Marksmanship, Gun Handling, Mindset / Tactics - Excellence in Firearms Training

"Firearms Academies: What to Take / What to Expect"

By Patrick A. Rogers (March 2002 SWAT Magazine excerpt, reprinted with permission)

Training has always been a complex issue. For those employed by law enforcement organizations, training is mandated by court decisions and usually conducted in house or at a central location where several agencies may share facilities. The quality and quantity of training provided is situationally dependent on many issues; staffing, budget, and what is often the big one, management's attitude toward training. It may be geared more to liability reduction than ensuring that their officers win a gunfight!

 For those legally armed who are not cops or members of the military, training becomes more difficult. Many carry on without any training at all - an invitation to legal, moral and financial disaster. Though the need to receive professional training is obvious, many refuse to seek it. Time and money are the issues most often cited, but some people will always be just too "cool" to train. So, where to go? A cottage industry of sorts has sprung up throughout the country in the last five years or so. It seems like everyone who has ever been to a school, worn a uniform of any type, shot competitively or can recognize a gun two times out of three, is hanging out a shingle and proclaiming that they are possessors of the only true knowledge.

Yeah, right.

To be sure, there are a number of talented individuals who can be found locally. And there are some very good itinerant trainers who may come to your area to conduct classes. As a rule, those who do it for a living are generally a lot better than a part-timer whose day job is computer programming. It is an issue of credibility. Louis Awerbuck vented splendidly about posers in the July, 2001 issue of S.W.A.T., and I'll leave it at that.

 For very basic gun handling, you can contact the NRA. Do not expect anything resembling serious defensive training though.

 â€¦Established formal schools have much to offer but, like all else in life, are compromises. The down side, of course, is expense. Travel, food and lodging costs must be added to tuition and course supplies. Two additional days are necessary for travel, further impacting on staffing or vacation day issues at your place of employment. The positives outweigh the negatives by a wide margin. Instructors at an established school will generally be very experienced and working from established doctrine….

 ...I work for Gunsite, but have been fortunate to have attended a number of schools and trained under a large number of very good instructors. What follows is a generalization, but is viable for many schools.

So, you have acquired the money, decided to spend your vacation learning how to be competent with your particular blaster, and made travel plans. What will you expect to happen? What are you going to bring? Start with a positive attitude. While it is the instructor's job to teach, it is the student's job to learn. The instructor cannot make you do anything - he can only give you information. How you process this information is entirely up to you. Keep an open mind. You are attending a particular school to learn their doctrine, not necessarily to re-hash what is taught at your agency, unit or by your favorite gun magazine. Use the techniques that they teach at the school. If at the end of the week you like it, place it in your toolbox for future use. If you don't like it, discard it and go back to another method. Additionally, while on the line, stifle any need you might feel to tutor another student. He's paying good money to learn the school’s doctrine, not yours. Be a sponge. Listen carefully, and if you don’t understand something, ask. Ask that question right now, before you lose your train of thought. You need to be able to learn from any training, even if it is negative.

Leave your prejudices at home. If you are a cop who believes that no citizen can actually shoot, you may be surprised. If you are a citizen who believes that all cops are fascists who want nothing more than to trample your rights, you too may be surprised. Be realistic in your expectations. If the school gives a graded certificate, make sure you understand that you are there to learn, and not to receive an ego massaging piece of paper to hang on the I-Love-Me-Wall. If you get a high grade, consider it to be a treat, and not the main course. If you get a low grade, rather than blame the instructor, reflect on your overall performance during the entire class. Accept criticism. The instructors are there to teach you and correct mistakes. There is nothing at all personal in this, but understand that if you don't at least attempt to make it right, you are wasting your money and the instructors' time... Your fellow students are a big part of this training. You may meet people who work in jobs that you have only read about. Socialize with them, and you may be surprised at what you can learn. Friendship comes easy at class if you allow it. Part of it is the shared misery that promotes bonding. The other is the fact that you all have several things in common: guns, a quest for training, and the desire to have some control over your destiny. Learning comes a lot easier if you are having fun.

If you carry a firearm, whether for a living or for personal defense, you have a legal, moral and ethical responsibility to make sure you have the skills necessary to use it properly. Acquiring professional training, and following it up with training on a recurring basis is not a luxury. It is a necessity...