Okay, So you've got your first gun and you're thinking, "What the hell do I do with it now?". First, let's talk about what you shouldn't do with it. Don't even touch the thing until you've looked over the owner's manual. It tells you lots of important things. Did you know, for example, that most automatics will fire even if the magazine is removed from the gun? If there's a round in the barrel and you pull the trigger, it will, in all likelihood, go bang and send a small piece of metal across your living room at very high speed. If you bought it used and it didn't come with the original manual you can get a free copy from any gun maker just by giving them a call. Their numbers are easy to find on the Internet or at 1-800-555-1212, generally. The second thing you ought to do is have someone who is familiar with guns go over things with you. Find a friend who shoots or enquire at your local range about basic firearms classes. Guns aren't super complex, generally, but a few minutes of instruction can keep it from going bang before you want it to.
The rules of the road: I've seen scores of different lists of rules about shooting and all had good advice. Most good manuals come with a rather extensive list of dos and don'ts. You should look at and heed all of these. Lists of 15 or 20 items can cloud things us a bit, though. The best and easiest list of gun rules I've ever found came from a famous shooting instructor, competitor and Marine named Jeff Cooper. Read them, memorize them and live them. Your gun and you will live a long and happy life together as a result.
RULE 1: Never point a gun at anything you aren't willing to destroy. Never point a gun, not an unloaded gun, not a toy gun, ever, ever at anybody or anything you can't live with putting a bullet in, ever. I was in a Bass Pro Shop a few years ago and there was a kid trying out rifle scopes. The store had them mounted on pieces of wood shaped like rifles so you can see how they work. As an unknowing customer began to walk across the kids "line of fire" he lifted the "gun" so the muzzle didn't point at the guy. This is where your head needs to be.
RULE 2: All guns are always loaded. You must always assume any gun is loaded until proven otherwise. If you've just been handling a gun and you set it down for a second, when you pick it up, check it again. If someone checks a gun before handing it to you, check it again. Any safe gun handler will be impressed. Asking someone if a gun is loaded is a waste of breath. Check it, then check it again, and still don't point it at anybody.
RULE 3: Know your target, and what is beyond it. That means never shoot at anything until you've positively identified it and know you want to shoot at it - that it is safe to shoot, and will not ricochet or blow-up or get you killed when your wife finds out you shot that ugly old lamp that she inherited from her grandmother. Shooting at things you think are probably what you wanted to shoot or shooting at sounds or movement are invitations to disaster. Ignoring what's behind your target is equally foolhardy. Every bullet that comes from your gun is your responsibility for the entire duration of its flight. Bullets can travel for dozens of miles. Know where it's going to end up for sure, or don't shoot.
RULE 4: Keep your finger out of the trigger guard until you're ready to shoot. "Finger discipline" is the best safety your gun can have. If your fingers in the trigger guard as you carouse the landscape commando style and you slip and fall, the gun's going to go bang. If you're lucky you're just going to be very embarrassed.

Okay, now that we've covered the basics, lets talk about your first trip to the range. Before you go you'll need to collect a few things. First, you need a gun. Second, you need the appropriate ammo for the gun.
The caliber or type of ammo you'll need is nearly always printed on the barrel or the side of the gun somewhere. If you aren't sure ask the guy at the range when you get there or go back to the place where you bought it and ask them. DO NOT take your gun into Wal-Mart and show it to the guy behind the counter so he can pick out some ammo for you. Carrying a gun concealed without a permit is illegal damn near everywhere, and even if you have a permit, whipping out your Roscoe in Wal-Mart will definitely get you a little personal time with your local county corrections officer. If you can't figure it out on your own go to a gun store, walk inside without the gun, explain your dilemma and ask if he or she'd mind your bringing it inside. If he says okay, bring it inside wrapped up in something like a gun case and he or she will help you out.
Third you need some earplugs and a nice set of safety glasses. Earplugs suitable for shooting are available at Wal-Mart, or any gun store. One shooting session without them can screw up your hearing for life, so don't forget. I like the little pink ones and you can get about a dozen for two or three bucks. Plastic shooting glasses can be had in the same places for similarly low rates. Guns are very safe, structurally speaking, but things do happen. Hot gun oil can sling into your eyes as you shoot, small pieces or otherwise harmless metal occasionally splatter back, and a dozen other things can happen that you probably won't notice with glasses on that might put your eye out if you didn't have them.
