intended his shots to warn, he said under oath. Did he aim the gun? No, he just pointed it. Had he been trained with his home defense gun, or even fired it before the day in question? No, he snapped indignantly, it wasn’t like hunting where you needed a training course…
That man ended up paying a great deal of money to the man he shot, to that man’s attorneys and to his own. Firing guns at human beings is not something you want to be ill prepared for in a moment of crisis. How does that preparation begin?
Some states have made training mandatory before issuance of a concealed carry permit. A few have even put together specific courses that must be taken. Two of the best are found in Arizona and Texas. Neither lasts long enough to give you anything close to all you need, but they give a solid foundation.
Match sponsors have the wherewithal to set up more complicated scenarios than most of us can on our own. Here a range officer follows a shooter through a complex stage at the S&W Mid-Winter IDPA Championships, 2002.
There are doubtless people reading this who have been shooting and carrying handguns longer than I, have forgotten more than I know, and could outshoot me on demand. They and I will both, however, be teaching others who are completely new to this discipline, some of whom are going to buy this book for that very reason. Therefore, let’s address this progression beginning at new shooter level.
The Basics
Don’t leave the gun shop without having a professional show you how the gun works. Loading and unloading, manipulation of safety devices, even field stripping. Make sure you have an owner’s manual with it. Once you have it…READ the owner’s manual before going any farther.
If you are new to the gun, don’t go out shooting by yourself. It’s like a new pilot starting solo, or trying to learn to swim all alone. Find someone who knows this stuff.
Focus at first on safety…and keep that focus for as long as you own firearms. We bought a combat handgun to provide safety for ourselves and those we’re responsible for. Whether or not we ever have to draw that gun on a dangerous felon, we know that we will spend the rest of our lives with that gun. Putting it on, wearing it, taking it off…loading it, unloading it, checking and cleaning it…sometimes when we’re distracted or tired or stressed…in proximity to the very people we bought the gun to protect. The price of gun ownership is like the price of liberty: eternal vigilance.
Police Chief Russ Lary tries his hand with his off-duty compact S&W .45 at the IDPA Mid-Winter National Championships, 2001.
Left to right: Cat Ayoob, Peter Dayton, and Mas Ayoob pause between stages at the National Tactical Invitational, 1996. This event has always been a useful training experience.
Shooting under the eye of experienced shooters is a fast track to improved skill. This is an LFI class in progress at Firearms Academy of Seattle.
The author awaits approval of the range officer (back to camera, wearing body armor) before ascending the stairs in Jeff Cooper’s “Playhouse” simulator at Gunsite.
It’s always a good idea to start with a basic handgun safety class. The National Rifle Association has tons of instructors all over the country. Check locally – your gunshop will know where you can get training. This is one reason to buy your gun at a dedicated gunshop instead of a Big Box Monster Mart where today’s gun counter clerk is yesterday’s video section clerk. Another excellent source of information is your local fish and wildlife department, which generally has a list of basic firearms safety instructors as well as hunter safety instructors.
You may not be ready yet to compete, but you’re always ready to learn from the best. Find out from the gunshop what local clubs are running IPSC or IDPA matches. Contact those clubs. See about joining. Ask about safety classes offered by the IPSC and IDPA shooters! These will focus on important elements like drawing and holstering that might get short shrift at a basic firearms safety class. Find out when they’re having matches, and go a few times to watch. Remember to bring ear and eye protection. Watching skilled practitioners handle their handguns gives you excellent early role models.
Be A Joiner
Definitely join a gun club. You’ll like the people, you’ll enjoy yourself, but more importantly, you’ll now be exposed to a whole group of seasoned shooters who have ingrained good safety habits. Never be afraid to ask questions. These folks enjoy sharing a lifestyle they love, and are always ready to help a new shooter get started.
This shooter puts his 1911 to work from behind a realistic barricade during an IDPA match at the Smith & Wesson Academy.
Local police officers experience role-playing training set up by Lethal Force Institute students, who are playing the bad guys and bystanders in this scenario.
Another good thing about joining a club is that on practice nights, there’s usually an opportunity for people to try one another’s guns. Finding out that the Mark II Master Blaster Magnum isn’t nearly as controllable as the gun magazine said it would be is much more painless at the gun club trying a friend’s, than after you’ve shelled out a thousand bucks for your own. This factor alone can more than make up the cost of your membership and range fees.
Formal Training Begins
I truly wish that shooting schools like the many available today existed when I was in my formative years. It would have saved me a lot of wasted time learning as I went. Unfortunately, the boom in concealed carry permits has drawn out of the woodwork a swarm of get-rich-quick artists who smelled a fast buck, took a few courses, and declared themselves professional instructors. As Jeff Cooper once commented on the matter, “There are a great many people teaching things they haven’t learned yet.”
Using a dummy gun, this role-player takes another student hostage in live-action scenario training at LFI.
When you inquire for particulars at a shooting school, request a resume of the person who will be the chief instructor at your course. If he gets indignant and refuses, he’s told you all you need to know. Keep looking. Once you get the resume, do what you would do with any other prospective employee’s resume, and check it out to make sure he’s been where he says he’s been, and has done what he says he’s done. (You’re hiring him to perform a service for you, right? Of course, he’s a prospective employee.)
If in the early stages the prospective instructor is patronizing or condescending, move on. One of the truly great officer survival instructors, Col. Robert Lindsey, makes a profound point to his fellow trainers. “We are not God’s gift to our students,” Lindsey says. “Our students