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Do you really believe that an untrained person should have anything other than the most simple, most reliable weapon in his hand at three in the morning, while he's scared, his heart is pounding, his hands are sweating and he's tip-toing down the basement stairs to investigate? I've seen young officers forget to breathe under these conditions. Would your average un-trained home-owner remember to chamber a round and slip the safety?

Sorry to butt in but what you are pointing out here has nothing at all to do with training. Training does not cure a persons fear of having an intruder in their home. How is range time going to help that?

Would the gun owner remember to chamber a round? Or take off the safety? You cannot be serious, you really think that hundreds of hours of range time are needed for a person to have simple common sense? I mean how much driving time did you have to log before you remembered to put your parking brake on?

I've seen alot of this training BS lately, mostly coming from liberal anti-gun groups who want to use lack of "official training" as a reason to bar people from owning guns. BTW: how much "official training" do you think your forefathers had when they fought off the very well trained British troops. How much trainign do you really think most hunters have that allow them to drop small game at much greater ranges than one will ever be faced with defending their home?

Here is a simple fact:

Most self defense shootings take place within a range of 7 to 10 feet!

Are you telling us that if people are not properly trained (perhaps by a federal agency) that they will not be able to hit a man sized target at a range of 7 feet? That's pure BS and I think you know it, I have taken numerous people to the range with me, whom have NEVER fired a gun before in their lives and they always hit the BIG man sized target that I put out at 15 feet which I might add is twice the range stated above. If you cannot hit a human sized target at a range of 7 feet then absolutely no amount of training, instruction or range time is going to help you. Range time is meant to help your aim, it is used to help your accuracy and help you to bring your shots into tighter groups. There is absolutely no reason whatsoever for an individual to be required to shoot a 1.25" group at 50yards in order for them to be able to defend themselves in their homes. And yes that is what range time is for. It does not give you common sense, it does not prevent people from being inept and it does NOT give you courage.

These seem to be the things you are referring to and training and range time simply do NOT provide them.

I didn't mean to offend if I did but I am absolutely sick and tired of hearing this new liberal mantra of "Only appropriately trained and responsible citizens should be allowed to own firearms" I think they have realized that their goal of banning guns is hopeless so now they are trying to restrict them anyway that they can. This training mantra of theirs is pure and simple BS.

No offense taken but I think that you missed the point entirely. The original post requested info for someone who is unschooled. That is all we know about Clemenza. To suggest anything other than the most basic, most simple tool for the job of home defense for someone like this is irresponsible.

Also, you seem to attribute liberal attitudes to me that are not indicated in my posts. At no point did I indicate that I think that training is required for gun ownership. I stand on the second amendment. I do think that any individual who takes on the responsibility of gun ownership should also take the time to learn how to use it properly and to keep sharp via practice. I first learned this from my father who was a SA with the FBI in the fifties. The lesson was re-inforced by my HS rifle team and through my 1964 membership in the NRA. It still makes sense to me.

As for training not being worth too much when the shtf, why do the elite units in our armed forces get so much more of it that the standard infantryman? This is a fact. Two weeks ago I spent time with the Battalion Scouts of the EUSA in the JSA in Korea. They get unlimited range time on a weekly basis. They made the point that back in the States they would be lucky to get monthly range time. It would be more like every six months.

The point of training is to make certain actions second nature, actions like checking to see if a safety is on or if a round is chambered. This is true in any non-instinct endeavor. Tiger Woods trains longer and harder than anyone else on the tour just so he doesn't have to think about the basics. Courage is crucial and that can't be taught. You are right about that. But, every Law Enforcement and Military group I have encountered or studied knows that getting the recruit to that second-nature point counts as much..."the training takes over".

As for your hunting analogy, you don't hunt at night, in your home and the game has potential fatal results for just one player.

Bottom line, I am absolutely certain that your heart is in the right place but I firmly believe that the best advise for someone like Clemenza is to get as much training as you can and keep it simple.