Lastly, you might want to bring a few comfort items, sunscreen and some water if you're going to be busting caps outside and pocket change for the soda machine if you're going to shoot indoors. One or two boxes of ammo should be plenty. Also if you're using an indoor range, call and check to see if they let you use ammo you've brought. Some places only let you shoot their ammo because they're afraid you'll bring ill-made reloads and blow yourself up on their range. This safety rule is understandable, but also happens to be fairly lucrative for the range owner. Consider it part of the cost of the range. As an aside, all reloaders are not alike. Some are good, other's aren't. Your best bet is to stick with factory ammo or stuff you or someone you trust very much loaded.
Now, on to actually hitting something. Shooting a handgun is actually a quite difficult task that takes some practice. Lucky for us, it can also be quite a bit of fun. How effectively you practice can have a big impact on how rapidly you progress and how much cash you have to part with to get there.
First, Let's talk about your first day on the range. The first time you fire your gun at a target you will, in all likelihood, hit it. You will find, however, that the more you shoot, the worse you get. How can that be, you ask? Well, when you shoot, there is a thing exploding about three feet in front of your face. Your brain will, as all good brains should, try and protect you from this seemingly perilous event by "flinching". When you flinch you close your eyes and in most cases the barrel of the gun begins to point downward as your muscles contract. You are, when you first begin to shoot, developing your flinch reflex. This is in general terms, great work on your brain's part, but doesn't exactly do wonders for your shooting scores. Lucky for us, there are several tricks we can use to get by this.
The first trick is called dry-firing. What you do is make double-damn sure the gun isn't loaded, and then point it at something you could live with accidentally putting a bullet through, like your lawn or the backstop at your local range and gently squeeze the trigger until the gun goes snap. The object is to keep the sights from moving as you fire. This does two things. First, it deconditions your brain's flinch response, and second it teaches you to follow through. By follow through I mean you keep your concentration on the sights and the gun even after the gun goes click, or bang, as the case may be.
The second trick is called sight focus. You may notice when you get to the range and start shooting that you have three things to focus on at once. The rear site, the front sight and finally, the target. Most of us initially choose to focus on the target. For reasons related to eye physiology that we'll just call "Magic" things work out a lot better if you focus on the front site and leave the target a bit blurry. Don't ask me how this works, but it does, I promise.
The third trick is called trigger control. The object here is to fake out your flinch response by not letting yourself know when the gun's going to fire. This is what you probably accidentally did the first time you shot. The idea is to slowly add pressure to the trigger, an ounce at a time until, much to your surprise the trigger reaches its magic spot and the gun fires. Smooshing the trigger like the channel button on your remote control is going to leave no doubt in your mind that the gun is going to fire immediately. As a result, you flinch, big time and the bullet usually goes well under your target.
The forth trick is one of my favorites. It's called feedback. After blasting away for years at paper targets with little improvement I decided to compete in a local "Bowling Pin Match". At these matches they put actual bowling pins on a table, and you had to shoot yours off the table faster than the other guy shot his off. My shooting improved more in a month than it had in years. Why? Feedback. If you shoot at a bowling pin, or any reactive target, like say a soda can, and you do everything right the target reacts. It falls over or jumps. You know you did it right, and how it felt. If you don't do it right the second time, the target sits there, mocking you. As in almost everything, the shorter the feedback loop, the faster you learn. If you shoot ten shots at a paper target and then on checking your target discover that you hit five times, you know you did things right five times, but which five? My point being, shoot at things that give you quick feedback. If your only option is an indoor range where they don't allow you to shoot at anything but paper, bring the target close enough so you can see the bullet strikes and shoot at smaller bullseyes. You can make some small bullseye targets on your computer or with a marker if you need to.
These tricks should get you started, and with any luck get you shooting fairly well in a fairly short period of time.
Why is this important when all you need to do is be able to shoot at someone from across a room? Very. Shooting the gun once and putting it in the nightstand is a bad idea. In real situations it is quite easy to miss a person completely at very short distances under stress. You should go once a month or so to gain and keep acceptable proficiency. If you ever need your gun to defend your life you will only be successful if you can operate your gun with unthinking precision. That is not to say you shouldn't be thinking at the gravest moment of your life, you will be thinking about a thousand things, I'm sure. Trying to remember how to operate your gun shouldn't be one of those things. This you should have engrained in your mind long before the incident so you can be thinking about what you're seeing and hearing and what you need to do avoid fatal errors.
Shoot, have fun, and write us with any questions. RSM