Question 1

Where do I start?

Accepted Answer

This depends on how you plan to use your training.  Did you just purchase a new pistol (or plan to buy one) and not sure what to do next?  You should first take the Basics of Pistol Shooting course.  This will teach you how all the parts of a handgun work, ammunition info, cleaning a handgun, and best yet - how to safely shoot your handgun.  Even if you have shot handguns for a long time, you will learn something in this course.  Senior law enforcement officers who have taken this course have surprisingly commented that "none of this was taught at the academy!"

Similarly, you can opt to take a Basics of Rifle Shooting or Basics of Shotgun Shooting course.  The rifle course teaches you many of the same skill sets but specifically for a rifle and how to shoot it.  Rifle shooting at targets generally is done at much farther distances than pistol.  Shotgun shooting is all about learning how to shoot moving clay targets.  This activity simulates hunting and can be a lot of fun.

Question 2

What's next?

Accepted Answer

Once you have had a chance to successfully shoot your firearm and practice with it, you might consider taking the Range Safety Officer course.  Students learn how to help others safely operate a firearm at a shooting range by learning safety procedures, how to set up and operate a range, and how to coach a shooter through any firearm issues they may have while at the range.

Question 3

I want to learn to handle my handgun for personal protection.  What course do I need to take?

Accepted Answer

With today's growing crime problems, many people want to carry a gun for self protection.  NRA offers three terrific courses for this purpose - Personal Protection Inside the Home, Personal Protection Outside the Home, and NRA CCW.  If you plan on applying for a license to carry concealed (LTCC), you should consider the NRA CCW student course.  Taken after you have passed the Basics of Pistol Shooting course, CCW teaches students how to safely carry and draw a handgun from a holster.  Topics in the course include important topics like mindset, carry modes, defensive pistol skills, and more.  There is also a shooting qualifier that includes drawing from a holster and emergency reloading.  Even "top shot" pistol shooters have said that they learned a lot from this course.

Question 4

I want to become an Instructor.  What do I need to do?

Accepted Answer

First take the Basic course for the specific shooting discipline that you want to teach.  You can't teach a course you've never taught!  Next, take a Basic Instructor Training course.  Instructor Candidates learn how to organize and teach NRA courses.  Once you take this course, you may take an Instructor discipline-specific course within the next 24 months - assuming you have already successfully taken the Basic course first.

Next, the Instructor course allows Instructor Candidates to do "teach backs" with a training team - a small group of other Instructor Candidates in your course.  You will have an opportunity to speak and teach in front of others, learning skills from one another as you proceed through the course.  Once certified, you will be able to order materials and teach NRA courses to others.

Question 5

What's a Training Counselor?

Accepted Answer

A Training Counselor (TC for short) is an individual who has taught a number of classes as a Certified Instructor and then successfully completed a Training Counselor Development Workshop.  Today's newest TCs have demonstrated a mastery of defensive pistol skills, shown they have developed advanced speaking and teaching skills, and can pass on knowledge and skills to new Instructor Candidates.  After successfully completing their workshop, TCs are appointed by the NRA's Education and Training Department staff.

Question 6

So how do you fit into this stuff?

Accepted Answer

Well, I'm an appointed TC.  I've also been appointed as a State Training Counselor Liaison for Pennsylvania.  That means that I'm responsible for mentoring, guiding, and finding ways to remediate issues for our 4,400 Certified Instructors and 112 TCs across the state.  It's an unpaid position - just like my position on the NRA Board of Directors and Keystone Rifle and Pistol Association.

Question 7

What is the NRA CCW course?

Accepted Answer

The NRA CCW course is not a state-specific course.  This is a course that teaches the student about carrying a firearm for personal protection.  It is a modular course that can have up to 10 different parts to it, depending on the skill levels of the student.  There is a shooting qualification that is challenging for nearly every handgun shooter of any ability.

Two modules within the course are fundamentally important.  Mindset is a topic that explores the types of issues someone needs to consider before legally carrying a firearm.  When can I defend myself?  What issues should I consider if I'm in a defensive shooting situation?  Learn terms like "auditory exclusion", "affirmative defense" and much more.

The second foundational module concerns how to properly use a holster.  All students must have a strong-side outside-the-waistband Kydex type holster.  An excellent recommendation is a product from High Noon Holsters, link:  https://highnoonholsters.com/hooker  In addition, students need to have at least three magazines or speed loaders (for either a semi-auto or a revolver) and a carrier for at least two of them,  Magazine carriers such as one found at Black Dog Concealment, link:  https://blackdogconcealment.com/product/double-pistol-mag-carriers/  Your handgun must be of at least .38 Special (revolver) or 9mm caliber - no .380, no .22LR.  Once you have the proper equipment mounted on a sturdy belt, you will learn a multi-step draw process that ensures a safe effort, as well as a re-holster process.  You will learn how to "point shoot" and conduct emergency magazine changes to reload.

Question 8

How is the NRA CCW course taught?

Accepted Answer

The course is taught across two Saturdays.  The first class goes through all of the important aspects of defensive shooting.  The second Saturday is the shooting qualifier.  The qualifier is discussed at the time of the event, but essentially the student will load one or more loading devices and then instructed to shoot a number of rounds into a paper target.

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

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