Becoming a gun instructor?

[losangeles]

I created a post a month ago asking for ideas for a gun-related business and another for a gun-related job, and got a lot of good replies.

I'm seriously considering a business providing gun instruction. My question now is: Is it difficult, or easy, becoming a gun instructor? Can I just get training and certify as a Certified NRA gun instructor and put out my shingle to do business? Is it something you can make a living with?

I don't have LE background or any special military background as a weapons expert, but I've been shooting for awhile. And I've had a little experience teaching other subjects before (not a professional educator, but I'm comfortable being in front of people for seminars), and I'm experienced running a business and good at promotions and marketing a business. I'm not looking to teach military or SWAT teams anyway, but ordinary people (I've thought about specialty instruction for women and children).

What do you think?

 

[jer1949]

I'm in the process of getting an NRA Instructors certification right now. It is a modulized program that walks you through the various steps and disciplines. I would recommend contacting the local NRA and talking to a instructor trainer. You can go to their web site and tract one down. www.nra.org

It's NOT cheap nor is it easy. I've spent $400.00 dollars so far and have yet to have a card in my wallet. They DO NOT have to certify you should they feel that you are not up to the task. Be prepared to put all your effort into it and really have a dedication to the sport.

There is also ERRORS and OMISSIONS, PHYSICAL DAMAGE and PERSONAL LIABILITY insurance to consider.

Have fun and let me know what you decide.

Jerry

 

[losangeles]

I'm in the process of getting an NRA Instructors certification right now. It is a modulized program that walks you through the various steps and disciplines. I would recommend contacting the local NRA and talking to a instructor trainer. You can go to their web site and tract one down. www.nra.org

It's NOT cheap nor is it easy. I've spent $400.00 dollars so far and have yet to have a card in my wallet. They DO NOT have to certify you should they feel that you are not up to the task. Be prepared to put all your effort into it and really have a dedication to the sport.

There is also ERRORS and OMISSIONS, PHYSICAL DAMAGE and PERSONAL LIABILITY insurance to consider.

Have fun and let me know what you decide.

Jerry

Thanks for that input. Yeah, I'm looking at that NRA certification, too. Here's the direct link to "Becoming an NRA Certified Instructor":
http://www.nrahq.org/education/training/instructor.asp

The NRA certification would be to get some credibility, and I'm thinking you can offer your own non-NRA type of gun courses, too. Something like Gun Safety for Homemakers, for example. And Introductory Guns for Kids. And you can do consulting and one-on-one instruction. I've seen guys do mobile consulting. And being an Internet guy, down the road I'd probably do some type of Internet instruction business but am not sure of the business model yet on that. Maybe get certified as a Utah instructor and offer an Internet course on getting a Utah CCW, for example.

 

[losangeles]

One market niche is to target instruction for people who one ordinarily doesn't think about guns --- women, children, senior citizens. Promotions and marketing would be directed to them.

That market niche is potentially larger than law enforcement and gun hobbyists. Besides, that would be a good thing -- spreading gun knowledge to the masses.

 

[Andrew Rothman]

The NRA certification would be just to get some credibility, but I'm thinking you can offer your own non-NRA type of gun courses, too.

Sorry, but that's a pretty poor attitude. The NRA instructor courses have real, substantial value of their own, and you would be ill served to go in with any other attitude.

Knowing how to use a gun and TEACHING how to use a gun are completely different things.

And yes, it does provide credibility -- the credibility of actually being certified by the largest firearms training organization in the world.

Something like Gun Safety for Homemakers, for example. And Introductory Guns for Kids. And you can do consulting and one-on-one instruction. I've seen guys do mobile consulting. And being an Internet guy, down the road I'd probably do some type of Internet instruction business but am not sure of the business model yet on that. Maybe get certified as a Utah instructor and offer an Internet course on getting a Utah CCW, for example.

that would be impossible, since Utah law requires...

53-5-704 (7)(c). Any instruction taken by a student under Subsection (8)(b) shall be in person and not through electronic means.

Oh, and you'll need the NRA certification to teach Utah permit courses, since...

R722-300-14 (B). Application to become a concealed firearm permit instructor shall be made in writing to the Division on forms provided by the Division. The application shall include:

...

2. evidence that the applicant has completed a firearms instructor training program sponsored by the National Rifle Association, or Peace Officer Standards and Training, or a program equivalent thereto;

Then, with the right attitude and hard work, you may end up with a training business sufficient to support your ammo habits.

Andrew
NRA, Minnesota and Utah Certified Instructor

 

[Andrew Rothman]

I'm in the process of getting an NRA Instructors certification right now....

It's NOT cheap nor is it easy...

But costs vary widely, as Training Counselors charge whatever they choose.

