Be safe and SMART out there, people!
When I’m shooting with new shooters, or even experienced shooters I will NOT put a gun in their hands unless I KNOW they can handle it. There isn’t a shooter out there that I won’t make their first gun a .22 Rifle, or a .22 full-size revolver.
Still those guns are EASY, and we might quickly scale up to a rifle in 7.62×39 or .45 ACP, but only once I see their form is GOOD. Form is EVERYTHING, and good form means even a small person can handle a fairly powerful gun, but with crappy form even an all-steel .38 Revolver, or 9x19mm will hurt you.
Unfortunately in this case it killed somebody. It could also end up killing somebody else if you let a round go over the berm, or bounce one off the floor of an indoor range ceiling. Know how to shoot, and shoot well before you start teaching new shooters, and then work UP new shooters.
One reason why I have a LOT of different guns is I like teaching new shooters, and having lots of guns means you can have guns that will interest new shooters, but also all the proper guns to work up into guns that will give them what they want.
Yeah, if you want to shoot a full-house .44 Magnum on your first day of shooting, you CAN DO THAT! Just it will NOT be the first few guns you shoot, and it may be a bridge too far.
I love teaching/converting new shooters.
20 years ago, when I actually had a job, I was the gun guy. A young co-worker expressed interest in the hobby, asked my opinion, and bought a used Sig 220 .45 ACP and a few boxes of ammunition.
A few days later, the stars aligned and we both had the same day off from work. I drove us out to my favorite desert shooting spot (since closed by the EPA), and set up the targets. With minimal coaching, “Timmy” showed a proper respect for safe firearm handling, but was less than impressed with his Sig.
Two things were working against him:
1. It was his first handgun
2. I was shooting my P9s Target .45 (the most accurate pistol that I’ve ever owned)
As we were getting ready to leave for home, Timmy said: “I think I got fu(K@d”. I told him that PMP…practice makes perfect. We swapped pistols and Timmy was still unhappy with the grouping shooting my P9s. When I shot his Sig, he was thrilled! He hadn’t been screwed afterall.
Understanding that it was him, and not his tool, (a rare quality these days) he practiced relentlessly. He’s now on the local SWAT team, and can shoot with the best of them. (and still owns the 220)
While I consider that a success, it still pales in comparison to giving a young’un their first shot. The smile that youngsters wear after putting a .22LR in the black is priceless.
I like those guys, but man do they cram five minutes of content into half an hour.