Basic firearms familiarity course

Mosin77

Mosin77

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Oct 7, 2019
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Is there such a beast?

The company I work for buys firearms. It’s not a huge part of our business but it’s a thing. And we’re growing pretty fast. Recently the owner has gotten worried about what might happen if a new employee has an accident while evaluating a customer’s gun.

Heretofore all training has been given by myself and a couple of other employees who are very familiar with guns, from decades of personal or military experience. Problem is, I have no real, official “qualifications” myself other than owning way too many guns. I took an NRA basic pistol course once that cost me a couple hundred bucks. That’s it.

Owner wants me to find “real training” for employees, whether that’s all newer employees or maybe just the senior ones who have something to do with guns or gun training.

I look at ranges locally and I see plenty of tactical training, CCW training, carjacking training, basic semi auto handgun and basic AR type rifle training. (And more advanced courses to use these guns in combat.) Nothing that really is marketed to, say, new gun store employees, and promises to familiarize people with everything from a Mossberg 870 to an AK to a revolver to a C96 Broomhandle, which is honestly what we need.

Does anyone have any suggestions for programs I should look into?
 
I think first and foremost the following should be the company mantra with regard to firearms...and should be followed religiously by all who handle a firearm. As far as familiarity with a specific gun..the internet can be utilized on any specific guns operation.

4 Primary Rules of Firearm Safety

1) Always Keep Firearm Pointed in a Safe direction. Never point your gun at anything you do not intend to shoot. ...
2) Treat All Guns as Though They are Loaded. ...
3) Keep Your Finger Off the Trigger until You are Ready to Shoot. ...
4)Always Be Sure of Your Target and What's Beyond It.
 
Agree 100%. The 4 rules are followed religiously and we have a written test for employees covering the 4 rules as well as things like “what’s the first thing you do when handling a semi-auto?” (remove the magazine.) When someone starts we run through a PowerPoint covering the 4 rules, various action types, history of guns (so they understand how and why they work) and get some hands on handling with a couple dozen examples.

But my boss wants to spend money, so what courses or classes are available from a third party? Is there any kind of industry-standard certification?
 
I was an instructor for the Minnesota DNR gun safety class required for all hunters. Usually when kids are first eligible at age 12 but adults can take it. It's a very good course qnd perhaps you can order the books to have your own class. I think the NRA has a program too. 4-H also has a gun training program for marksmanship. Perhaps the DNR in your state has materials.
 
Yes, there are "real" training courses, but it all depends on your location and the budget for this training. Most states have some sort of firearms support group that might be a good place to start. Another approach would be the state DNR as Mr. d2wing suggested above. In this day and age, the big issue is liability. You're probably going to need to find some sort of training that already has liability protection, because if a problem develops, the trainers are going to be exposed legally. You might also want to consider some kind of legal fire-wall for what you've already done. Best of luck and please keep us posted.
 
Your company must carry some kind of liability insurance. Sounds to me like your boss should consult his insurance company and see what their requirements are to extend coverage to any employee who may be involved in a firearms injury while at work. It would also be advisable in my opinion for you to consult your own personal insurance company to make sure you are adequately covered in case something goes wrong. Certification is just a piece of paper if the insurance company won't protect you in a bad situation. Your insurance companies should spell out what training you should have in order to qualify for coverage.
 
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NRA First Steps classes (handgun, rifle, shotgun) are designed for first time firearms owners. The are usually focusing on one type of firearm (semi-auto pistol, pump shotgun, bolt rifle, that sort of thing), and are about an 8-hour course if taught correctly. The 4 Primary Rules are always included. Go to NRA.org and search for training opportunities near you.
 
Consider another direction.

Identify an experienced NRA/RSO/Hunter Safety instructor and ask them to develop a course built to meet your company's needs.

No way your company needs to commit employees to a general-purpose eight-hour NRA first steps course (or something similar) that doesn't focus on the skills the employees need.
 
Sounds to me like somebody just got promoted to training manager.

Let's say you did an NRA basic pistol course, basic rifle, and basic shotgun course. It would take 3 days, and it wouldn't teach people every action that they could run across, like a broomhandle Mauser.

You're probably going to have to develop your own course. If you want some kind of credential, find an NRA training counselor in your area and get certified as a pistol instructor.

You're still not going to be able to cover absolutely everything that could come in the door. You may still need to have one supervisor/subject matter expert that can look at a gun no one else is familiar with. Or people with some common sense- ask the customer, Google it, or figure it out, safely.

