulty most shooters have when transitioning to a red-dot-equipped handgun is “finding the dot.” Since the dot and window are completely independent of traditional sight alignment, many shooters find themselves fishing for the dot, or quickly losing the dot after they find it, or after each shot.

The short answer to this problem is “practice, practice, practice.” The more you practice getting a consistent draw, and a consistent presentation of the gun, the more often the red dot will be aligned with your eye at the completion of the draw stroke. It takes lots of slow, perfect repetitions to allow you to gradually increase your draw/presentation speed, and if you practice enough, you’ll find that you don’t even have to think about finding that dot; it will simply appear on the target and you can break the shot.

CONSIDER INSTALLING CO-WITNESS IRON SIGHTS

Moving from iron sights to a handgun without them, one equipped with only a red dot optic, can be a tall order at first. Some experts recommend installing suppressor-height iron sights, or otherwise “co-witness” irons, to their MRDS-equipped handguns, not only as a backup in case the optic fails, but to aid in aligning the pistol properly and locating the dot.

We recommend against “slaving” your red dot to your iron sights, but it can be helpful at first to use your irons to generally guide your eye to the dot. One potential problem with this is you may become dependent on the iron sights to locate the dot, and you may find one day that either the rear or the front sight has gone missing (we’ve had this happen in the middle of a competition stage, when the front sight broke off).

 

Private Handgun, Shotgun, or Rifle Training will drastically increase your personal skills with the individualized attention available in our one-on-one, or Semi-Private classes. This is the absolute best way to learn safe gun handling; for beginner, intermediate or advanced shooters.

Private Gun Training offers immediate improvement of basic and advanced skill sets, in a confidential and secure setting. This one-on-one attention to your personal gun handling skills creates a positive and comfortable learning environment conducive to rapid improvement in a compressed time frame.

Four to six hours of Private Training will cover the same material as a typical two-day Group Class, without the added distraction of additional students.  Private Range instruction will cover the safe use of a defensive handgun including Home Defense and Low-Light Tactics. Topics include: Firearm Safety, Gun Handling, and the basic fundamentals of Defensive Handgun shooting. We will also cover the draw, speed reloads, malfunction clearing, use of cover, and engaging multiple targets, and tactical flashlight options.

There are so many reasons why working with your firearms instructor in private training lesson is essential to achieving your shooting goals, whether they be self-defense based, competitive sports-driven or for just fun recreational time at the range. Here are six critical reasons why you should have a private session or two, or three, as well as the benefits that you are likely to achieve.

1. You Don’t Know Where to Start. Walking into the range for the first time or wanting to go out on your own with your family can be a scary task.  From choosing a gun and pairing it with the correct ammunition, to knowing the rules and etiquette, to understanding the 5 basics of marksmanship, there is a lot to know.  Having a private lesson will give you an introduction to all these things and set you in the right direction to have a fun and safe time at the range.
2. You Have a Specific Illness, Injury, or Condition. It can be as simple as mastering cross-dominate skills or learning how to see your sights again after Lasik.  It might be a more complex physical limitation and you need options for how to make it work for you.  It can even be an emotional road block or trauma you want to overcome.  Working 1:1 with your instructor can be a very personal and private experience, be ready to answer questions so they can better understand where you are starting from and help you make the proper adjustments.
3. You’re Not Seeing Results. Maybe you have taken a group class or had a family member teach you.  At first everything was great, and you are satisfied with your target.  Maybe you picked up a bad habit while working on new drills and don’t realize the mistakes you are making that are getting in the way of your progress.  Having a tune up is very valuable to get back on track or in some cases change course: new gun, different ammo, change the holster, get your eyes checked, etc.
4. Help You Set Realistic Goals. Just like any task in life, you must have a goal and plan to achieve it.  If your intent is to get your carry permit or to participate in action shooting sports it can feel overwhelming to get started. Setting goals, especially attainable goals will keep you on track.  This can apply to not only continuing training with the firearm for proficiency, but purchasing gear and equipment that you need and avoiding impulse purchases you don’t need.
5. Fit Range Time into Your Schedule. Sometimes fitting a group class or event into your schedule is not easy, especially if you work or have kid activities nights and weekends.
6. Help you develop a Personalized Training Plan. It may not be financially possible to have a private lesson on a weekly basis, even monthly.  Your instructor can help you plan for the time you spend on your own and at AG & AG events, making range time and dryfire even more productive.  Make sure you are using your Shooting Journal to track your progress and schedule a quarterly tune up session with your instructor.

