Nov. 12th - New NRA Instructor Rating!

Nov. 12^th

Well last weekend I earned another instructor rating with the NRA.

Up until now I’ve been credentialed to teach students Basic Firearm Safety, as well as the NRA pistol course.  Now I can teach you skills you hopefully never need to use:

NRA Personal Protection in the Home.

I was a little dubious about this class.  Self defense encounters are typically unmanageable affairs often at extreme close quarters.  For the National Rifle Association to codify certain “dos” and “don’ts” seemed a bit like writing the rules for how and when a river is going to flood.

Nonetheless, I’ve never been one to claim that too much training is a bad thing.  So this last weekend I spent sixteen hours in a classroom and at a live fire range learning how to deal with the unthinkable.

First off….the class was fantastic.  TJ, my NRA Training Counselor at AllSafe Defense in Orange California did an exceptional job of preparing us on how to teach our courses, as well as some of the underlying dynamics of the subject matter itself.

The NRA breaks down defensive strategies to two areas : Personal Protection in the Home, and a second class of Personal Protection Outside the Home.   This second class is really intended for people that have made the decision to get a concealed carry permit, and the class serves as the mandatory training requirement for most jurisdictions across the country.

Personal Protection in the Home encompasses a broader student base.  Many people live in jurisdictions that prohibit the carrying of concealed weapons.  Thereby making use of a firearm for personal protection outside the home illegal.  All Americans enjoy a recognized fundamental right to use a firearm for home defense though, and by and large the most common firearm used for home defense is a pistol.

Now I should pause and state that the use of a firearm in someone’s home defense strategy plan is an intensely personal decision.  Frankly it is not right for everyone, and most importantly, the willingness to use that firearm must be developed well before the actual need arises. 

Debating the spiritual and emotional consequences of stopping a human threat with lethal force during the encounter is totally unacceptable.  That decision should have been completed before the firearm was ever purchased.  Some people are fundamentally unprepared or refuse to use lethal force to end a threat scenario.  That is not to be read as a negative.  It is what it is, and the self-analysis is to be respected. 

As many of you know I am a hunter.  I believe that we are genetically predisposed to hunting or gathering, much as some warriors and police officers will confide that they believe that people are inclined to be sheep or sheep dogs.  (Well….they can also be wolves as well.)

I would never try and convince a non-hunter…someone predisposed to gathering...that they “need to hunt”.  Much as a gatherer will have little success in convincing me to pack away my rifle and only eat grains.  We are just predisposed to a certain mindset, and must respect that predisposition.

But we must acknowledge it! 

If you are not prepared to use lethal force to protect you or your family, why the hell are you going to use a gun in your self defense plan?

Now, many of you know that I am quite the fan of live fire drills.  And this class afforded me the opportunity to test out my shooting prowess in a unique method…..timed rapid fire drills. 

The theory here is that in a life or death situation it is incumbent on us to put as much lead into our threat until it stops being a threat.  Normal range safety requires us to limit our shots to one per second.  A normal threat fire scenario might require five or six shots in a second, while moving in low light! 

Tactical drills like this on a live fire range is first and foremost a hell of a lot of fun. 

Secondly, it can be an eye opening experience.  For someone who prides himself on accuracy there is a concept called “defensive accuracy” that is difficult to wrap ones brain around.  Defensive accuracy means shooting well enough to put all your rounds on a 9inch plate at about 15 yards.  If your holes are touching each other, (something I normally strive for when shooting) it means you are shooting too slow.  Our live fire portion of the class demanded speed from us, as well as consistent defensive accuracy. 

So, kudos to the NRA, and to TJ at AllSafe for helping me become a Personal Protection in the Home instructor. 

My pedigree continues to expand!