Tag: ccw permit

How to Choose a Firearm Training Class

We did not write this article, but we wish we had.

Concealed Carry, Training – by Aaron Stemen

Do It Right, or Do It Twice

Imagine for just a moment that weeks, months, or even years down the road you receive a notice from the State of Florida revoking your Concealed Weapon or Firearm License due to insufficient training. Now hang on! You took a concealed carry class and showed proof to the State. Surely this is a mistake. Isn’t it?

Well here’s the deal. The State found out the class you took didn’t meet the statutory requirements, so they pulled your permit. You wasted your hard-earned money, your valuable time and, to make matters worse, you now have to do it all over again.

In this article, I give you the tools and info you need to make sure this doesn’t happen to you.

What to Look For

There are two main things you should look into, and then each can then be broken down further. They are:

• The instructor’s credentials and experience, and
• A breakdown analysis of the class itself
• Background Check Your Instructor

I recently caught wind of a Gainesville based “firearms training group,” and I use that term loosely, that has been teaching illegal concealed weapons permit classes for quite some time. By “illegal” I mean they don’t meet the State’s training requirements.

I hate to say it, but there are a lot of less than reputable firearms instructors out there. If you aren’t researching your instructor(s) before handing over your hard-earned cash, you’re doing yourself a huge disservice.

Credentials

Section 790.06 lists a few different ways that firearms instructors can become certified to teach Florida concealed carry classes. When deciding on an instructor for your class, make sure they are certified by one of the following organizations:

Law Enforcement and Military Experience

Finding an instructor with prior law enforcement or military experience may be a good thing to look out for, but I wouldn’t necessarily consider this to be the Holy Grail.

I say this because some LE/military instructors are so focused on being Joe Tactical (“tacticool”) that they simply aren’t the best choice for an introductory concealed carry class.

You can often spot these instructors from a mile away because one of the first things they want you to know is that they are a SWAT “Operator” or a “sniper.” While there is nothing inherently wrong with being a member of the local SWAT team, if it’s their primary talking (i.e. bragging) point I suggest you look elsewhere. You want an instructor who is friendly and relatable, not one with an inflated sense of self-importance.

Investigate the Class

If I haven’t made it obvious yet, not all firearms training classes are created equal. By taking a look into the class’s particular characteristics you should be able to get a pretty good idea of whether the instructor is merely rubber-stamping certificates, or if they will teach you how to safely and effectively use a firearm to defend yourself.

Here’s a few key things to pay attention to:

• Class location
• Class length
• Class size
• Class tuition
• Class Location

Pistol Range

Class Length

I don’t have a hard and fast rule of thumb for this one, so use your judgment. If you’re signing up for a class that’s 2 hours long, you’re probably not going to learn a whole lot, and I’d even be skeptical how much shooting time (if any) you’ll get.

Class Size

You may be asking yourself how in the world you’re supposed to know how many students are going to be in the class.

Checking out the instructor’s previous class photos is a good place to start. You’ll likely find these on their social media pages (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) or on their website.

I try to keep classes between 5 and 8 students. I’ve found this to be just the right size to have student involvement in discussions while also being able to provide personalized instruction on the range.

Class Tuition

This goes hand-in-hand with the class size.

I’m not saying the most expensive class is guaranteed to be the best class, but choosing a class just because it’s the cheapest is a recipe for disaster.

Don’t waste your money.

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In-Gauge of Polk County – Our Guarantee

All of our instructors are certified by the National Rifle Association.

Additionally, our basic handgun training / concealed carry classes run all day, and you will shoot at least an entire box of ammo (50 rounds) at real targets.

We cap our classes at 3 students per instructor on the range for the live-fire training. This ensures that we are able to devote our attention to you, and provide you with personalized instruction.

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