What a Private Lesson Is Like

If you are a brand new shooter, your private lesson will start with a “dos and don’ts” safety brief covering the 4 Rules of Gun Safety, additional rules and etiquette of the range and an overview of the firearm to include parts, functions, and fit. Be ready to talk about why you are taking the lesson, it is very important for your instructor to know your goals and motivations so they can make sure to relate the activities in the lesson to your expectations. Working 1:1 can feel intimidating with all eyes on you, but that is the sign of an excellent Instructor when the focus is on you from head to toe. Also expect the Instructor to ask permission to touch you on your back or put their hands on your hands while shooting.  It is all part of the process to make sure you are in correct form.

Depending on your instructor and/or facility you can expect to spend 1 to 2 hours split between the classroom and the range, and shoot 50 to 100 rounds of ammunition.  Many times when learning a new skill in a 1:1 environment the brain gets “full” around the 1-hour mark.  If your instructor only offers 2-hour blocks, make sure to ask for breaks and communicate if you are getting tired or overwhelmed.

Have your Shooting Journal and worksheet page to record the progress of your lesson.  Make notes about the type of gun(s) you worked with, distances and any other nuggets of information you found especially useful or created an “ah-ha!” moment. Taking a picture of the target is a great visual reminder of where you started and to track progress.

Tips for having a good private session:

• Give yourself plenty of time before and after your lesson time.  Don’t be rushed or stressed out thinking about where else you need to be.
• Avoid negative self-talk and shake your head “no” if you make a mistake or don’t do the exercise exactly right.  This is a process.
• Be open-minded about learning something different.  If it doesn’t work for you after a few repetitions, talk with your instructor about modifications you can make that are acceptable and safe.
• As with any physical activity you need to hydrate!  You might be sore after a lesson, you will be using different muscles in arms, core, and legs.
• Asking ahead of time the cost and what you need to bring with you (i.e., is there loaner eyes, ears, guns, can I purchase ammo at the range, etc.)
• Talk to your instructor!  Communication is key to making sure you get what you need from the lesson.

PREPARE – PROTECT – PREVAIL

 

Getting Stopped by the Cops

Most people don’t realize that there is some things they do that could cause them to be stopped by an officer. May not be a big deal on its own but could lead to something much worse.

Let’s say you were leaving brunch and had a couple glasses of wine. Now they pull you over for a “pretextual stop”. Now all of a sudden, they are asking have you been drinking? Maybe your kid left a blunt in your cup-holder and the cop notices that.

Do not want to give them the chance.

What Is a Pretextual Stop?

A pretextual stop is a when a police officer detains an individual for a minor crime, like a traffic violation, because they believe that the person is actually involved or has committed another more serious crime. Because a pretextual stop is fueled by the subjective opinion of the police officer, many people believe that these stops are illegal because they are based on age, race, or appearance of the individual. However, courts generally ignore police officers’ subjective m

Whren v. United States

In Whren v. United States, police officers in an unmarked police car were patrolling a high crime area. While on their patrol, the officers noticed a SUV stopped at an intersection for a longer than normal period of time. After the driver saw the unmarked car, the SUV turned without signaling and sped off. Based off of this minor traffic violation, the police officers pulled over the vehicle and observed drugs inside the vehicle. During the trial, the defendants tried to suppress the evidence of the drugs by arguing that the traffic stop was pretextual and only a poly by the police officers in order to look inside the vehicle for other possible crimes. After hearing the arguments and legal theories by both parties, the Supreme Court ruled that regardless of the police officers’ subjective intent, the stop was legal due to the legitimate traffic violation.

 Takeaway

 Although pretextual stops are based on potentially illegal bias or discrimination, often times it is impossible to determine the subjective intent of the police officer. As such, based on Whren v. United States, the Supreme Court has given police officers the ability to pull over individuals using pretextual stops without repercussions, as long as the police officers can identify some minor traffic violation.  Due to this, the only defense against pretextual stops is to not violate any traffic laws. Without a identifiable violation by the police officer, there exists no reason to pull you over.

One of the new ones that have come up with the advent of the optical camera, tolls, red light camera. They have to have the ability to read your license plate. If your plate is obstructed in any way. you can get stopped. This is nearly every state. Obscured tag laws. At least ½ the people are driving around with obscured tags. Most dealers give you a plate frame that obstructs the state name. Got to make sure that your plate or anything else is obstructing the complete license plate.

