Most any other forum dedicated to the sport you probably would get advice that for someone new, the first choice should be too learn the basics and fundamentals of the game before worrying about what specific piece of equipment you play with.
But with shooting in America? Nope, you need this or that. Practice, acquired knowledge and experience take a backseat to equipment, and the worst thing is most are serious in believing that is the way to go.
Agreed. I can understand the casual approach (buy what you like, then get some experience) for casual plinking (i.e., "fun guns"). This obviously assumes safe gun handling is already known.
For a guy like me who shoots a few birds a year and is going to drop $2K on a new shotgun, I can see the justification for acquiring more knowlege and experience before the purchase. 2K is a lot of money, missed birds are annoying, and wounded ones are worse.
Where the casual approach seems truly out-of-place (to me) is when someone is looking for suggestions for a concealed carry/self defense gun. How many of us are readily willing to suggest a certain brand of 1911, etc., rather than strongly suggest they get more experience and training first? I'll bet I've made that error a time or two.
