I'm NRA certified as a Personal Protection, Pistol and Range Safety Officer. I have also had training at several of the nationally known defensive shooting schools. I work with about a dozen NRA instructors ( current and retired LEO, combat vets, prosecutors, correctional officers, a psychologist and a potter ) who volunteer to teach a state approved carry permit class using the NRA Pistol and Personal Protection curriculum . It is a seven session class including a live fire range qualification test and a written test with 100% required on both. I see the NRA courses as excellent basic training in safe gun handling and basic tactics. We often get men and women who either have been victims of crime or are living alone in rural areas and need to know how to defend themselves. Some have never fired a gun before our class. We advise the students to continue their training by regular practice, competition in USPSA, IDPA, or ICORE, as well as taking additional defensive shooting classes. We work for free but many people teach as a little side business. It is an enjoyable thing to do and you feel that you may be making a difference in helping good people defend themselves legally and intelligently.