• Trailer hitches
• Bike Racks, especially when bikes are on it.
• Plate blocker sprays. Reflective sprays

Some police have equipment that automatically reads your plates when they just drive down the parking lot. They know immediately if the plates are expired.

Another thing is the correct operation of everything. Do the turn signals work, head lights, brake lights. Have someone sit in your car and check that stuff once in a while. It happens stuff breaks. Don’t have to w

Most states have a catch all for “unsafe equipment” on car. Very discretionary!

• Bald tires
• High Decibels omitted from vehicle
• Tints of glass
• Lower car
• Tires outside of car
• Loud mufflers
• Crazy unsafe suspension
• Lights under the car, especially blue
• Crazy looking cars criminals like

All these things just give the cops a reason to stop you.

So, you’ve got your gun… Now you need to learn how to use it. This step is absolutely vital, but sadly it is one that the vast majority of gun owners never fully complete. Many make an attempt at it, but only receive a fraction of the training they really need.

There is a great moment in the movie The Mask of Zorro, where Don Diego de la Vega, played by Anthony Hopkins, is preparing to train his protege Alejandro, played by Antonio Banderas. Alejandro is very eager to get into action, and wields his sword excitedly. De la Vega gestures towards the sword and asks “Do you know how to use that thing?” Alejandro answers, “Yes… The pointy end goes into the other man.” It’s easy to fall into the trap of believing that using a gun is easy, just as Alejandro did with the sword.

But there is much more than knowing how to load it, point it, and pull the trigger. Making a hole appear in the target vaguely near where you wanted it is not enough. That’s where training comes in. Proper training shows you what you should be able to do, how to do it, and the level at which you should be able to do it.
The Training Pyramid
Let’s examine the full range of skills that go into defensive shooting. The Training Pyramid that you see below is a visual representation of this skill set, the categories of skills within it, and how those skill relate to one another.

A pyramid is a solid, almost indestructible structure. In the same way, if you build your skill set in the fashion described here, it will be rock-solid, in the top 1% of gun owners.
Just like a real pyramid is supported by a wide solid base, the skills at the bottom of the pyramid serve as the foundation for your skill set. Each level in the pyramid supports the levels above it, so the stronger your foundation, the easier it is to master the more advanced skills.

Weapons Handling
At the bottom of the pyramid is Weapons Handling. This is the foundation of your skill set, and as any builder will tell you; your foundation can never be too strong. These skills must be second-nature to you, because they serve as the basis for everything you will do with your gun. Weapons handling includes:

Safety Weapon Familiarity Stance

Muzzle Consciousness Operation of Controls

Trigger Finger Discipline Loading and UnloadingChamber Check and Magazine Check

In my experience, the most common training mistake people make is thinking that they don’t need to work on Weapons Handling. In truth, a significant majority of shooting issues, and nearly 100% of safety issues, can be traced back to inadequate mastery of Weapons Handling.
Your foundation can never be too strong!

Marksmanship
Marksmanship, roughly speaking, is the ability to place your shot exactly where you want it.
As a skilled marksman, you should be able to hit your target every time.
Now, you’ll notice I say you should be able to hit your target, but in reality, that doesn’t mean that you will hit your target every time. After all, there are two types of shooters: those who miss, and liars. But as a skilled marksman, when you miss, you should know why you missed.
Well-rounded marksmanship involves shooting at both small and large targets, and both near and far targets. As your marksmanship improves, you should constantly be challenging yourself with further and smaller targets.
So, you might ask, if you can hit a smaller, further target, why then would you need to practice against large, close targets? Because, in defensive marksmanship, you must not only be able to hit your target, but also do so quickly. Speed is an important element of defensive marksmanship, and you must learn to deliver your shots as rapidly as possible, while still ensuring you hit your target.

So your marksmanship skill should include not only the ability to hit a small target from long range, but also the ability to hit a large, close target in under a second.
Defensive Techniques

Mindset and mental preparation Legal considerations

Moral and ethical lethal force guidelines Post-encounter actions Carrying and presenting a handgun Reloading procedures Low-light shooting

Psychological and physiological issues Escalation of force Using or presenting a rifle or shotgun on a sling Alternate shooting positions Movement

Defensive techniques are practical application of weapons handling and marksmanship to specific defensive situations. This is an extremely broad and diverse set of skills, many of which don’t even involve shooting, but all of which have a specific purpose or application. Here is just a portion of the skills in this category:

This is by no means an exhaustive list, and there are even subsets within the skills listed.  So, you can see how much there is to this category.  But if you have trained properly on the weapons handling and marksmanship skills that support defensive techniques, developing this level of skills won’t be difficult.

