We have all attended a course of instruction at some point during our lives and found ourselves wondering “when does the class end?” or “how long is this supposed to last?”
I know it’s happened to me multiple times. Once, during an advanced weapons course at Marine Combat Training School, I found myself snapping awake as the instructor struggled to connect with us as students. I felt like I could have taught a better course and engaged the class with demonstrations, excitement and passion. Unfortunately, I was not leading the class, but I did learn a valuable lesson: great teachers can be hard to find.
Training is imperative for any gun owner, whether a seasoned law enforcement officer, military personnel, competitive shooter, hunter or a law-abiding citizen that has made the decision to carry for protection. However, gun owners are frequently faced with the question of where to go and how to begin due to the overwhelming number of firearm instructors now doing business.
So lets get down to some basic ways you can streamline your selection process. Ask yourself these questions, but more importantly, ask them of any potential instructor. A reluctance to answer or nonspecific responses should be a huge red flag and enough to look elsewhere for training.
1. What is the instructors’ background? Are they prior law enforcement, military or a competition shooter? These people may have experiences that an everyday citizen may not have. (good biographical items to know). Most importantly, it provides perspective on where their curriculum and style may be coming from.
2. What is their training background as a student? Do they continue to take courses on their own dime? Do they have previous experience in taking training courses? How far back does their training go? When was their last course? How widely dispersed are the methodologies of the classes they have taken?
3. Is the instructor certified in any particular recognized program such as National Rifle Association, state or federal law enforcement instructor certifications, or a respected private sector instructor certification? Most if not all instructors have some sort of nationally recognized instructor certification in a particular discipline—if not many disciplines. Just because they are certified in one area of instruction does not equal an expert in all. Are their certifications current?
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