The firearms trainers I’ve spent the most time and money with have a statistic as an advertising slogan:
Less than 5% of gun owners seek out and attend professional defensive firearms training.
5%. Just one out of every twenty people who fill out a 4473 eventually end up taking instruction on how to use their shiny new purchase.
What motivates the other nineteen? I have no idea! I’ve made a long list of embarrassing gun purchasing mistakes over my shooting lifetime, but the only one I truly regret is not taking a class or two before I started buying guns. Had I known what I did not know (and what did not know I did not know!) I could have saved thousands of dollars in poorly suited guns and equipment and wasted ammunition, not to mention hours of frustration at the range.
Why do so many people willingly choose to do it the hard way? Are they afraid of being shown up in front of strangers?[1] Are they unable to admit their skills have room for improvement?[2] Do they just not care?
I suppose for a sufficiently low level of competence, you can get by with absolutely no training at all. If you are content to be able to send lead downrange without putting a bullet through your foot, then you don’t need to go to a class.
But why stop there?
The only reason to attend professional training is to become a better shooter. If this is not important to you, then training shouldn’t be a priority. But if you are not content with mere mediocrity and have a certain level of humility and self introspection, then you belong at class!
It’ll be the most valuable shooting accessory you’ll ever pay for. But don’t take it from me, ask this guy!
[1] Buddy, they’re afraid of that too!
[2] I hope to #DEITY I never stop learning!
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I think that cost and time are not insignificant factors as well. I’ve taken one very, very basic class and I want to take more. In fact, there is one in November and one in December that I want to take. The total cost of both, travel and lodging included, is going to come to around $3K. I don’t have the cash. I think a lot of people are in the same boat.
The total cost of both, travel and lodging included, is going to come to around $3K.
Holy crap! I know I couldn’t afford classes at $1.5k a pop. But if you look around, you can usually find local qualified instructors who are willing to teach smaller classes for less money. If you don’t go for the whole Shooter’s Disneyland experience (Blackwater, Gunsite, Thunder Ranch, etc), you can get a weekend of (say) pistol work in for under $500.
Don’t overlook the NRA pistol and defense in the home classes. They offer a lot of great material for not a lot of money.
Also, Larry Vickers has set up a certification program where you can get the LAV-lite experience in your own back yard.
It’s probably also worth pointing out that “5% of gun owners” is something of a … well, a statistic.
Would you expect the guy who buys a .30-30 to use two weeks a year during deer season to go to a training class? Or the duck or upland hunter who has a pair of twelve-gauges?
pdb, I’m one of those 95%. I’ve not taken a class since I left the military, not counting the CCW class.
The only excuse I have is that I’ve been teaching the Mrs. what little I know. She’s only been shooting for a couple of years but has actually attended some one-on-one training with a local instructor.
But we’ve been discussing the issue and we’re going to be budgeting both time and money in the new year to attend some defensive handgun and carbine classes.
As far as I can tell the biggest expense generally isn’t the class itself, it’s the 500 rounds of ammo and the travel and lodging costs. While a weekend class may only run $500 or so, once you add on 500 to 1000 rounds of ammo plus a hotel room and travel costs you can hit that 1.5 kilobucks pretty quickly.
We’re in the Raleigh area and there are a few places to get training locally including a really great place down in Bunnlevel but for anything like Frontsite we’ve figured it’s just out of our budget with the current state of the economy.
So while I’m currently in the 95% I hope to make the jump to that other 5% shortly even if it’s just some local classes.
I’ve looked, believe me. Alabama is pretty thin in the training department. I’ve taken an NRA class with one guy who I liked, but he only puts on a few classes every year. Prices are good, schedule is not. The other option is Shootrite. It’s far enough away that I’d have to get a hotel for at least one night, plus the fee for the class, fuel, ammo, food…it adds up quick.
Are you close to these guys? http://adpa.biz/
Would you expect the guy who buys a .30-30 to use two weeks a year during deer season to go to a training class? Or the duck or upland hunter who has a pair of twelve-gauges?
If they only shoot a couple times a year, that’s quite a few seasons of doing it wrong… How valuable is their vacation time?
The .30-30 usin’ deer hunter is right in Project Appleseed’s wheelhouse.
The .30-30 usin’ deer hunter is right in Project Appleseed’s wheelhouse.
Bingo. $75, some ammo and one weekend.
The NRA’s basic rifle class is also a great place to start. I kind of wish they’d rename it the “NRA Super Elite Sniper School” so more people could get over paying for a basic class.
I’m with Knitebane, very few places to shoot around here unless you’re willing to drive an hour. And why spend money on a training class if you can’t make the time to practice before or afterwards?
The best thing anybody can do is learn the four basic safety rules and I didn’t need a $500 class for that!
I’m used to long guns, having grown up in the country and learning safety from my hunter-father and from frequent hunting excursion, but was clueless as to hand-guns.
First. I read everything I could, about the kinds of pistols I thought would be helpful and useful for what I wanted. I then went to the local in-door range shop, looked and handled those I was interested in, talked with the help and then did the same over at Bass ProShop.
Then, I bought a semi-auto I felt comfortable with and proceeded to read and watch everything on the computer that I could find because I now had something I could relate to, handle—which I did comfortably and dry-fire hundreds of times! It was a couple of weeks after, before I even bought ammo and headed back to the range to shoot, based upon what I learned from those many sources. Several thousand rounds later, I feel as if I am competent to use these tools safely, in self-defense and for other purposes(fun of target shooting,etc.). The CCW class I took only re-inforced what I already knew from intensive study on-line. Maybe its just me and my style of learning.