Dynamics

The capstone of your skill set is Dynamics, which is the ability to effectively apply defensive techniques to changing, unpredictable, and stressful situations.  I divide the skills involved in Dynamics into three categories:

• Rapid decision-making
• Tactics (this is, moving in and using your environment to your advantage)
• Stress inoculation

 

Dynamics can only be effectively trained through stressful, realistic, and unpredictable training.  Probably the simplest form of Dynamics training is adding stress through time pressure or competition.  More advanced Dynamics training includes scenario-based training and simulators.

A word of warning about Dynamics training:  This is the kind of training that everyone wants to do, because it’s fun, and because it’s a true test of your preparedness.  A very common mistake that people make regarding their training is jumping into Dynamics too soon.  You must build the supporting skills in the lower three levels to support Dynamics.  You can’t build the top of a pyramid without the support beneath it.  If you jump into Dynamics before you’ve built the supporting skills, you’ll just be wasting your time.

On the other hand, if you’ve built your pyramid from the bottom to the top, with a rock-solid foundation of weapons handling and proficiency in marksmanship and defensive techniques, Dynamics training becomes easy.  Dynamics is simply application of fundamental skills at a high level to a specific situation.  The better your underlying skills, the easier it becomes.

Building Your Pyramid Upwards

Now that you understand the Training Pyramid and how these various categories of defensive skills relate to one another, let’s look what this means in practical terms for how you should approach your training.

Like any other pyramid, you’ll need to start by building the bottom.  As I mentioned earlier, your foundation of Weapons Handling can never be too strong.  Yet unfortunately, a great many gun owners dismiss these skills as only marginally important.  Once you’ve built this lower level, you’re ready to move up to the next level, and so on until you’ve constructed a full Training Pyramid of skills.

This is not to say that you must obtain complete mastery of each level before touching anything at the next level.  (In fact, for a true student of the gun, you never obtain complete mastery of any of these skills.)  However, you must have more than a basic level of knowledge and proficiency at each level before moving to the next.

If you begin working on the next level and you find that the skills at the lower level(s) start falling apart, you’re working up the pyramid too quickly.

Only build up as fast as you can without sacrificing proper performance.

It can be difficult to stay patient, because all of us have the natural tendency to want to skip to the “good stuff”.  It’s true, Defensive Techniques and Dynamics are the most fun parts of training.  But unless you have the supporting skills below it, working on these levels will largely be an exercise in futility.  That would be like a driver’s ed student wanting to jump straight to driving in downtown traffic.  Set yourself up for success by building one level at a time.

Training Changes As You Build

Developing the lower levels of skills is best done in more controlled, predictable circumstances that allow you to focus on the details of the technique and repetitively hone your proficiency.  As you master the lower levels and start working upwards, your training will become more realistic, less predictable, and more stressful.  It will require you to apply techniques dynamically and even improvise to achieve success.  And even as you develop your upper levels, you’ll still want to periodically spend some time strengthening those lower levels through more static training.  The important thing is to understand the difference between the types of training available and how to use each effectively depending on your current skill set and training goals.

The style of training you undertake will change depending on which level you are building.

When you are building your foundation, the training you’ll undergo will be very controlled and predictable.  You’ll probably be on a traditional shooting range, under the watchful guidance of an instructor who is walking you step-by-step through the technique, topic, or procedure.  You’ll probably be shooting at a paper target, which may or may not bear a resemblance to a human being.  In fact, a sizable chunk of the training will probably not even involve shooting.

Assessing Defensive Techniques

So far, we’ve talked a bit about the skills involved at each level, but what about the specifics of how those techniques are performed?  In truth there are many perfectly valid ways to accomplish most items on the list of topics above.  However, there is also a right way and a wrong way to do everything. In fact, as an old instructor of mine liked to say:

There are several ways to do something right.  There are infinite ways to do something wrong.

 If an instructor or school says that their way is the only way, you should probably look elsewhere.

Even though there is more than one way to do things, you will want to find a single method that you use for each task or purpose.  Having more than one way to accomplish the same purpose will significantly increase your response time under stress, because your brain has to decide which technique you’ll use at that moment.  (This is a principle known as “Hick’s Law”.)  Having a single method eliminates this decision point and improves your response time.

