ONE DAY INTRODUCTION TO HAND GUN TRAINING - April 6 and May 4.

[PeteG]

The FIRE Institute will be running one day courses designed as an introduction to formal firearms training for people who have no prior formal instruction. The course will expose gun owners to formal firearms instruction and how it works, clarify their personal objectives, delineate what is possible and what is fantasy, and teach the basics of marksmanship and gun handling. This is an actual training course, using the same curriculum employed at nationally known schools. It is not a “seminar,” it is training, although limited in duration. Topics to be covered include:

Safety: Students will be exposed to four simple, universally accepted rules of gun safety which, if followed scrupulously, will prevent tragedies and embarrassments resulting from unintended discharges.

Gun Handling and Marksmanship: Safe loading and unloading, correct stance and grip, sight picture and basic marksmanship will be covered. We discuss and explain proper sight alignment, sight picture, trigger manipulation, and what are referred to as “follow through” and “reset,” and practice them.

Shooting Drills: Courses of fire have been developed to permit a novice to gain experience with the concepts introduced in the program, and to experience a formal training environment (range commands, line etiquette, safety procedures, etc.). It is hard enough to be challenging, but not so difficult as to be discouraging. (We have all been beginners.)

Equipment: The instructors will explain the advantages and disadvantages of semi-automatics vs. revolvers as defensive tools, and how to select a firearm, holster and ammunition that is appropriate to your individual needs and personal intentions. Participants will have the opportunity to examine and try out several different types of hand guns, to assist them in selecting a personal firearm when that time comes.

Course format: Lecture (approximately 3 hrs.), and live-fire exercises on the range (approximately 5 hrs.).

Instructor(s): The instructors and staff are volunteers who have collectively accrued several thousand hours of formal training from experienced, professional firearms instructors. In addition to his personal firearms training, the Rangemaster (Lead Instructor) has attended several professional firearms instructor schools, and worked hundreds of hours under some of the most experienced instructors in the U.S. A list of his NRA certifications, state licenses, professional affiliations, etc. are available upon request.

Class size: We anticipate about a dozen course participants. In order to ensure adequate time to answer question and provide individual attention to each participant, we will cut off enrollment at eighteen. Please do not report yourself as an attendee and then fail to appear, as you may be precluding someone else who wants the training from attending.

Prerequisites: You must be at least 18 years old, and proof no criminal history is required.

Credentials: Holding a current Pennsylvania License to Carry Concealed or in a Motor Vehicle, or a license to practice a regulated profession which requires one not have any criminal history (such as a license to practice law or medicine, or a nursing license) will suffice. If those are not available, you can get a certificate of no criminal history from your local police department or Sheriff (the cost is under $20). The Rangemaster is the final arbiter of whether the credentialing prerequisite has been satisfied.

The two sessions of this course will be held at the Greater Pittsburgh Gun Club. 920 King Road, Bulgar, PA

The cost is $100. This covers the tuition, the range fees, targets and range supplies. Students must provide thier own fireams, ammunition, and range gear.

Note: The FIRE Institue is a non-profit, tax exempt educational organization, and does not seek to profit from its courses. There are gun clubs and stores in the Pittsburgh area which charge $100 or $125 for courses like this which are only four hours long, and are run by individuals with no substantial expereience as trainers. Better to get started on the right foot.

Equipment Requirements:

The following equipment is REQUIRED, or you cannot participate in this course:

• Ear protection and eye protection. Shooting headphones or inexpensive foamy ear plugs work.
• 50 rounds of ammunition.
• One extra magazine, or a “speed Loader” or “speed strip” if you have a revolver. If you do not know what these are, google them. They are not expensive.
• Pants that are held up with a STURDY BELT which is, capable of holding a holster up and in place. People have shown up to this course with sweat pants, yoga pants and the like, which do not have a belt. This will not work. If in doubt, opt for jeans or cargo pants and a leather belt at least one inch wide.
• Holster. This should be a substantial holster which attaches firmly to a BELT, and holds the pistol or revolver in place. The holster must be designed to cover the trigger and trigger guard of the firearm while it is in the holster. The holster must permit you to get a firm grip on the weapon with your strong-side (dominant) hand without removing the weapon from the holster. It must also be rigid enough to stay open when the weapon is drawn, so the weapon can be re-holstered with one hand only. Holsters with flaps that cover the weapon or straps which retain the weapon are not appropriate unless the flap or strap can be removed. Hand guns may not be carried anywhere except in a proper holster, exposed on the waist.
• Fluids to drink. Soft drinks or water. In June it could be hot, and dehydration impairs one’s ability to think and pay attention. Drinking fluids is therefore mandatory. No alcoholic beverages will be permitted on the range. No alcoholic beverages are permitted on the premises.
• Pencil and paper.

The FIRE Institute will cover range fees, targets, range supplies and handouts. Students to provide their own firearm, ammunition, personal gear, and a lunch.

Any caliber is permitted. Normally, we require weapons must be .38 caliber/9 mm., or larger. This is because hand guns in .22, .25, .32, .380, 7.62 x 19 and similar light calibers are generally ineffective to stop an attack any time soon. However, rather than having people spend money on new firearms at this early stage, we will allow any caliber of semi-automatic pistol or revolver in the court, even though we recommend, if it is possible, that one takes their first course with a full-sized hand gun, where the distance from the rear sight to the front sight is at least 4.5 inches.

If you do not already own a hand gun, we recommend you borrow one for the course, rather than buying one. It is our experience that people make much better equipment choices once they have been educated on the purpose and functions of various types of hand guns. Students will have the opportunity to handle and try out various different hand guns in different calibers at the course location. Loaning a hand gun to anyone over 21 (and who is not legally prohibited from possessing a firearm) is legal in Pa.

Firearms should be serviceable and practical for concealed carry. Single action revolvers (“cowboy” guns), derringers competition (“race”) guns are impractical for this course.

The following equipment is RECOMMENDED. Although you may proceed in the course without these things, experience has shown they will enhance your experience:

• Camera. We know selfies are popular nowadays.
• Lunch and snacks. There are fast food restaurants eight minutes from the range, or bring your own.
• A folding chair or cooler upon which to sit during breaks.

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND AN ENROLLMENT FORM, GO TO www.fireinstitute.org. If you have questions which are not answered on the web stie, call (412) 381-0169.

“Buying a gun and thinking you are armed is like buying a piano and thinking you are a musician”
--- LTC Jeff Cooper (USMC, Ret.)

[PeteG]

Note: The April 6 session of this course is now full. There are still slots in the May 2 session. The course offered on each of these two dates is exactly the same.