Can I use them confidently in SHTF time? Don’t know, hope I never find out, but I am safe, confident and comfortable around most all firearms now, knowing the basics. I won’t let anyone handle or shoot my pistols, without them reviewing the rules and some other basic stuff over at “Cornered Cat” website, at the least.
Several thousand rounds later, I feel as if I am competent to use these tools safely, in self-defense and for other purposes(fun of target shooting,etc.).
I felt much the same way.
Then I went to class and discovered things that I didn’t even know that I didn’t know.
I hope you never have to test your skills in a life threatening event. I know I having to shoot to save your life is a very rare event, but it’s a damn certainty that if I do, I won’t be saying afterwards “Gosh, that training I took was sure a waste of time!”
Best of luck to you.
Musashi was a smart dude – said some junk about how you cannot know what you don’t know. The only way to find out what you don’t know is to have someone that does know tell you.
Yet another unhelpful schism in the Gunnie ranks. You’d think that a group of folks that are so obviously intelligent on so many things could avoid another wild ride on the DramaLlama. As a great dirtbag once said, “Can’t we all just get along?”
I had thought this rot had started over an innocent confusion between quality training classes and the dangerous yokels we all know too well. But it has taken on the whiff of the typical high school cool kids sitting on the back of the bus smoking and throwing contrarian feces at the kids who take school seriously. This condition is also common in (capital L) Libertarians – really great at espousing MYOB; really bad at practicing it.
No closer than I am to anyone else. I’ve checked out their website but can’t find any course descriptions or references. I guess I could email and ask.
Thanks, pdb. Point well-made. Have a couple of youngsters and plan taking a class or two with them. You ever visit “Cornered Cat”? Nifty little site to get started with.
Best regards
I believe Massad Ayoob said that “a gun is not a talisman” but I think many people cling to the belief that it is. I have a gun therefore its inherent magical powers will smite anyone who dare harm me or mine. If I have this sort of Magic Killing Power tucked away in my nightstand, why would I need training?
I would also submit that those like Knitebane might be exempted from a basic level of training since they got it in the military. I realize that those are perishable skills and need to be practiced, but nonetheless they are probably a leg up on the 2x / year .30-30 guy.
I’m going to make a point of taking at least one class next year, pdb.
I’ve started a dozen responses to this, most along the lines of “Oh yeah?!?!?!”
And then it dawned on me.
This is an opportunity. A chance to put my money where my mouth is.
I’ve never taken a class. It’s been on my mind as something I really need to do for a long time, but I haven’t had the time or motivation yet.
Thanks for giving me the kick in the pants I need!
Since y’all mentioned it; FIRE Institute (www.fireinstitute.org) brings Gunsite instructors and Modern Technique doctrine to Western PA. It might be convenient for some of your readers.
Well, you’ve convinced me. I was going to get a gun as a Christmas present to myself, but I will take some classes first.
Well, clearly it’s because the government has failed to mandate training in the name of safety! There needs to be a law!
You know, just like learning to drive a car, or ride a snowmachine, or sail, or fish in a crowded river, or find an apartment on your own for the first time, or learning to fly a plane in Alaska…
I jest. Mostly. You’ve just repeated one of the oldest gripes of trainers I know, no matter what the field. I’ll tell you that it’s not the 95% justifying not going, it’s that they have not found reason, motivation, and priority to go. Seriously, for everyone who learned from their family or friends, and is happy enough with their performance as they improve with self-study (speeding tickets, digging the snowgo out of overflow, and tracking a wounded quarry for miles being a motivator to improve), coming up with serious cash and time for dedicated training requires a level of commitment, priorities, and motivation they’re not going to reach on their own.
There’s also that “unknown amount of improvement” quantity – you note how many people in training are repeat customers? Once you’ve had training and seen how much more you can improve, there’s a motivation to get training. For people who have not had that, they lack that metric entirely. Part of training is to teach a client how many unknowns they hadn’t considered, and areas for improvement there are.
When it comes to cars, I still have yet to find the motivation and money to take a defensive driving class. For aircraft, I seek training before any major new task, but otherwise, I compete against myself with each flight to improve. For guns – before I carry in an urban situation, I’ll seek training on the legalities, and advice on carrying from friends. Beyond that, I see no need to, and have no want to, drop serious change and time on running around shooting things and getting yelled at.
Talk about the details of mistakes you made before the class in your purchasing and what you should have bought if you had taken the classes first. I’d love to hear that.
I’m a self taught golfer with a 12 handicap. I’m a self taught fisherman, who catches fish. I’m a self taught hunter, who brings in game. I’m a self taught businessman, who makes money through good times and bad. I’m a self taught driver, who hasn’t had a wreck. I’m a self taught shooter, who spends his money on bullets and range time instead of “professional” instruction that has concepts that change with the newest, coolest, tactical theories and theory presenters on the scene. Spare me. Please. This concept is why I don’t post on gunboards; the posters and the “professionals” get butt-hurt at the slightest rogue commentor.
Read. Theorize. Practice. Revise. Practice. Buy more bullets. The only thing missing from that formula is profit.
oio,
You could do it that way. Or you could do it the easy way.
Good luck to you in your future endeavors.
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