So how do you know if a technique is “right”?  For defensive shooting, a technique must meet four criteria:

1. Effective: Each technique has a purpose.  The technique you choose must be expected to reliably accomplish its intended goal.  It should also accomplish its purpose without inducing any negative side effects.
2. Efficient: You have no time to waste in a gunfight.  A technique should accomplish its intended purpose in as little time as possible.
3. Practicable: You must be able to reasonably expect that you can perform the technique, without having to warm up, even when accounting for the stress you’ll experience in a gunfight

Justifiable:  Your actions must be seen as reasonable by others.

Keep The Main Thing The Main Thing

When training, you should focus on the skills that are most important to you in a defensive encounter; that is, the skills that will apply in the vast majority of situations.  It is helpful to keep the Training Pyramid in mind while making this assessment, and remember that the lower the skill is on the pyramid, the more likely you are to need it.  Weapon Handling is important, not only in 100% of defensive encounters, but virtually any time you are handling a firearm.  Marksmanship is vital in 100% of situations that require you to shoot.

Spend 90% of your training time on the skills you’ll need 90% of the time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s very common to hear someone say that they’re heading to the range to “do some training”. You may have used some variation of this phrase yourself. Usually what they mean is that they are going to go to the range and shoot at a target for an hour or so. They’ll shoot a smattering of random drills or exercises, firing somewhere between 1 and 10 rounds per second depending on how they are feeling at the moment. At the end, they look at the group on their target, shrug, and say “Not bad”. Maybe if they really took their time and drilled a ragged hole in the paper, they snap a selfie in front of their target for posting on Facebook.

What they are doing is not training. It’s practice. You might think I’m playing a semantical game, but the difference between training and practice is an important one to understand if you are a student of the gun.

Training is a process. It involves acquiring knowledge, technical skill, and proficiency. The goal of training is, ideally, the development of a well-rounded and full-spectrum skill set that ensures you are prepared to use your firearm. In the context of defensive shooting, it means that you are ready to deploy your weapon at a moment’s notice and use it effectively to protect an innocent life – yours or that of a loved one.

Practice, by contrast, is simply repetitive actions to achieve proficiency. It uses existing knowledge, and solidifies it in our subconsciousness or muscle memory. Practice is usually a part of training, although when done poorly, practice is no training at all.

Why is this distinction important? For the hobbyist shooter, that is the person who just enjoys shooting to relax and recreate, it’s probably not. But for someone who expects that their life may someday depend on their ability to use their gun effectively, it’s vital. It’s vital because your approach to training will determine your results.

Train First, Then Practice
Training must precede practice, so that when you practice, you’re practicing the right things. You’ve undoubtedly heard the phrase “practice makes perfect”. It sounds good, but it’s wrong. Practice does not make perfect. Practice makes permanent. Whatever you practice, you will ingrain. If you practice crap, you become a crap master! As an instructor, I am very happy when students tell me that they’re brand new to shooting, because then I know they have no bad habits. Among the most challenging students I have are the ones who “know how to shoot” and bring 20 years of poor technique to the class. Getting proper training will ensure your practice sessions are beneficial, because you’ll ingrain proper technique and good habits.

Consistency is Key
Once you are trained in a skill, then you are ready to practice it. Practice should be consistent. It generally takes about 300 to 500 repetitions of a motor skill to ingrain it. However, a repetition only counts towards that total when it is done consistently and correctly. If your practice becomes sloppy and inconsistent, you’ll either ingrain bad habits or waste your time.  If you’re not practicing correctly, all you’ll do is get really good at doing it wrong.  This is one reason why proper training should include individual coaching with an instructor whose trained eye can identify and correct mistakes in your technique. Often, while building a skill we are unaware of our own mistakes and it takes a skilled coach to keep us on the right track.

Fundamentals Are Your Foundation
A common mistake made by instructors and students alike is moving on to complex techniques too quickly. Many people, once they feel they understand the fundamentals, often want to jump straight to “run and gun” or “tactical” training. (“Tactical” is among the most abused words in the gun industry, but that’s a topic for another day.) Unless such training continuously reinforces the fundamentals, you may be doing yourself a disservice. You can only concentrate on so many things at a time, so as you attempt to conquer advanced skills, your fundamentals will suffer unless you have trained them to a subconscious level. Here again, you are likely to ingrain bad habits. As an analogy, imagine the disaster that would result from a new driver who has made a few laps in the parking lot driving in rush hour traffic. Whether we’re talking about driving or shooting, the fundamentals must be second nature to you before moving onto more complicated skills. You can never practice the fundamentals too much.  If you think of your skill set as a building, the fundamentals are your foundation, and a foundation can never be too strong.