I became certified as a Range Safety Oficer, as an instructor for Pistol First Steps, Basic Pistol, Personal Protection in the Home, and Home Firearm Safety -- well over 30 hours of instruction -- for a grand total of $140 to the instructor, and about $45 to the NRA for fees.

Shop around. Some NRA Training Counselors are more interested in sustaining and growing the NRA mission than they are in making money, and teach almost for free.

 

[B36]

A lot of good answers,a nd some not so good.

I just had a class of five people who were supposed to be qualified. Pistol Instructor was the course. Still have to the range stuff.

Perhaps two will be certified. Problems, Basic lack of firearms knowledge. No basic skills.

The instructor course is just that, teaches you to instruct. It is not a shooting course. It is not meant to teach basic skills. That is what the basic courses are for.

You already need to know how to make many, many guns safe. How to load and unload, clean, field strip, etc. You need to be able to shoot a 6" group at 50 feet with a 22 handgun. Not hard at all, but many cannot do it.

As far as hanging out a shingle, be very careful to read NRA copywrite rules concerning use of the name, logos, etc in any advertising you do.

One other thing--guns--I am teaching a Home Firearms Safety Instructor course in a couple of weeks. In this course, the Candidates will have to demonstrate their ability to load and unload at least 10 different guns. If they do not know how, they cannot answer their students questions, or demonstrate for their students.

The NRA cirriculum is set in stone. If you try to add to it or change it, you lose the protection of the NRA.

Just the opinions of an old NRA Instructor, Training Counselor, LEO INstructor, etc.

 

[losangeles]

Thanks for all the tips B36! That'll help me to make sure I have the pre-requisites before just going into a course (6" groups - I can do that easily, knowing 10 guns load/unload - I'm not sure yet on that, etc.). The guys locally offering the instructor courses aren't as specific about pre-requisites and just encourage people (with reasonable experience) to come in to fill their class.

The NRA cirriculum is set in stone. If you try to add to it or change it, you lose the protection of the NRA.

Teaching the NRA curriculum would be my intention (thanks for the tip too, Andrew Rothman, as you had alluded to this, too; I wasn't meaning to skip over NRA courses). But I was thinking of exploring the idea of getting something customized for a niche (speaking in general here at this point). Unless offering additional courses somehow might jeopardize the NRA certification. I have noticed a couple trainers in the area offer some non-NRA gun courses and they tell me they do that for market reasons.

 

[losangeles]

Quote: Maybe get certified as a Utah instructor and offer an Internet course on getting a Utah CCW, for example.

that would be impossible, since Utah law requires...

Andrew
NRA, Minnesota and Utah Certified Instructor

I appreciate your comments since you are Utah Certified Instructor and that idea above is something that occurred to me.

I don't want to rat on anybody, but are you familiar with this online course for a Utah CCW?
http://www.getaccw.com/

 

[Trebor]

I wouldn't reccomend that you start a training business without some sort of instructor certification. The NRA certification is the obvious first choice. The instructor training is good, in my experience, and the NRA certification is widely known and respected.

There are also other certifications from other organizations you could pursue. SigArms offers an instructor training program, as does S&W. Those programs are both geared towards law enforcement instruction. I do know some civilian instructors who have gone through the Sig Arms course though and who teach Sig Arms certified courses.

As far as profitability, don't quit your day job. Figure out a way to differenate yourself from the other instructors. What is it that makes your instruction special? In many areas, the standard NRA courses are pretty much at a commodity level, since there are more instructors than the market will support. That may not be true in your region.

The idea of marketing towards new shooters and non-traditional shooters is a good idea, but it does have some limitations: You won't get a lot of repeat students and your pricing will have to be very competitive as this market is very price conscious.

You can partially make up for the lack of repeat business by running an aggressive referal campaign. Tell the potential students that they will receive a discount for every other person they refer who also attends the same class AND tell them the student they refer will also receive a discount for being refered by an enrolled student. (You want the first student to commit to enroll to avoid a situation where they keep putting it off until they talk other people until it). Then, after the class, tell the students that they can continue to receiver referal bonuses for refering new students. Hand out business cards with "$10 off on tuition - Courtuesy of (former students name)" on the back. Give your old student $10 for refering the new student and give the new student $10 off on his tuition when he presents the card.

The NRA courses are geared towards new and intermediate level shooters, so the NRA certification works well in this market. You can offer Basic Pistol, Personal Protection in the Home, and Home Firearms Safety. You could also pursue rifle and instructor certs. I don't have any experience with those certs, so I can't say much about them.

Unfortunately, the real market for training seems to be with the more advanced students. They are willing to travel further and spend more money for more advanced training. Here you really need to have something to offer more than just the standard NRA instructor certs. You can build towards this market though by continuing to train yourself. You'll always be competing with instructors with real world military and LEO experience in this area though. That adds an element of credibility to their instruction that is very attractive to some students.

