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“Well, I’m not a Glock guy, but I know some folks like them. I’m more of a SIG guy.”  This was a quote recently overheard at a local gun shop. I’ve been hearing and reading similar sympathies for at least three decades now.

The advent of the Internet and social media has benefitted the “1911 guys” the “SIG guys”, “Smith and Wesson guys”, etc. Now, rather than pronounce their affinity or love for one brand or type of gun in person, they can fill their social media pages with pictures and Memes of their favorite blasters.

Caption: Favorite tool of the Glock Guy

Favorite tool of the Glock Guy

Playing Favorites

This is America and it is certainly not sin to have a favorite manufacturer or model of gun. Americans love their trucks, motorcycles, and guns and they are not shy when it comes to expressing their choices. If you want to shoot a hot pink CZ-75, I would certainly not attempt change your mind.

The trouble is that we get so wrapped up in our favorites that we become myopic or closed-minded about most every other choice. Some folks even devolve to the point where they become gun and gear snobs, looking with disdain upon anyone who does not mirror their choices.

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Firearms Trainers as “Glock Guys”

The natural progression for gun people is to take the next step and get themselves some form of firearms trainer certificate. They go from being the “gun guy” at work to the “gun trainer” at work. We fully endorse the concept of being a student for life and teaching others is one of the many paths to personal enlightenment.

The previous being said, during my thirty years of being a professional gun carrier, I have encountered innumerable gun guys who became firearms trainers and carried over their “Glock guy” or “1911 guy” bias.

Now every person who trains with them writes a dissertation about how “X” gun is the perfect solution to all of their shooting needs. Arriving for training with any other tool immediately puts a student in the peasant class in the instructor’s eyes.

Also, many of the aforementioned “guys” will never “waste their time” with other makes, models, and designs therefore being unfamiliar with their particulars and how to teach a  student to master them.

Your Gun versus Their Gun

What the previously mentioned gun folks seem to misunderstand is that it is not about their favorite gun, it is about what the student has in their possession. Yes, I have had students show up for concealed carry classes with guns that were legitimately pieces of shit. In such a case, it is necessary for the coach to help the student make a better choice.

Nonetheless, implying that a student is a fool for showing up with a perfectly functional SIG P226 because you are a “1911 guy” is not the hallmark of a professional firearms trainer. The student doesn’t need a lecture on the merits of the M1911, he/she needs you to help him/her to master the gun they own.

The Beretta M9 is Kryptonite to the Glock Guy

The Beretta M9 is Kryptonite to the Glock Guy

Agencies, Departments, and Military Units

If you are fortunate enough to advance to the level where are you are asked to provide training to an agency, department, or military unit, you will need to be able to teach them to master the guns chosen for them.

The department or unit is not going to buy 10,000 of your favorite gun so it is easier for you to teach their people. Striker-fire, traditional double-action with decocker and safeties, single action pistols, even double-action revolvers are all fair game.

I carried a Beretta M9 while on active duty with the Marine Corps, I also carried and M1911A1 at the beginning of my service. The Beretta was never my first choice. When I became a police officer and then a professional bodyguard, I bought my own M1911 and then a Glock pistol.

Regardless, when I was a full-time small arms and tactic instructor for the US Military all of my students received the M9. My personal feelings about the situation were immaterial. Soon after starting that job I bought a Beretta M9 and dedicated myself to mastering it.

Professional versus Amateur

If you are fortunate enough to have someone else looking up to you as a firearms trainer or instructor, you owe it to that student to give them more than your tales of the “best gun”. It is your responsibility to be a well-rounded trainer.

No, it is not easy to have solid working knowledge of the numerous makes and models of firearms available, it takes time and dedication. No one is going to force you to do it, you need to have the discipline to learn on your own.

If you are looking for the mark of a true professional, that self-discipline to be as knowledgeable as possible would be a good place start. Remember, a beginner once, a student for life.

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Paul G. Markel has worn many hats during his lifetime. He has been a U.S. Marine, Police Officer, Professional Bodyguard, and Small Arms and Tactics Instructor. Mr. Markel has been writing professionally for law enforcement and firearms periodicals for nearly twenty years with hundreds and hundreds of articles in print. Paul is a regular guest on nationally syndicated radio talk shows and subject matter expert in firearms training and use of force. Mr. Markel has been teaching safe and effective firearms handling to students young and old for decades and has worked actively with the 4-H Shooting Sports program. Paul holds numerous instructor certifications in multiple disciplines and a Bachelor’s degree in conflict resolution; nonetheless, he is and will remain a dedicated Student of the Gun.

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