How much training have you had?

[dawg23]

Some of the previous posters don't seem to differentiate between "gun handling" training and "self defense" training.

Shooting a handgun and fighting with a handgun can be two different skills. Anyone who relies on a handgun for self defense should seriously consider taking a "tactical pistol" or "defensive pistol" class (different schools use different names for these courses).

There are a number of handgun self defense excellent training sources available. Some require that you travel to their facility. Others travel around the country. Some offer both options. Here are few examples (there are many other good ones):
* Gunsite
* Tactical Response
* Thunder Ranch
* Rangemaster

 

[Fred Fuller]

lpl/nc = Lee P. Lapin/North Carolina

See why I sign off that way? Six keystrokes vs. 27...

lpl/nc

 

[btg3]

Not enough?

Okay, training is a "good thing".
But if we thump our chests and say "never enough", then what training should be required for RKBA?
Well of course 2A rights should not be hamstrung in such a fashion.
But this thread does beg the question: "Does responsible gun ownership/use involve training, and if so, how do we eliminate irresponsible gun ownership/use?"

 

[fjolnirsson]

Okay, training is a "good thing".
But if we thump our chests and say "never enough", then what training should be required for RKBA?
Well of course 2A rights should not be hamstrung in such a fashion.
But this thread does beg the question: "Does responsible gun ownership/use involve training, and if so, how do we eliminate irresponsible gun ownership/use?"

No "requirement". But yes, responsible ownership does involve training. Irresponsible gun ownership can not be eliminated, save by a total ban, if then. What we can do is mitigate it, by educating the young, as well as the public at large about gun safety and responsible use.

 

[.38 Special]

Do any of you people actually enjoy shooting? I mean, it sounds an awful lot like a job, to see some of these posts...

 

[fjolnirsson]

I looooove shooting.
I don't do it nearly as often as I would like, though.

 

[btg3]

...educating the young, as well as the public at large about gun safety and responsible use.

Seems we can teach school kids to stop-drop-roll, use contraceptives, give first aid, and operate an automobile... but guns?... of course: "never touch one, they're all bad and should be reported to authorities."

Can anyone see a path toward the liberal education machine (and media) re-writing the curriculum for firearms safety and use?

Unfortunately our young people get the wrong message repeated early enough and often enough that it passes for truth and becomes foundational for dealing with this issue as adults, who perpertuate the lie.

 

[jorb]

btg3
yep.

 

[brighamr]

I am 100% completely and soundly trained in everything one needs to know that's firearms related...

/sarcasm

why the sarcasm? Well, I could train 21 hours a day for the rest of my life, and still not know everything lol

 

[Galen]

Lets see,

Formal training:

NRA Basic Pistol Course
NRA Personal Protection Inside the Home Course

Currently taking Train the Trainer and Basic Pistol Instructor.

Informal training:
Daily dry fire practice

NRA Marksmanship Qualification Program:
Hangun - Pro-marksman

I should have Marksman by this weekend.

 

[MedWheeler]

Countless, but always have use for more practice. Initial LEO certification (1987) was 40 hours with revolver, 24 with shotgun. Ongoing refreshers and other drills included numerous live-fire "shoot/don't shoot" drills in mock-up structures, working with the FATS (old computerized system profiled in "Beverly Hills Cop II"), and the more-improved-over-FATS system known as ICAT, which stood for International Combat Arms Training. That setup was cool! Way better than FATS, which stopped as soon as you fired a shot and evaluated the outcome. No, ICAT would keep playing, with any of a number of available outcomes: you hit the guy, but didn't incapacitate him, you hit him and did, you didn't hit him, you hit him, he went down, and his accomplice appeared, you hit him, but he was innocent, goes on and on... I got capped a few times in that thing.. just some crazy and unrealistic situations at times (be honest, fellow cops, do you hold all stranded motorists with dead batteries and hoods raised at gunpoint while they fetch their cables!?)

 

[EOTechRulesAll]

Training should be ongoing and life long. Stop training when you stop breathing. If ever the body becomes too weak or old to train, devote that much more energy to continuing to train the mind.

 

[rbernie]

Training should be ongoing and life long. Stop training when you stop breathing. If ever the body becomes too weak or old to train, devote that much more energy to continuing to train the mind.

Good words, but how've you done so far in living up to 'em?

 

[EOTechRulesAll]

I try to train on a weekly basis for several hours per weekend, with friends. I've also done all the CCW required work, a few ROTC field training weekends in college, and I read up on training manuals and field manuals to pass the time when things are going slow or when I'm a passenger on a road-trip.


I'd do more if I had the land, but I am presently limited by my suburban situation. I do what I can reasonably do. If I had the land and space, I'd regularly try to shoot out to 400-600 yards on a weekly basis. Likewise if I had the money I'd shoot for at least several hours a week.


Most I what I do involves close quarters combat, room-to-room fighting, etc. I want to start getting seriously into hand-to-hand, since most defensive shootings happen at three feet or less, and you may need to use an unarmed combat technique to either outright defeat the attack or at least buy the time/space to effectively draw and use your weapon.


I've spent more time reading than I have actually doing, not sure if that's a bad thing or a good thing. I've crammed a lot of stuff about key tactical moves from historical battles, unusual and unique methods used by various groups over the course of the history of asymmetrical warfare, etc. Note that I've been reading since about age 10, and have spent literally thousands of hours studying war memoirs, manuals, and other such literature.

 

[Harold Mayo]

Quality, too, folks. Quantity makes absolutely no difference (and can be counterproductive) if you aren't training/being trained correctly.

Back when I was still in my home state and they passed a concealed carry law, I can't even remember how many people I heard talk about how they thought that they didn't need the range time mandated because they'd been in the Army and learned how to shoot a pistol there...

 

[AZ_Rebel]

Movies my friends,
Lots and lots of movies.
Oh and video games
Lots and loooooots of video games

And this is training for..?

 

[ZXD9]

No official training classes however I've shot quite a bit of USPSA practical shooting. While not technically 'training' it does serve as a means to get practice at safe gun handling techniques and rapid firing under stress.

Of course weekly shooting at the range happens too.

 

[VHinch]

Let's see...

Grew up with a father who is a LE Firearms Instructor, this proved to be an excellent foundation.

US Military, Army 11B, in hindsight I don't really consider anything we did there quality training, but we did send a lot of rounds down range.

Gunsite X1
Thunder Ranch X3

Plans are for Thunder Ranch once a year, and I am also working on a trip to Tiger McKee's Shootrite Academy for early next year as well.