question for the Cops and other gun owners

As far as proficient, it varies from person to person, for the same reason some people don't take long to become good swimmers while others struggle for years.

When I started shooting earlier this year, I was using an older range handgun, a .22 and went once a week for 10 weeks, shot 100 rounds each week.  By the end of those 10 weeks, all my shots were on target at 60 yards, with 80% within a 6" radius of each other.

Now with my own S&W M&P 9mm, even with less than 1000 rounds out of it, I'm getting the same accuracy.  So for me, I feel it didn't take me long to get proficient.  I know guys that still can't hit the broad side of a barn with a shotgun and have been shooting for years.

I think a lot of it is confidence in the handling.  Respect it but don't be afraid of it.

No right answer, and as others have said it's all about what you want to be proficient in.  If you want to compete, then it's going to take many years and lots of ammo.  If you want to be able to survive in a self defense situation where your adversary is likely less than 5 feet away then that's another thing altogether and down range accuracy is almost irrelevant.

I had a lot of training in the military that helped me with the fundamentals such as trigger control, sight picture, and such.  Those lessons are ingrained so deep that I can pick up most any gun and make a pretty small group and modest ranges 10-20 feet.

I shoot maybe once a month now and it's mostly very close range stuff for self defense scenarios.  I also practice almost every day drawing and engaging in close quarters without firing anything.  It's more of a muscle memory thing for self defense purposes.

I'm a firearms instructor at a PD..........you got it right.  Still, you don't see alot of innocent people getting blown up when the cops start shooting (yeah, the guys in New York a few months ago are the exception) because the training is not all about hitting a bullseye the size of a quarter.  We have some great shooters and some poor shooters....just like everywhere. 

To answer the question, shoot as often as you can to stay the most proficient.  I used to shoot daily.....but I'm mostly bored with it now, and I don't shoot near as well as I used to.  I spent a week at the Sig Arms training facility last Spring.....if you get a chance to go to something like that you should go, or pay for it yourself.....thyey've got some great instructors who can flat out shoot.  It would be money well spent if you are looking to shorten your learning curve.  You can shoot there with any model weapon, their classes are not Sig specific.

Depends on a lot of things.  What kind of gun? Rifle, pistol, shotgun? What distance?

I can pick-up an M16 and put 9 of 10 rounds in the black at 500 yards with iron sights right now because I was taught properly 14 years ago by a gunnery sergeant.

Some people are more likely to shoot better off the start having learned from the same instructor.  But if you learn to shoot following key elements (sight-picture, sight-alignment, clear front-sight-post, fuzzy target, skeletal support, relaxed breathing, slow steady squeeze) you should be able to pick-up any weapon that is on zero and hit a target at the optimum distance for that weapon. 

The Marine Corps takes about 2 weeks of training to turn a new shooter into a proficient shooter with an M16.  The FBI trains students for 6 months on the pistol and they have one of the toughest proficiency tests for pistols.

Depends on what you want to do.

Always follow the 4 weapons safety rules: Treat every weapon like it's loaded, Never point a weapon at anything you don't want to shoot/kill, Keep the weapon on safe until you intend to fire, Keep your finger off the trigger until you intend to fire. Treat Never Keep Keep.

Many of those guys are now horrible shots because they don't practice.  They use our range, I see it constantly.  The other deal, like I said, is that you MUST add stress to your practice or you'll be thoroughly surprised at how bad you shoot when the chit hits the fan.  Adding speed and movement can help accomplish some of that.  Enter combat matches....they're fun and you'll become a much better shooter for the time you may acutally need your gun.

I was on the plane to BWI next to a fella from the Asymetric Warfare Center at Fort Meade.  He said he works part time with a guy who runs a Mountain Athlete program where they do stuff like drop civilians in a snowy wilderness with minimal survival equipment and an emergency radio.  I suggested they add a carry a weapon and shoot a target and then get away.  How cool would that be? 

OP here. What I was thinking about is a weapon that one might have in their home for basic protection, which I realize could be anything, but when I wrote the post I was thinking of handguns. What I mean by "proficient" is that if God forbid you had to use it, you'd have a decent chance of being able to reasonably control the weapon. You should know how to operate it without accidentally firing it; fire it without blowing your own fingers off or  hitting an innocent person, having a decent chance of hitting an intruder (hopefully better than 75%?)...

I realize now that my question was very general. 

Oh, sorry we went wild with this one.

There are gun defense classes at most gun shops.  Some sheriff's departments teach them too.  3 sessions, they teach proper use, shooting, cleaning, etc. 

For home defense, there are a lot of interesting rounds you could use too.  Rock Salt rounds won't go through dry wall (and likely won't kill the intruder) but you load one of those first and then a real round after that so your first round wounds them.  If they keep coming, you kill.

Stress adds a lot of trouble to shooting, but in a confined space, you just have to hit them.  Getting hit with a bullet will drop most people no matter if it's in the heart or in the toe.

Keeping the round from going through your wall and hitting someone else in your house is something to pay attention to when selecting rounds/power.  Good luck, be safe.

Very cool.....wait.......drop how?  Like, drop me off in a pickup truck or throw me out of an airplane I'm pretty comfortable in? 

I have been shooting all my life and am pretty decent with a pistol or rifle. My wife and I recently decided to get our CWP's, I could have gotten one without a training program but I wanted my wife to take a course so I took it with her. She is pretty good with a gun, I don't know that I would be comfortable with her carrying it just yet. She is safe and is a dang good shot, but she is not as familiar with her gun as I would like her to be. 

