Firearms training?

[bushido_man96]

Do you do any firearms training? Does it consist of a hand gun, or of your seasonal hunting excursions?

Would you recommend firearms training of any kind to your students? Do you ever discuss it with your students? On what levels?

[NightOwl]

I'm hoping to get some training in on some basic rifle and handgun handling next year. I think that it is something that is good to know.

[tallgeese]

Yes, I highly reccomend it. The firearm is too standard a tool in this day and age to ignore. In fact, a basic demostration of the understanding of operation, safety and care of a handgun is mandantory for my guys.

Personally, yes, I train fairly frequently with a handgun just due to my profession. I get a less time on long guns, but enough to maintain a good standard of proficiency.

Most of my students either tend to be cops, ex-military, or closely related to one or both, so most don't need coaching from me on the matter. It's a topic of discussion amoung peers more often than not. If a guy comes thru that is neither, then formal discussion and range time would be mandantory to meet a bb requirement.

[bushido_man96]

So tallgeese, what are your requirements for firearms training, as it concerns achieving black belt rank?

[tallgeese]

It's a pretty basic requirement, really.

I like to make sure they either have enough training or expeirence to understand the saftey percautions associated with keeping and handling a firearm and that they can actually hit with they aim at with reasonale consistancey for someone not in a field that madates carrying a firearm as a term of employment.

I've seen guys meet the requirement by taking a rifle/pistol class at the college level (which is what I did prior to becoming LE), I've also heard that people have done the NRA basic pistol to meet it. It think that would be likewise fine. I'm sure any of the high end schools such as Gunsite, Sig Acadamy, or Thrunder Ranch offer basic coursed that would be more than adaquate, but those are pricey and hard to get to if you don't happen to live near one so none of our guys have ever done it.

Guys who have grown up around guns, own their own, and can go to the range and demostrate how to use and keep one safe are also green lighted after we talk about legal implications. I have the benifit of haveing served as a range officer for our dept, so it makes this part go much easier.

That's about as formal as the process is. It's again, basic on the deployment side. From a defensive side it should be much more through.

[tallgeese]

As an after thought, cops and military or former miltary are pretty much in already on this one. Firearms qualifications that are regular and associated with these jobs trump anything we'd give any of our students.

[ryukasagi]

I do firearms training on my own. i go out and shoot lots of stuff from time to time. It's usually rifles for me though because i don't own any pistols. Though sometimes i will have a friend with me and he will bring some handguns to shoot. i like it it's quite fun for me.

Just don't be stupid with guns and you should be fine.

[KarateEd]

Our school recommends learning to use firearms, but their use is not required to gain any rank. I learned to use firearms on my own. I shoot both pistols and long guns. However, I try to shoot pistols with some regularity since they are my choice for SD, long guns, just whenever I have the time.