Than you I appreciate it. I do have a friend who is well versed in guns, he grew up with them. Unfortunately he doesn’t have a lot of time to spare. I have learned a lot from him, the rest i’ll get from here. Thanks again.
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Welcome @Antrum, from a fellow Ohioan! (Columbus area)
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Nice! West Carrollton is where I’m at.
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@NickC @Antrum hey gents, I’ll be moving to the Dover area next spring. Is that anywhere near you? How are Ohio’s gun laws, really?
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Dover is about 2 hours northeast from me. A couple of resources for you regarding Ohio gun law.
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@Antrum
What are your goals in the journey? are you asking what is next in training or in gun owning as a general?
As a general:
- I would say to find a good holster so you can carry comfortably once you get your CCL.
- I would look into a safe or lock box of some kind for your firearm in the home.
- If you are a person who want to open carry at any point, you need to learn weapon retention techniques.
- look into attachments like a light ect. for home defense use(most people breaking in will probably happen at night)
Training:
- if you are comfortable at the range, go and practice the fundamentals as often as you can afford. If you can only spare 1 box of ammo, use it wisely and effectively.
- I highly recommend taking the USCCA Defensive Shooting Fundamentals level 1. . This is probably one of the best shooting courses you can take for conceal carry defensive shooting. It is a bit pricy but very much worth it.
- if you took the USCCA Conceal Carry and Home Defense Class, you should practice your situational awareness ect., If you have not attended this course for your CCL, find an instructor in your area and ask if you can attend as an audit since you already have a permit or at half cost(many with open slots will have no issue with this)
- If you want to get into more about firearms as a general, you can always look into the NRA basic classes : Pistol, Shotgun, Rifle, Range Safety officer ect (learning to shoot a rifle and seeing how fundamentals are the same across the board, will improve your skill across all platforms)
- if you have a range that allows gun rentals, you could always try a handful and make sure the gun you have works best for you.
- if you can only afford what you currently have, you must become proficient with it regardless if it is the best “fit”(at some point, you can pick up any new pistol and hit the target)
- you can look into more advanced NRA classes as well however I would pursue USCCA defense fundamentals first.
These are only a few recommendations and there is no right answer. Find what suits you and do it. Ask yourself what your goals are and pursue them. Don’t overwhelm yourself with the vast variety of subjects all at once. If you want to know about ammunition, spend that week or so and watch a few videos on ammunition. If you want to learn about red dots, spend a week learning the subject to get a basic overview of knowledge. I try and learn something new once a week via youtube. You are in the right place and we are happy to have you here.
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Welcome @Antrum. You ask what is next. Ok there are so many different ways to train. I think one of the most important ways to train is to ask yourself this. Can I?
Can I see another solution?
Can I see a way out?
Can I try something else?
If you answer “NO” to any of the above, then ask yourself:
Can I live with my decision?
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In the short time I’ve been a member, I’ve found the videos and reading materials on here to be very helpful and eye opening. I’m a ways off from being the sharpest knife in the drawer , but a couple things my dad always preached to me was safety, and even though you might be the one with the gun, it doesn’t mean you’ll be the winner. Practice, Practice,Practice. Get others views and perspectives. Set your goals. Try and keep an open mind. Stay safe
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Thank you so much. That helps a lot. Iappreciate it.
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Were you able to purchase self defense and practice ammo?
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Only practice ammo. I’ve tried buying 20 rounds for $20 from friends and still no luck.
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If you are an elite member take advantage of the free e learning courses.
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the course is a breeze, you will have no problem. the targets are much closer than you are use to shooting from. practice on shooting close up targets. good luck. i have a live membership ccl through the state of tn. am an elite member here. live in memphis tn, thank goodness have not had to use my weapon as of yet, but have come close. had permit since 2017. GOD BLESS AMERICA, and our 2nd amendment.
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Welcome back, and thank you for your post 
Train hard and stay safe.
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When you first start carrying in public you will feel as though the whole world is staring at you. That is natural and will pass in time. As mentioned before, 99% of society is oblivious to what goes on around them. I carry my firearm at the 3 o’clock position and people just assume it’s my cell phone , even when I’m holding my cell phone in my hand:flushed:
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Please Antrum,
Don’t be a “proud gun owner” I’ve carried for over 30 years and in that time there were people that threw me the finger, cussed me out, and became very aggressive but I’ve NEVER taken a life of another human being. I just smiled at them thinking to myself “if they only knew.”
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I meant it more as my right to carry under the 2nd amendment not proud or aggressive and cocky.
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Welcome. First off, never get your information on youtube. First off, most of those folks are there to show you how badass they are, or they’re trying to justify the pile of cash they just spent on a firearm that’s worth about half of what they paid for it. You’ve already landed, IMHO, on about the best place to get training, assistance, and information. The last thing you want to do is develop bad habits from people that don’'t know their a$$es from which way the barrel of gun is supposed to be pointed when they shoot. And above ALL, make sure that you have good insurance. I don’t care if you claim self defense, you’ll still spend thousands, if not hundreds of thousands just to stay out of jail.Your attacker might not have been worth 2 nickles rubbed together when he/she was alive, but you had better best bet, they’ll be worth a million bucks (on the low side) dead. Get your information from a reputable source, protect yourself with good insurance, and train, train, train. It’s the only way you can hope to come out on top of a bad situation.
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WOW 
Thanks brother you said a mouthful.
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Very Good! We must keep AMERICA FREE! THESE ARE UNCERTAIN TIMES!
I remember purchasing my 1st. firearm and getting my CC permit. I had read the book “Helter Skelter” abt. the Manson Family and watched the movie “A Clockwork Orange”.
Regards,
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