What should you look for when selecting a firearms instructor? In our case, we have had some select us based on the lunch we serve. I’m sure that is important to some, but there are some definite reasons to select (and not to select) a firearms instructor. My friend Luke McCoy over at USA Carry wrote an article on this that is worth a read. Read his article, and then come back here to finish this one.
Luke brought out some interesting tips on what to look for. It is almost as if he took a look at how we do business. Here is the meat of the article and how Home Front Freedom strives to line up to this standard…
- Safety: We run the safest range and classroom possible. Safety is not only taught, but it is practiced. We carry first aid kits and the facilities that we use are equipped with trauma response equipment.
- Reviews by former students: See our reviews here.
- Shooter Experience: I have been shooting most of my adult life and instructing for the last 20 years. My experienced students come up to me after class and say things like, “I didn’t know xyz before…”
- Teaching Experience: See my info.
- Teaching Style: Every class is new and refreshing. We try to take things that may seem mundane and inject real life application into it. I love it when “the lights go on” and people get a revelation about this stuff.
- Teaching Specialty: Most of my experience is with military/law enforcement. While I have vast experiences with long guns and machine guns, the majority of my expertise is in handguns and combat situations with the use of a handgun for defensive purposes. It goes hand in hand with Concealed Carry.
- General Knowledge: Again, see previous point.
- Comfort with the Instructor: I had a lady come to class who didn’t even want a gun in her house, but came to suffice her husband. By the end of the day, she not ony qualified, but she conquered her greatest enemy, fear. Her husband called me the next day and said that they were shopping for an everyday carry gun for her. In addition to comfort with the instructor, we also have one of the most comfortable classrooms. Great for those 8 hour classes.
- Class size: While big classes are indeed fun, they can become chaotic. We limit our size to 24, but most classes are not more than 10.
- Instructor Location: What a better place to be than at home! We teach our classes in our home in Newport, NC, the Town of Old Fashioned Courtesy.
- Costs: We keep it real. For instance, our Concealed Carry Class, you are getting about $45 in materials, 2 different certifications (NRA Pistol and NC CCH), lunch and range fees included in a $65 package. We keep it real, provide a bargain and a better experience than most of our fellow instructors.
- Avoid Gimmicky Instructors: Our ONLY promotion, that some may consider a gimmick is that if you bring 6 friends with you to your class, we will cover the cost of your class. Instruction comes from someone who is mainly a purist in the field. I teach (and have always taught) to rely on technique rather than technology.
If you have taken one of our classes and would like to add to this, please do so by adding your comments here.