Btw, one of the hardest things for new instructors is finding a place to teach classes. Many, if not most, indoor ranges already have instructors and aren't interested in using new or outside instructors. Usually the store owner, one of the employees, or a buddy of the owner does the classes. For outdoor clubs, club rules may prohibit instructors from using the range to teach classes or they may already have a club instructor or two. You'll also need a classroom location, but those are much easier to find than a place to shoot.

 

[B36]

I appreciate your comments since you are Utah Certified Instructor and that idea above is something that occurred to me.

I don't want to rat on anybody, but are you familiar with this online course for a Utah CCW?
http://www.getaccw.com/

Yes, but suggest you get a copy of the letter from Utah DPS concerning 'General Familiarity' in subsection (8) of the Utah Code Ann. 53-5-704(6).

The instructor cannot waive this requirement. The Utah BCI can if proper documents are provided.

PS, forgot to say the letter went to all current Utah CFIs. It was dated 12/21/05.

 

[ShackleMeNot]

Being an instructor sounds fun but teaching people how to shoot and more importantly how to be safe can be difficult and dangerous. You have to really want to do it or you will just be wasting your and your students' time and money.

Teaching can be very rewarding but not normally very lucrative. Very few instructors do it as their fulltime day job. John Farnam has a quote that goes something like, "One of the shortest books ever written is Firearms Instructors I've Met While Yachting."

 

[palerider1]

i called the NRA about becoming an instructor too. they said alot of the people (instructors) just charge whatever it is to cover costs. i love to teach people how to shoot and shoot saftley.

 

[losangeles]

It's been mentioned in this thread a couple times that training is not lucrative. Maybe this is 100% accurate but I'd like to explore this a bit further if I may.

I come from a background of Internet business and have found some lucrative niches in the strangest places. I helped an associate create an online traffic school in Cali. If you get a traffic violation, you go to traffic instruction to erase it from your record. So, an online traffic course was created that allows people to take an online course for $15. It's wildly successful and expansion is planned in other states.

I've created an online website that educates people on car auctions and how they can "buy cars for $200". I charge $40 per year for this information. That has been lucrative. My success there was unexpected, and it took me less than a week to implement it, and the returns have been outstanding. I've done similar websites with a college scholarship information site, credit repair instruction and some others.

I noticed that Calif. Dept of Fish and Game (the government) has offered online hunter education course; I personally took it and was disappointed by how it operates. Surely, a private alternative at online hunter education, with possible endorsement by that government agency might work.

That's why the online Utah CCW course was attractive to me. Somebody is doing it now (see http://www.getaccw.com/). But like someone pointed out earlier, maybe this is impossible. And if so, that's cool, at least I'm checking it out.

Maybe there's something else with online instruction that might work. Just brainstorming.

Nevertheless, I think I'll proceed with the NRA certified instruction courses.

 

[jer1949]

double post

 

[jer1949]

losangeles~

So far you have received some good information and advice in this thread. I can't add much more other than to echo what's already been said. One has stated that you must be careful using the NRA name when advertising your classes. That is taught to you in the very first NRA Instructor's outline. Others have said the the NRA does not teach instructors gun knowledge or skills. This is also true. Dedication is a must........if your heart isn't in it, don't bother.

My goal is to tie this into a gun dealership business after retirement and for that purpose it fits my plans very well. I will not have to rely on it to put food on the table or make a car payment. The instructor that I am working under now is a retired LEO and works at an indoor gun range and it fits his life well too. In fact his wife is part of the business also. Life couldn't couldn't be finer.

I also live in a very small, rural community that lacks a gun shop or any certified or quality intructors so I consider this to a very large "PLUS", since a great number of the local residents are gun people.

Again, good luck and keep us updated.

 

[Andrew Rothman]

I appreciate your comments since you are Utah Certified Instructor and that idea above is something that occurred to me.

I don't want to rat on anybody, but are you familiar with this online course for a Utah CCW?
http://www.getaccw.com/

Nope. He needs to get shut down.

I'm on it.

 

[RavenVT100]

I just finished my first NRA instructor program and am waiting for my paperwork to come. A few words of advice:

1. You are going to need to give more to your students than you take. You are not there to show people how great your knowledge is and impress them with YOUR skills. You are there to develop THEIR skills and give THEM knowledge.

2. Expect to utilize public speaking skills, if you don't have any, get some.

3. NRA's courses are not conductive to being taught by just one instructor. I only have one discipline, but the lesson plans are similar and they generally require that several instructors administer a single course with one chief instructor (usually the one with the most experience) leading it.