I was at a shop that I've dealt with for over 20 years and the owner was trying to open the action on a S&W Perfected Model. Neither one of us had seen one before, but we held it in a safe direction and looked it over. There was a side latch in addition to the top latch.
 
There will be oddball guns, but there are also protocols to deal with them safely. Ian McCollum and any number of gun experts are a few clicks away. The muzzle rule is first and foremost. Next is asking for help from senior sales staff when there is uncertainty. I suspect that Bass Pro/Cabela's, Scheels or Academy has a program, video or other training aid that may be available at a reasonable cost.
 
Dunno if it fits the bill but I was looking at Mas Ayoobs' Mag40 class and Sig Sauer has regular training sessions and a whole myriad of available courses from beginner and basic firearms handling for revolvers, pistols, shotguns, carbines and long range precision rifle in all tiers of experience.

That doesn't sound exactly what you are looking for but the last time I was on their page and looked up courses, there were TONS. They are based in Exeter, NH but they offer their courses in all corners of the country I believe.

I have heard excellent things about their courses and I think they do have basic introduction classes, but I think it's more central to skill building as opposed to basic firearm safety, although they will cover all of that in detail for any beginner...

Check em out:
Courses | SIG SAUER Academy
https://sigsaueracademy.com/courses
 
Mosin77 said - "The company I work for buys firearms. It’s not a huge part of our business but it’s a thing. And we’re growing pretty fast. Recently the owner has gotten worried about what might happen if a new employee has an accident while evaluating a customer’s gun."

What type of business is it? It sounds like a mom and pop type pawn shop or hardware store.

The OPs question deals with people being familiar with a wide range of firearm "makes", not shooting proficiency. FIRST thing to determine, is the unknown firearm unloaded and safe to handle. Most guns of a Type (revolver, pistol, bolt action, pump, lever, break action) work similarly. Get the "Gun Digest book of Firearms Assembly and Dissassembly". Make everyone familiar with it, keep it in a safe place under the counter. It will first tell user how to UNLOAD OR MAKE SAFE a firearm to someone who is unfamiliar.

"... while evaluating a customer’s gun." I'm sure you have source material for evaluating a firearm value, so having the "Gun Digest book of Firearms Assembly and Dissassembly" should be no problem.

Train folks to ask for help (hardest part of training). Get store insurance that covers all employees handling firearms.

edited 6/13/23 4:29L
 
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The problem in the gun training industry is that there aren't many "official" anything. The NRA offers some certifications but for the most part anyone can teach anything with no one to challenge it except by word of mouth and reputation.
 
The AF taught us fist and foremost to point the muzzle in a safe direction and clear the action - an affirmatively identified empty chamber & magazine is the number one safeguard against accidental discharge. Rule number two is simply to never point a gin at anything you don't intend to shoot. All of the other rules of the 10 major are important, but these first....
 
There is a YouTube video for everything. There is literally a (several actually) a video on how to entubate a patient.



A reputable basic firearms safety course is never a waste of time. Put your employees through a basic NRA safety course and if you actually do run into a Broomhandle go find a relevant YouTube video.



I found this in less than a minute
 
Mosin77 said:
Agree 100%. The 4 rules are followed religiously and we have a written test for employees covering the 4 rules as well as things like “what’s the first thing you do when handling a semi-auto?” (remove the magazine.) When someone starts we run through a PowerPoint covering the 4 rules, various action types, history of guns (so they understand how and why they work) and get some hands on handling with a couple dozen examples.

But my boss wants to spend money, so what courses or classes are available from a third party? Is there any kind of industry-standard certification?
Click to expand...

I’d suggest writing up your own certification for your company based on the 4 rules first and the basics after. A canned program may not be better than training provided by someone with
  1. Familiarity with firearms built over decades
  2. Familiarity with your specific corporate culture and business needs
It’s quite a challenge, but since most gun owners I know muzzle sweep like drunk sailors if they think something is unloaded, beginners might be safer anyhow.
 
The 4 rules are definitely foremost and omnipresent. But, it sounds to me what you are looking for is firearms 101- types, safety, and handling. I.E. Explaining the differences between bolt action, lever action, semi-auto, pump, revolver, DA/SA, striker fired vs hammer, external safety, grip safety, no safety, etc, etc. Am I correct?
If so, I'm not aware of any such accredited course. But a certified instructor should be able to come up with one.
 
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