[SwampRat]

Well folks, it was fun..After working to get this going I held my first public NRA class yesterday. I've done quite a few private lessons with friends, racing buddies, and family who all know me and are used to my way of teaching and mannerisms, but these students didnt know what to expect and neither did I for that matter.
The class consisted of 4 males. 3 in their 30's and 1 21 year old. 3 of them had firearms (glocks) and said they shot and practiced quite often while my young one had never fired a pistol before. This class was nothing more than the NRA's First Steps Pistol course (3 hours) which is really nothing more than an Orientation program for beginners and those who want to obtain their Florida Concealed Weapons License. This type of class can be quite boring for experienced shooters but we as NRA Trainers have a lesson plan we have agreed to adhere to and follow. That being said, I did my best to stay with the lesson plan but lordy was it hard for me to do..here's why
All students were there to get their qualification certificate to Conceal Carry..This lesson plan does not in any way prepare them for real world scenarios. Its consists of 4 parts..1-Safety and Operation, 2-Ammunition and Fundementals of Pistol shooting, 3-Introduction to shooting from a benchrest (we did it standing, MT technique because of the square range rules), 4-Cleaning and storage..Now my newby, got alot of out of it which is the purpose of the class..now my other 3 students ended up being recreational shooters who practiced on private property and had no idea of the proper gear for ccw, Fl. Law, proper grip, stance, sighting techniques, trigger discipline, breathing technique etc etc..quite enlightening as an Instructor when you start asking questions and getting student involvement..
What happened was, they got all of the NRA material and a whole lot more..I have this sense of duty I guess you could call it, I just can't send people out on the street with a CCW license and a loaded handgun strapped to their hip totally unprepared for what might happen and what will happen when the actual SHTF..Lets just say they received a lesson in proper gear, carry methods, shooting technique, Street tactics, combat mindset, awareness, adrenaline dump, and a touch of Brownies Threat Focused teachings, 1/2 hip, point shoulder and nose index point shooting, draw techniques etc.
The good part is, the lights were coming on inside their eyes. I think all of them realized this is serious business, not a decision to be taken lightly and more training and practice is a necessity. The frustrating part is, as an instructor you realize that a 3 hour class is not enough to prepare them for what is to come...kinda like watching basic training recruits go straight off to war..all you can do is impart some of your knowledge, skills and attitude on them in a very condensed period and hope some of it sticks.

I'm really looking forward to the next one..If anything we do as trainers helps save just one persons life it'll be worth it..

 

[FLRon]

Congratulations on your first public class. It really has to be a challenge to cover so much important information in such a short time. I suppose if you can spark some real interest, they will realize that they need to acquire additional skills and knowledge.

Personally, i would favor a more thorough, detailed requirement for obtaining one's license. Perhaps a session for safety, operation, weapons cleaning and concealed gear, one for laws and legal matters, one for shooting and one for practical defensive skills.

The class I took to satisfy my license requirements was a joke and I felt it was almost irresponsible to give a person so little training before allowing them to carry.

Hopefully your class will be just the starting point for future instruction and training.

 

[SwampRat]

Thanks Ron.. I don't know if I would require more training being State or Federally mandated..as much as I would hope those that take the carrying of a firearm as a serious responsibility would seek out more extensive training on their own volition. I know there is debate in the gun community on that very topic.

 

[MamaBear]

SwampRat,

Congratulations on your first class. Just always remember to let your people know that your class is only the beginning of their life long training with firearms.

If you will punctuate your talks with constant hints of continued education then they will get the message that one class is only the beginning.

Job well done, teacher.

MamaBear

 

[FLRon]

SRat, I understand your point. I am so reluctant to offer my support to anything that makes the exercise of our 2A rights more difficult, yet it is obvious and i feel logical to demand that a person walking around with a concealed carry license have a degree of expertise and competency that is commensurate with the responsibility of concealed carry.

If the requirements are not met before the license is issued, it does not achieve this goal. While I had considerable handgun training beforehand, the class I took locally concluded with 6 shots at a piece of paper 7 feet away. Our paperwork was signed before we even took our 6 shots with the instructor jokingly telling us that as long as we don't shoot him when we get to the shooting range, we will pass.

I guess I would prefer a more serious and thorough approach.

 

[SwampRat]

I agree Ron..if you go to a gun show class, they shoot ONE shot then hand over the papers..If you go to the State of Florida's site they dont even require that a shot be fired, only completion of a certified course in Firearms Safety and/or Training..Go into the State of Georgia and no training is required, just fill out the application, send it in and in 10 days you'll get your license in the mail..Unless it is federally mandated or the 2nd amendment becomes incorporated I dont see mandated training as realistic..then of course we start infringing on the peoples right to defend themselves by making it more difficult or more costly to obtain the right to Carry. Ted Nugent school of thought of course is "I shouldn't need no damned permit"..either way it goes it is the responsibility of the instructor to educate as well as possible and like MamaBear said above, stress the need for additional and continuous training.

 

[brownie]

One under your belt, and I hope many more to follow.

Congratulations sir

Brownie

 

[NkmG19]

Congrats SwampRat :clap. I'm sure as an instructor you will impart as much knowledge as you can in a three hour class. With so many people acquiring handguns these days I would think that there would be more one or two day classes held locally in my area. Maybe I need to seek it out and see what's available. No matter how much reading I do there is nothing that replaces actual hands on training. I will seek higher education in handgun self defense.

 

[FLRon]

Anytime we can get enough people together in a central Florida location, I would love to spend a couple of days learning with Brownie, if it can be arranged.

 

[chevthunder454]

flron, sounds like the instructor I had except we fired only one shot. I am happy to say that I have been practicing and getting more training since that time. I had a strong urge to become the best I could be to obtain the advantage in any situation. And I continue such to this day.

 

[FLRon]

Unbelievable! One shot!? That sure demonstrates proficiency.

 

[SwampRat]

Ron, some of the Gun shows hold 2 a day classes on a weekend. Thats 4 classes. They will run 600 cattle thru the chutes in those 4 classes. Only 1 shot is fired. Fingerprints, photo, and notary are all done on the spot along with the class in about 2-1/2 hrs. Its convenient, its easy and it is legal. It hurts us instructors doing 3-10 student classes with more one on one instruction and range time but it is what it is..people make their own choices based on convenience. I offer 8 and 10 hour classes along with personal instruction but so far no takers. The 3 hour First Steps Pistol Class seems to be the most popular and it is a limited basic orientation class. Really, how many people on here went for one of the longer training courses? Most if they werent military took the 3 hour mandatory class and thats it..

 

[SwampRat]

Anytime we can get enough people together in a central Florida location, I would love to spend a couple of days learning with Brownie, if it can be arranged.

We ARE working on it..In fact there will be some announcements coming in '09 including a discount for members of this forum. Might even be a freeby thrown in with some low light training. For those that dont know 80% of all gunfights happen in low to no light..Hopefully we can get all the details worked out early enough so everyone has plenty of notice.