By David Cole
USA – -(Ammoland.com)- I shot the USPSA Ohio Sectionals recently, and as part of post-match clean-up, I did an ammo inventory.
In one day of competition, I shot 265 rounds of .45 ACP. I shot them at multiple targets, some partially obscured by cover, or by friendly “no-shoots.”
I shot them at moving targets, and targets of various sizes. I shot some of those rounds of ammo from unconventional positions, and I shot some while I was moving.
A typical police qualification course might be about 100 rounds, and a cop might shoot that once or twice a year. I know of one state where officers are required to shoot a 30-round qualification twice a year…60 rounds total per year.
I’ll also guarantee you that the qualification courses that most agencies require their officers to pass are nowhere near as challenging as your average weekend USPSA or IDPA match. This is not a knock on cops…it’s just a fact. Police departments don’t like to spend money on training, or take working cops off the street so that they can go to the range and practice.
The thing is, the gun prohibitionists would like to convince you that you couldn’t possibly become as adept with a firearm as a police officer.
They would like you to surrender your firearms and leave your protection to the “professionals.” But the truth is, if you go to the range and shoot one 50-round box every third month, you are likely on par with the average cop as far as firearms skill goes. That isn’t a whole lot of shooting. With only a bit more focus in your training, it is neither difficult nor expensive to become much better with a firearm than the average cop.
This summer, I’ll be accompanying my sister (a teacher, by the way) to her first real gun class since she took her concealed carry course. It’s a one-day class with a top-notch instructor. The course description says students should bring 300-400 rounds of ammunition, and tuition is $150. In that one day, my sister and I will each expend at least twice the amount of ammo an average cop shoots in a year, doing productive skills training under the supervision of a pro instructor.
I’ve been a police officer, and I understand the conditions of the job. I give them full marks for the dangerous, difficult job they do. They work hard and the vast majority will do their very best to help you in your time of need, risking their own lives in the process.
But you are deluded if you think that they are capable of responding to your emergency with any more speed or skill than you. Do not allow gun prohibitionists to convince you that you are better off waiting for a “professional” to bring you a gun, than to have one with you right now. That is an outright lie told by politicians who wish to see you disarmed.
You are your own first responder, so be your own first responder.
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