Do not expect to be teaching flashy, combat-oriented courses as an NRA instructor. Many of NRA's courses are geared towards newbies or casual shooters who wish to learn basic skills the RIGHT way. NRA's instructors MUST teach the NRA's methods, not their own personal methods (otherwise it wouldn't be an NRA course, would it?). Keep that in mind.

 

[Insectguy]

I'm an NRA certified instructor

in both Shotgun and Rifle.

To be honest, it's been more of a pain than "profitable." I never charge for my courses, except to cover the cost of materials. When I lived in Ohio, I was a youth rifle coach, as well as an NRA coach. I lived near Camp Perry, and had a great youth program going. My NRA credentials were never used, because they wanted a 10-week olympic-style course, rather than an intro course such as the NRA's.

Then I moved to south Georgia. Everyone here already knows everything about guns. Just ask them. :banghead: If it doesn't bleed when you shoot it, why bother?

I've tried and tried to get a shooting program going here, and no interest whatsoever. So, I became a Georgia Hunter Education Instructor. This course is required prior to purchasing a hunting permit. The courses have dwindled since the online version appeared, so again, I'm back to square one.

About the only thing my certifications have done for me is allow me to train Boy Scout Range Safety Officers (as per BSA rules). That happens about every other year or so.

I'm amazed at the total lack of interest in firearms education.

Please don't let me discourage you from getting certified. I wholeheartedly believe in standards and certifications. Just don't get your expectations up very high about people beating a path to your door for instructional courses. Especially in small towns.

 

[losangeles]

Please don't let me discourage you from getting certified. I wholeheartedly believe in standards and certifications. Just don't get your expectations up very high about people beating a path to your door for instructional courses. Especially in small towns.

Thanks for sharing that Insectguy. I'm absolutely in agreement with everybody to maintain the appropriate standards and teaching gun safety properly.

I live in a large urban area and I really do want to explore if this thing can be made profitable. It seems to me there are a lot of prospective niches in a diverse area where I live. I notice retired senior citizens hanging out at a local range shooting their 22s. I wonder if I can make the rounds at senior centers (there are a lot of them here), making the pitch to the seniors to try out shooting as a nice post-retirement activity. (Unless the guys inclined to do this are already long-time shooters and other retirees are too set in their ways.) I can maybe organize groups of seniors to the range regularly. Heck, if there's enough interest, it might be possible to specialize only in that.

Or, how about a specialty in ladies-only gun education? There are a lot of concerned women living in fear in urban areas and maybe the NRA Refuse To Be A Victim type of promotions might help out here. Now, I'm male but maybe I can partner up with a female NRA instructor (Of course, I'd have to clear that with the wife first. )

Or there are Spanish-speaking people (there are many here in LA) who might want to learn. I'm not a Spanish-speaker but I can partner up with someone. Or any of the other cultural communities, that even if I'm not a member, maybe I can facilitate something.

Or maybe a class for people in the movie industry. (Maybe not.) There are a lot of prospective niches here.

Alternatively, there's this adult night education/seminar program called Learning Annex (and several similar kind of institutions) where you can teach a 2-hour to 4-hour course on any subject --- most are non-traditional subjects that attendees find informative, entertaining or different than stuff offered in ordinary schools. Maybe I can come up with a special course that presents gun safety but in an entertaining, showy fashion (won't be an NRA course in this case). I can play on the common anti-gun misconceptions here in Southern California and create something informative and entertaining. I know someone who made good money teaching a 3-hour seminar on Getting Rich Through the Internet and other similar topics.

I'd like to brainstorm this from a marketing standpoint. Same subject matter --- guns and gun safety --- but maybe packaged a little differently and marketed aggressively.

 

[Edmond]

How do you go about finding a training counselor? I looked on the NRA website and it seems kind of dated for some reason. I'm in IL and I know there are more than 2 people who are training counselors. I looked under the "instructor training" section.

If anyone can refer me to a TC in IL, I would appreciate it.

 

[Trebor]

How do you go about finding a training counselor? I looked on the NRA website and it seems kind of dated for some reason.

Finding a TC was the most frustrating part of the process for me. As you noticed, the NRA website is out of date. The info they sent me in the mail was different, but not any more accurate. I finally found a TC by accident when someone posted on a local forum that they were attending an upcoming instructor class. The TC's that trained me weren't listed on the NRA webiste, even though they'd brought this up with the NRA several times and even though they were the most active TC's in the state. On the other hand, several TC's that were listed, were no longer offering classes and, in one case, had let their certification expire.

Ask around in your area. Find the NRA instructors near you and ask who their TC was. Call the NRA Training Division as well. Maybe someone there knows about someone in your area who isn't on the site for some reason.