"One Day Hand Gun" - Introductory course.

[PeteG]

This is a one-day course designed for people who have had no formal firearms traning, and want to learn about basic firearms handling and operation. It also serves as an introduction to the firearms trainng process for those who want to "get their feet wet," but are not interested in training to assault beaches or clear crack-houses.

The course description follows.

PeteG

One Day Handgun Clinic
Introduction To Handgun Basics
September 25, 2011

Enrollment Status
8 Slots Available (as of this writing)

Location
Pitcairn-Monroeville Sportsmen's Club

Assemble at the Combination Building at the PMSC club.

This course is designed for people who have no prior formal instruction in the safe handling and use of handguns. It will be held at the Pitcairn-Monroeville Sportsmen's Club, 25 minutes east of Pittsburgh in North Versailles Township.

Topics to be covered include:

Safety: Students will be exposed to four universally accepted rules of gun safety which, if followed meticulously, will prevent unintended discharges and tragic accidents.

Gun Handling and Shooting: Safe loading and unloading, correct stance and grip and basic marksmanship techniques are taught. These include proper sight alignment, sight picture, and trigger manipulation.

Shooting Drills: A course of fire has been developed to permit a novice shooter to gain experience with the concepts introduced in the program. We believe a beginning shooter will find this challenging and educational.

Discussion of Equipment Options: The instructors will explain how to select a handgun, holster and ammunition, so your equipment fits your hand and your individual needs. This will include a review of currently available handguns, holsters and ammunition. Students will have the opportunity to examine and try out several different types of handguns. (Please do not construe this to imply that firearms, holsters and other required gear will be provided by the F.I.R.E. Institute, as such is not the case. Each student must bring his own equipment, listed below.)

Cost $60.00: This includes range fees, targets, range supplies and handouts. Students to provide their own firearm, ammunition, personal gear and lunch. There are no discounts applicable to this course.

Course format: Lecture approximately 2 hours, interspersed amoung five hours of live-fire exercises.

Instructor(s): The Rangemaster for this course will be Peter Georgiades. The instructors and staff are FIRE Institute volunteers who have collectively accrued several thousand hours of formal training from experienced, professional firearms instructors, and who have substantial instructing experience.

Class size: Enrollment will be limited to twelve students.

Prerequisites: No prerequisites other than the minimum age limit of 18 years old. Proof of no criminal history is required. Please read through our Credentialing documentation and download an Enrollment form at www.fireinstitute.org.

Deadlines for Enrollment: Applications must be received at least two weeks prior to the first day of class. Tuition payment becomes non-refundable within fourteen days of the class date. If there are not at least eight students enrolled one week before the class date, the class will be cancelled, you will be notified, and any tuition payments will be promptly refunded.

There is certain equipment which is REQUIRED in every course. One may not proceed in the course without the following:

Ear protection and Eye protection.

Cap or hat with baseball-style bill. This is to prevent ejected brass from another shooter's pistol from falling between your eyewear and your eye, burning you. It is important gear.

Firearm. Your firearm should be of substantial caliber (.38 spl. or 9 mm. minimum). This means no rimfire (.22) or .380 caliber weapons. Please ensure it has been cleaned and lubricated per the manufacturers recommendations. If your handgun is equipped with adjustable sights please ensure it has been zeroed. If you do not own a handgun and wish to get some recommendations, call Tony at (412) 310-7838 or Peter at (412) 381-8035.

A good quality holster and heavy duty belt. You must have a functional holster in order to attend this course. The holster should be of an open top design, worn on the strong side (a.k.a. firing side) hip. No shoulder holsters, cross-draw holsters or pocket holsters are allowed. The holster must be of such a type that re-holstering can be accomplished with one hand. Note: Many holsters of soft nylon construction will collapse after the weapon is withdrawn, thereby requiring two hands to re-holster (one to hold the gun and the other to expand the top of the holster). This causes people to point their weapon at their own hand upon re-holstering, which is unacceptable.

The belt must be sturdy enough to support the handgun, Ideally, the width of the belt should be the same size as the belt loops of your trousers. This provides for a stable platform whereby the handgun and holster will remain rigid and "fixed" in place. Couples attending this course together may not share a handgun. Please call Peter at (412) 381-8035 if you have any questions or are in need of guidance.

Three spare magazines or speed-loaders. We prefer you have three, in case one malfunctions during the course.

A belt mounted magazine pouch worn on the support side (the side of your non-dominant hand) or in the case of a revolver, a dual speedloader pouch worn on the strong side. BDU pockets do not work well.

150 rounds of ammunition. We suggest students avoid the very cheapest ammunition and reloads. While "match grade" ammunition would be a waste of money, your investment in this course does justify the use of reasonably consistent ammunition. No incendiary, tracer, armor piercing, or other exotic ammunition is permitted.

Soft drinks or water to drink while down on the range. There is no water on the range itself, and the Club house is too far to run back and forth. Please bring a lunch. No alcohol of any kind is to be consumed within eight hours of the start of any course session or at any time during the course.

Rain gear. The course proceeds rain or shine.

A second handgun is also a good idea, if you own or can borrow one. Firearms do break, and we cannot stop the course to make repairs. Even if we had time, parts may not be available, and many repairs cannot be accomplished in the field. This is not, however, a course requirement.

Wear substantial shoes and "work clothes", denim jeans or fatigues.

Please transport your handgun to the range in UNLOADED condition. When you arrive, leaver your gun in the car; do not load in or around your car. We will all load together.

Please e-mail fireinstitute@greystonelaw.com or call (412) 381-8035 if you have any questions.

[PeteG]

We will be cutting off enrollment in this course on Friday, Sept. 16. If you are intending to enroll, please do so before that date.

We currently have five open slots.

Peter

[PeteG]

This course is sufficiently enrolled, and is a "go."

We have three open slots as of this writing.

PeteG

[PeteG]

The course is this Sunday. We have people walking on, and can take two more. Just show up at PMSC at 8:45 with a completed application, cirminal history credential and your check.

See you there!