One more note: YouTube is not training, folks! In the information age, we often turn to Google to seek answers on how to do most anything, and you’ll even find some quality information out there. But there are two major problems. First, it can be difficult to know the good information from the bad. Second, motor skills are not well-suited for learning from a video or article. Unless you are both a visual learner AND a kinesthetic learner (which an extremely small number of people are), you usually will not replicate what you’re seeing exactly right. Remember, whatever you practice is what you’ll ingrain. Without a coach to assist with and correct your technique, chances are very high that you’ll build at least a few bad habits, even if you’re using good information.  And again, if you practice incorrectly, you’ll just get good at doing it wrong.

If you keep or carry a gun for self-defense, you owe it to yourself to build a skill set that will serve you when lives are at stake. It is a very rare person indeed who can develop such skills merely by practicing on their own. Training must guide your practice to ensure that you are building proper habits. Once you’ve gotten proper training, practice enough to log 300 to 500 correct repetitions. This will set you up for success and, over time, allow you to develop a skill set that far surpasses the norm.

 

Journaling has a positive impact on physical well being, so your entries will also serve to document your training, reinforce learning, and give you clarity to achieve your shooting and personal goals.

A Famous management thinker, Peter Drucker said, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.” You can’t know whether you are successful or not unless success is defined and tracked. Without clear objectives, you’re stuck in a constant state of guessing.

Use action-related terms, such as shot, competed, scored, transitioned to give yourself clear insight to your current performance and identify your goals and objectives. You may have a bad match, poor practice session, do focus on actions words rather than emotions to start problem-solving rather than problem storing.

Shooting Journal is designed to give you a progressive training program to maximize your home dry-fire practice and range time.

No two shooters are alike and therefore there is no one-sized-fits all training program. The best way to determine where you are in your learning journey is to document it in your journal.

It has the potential to be both an instructor and friend who helps you organize your pans, goals, time and training. Successful shooters use journals to analyze activities, and frame goals for going forward.

Planning drills and discussions to help you address your emotions, manage frustrations over setback, and help keep you focused on learning and improving.

It is often a great thing to use dry-fire and live fire drills over time. To ensure that your training is meaningful and you see positive results from your efforts, all dry-fire drills are paired with and reinforcing live-fire drills that serve to validate your dry -fire practice.

By logging your practice and setting your goals, you will be able to look back in one year and see what you have achieved. Whether shooting goals are defensive, competitive, or recreational, you can use your firearms training journal as a key to achieving your goals.

“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals” -Henry David Thoreau

 DOCUMENT YOUR TRAINING     

In addition to helping, you set and achieve goals, your shooting journal serves as a chronological log of your journey of learning as you develop new skill sets and knowledge. If you have to use your firearm in self-defense, your legal defense will balance on information that you have learned through firearms training classes, practice sessions and drills.

The legal process is lengthy and you will have to demonstrate that you acted appropriately, base on knowledge rather than panic or over-reaction. This may include your understanding of how long it lake you to draw your pistol, do a reload, or clear a malfunction. You may have to explain how quickly someone moving towards you could attack you, or your ability to get an effective hit on an attacker at different distances or even your understanding of the law and the Use of Force. You need to articulately convince a judge of jury of your peers that your actions were justifiable.

Your journal could help court officials understand your mindset leading to your decision to shoot in self-defense and ultimately prove that your actions were reasonable and justifiable.

When you take a professional firearms course, you typically receive a course completion certificate. Class certificates are a great way to track your skill levels and personal improvements. The certificate proves that you attended the course on a specific ate and documents that you passed, if the course had a graduation test. This documentation could also be used as part of your legal defensive.

False claims being shared on social media trace back to a longstanding Illinois prohibition on individuals carrying a firearm while wearing a face covering to conceal their identity.

A popular meme of Kevin Hart and Keanu Reeves is spreading misinformation about face mask requirements and concealed-weapon permits.

Rapper King Chip shared the meme in a July 2 Facebook post. It shows a fictional exchange between Hart and Reeves. “STOP! You have to wear a mask in here,” the comedian says in the meme. “I can’t, it’s a class 4 felony violating section 24-1(a)(9) prohibiting a mask while carrying a gun,” the actor responds.

The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.) Similar posts have been shared tens of thousands of times, according to CrowdTangle, an audience metrics tool.

We’ve previously fact-checked inaccurate claims about face mask rules and concealed-weapon laws, so we wanted to investigate this Facebook post.

