So I'm now an NRA-Certified Rifle Instructor...

[Molon Labe]

To be more precise, a NRA-Certified Basic Rifle Instructor.

I completed three days of training under an NRA-certified Training Counselor.

The training was pretty good. Most interesting were the NRA folks... I've never really hung around NRA members before. Nice folks, but a bit too politically correct for me.

 

[GoRon]

Congratulations!

My goal is to get certified as an NRA instructor someday myself.

 

[Standing Wolf]

I went through the basic pistol instructors' course a couple weeks ago. The book-based portion of the course was dull; the rest of it, however, was interesting and informative. I wish I'd done this years ago.

 

[swan hunter]

My Wife & I are NRA Basic Pistol Instructors

Is is VERY rewarding. We had two classes in the past month. Most of our students were wanting to qualify for Florida non resident concealed carry permits.
It is a lot of work but very rewarding knowing you are making it possible for someone to protect themselves.
The students have all been GREAT!

 

[Steve in PA]

Congrats.

In a few hours I'll be on my way to the NRA LEO Tactical Shooting Instructor Course in York, PA.

I'm already certified in handgun/shotgun by the state and did the NRA Patrol Rifle Instructor Course a few years ago.

 

[Edmond]

I am a NRA Certified Basic Pistol Instructor. The class was long and quite dull but I did learn quite a bit. It's great how they break things down. I'll be having my first classes soon.

 

[P95Carry]

I elected 2 years ago to do the whole deal - pistol, rifle, shottie, Personal Protection and RSO. Worth doing them all IMO although most of the time the teaching aspect is basic pistol and some Personal Protection.

All helps to bring new folks in and keep the flow and momentum going.

 

[Cortland]

I'm pistol and RSO myself. I hope to add rifle, reloading, muzzle loading, etc. as the opportunities become available.

Most interesting were the NRA folks... I've never really hung around NRA members before. Nice folks, but a bit too politically correct for me.

Huh? You mean *YOU'RE* not an NRA member? There are all kinds of NRA members and far from all are politically correct. Heck, all of the machinegun owners I know are NRA members. Then again, all the local gun clubs I belong to require NRA membership. But that's as it should be.

 

[Smokey Joe]

NRA

Courtland--You're right on the NRA! For all its faults, the NRA and only the NRA is the national voice the gun grabbers fear. We ALL oughta join in self-defense, no matter what we shoot.

Why do you think the gun grabbers spend so much vitriol, to bash the NRA? You never hear--at least I never hear--of Brady & Co. or PETA bashing JPFO (if I got the acronym right).

Not to make a pun or anything, but the NRA is our Big Gun.

 

[Molon Labe]

Huh? You mean *YOU'RE* not an NRA member?

Nope. But I am a lifetime member of the GOA. The GOA refuses to compromise on gun rights.

There are all kinds of NRA members and far from all are politically correct.

There was a lot of political correctness going on. The whole "don't call a firearm a weapon" thing irked me. But I got through it.

 

[Cortland]

Nope. But I am a lifetime member of the GOA. The GOA refuses to compromise on gun rights.

Yeah well I'm a GOA member, too. And a JPFO member. JPFO makes GOA look like Sportsmen for Kerry! Boot the BATFE anyone?

The whole "don't call a firearm a weapon" thing irked me.

That's NRA policy, and I don't think it's political correctness. A firearm is not necessarily a weapon and a weapon is not necessarily a firearm. If I ever have to use a firearm to defend myself from an attacker, then it's a weapon. If I'm at the range shooting steel, it's not a weapon, it's just a firearm. If I steer my car onto the side walk and take out a dozen pedestrians then my car's a weapon. If I'm driving down the road, it's just a car.

It sounds like you've got some preconceived notions about what the NRA is and isn't and I think you may be reading a little too much into these things. JMHO......

But I got through it.

Great.

 

[Edmond]

I don't think it's political correctness at all. I think it's just an educational way of calling a firearm just what it is and not automatically calling it a weapon and always trying to put a connotation on it. Democrats refer to all guns as weapons and assault rifles. We know how much sense they make.

 

[rritter]

No, a firearm is a weapon. The very word firearm derives from its description as an armament (i.e., a weapon) that uses fire, to distinguish it from earlier weapons such as swords, bows, etc. These were designed as weapons, and they remain weapons even when being used as other things. In the same way, a car wasn't designed as a weapon, and it remains a car even when being used as a weapon.

So, politically, the anti-gun folks may want to use weapon as a very negative word, but it doesn't change the truth that these are weapons. Similarly, the pro-gun guys want to use firearm in order to make these weapons sound less harmful, but they're still weapons. It does no good to hide from that fact when our opponents are using it as a bludgeon (yet another kind of weapon . The only way to solve the problem is to use the word weapon in positive ways, to offset the negative uses of the antis.

 

[losangeles]

Congrats to you! NRA Certified Instructor here, too. And welcome to the group.

I think that it's wonderful to have more people involved, propogating a positive view of firearms.

I don't have a prob with the polically-correct approach. That's how I teach to newbies, ordinary citizen beginners. Yeah, when I'm with experienced dudes with backgrounds, I'll go the other way. But I've seen the impact of public relations -- good and bad, not to take the subject casually.

 

[mbs357]

Cool!
Teach me something!