Gun before getting hired

[Dash]

I'm considering getting a gun license... have been for a while. There are a couple things that have left me undecided, and I'm just looking for a little input.

I don't have much experience with guns at all. I've really only had the chance to fire a gun once. That was actually a pretty great experience. I'd done a ride-along with an officer, and he took me to the shooting range. He showed me a few things about safety, stance, and so on. Was great. Anyway, I'm thinking I would like to get more practice in before getting hired on. Couldn't hurt right? (Aside from maybe having to unlearn some bad practices I might develop)

On the other hand, is it really worth the investment? I'm not sure how much a license would cost, but I'm sure it's rather trivial. The cost of buying a gun however isn't. If I bought a gun, I would look into something I would be using, or able to use on duty. So I'd guess I would be looking into the ballpark of $500-$1,000. The agency I'm applying with supplies their officers with weapons, so if I wait, I won't need to pay for anything.

And also, does it really mean anything one way or another to the agency whether or not an applicant owns a gun? I've been asked in both the oral board and the poly. My *guess* is that it probably doesn't matter one way or another, but I'm curious.

Anyway, thanks in advance

[retdetsgt]

Wait. Some agencies furnish guns, others require you to carry specific guns. Owning a gun carries no weight on hire.

[mcsap]

At this point I would advise following RDS's advice. Many dept's supply guns and don't allow you to carry your own anyway. ( mine). For liability reasons , I wouldn't want to carry my personal weapon on duty.

[DeltaV]

On the other hand, is it really worth the investment? I'm not sure how much a license would cost, but I'm sure it's rather trivial. The cost of buying a gun however isn't. If I bought a gun, I would look into something I would be using, or able to use on duty.

Depends on what you consider the investment. If you're betting on having a gun and concealed carry permit helping you in the hiring process, no. It will have no bearing. If you want the gun and permit for personal protection, then I guess you could consider it worth the investment. Depends on just how much you think protecting yourself is worth.

You could always buy a gun that you could eventually use as a backup or off-duty weapon. You wouldn't necessarily need to purchase one that you'd intend to use as your primary duty weapon.

[Ken K]

Unless some of the others here have a major problem with this, why not consider a quality .22 semi auto? Have your friend show you the operation and spend some time with him shooting.

You can shoot those all day at little cost, and for self-protection, I'd rather have a .22 LR than the .25 I throw in my back pocket once in awhile.

I sure wouldn't go buy some big buck weapon now.

[chewy]

Being that I am a FFL dealer as a side business I would encourage you to buy two or three guns prior to joining your department but only if you buy them from me :D

I agree that you should check with your department or wait till you get hired as a lot of departments will issue your gun or, if not, will have a list of only certain guns you can carry. On the other hand, there's no reason you can't have a few of your own anyway

[Ken K]

Chewy, I didn't know you could sell weapons you confiscated. Good side job!

[chewy]

Chewy, I didn't know you could sell weapons you confiscated. Good side job!

Ohhhh, I wish :D

[Ken K]

Ohhhh, I wish :D

Yeah...and no doubt a bunch of other stuff! :D

[Dash]

Being that I am a FFL dealer as a side business I would encourage you to buy two or three guns prior to joining your department but only if you buy them from me :D

I agree that you should check with your department or wait till you get hired as a lot of departments will issue your gun or, if not, will have a list of only certain guns you can carry. On the other hand, there's no reason you can't have a few of your own anyway

Was that buy 2 get one free? Sure! haha.

Yes, part of the reason why the question comes up is because the agency I'm applying with does supply the officers with on duty weapons. I've also been told by several officers that you can certify with another weapon, so you have your choice of what to carry while on duty.

I like the suggestion of getting something to practice with, that I might use as a back-up, or for personal protection. I'd don't know a whole lot about different guns, what I should be looking for, what makes one gun more "desireable" than another.

Are there any really good informative websites? Figure if I'm going to be working with them, might as well get to know them as best I can.

Oh, and the person that took me shooting isn't really a friend, he's an officer with a local agency who I did a ride along with. Since he's not in the "friend" category, I've kept from bugging him about more rides. I generally try and persue leads with the agency I'm applying with, as they are fairly different.

[TenFifty]

In my opinion, I would hold off on purchasing or even firing a firearm before receiving formal academy training from an experienced LEO that specializes in firearms. This way, you do not have any bad habits that need to be un-learned. Again, thats only my opinion, and other officers may have others, but I feel that if you begin training before the academy, you may receive some bad tips. Also, the firearm you practice on may be different from the firearm issued by your agency, ie the trigger pull may be different. For example, in my dept., the trigger is a 12 lb. pull, much different than any standard firearm.

If you think you may be hired soon, I would hold off. Again, just my opinion, but i wish you the best of luck.

[Dash]

All good advice. I just had a talk with a couple co-workers who're gun buffs. There is a fairly large gun shop here where I live, who has term memberships. With the member ship, I can go in and use tons of different guns, I just pay for ammo. I could go in and do a bit of shoot, get an idea for what differences there are between certain types. And if I feel I'd like to get one, then I can make a better informed decision from personal experience. So, I think I'll get the membership, but I'll hold off on actually buying a weapon until I get hired.