If you’ve followed me at all prior to today, you’re most likely already aware of my mindset when it comes to firearms and personal protection training. Training is for everyone. It is not limited to the realm of delta range seals who walk around in 3per shirts (3 percenters for those blessed enough NOT to have been exposed to them). Every human in existence has the right to personal protection. If your chosen method of personal protection is a firearm, that also comes with the moral responsibility of learning how to operate that firearm in a safe manor, despite the fact that classes can be downright intimidating.
Who needs to be taking training classes? You do. This message is directed to my stay at home moms, my bankers, my teachers, my massage therapists, my contractors, my cops, my fireman, my pizza delivery folk, and even my practicing firearms instructors. Training is absolutely for you. It doesn’t matter what your perceived level of skills is. Take the occasional class. Brush off the rust to insure you’re still capable and to keep your skills up. Or get a verifiable confirmation that you’re as good as you think you are. Or, heaven forbid, maybe you’ll even learn something. Every class I attend as a student, I pick up at least SOMETHING new. At the very least, classes are fun. Best of all, you will quickly realize, you are not at all alone, and will be training with some incredibly awesome and likeminded people. You would be very surprised some of the people we have regularly attending training.
That all being said, you normal folks run into a few fairly impressive hurtles and when seeking out competent training. The first hurtle is “Ego,” and it is a double edged sword. It is shocking how many people I have met that own or carry a firearm and have never received training. They’ve been to a range, or sometimes not even that, were able to hit a paper plate at 4 and a half feet, and they feel they’re ready to storm Normandy. In their mind, spending $200 to go to a class to get proper training would result in one of two outcomes. At best, be an expensive waste confirming the class was in fact a waste (note: It’s not). At worst, they would realize just how incredibly underprepared they are to carry a firearm, and they just paid money to be publicly embarrassed. Neither is an attractive idea in the world of male bravado. I need to be able to walk into the room with the skills of Silvester Stalone in every 90’s era action movie, or I’m no longer a real man. This Ego gets in the way of people getting good training.
There is another unfortunate result of these very vocal and very public ego’s. Everyone else who is around these types of people who want to get training, want nothing to do with taking classes with people like this. Or when they talk to the Egos, they belittle them for wanting to go out and train further scaring them off. I do not blame them one bit. Nothing about that sounds like a good way to spend a Saturday, especially if it costs you $200 plus the cost of ammunition and equipment. This is why our goal is to make firearms training accessible to normal people who don’t wear shmedium shirts and hands can’t touch their sides. You have a life that is important to you. You have a family you are at least in part responsible for. Training is for you just as much as for anyone else. FUN FACT: The shmedium egotists out there…don’t tend to come to classes.
Now let’s talk about the experience you will ACTUALLY have when attending local classes. From my personal experience, very few ego’s show up to class. The one’s that do quickly find out that no one is interested in what they have to say, and they will typically get vey quiet, and occasionally even find reason’s to leave. Often times, they get humbled and find out there’s no place for their attitudes. The majority of student’s I have seen attending classes are extremely modest, humble, regular people. Most of these classes exist as “regular guy” training experiences.
This past year I’ve definitely noticed a trend. Some of my most non-assuming students, have turned into life long regular attendees. All they needed to do was make it to one single class. Once there they’ve realized that this is not a chest bumping, chauvinistic environment they realize how much fun the training experience is. Everyone gets trained based on their individual levels of skill. Everyone gets treated like a human being. Good instructors either weed out the turds (personality turds that is), or they insure they are completely isolated in class to reduce their ability to ruin the training experience for others.
Ultimately, this is what you really need to take away from this article. Taking your first class can be unnerving, even scary. Take the leap. You might find some great new people and learn a few things while you’re at it. Ultimately, you need to be taking classes, because if you’re an owner of a firearm, or carry one for protection, you, your family, and the public around you deserve you to be competent and safe.
Gerard
A Few respected training organizations in the area:
Down Range LLC
DMEC firearms Training
Spartan Tactical Training Group
Front Sight Solutions