There is no federal law that bans carrying a concealed weapon while wearing a mask. The Facebook post comes from a blog post about an Illinois statute that prohibits carrying a firearm while wearing a face covering. But the Illinois State Police said that law does not apply to lawful concealed-weapon permit holders who abide by the state’s COVID-19 mask requirements.

The claim stems from an April 25 article on a website called Illinois Leaks.

Illinois Leaks is run by the Edgar County Watchdogs, a nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization that aims to expose government corruption and waste. The article focuses on Illinois Gov. J. B. Pritzker’s April 30 executive order, which required the public to wear face coverings in public to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The order went into effect May 1.

Illinois Leaks wrote that the order either “strips a gun owner of his rights while complying with the executive order to wear a mask, or makes them a criminal if they exercise their gun rights while complying with the executive order to wear a mask.” It does neither of those things.

The source of the Illinois Leaks article is a state statute that says it’s illegal for someone to carry a gun when “hooded, robed or masked in such manner as to conceal his or her identity.” Violating that law is punishable by a class four felony, which comes with a maximum prison sentence of three years, or six years for an extended term.

On its face, the article seems to have a point about the letter of the law and Pritzker’s executive order. But the spirit of those rules paints a different picture.

A statement published in late April by the Illinois State Police says the executive order “was not intended to negatively impact permit holders under the Illinois Concealed Carry Act while legally carrying firearms.”

“The executive order does not require or suggest that law enforcement should arrest or criminally charge conceal carry license permit holders for wearing protective masks while in public as long as they are complying with the other provisions of the Illinois Concealed Carry Act and are not committing any other violations of Illinois law,” the state police said.

The Illinois attorney general’s office told us that it would be up to the discretion of local prosecutors whether to bring charges against someone for violating the statute. The state police said in its statement that it expects police officers “will use appropriate judgment” and state’s attorneys “will likewise exercise sound prosecutorial discretion.”

According to some tallies, about 15 states, as well as cities and counties, have anti-mask laws on the books that pre-date the coronavirus pandemic. Some states, especially those in the South, enacted those laws around the turn of the century to combat the Ku Klux Klan, whose members don white hoods.

One of those laws is in North Carolina. It prohibits people from covering their faces in public, but that law is currently suspended and does not mention firearms at all. We couldn’t find any other state where wearing a protective mask while carrying a concealed weapon is currently banned.

Our ruling

A Facebook post says wearing a face mask while carrying a firearm in public is a class four felony.

There is no federal law that bans carrying a concealed weapon while wearing a mask. There is a law against being “hooded, robed or masked” while carrying a gun in Illinois, but the Illinois State Police said the state’s COVID-19 mask requirements do not require law enforcement to arrest lawful concealed-weapon permit holders.

We rate it False.

In the wake of a government-ordered shutdown of bars, restaurants and other businesses over concerns of spreading COVID-19, residents are likely experiencing delays buying guns as stores wait for state police to process background checks.

Federal Firearms Licensees of Illinois Executive Director Todd Vandermyde said gun store owners tell him there’s a run on guns and ammunition. But he said he’s also hearing of delays in customers taking ownership of their purchased firearms because of a backlog at Illinois State Police processing firearm transfer requests.

“You’ve got dealers who won’t release the firearm without the completion of a background check with an approval and so people are now waiting four, five, six, seven days, even,” Vandermyde said.

With all the news of the spread of the novel coronavirus and the orders to restrict gatherings of 50 or more, or even ten or more people, and some municipalities eyeing emergency powers to temporarily prohibit weapons and ammunition sales among other things, Vandermyde said waiting longer than 72 hours to get a gun adds to mounting anxieties.

“When you are now hearing of cities like Oak Park and others talking about lockdowns, that is putting people on edge,” Vandermyde said.

Illinois State Police acknowledge they’ve received around 19,000 inquiries in just five days and are working to timely process them.

“Regarding the Firearm Transfer Inquiry Program (FTIP), the Firearms Services Bureau (FSB) has experienced a high volume of submissions since Friday, March 13, 2020,” a statement from ISP said. “Through March 18, the FSB has received 18,980 inquiries. FSB is working to process these requests as efficiently as possible to ensure a timely response.”

Vandmyde said that’s not enough. “This is where background checks turn into bans and waiting periods turn into leaving people defenseless,” he said.

Some reports say the national background check system recently experienced a 300 percent increase in filings. Background checks aren’t required for ammunition purchases but in Illinois, purchasing ammunition still requires a Firearm Owner Identification card.

