NRA Firearms Training Courses
By Joe DeBergalis (DirectAction)
Honeoye Falls, NY –(Ammoland.com)- A popular adage of former NRA Board Member and practical shooting legend Marine Lt. Col. Jeff Cooper was that “One is no more armed because he has possession of a firearm than he is a musician because he owns a piano.”
True words, and with the dawn of a new year it is the perfect time to take up a resolution to make sure that you, your loved ones and others in the community are properly trained in the safe and efficient use of firearms.
And for those readers already shooting one ragged hole after another at 50 yards —or more— it might be time to help train those newly interested in the use firearms for self-defense.
As it has been since Lt. Col. William Church and General George Wingate founded the NRA in 1871 to promote marksmanship for national defense, one of the organization’s core objectives is to “To train… people of good repute in marksmanship and in the safe handling and efficient use of small arms.”
The NRA now has16 courses offering skilled instruction on topics ranging from Basic Pistol Shooting to Basic Metallic Cartridge Reloading and even all manner of black powder firearms. And in recent years the NRA has made it easier than ever to locate and acquire this training from its over 65,000 instructors by going to www.nrainstructors.org and simply punching in a zip code.
Two courses that should be of particular interest to readers and readers or ARFCOM members are NRA’s Personal Protection Inside the Home and Personal Protection Outside the Home. Great for those already familiar with basic handgun function, Personal Protection Inside the Home prepares students to defend themselves in a violent confrontation with an intruder. The course includes approximately 100 rounds of live fire practice and would be the perfect way for the family member of an ARFCOM member to learn about the defensive use of handguns.
More advanced is the Personal Protection Outside the Home course, which focuses on honing the skills necessary to most effectively exercise the Right to Carry. Broken down into two phases, the first teaches the student skills such as proper presentation from a holster and several shooting positions and includes at least 100 rounds of range practice. The second includes a further five hours and at least 115 more rounds of range instruction.
Undoubtedly, many readers and those in the ARFCOM community have already availed themselves of training from the NRA and others. In this case they should consider becoming NRA Certified Instructors. The first step is taking the NRA Basic Instructor Training course—a six-hour course aimed at acclimating the future instructor to the NRA teaching philosophy. After that, the prospective instructor can take any of several courses focusing on the teaching of NRA’s specific courses. Just like other NRA training, instructor training courses can be found by visiting www.nrainstructors.org.
Sometimes with all the talk about gun politics and the latest and greatest guns and gear, it’s easy to forget the importance of learning to use a gun effectively. Therefore I’m making a challenge to all readers to make use of NRA’s wide array of training courses in the coming year. If you’ve never had formal training before, go ahead and get some; at the very least, it may meet your state’s requirement for that Right-to-Carry permit you’ve been meaning to get.
If you already have extensive training, encourage a family member or friend who might be unfamiliar with firearms; the more law-abiding people are skilled in the use of firearms, the better for the gun rights community and society at large.
And if you’ve ever considered becoming an NRA Certified Instructor, I encourage you to do so. With record gun sales in recent years and NRA-ILA’s work to expand Right-to-Carry across the country, there is more interest than ever in acquiring the training many states require to carry concealed; and with upwards of 2.5 million defensive gun uses a year, you’ll also be helping newly armed citizens strike fear into the hearts of criminals. With more NRA-trained citizens and instructors than ever before, 2011 should prove to be another great year for gun owners.
Special thanks to my fellow NRA Instructors and those Instructors (Fellow ARFCOMMERS) I have worked with from MDTS Training, Progressive Force Concepts, Gunsite, DARC and Tactical Response for all you bring to the training table each day..….Watch your six, brothers….
About Joe:
Joe DeBergalis is a big contributor at AR15.com, a great representative for gun owners everywhere, and a great personal friend. He’s also a member of the NRA Board of Directors, Vice President of the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association, and Moderator of ARFCOM’s NRA Activism Forum. A longtime NRA Election Volunteer Coordinator, he was named “Volunteer of the Year” in 2005 by NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action.
About:
AR15.Com originated in 1996 as a mailing list for firearm enthusiasts. As the years passed and interest grew, a website came into existence to present those same enthusiasts with a means to collect, share, and explore information. Shortly afterwards, a bulletin board was added to create a more interactive experience for the growing list of users. The site was still in it’s infancy, but was growing in popularity. Visit: www.ar15.com