Anyway... everyone "passed" the course and received a certificate to take to the Sheriff to apply for a CWP. But there was at least one person who had no business being around a gun much less carrying one. Unfortunately one 6 hour class is not enough to get that person to the point they needed to be, but hopefully they will continue to practice and hone their skills.

I think a big thing is familiarity and comfort around and with weapons. My wife is a good shot with my AR-15 but I don't think she would do well with it in a bad situation. Her mind would be too focused on "how does this thing work again?" rather than what she needed to do. 

Just takes a little time and practice but anyone can get the hang of it. Self defense use doesn't mean you need to hit the bullseye at 50 yards with a handgun. 

Now if the dang price of ammo would go down it'd be a lot easier to practice!

Helicopter or truck with a blindfold.  The events are run/supervised by former SOF guys.  If you call for help, they use a helicopter to get you the heck out.  Pricey.  But cool. 

I'm a cop and here is my perspective on law enforcement qualifications. I work in Iowa and we have state standards. These standards are a minimal requirement for a certified law enforcement officer to carry a service or duty weapon while on duty. These state requirments are established by the Iowa law enforcement academy. You must qualify one time a year and pass to carry a handgun, shotgun and rifle. You must shot a 70% or above with the weapon you carry on duty and any backup weapon you carry while on duty. This standard is set for 3 officer departments all the way to the largest departments. So basically the stardard is a joke.

Now my department you must qualify 4 times a year with all your firearms and also one night shot with your duty pistol. So we do more as a department but the state stardard is was is used so as long as you quaify one time a year out of 4 you can still carry your gun. Pathetic right? I agree.

Now I am the team leader of our SWAT team. We as  SWAT team qualify 6 additional times thoughout the year and to be on our SWAT team you must shot 90% or above every qualification. This also includes MP5 and AR15 for tac team members. So our SWAT team members gets alot more shooting and has to qualify more and at a higher standard them a regular patrolmen.

The state course is also very simple to pass and has actually been made easier to help the poor shooters qualify. That is very sad. Just like school's, nobody left behind motto.

So there is the perspective of a 17 year cop for what its worth.

The FBI has a stat that says a person shot right in the heart will still have 10 seconds of "useful" time before they go down. Now if they just stand there in shock is another discussion.

For the OP... I am answering as a general shooter because you do not need to know how long it will take to shoot like a pro. I'm sure you already know the answer. How good are you at picking up skills? How good are you at using tools? How good is your hand eye coordination? Knowing how to use a fire arm is easy compared to knowing how to use it in a professional situation. Knowing how to use a firearm with a HUGE dose of adrenalin in the middle of the night is not the same as knowing how to use it at the shooting range during the day.

It depends. You need a basic understanding and training to get you there with some range time every so often. After that, the sky is the limit. Like was mentioned... home defense is another subject aside from range time. Bullets do go through walls regardless of what you see in movies. Are you going to take a defensive position and call the cops, or are you going to go on the offense and clear your house. I'm not a tactical expert and can pretty much tell you I am not going to go on a search and destroy in my house. And if you want home defense, a shot gun can be a better choice. Less over penetration and accuracy problems.

 I have a basic understanding and am quite comfortable with what I would do in the middle of the night. Bare minimum basics, keep everyone safe, and yes pull the trigger.  And even at that, I can't imagine right now what firing a shot in a closed environment will do sound and flash wise. It is not the same during the day with ear protection outside. But I can't do range time in my house at night. I think I have made up my mind to get a permit this year and I am not comfortable with my current skills for that. I will need some more training and get with some experts.... so it depends on what your goals are, and what your abilities are.

My partner was shot and killed 2 months after I transferred away from the unit we were in.  He ran nearly 300 yards and got into the drivers seat of his car before he realized he was shot....and then died.  He was shot through both lungs.

If you think (not you powerman, the collective you) 1 shot will take someone down no matter where they are hit then you never shot a deer......or a person. 

Learn to hit what you are shooting at.....and keep shooting. 

Oh....and if you carry a 9mm or a .380.....throw it in the river....get something bigger and slower.

That was said after some new "man stopper" ammo hit the shelves and promised "instant death". Of course people were "concerned" about particularly "deadly" bullets... but the FBI was concerned with false advertising.

I can't stand the fact Hollywood has everyone convinced if you shoot someone they instantly die and fly through the air 6 feet. The statistics show that an actual GSW is quite survivable... obviously depending where you are hit. On one of those "ER" reality shows... a guy actually came in shot 12 times and lived. No shot hit a vital organ. It was a 9mm.... but I'm not trying to open that can of worms.

So even in a defensive situation... if you didn't hit anything important, and the guy is intent of finishing what he started.... you will be dealing with him for a very long time till he bleeds out..... just like you said.... you KEEP shooting, until the threat has stopped. And if you have some noble idea of just wounding someone... then you might as well stick to kitchen knives.

However, if you're going to commit a crime, that's what's used.

In 2009, in CA, 9mm Luger handguns were used almost 2.5x as often as any other caliber.  2nd place was 22LR.  just 6% behind 22LR was the 380 Auto.

That's because they are cheap and the market is flooded with them.....especially the "black market".

And.....I wasn't talking about guns (rounds) to commit crimes with, I was talking about guns (rounds) that stop those guys.

Curious if you don't mind me asking what you carry for your primary duty weapon?

Those are the same guns we carry on duty the Sig Sauer 229 in .40 cal. Fantasic guns. Our department is issued their primary duty gun, the Sig but can carry anything 9mm or higher for a back up or off duty after you qualify with it on the state course.