The Illinois State Rifle Association said they don’t expect this problem to level out until May. And with thousands of new firearm owners, they suggest firearms instructors set up reasonably priced 2 or 3 hour safety classes.

Some stores are putting purchase limits in place and are suspending their services to help residents get Firearm Owner Identification cards and Concealed Carry permits filed.

“Due to increased sales throughout the firearm industry, there are restrictions on firearm and ammo purchases until further notice,” GAT Guns of East Dundee said in an email to customers. “Ammo Sales are limited to 1 box of target and 1 box of defensive/expanding ammo per caliber per household per day. Firearm Purchases will stop 3 hours before store close until further notice. Gun pickups, range use, and non-firearm purchases will continue as normal after that time.”

The retailer also said “in an attempt to minimize our customers’ and staff’s exposure to COVID-19 Virus, we have made the decision to postpone the majority of our training programs and classes,” and that “FOID and Concealed Carry applications, as well as fingerprints, are not being processed at this time.”

State police have had a backlog of processing FOID applications that some gun stores help facilitate. Those backlogs number in the tens of thousands and have taken months longer than the law allows.

Vandermyde said the background check delay for firearms purchases is just another problem in a slew of issues that ISP has had even before the pandemic shocked the economy.

“They haven’t been able to process FOID cards,” Vandermyde said. “They haven’t been able to process the dealer licensing [through the Illinois Firearms Dealer License Certification Act] and now they can’t process background checks. I think that’s a problem.”

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida Supreme Court is blocking an assault weapons ban from going to voters in 2022, saying in a Thursday ruling that the ballot summary is deceptive because it doesn’t clearly state that a grandfathering clause applies to the owner, not the gun itself.

A group called Ban Assault Weapons Now sponsored the proposed constitutional amendment, inspired by the mass shooting at a Parkland high school that left 17 people dead. It would have banned the possession of any semiautomatic rifle or shotgun capable of holding more than ten rounds of ammunition.

The amendment language would have made an exception for anyone who already lawfully owned an assault weapon as long as they registered it with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

But the court in a 4-1 opinion said the ballot summary was misleading because it said weapons lawfully possessed before the initiative was passed would be exempted.

The court ruled that voters would be deceived because the initiative wouldn’t have protected the weapon itself, but rather the person who lawfully owned it. In other words, people who legally owned a weapon wouldn’t be able to sell it or give it to someone else.

“While the ballot summary purports to exempt registered assault weapons lawfully possessed prior to the Initiative’s effective date, the Initiative does not categorically exempt the assault weapon, only the current owner’s possession of that assault weapon. The ballot summary is therefore affirmatively misleading,” the court wrote in its opinion.

Justice Jorge Labarga disagreed with the majority, and said the 75-word limit on the ballot summary can’t provide every detail of the entire initiative. But he said the language was clear.

“The ballot title and summary provide fair notice and equip voters to educate themselves about the details of the Initiative,” Labarga wrote. “Consequently, the Initiative should be placed on the ballot.”

If the language was approved and group had gathered enough petitions to place it on the ballot, it would have needed 60% voter approval to pass,

The ruling prompted a strong reaction from Ban Assault Weapons now. The group is chaired by Gail Schwartz, whose 14-year-old nephew Alex Schachter was killed during the shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland on Valentine’s Day 2018.

“The Supreme Court, now controlled by the NRA in the same way as our Governor and our Legislature, has fundamentally failed the people of Florida,” Schwartz said in a news release. “Not only has the Legislature recently made it harder to pass ballot initiatives, now the people must also face a Court of rightwing ideologues who will only approve initiatives they agree with politically.”

The state had certified about 175,000 of the more than 766,000 voter signatures needed to place the proposal on the ballot. But since the petitions used the language the court says is invalid, the group can’t simply tweak the ballot summary. It would have to start over.

Attorney General Ashley Moody opposed the ballot initiative, as did the National Rifle Association, which hired a legal team to fight it.

“We are pleased with the Court’s ruling. It is extraordinarily important that when a voter steps into the voting booth, they know what they are voting on,” said Moody spokeswoman Lauren Cassedy.

The group that launched the initiative raised about $2 million in the effort to get it on the 2022 ballot, including more than 300 donations from Parkland residents. The group Americans for Gun Safety Now contributed at least $260,000 to the effort, but a spokeswoman said it had no comment because it wasn’t involved in the legal proceedings.