Armed self-defense: Getting essential training

 it is essential that you ingrain the habits of keeping your
 finger outside the trigger guard and keeping the muzzle
 pointed in a safe direction at all times.

Thanks to the Obama administration and economic uncertainty, thousands of Americans have recently decided to buy firearms to defend themselves and their families. If that sounds like you or someone you know, or if you want to bring someone into the firearms community, training is essential.

In five parts, the “Armed Self-Defense” series will guide neophyte and longtime gun owners alike in the following areas:

• Equipment selection and storage;
• Basic firearm safety and courses available;
• What to do after you take a basic course;
• Concealed handgun permits; and
• Intermediate and advanced-level training to include tactical considerations, presentation from the holster, reloads, malfunction drills and more.

The series will feature interviews with veteran firearms instructor Tom Iradi of Eagle Rock Training Systems and will lead up to intermediate and advanced handgun skills culminating in the author participating in two of Tom’s classes (“Practical/Tactical” Phases I and II). The last segment featured decisions involved in buying a firearm.

“Armed self-defense” schedule of articles:

• Considerations and decisions when buying a gun (last segment);
• Basic training, developing skills sets, and safety (this segment);
• Obtaining a concealed handgun permit (next segment); and
• Intermediate and advanced defensive pistolcraft (last two segments).

FIRST STEPS IN BUYING A HANDGUN

For starters, I asked Tom about problems he has encountered with new gun owners and his recommendations in addressing those problems. His answer:

• Buying a gun prior to instruction: Those who have purchased a gun (prior to any firearms education) under advisement of a friend or other "credible" source only to find it too complicated (semi-auto), doesn't fit their hand or is too large of a caliber to handle at this level of experience (case in point: assuming a "little gun will kick less").

• Safe handling skills: Muzzle and trigger finger control...due in part to the information input overload experienced during an introductory course.

• Sight alignment: Concept of eye, rear sight, front sight and target...once the alignment concept is grasped it is easier for them to focus on front sight and more advanced concept of "focal continuum" which is basically the farther away the target is the more you need to focus on the front sight; if the target is in close range then the silhouette of the gun should be plenty.

Q: How can new gun owners go about getting basic instruction after buying their first gun? How do they find ranges or instructors?

First of all if they are new to firearms take a basic course before buying a handgun. The information garnered at a basic class could be critical in one's decision making when it comes to purchasing a handgun. In most of the classes they will have an opportunity to handle several types of handguns and find what makes and models fit their hands best, which ones have features and controls commensurate with their intended commitment to training.

If one will or cannot dedicate sufficient time to learn the intricacies of a multi-control semi-automatic pistol, then maybe a double action revolver (pull the trigger and it fires) would be a better, safer and more responsible choice. Finding a range and instruction is as easy as going to the Yellow Pages or searching the internet. You will find firearms forums where you can ask for recommendations in any part of the country for reputable instructors.

Though I would certainly endorse our Eagle Rock Training Systems, I encourage all shooters to experience other instructors for a broader knowledge base. In fact, we host other top level instructors so as to expose our alumni to wide range of techniques and concepts – to "expand their sphere". We all learn something useful with every new training session and shooting match. Always keep in mind that shooting is a dynamic discipline that is constantly evolving. New techniques and equipment are continually forthcoming making shooting more safe, precise, reliable and enjoyable!

Q: After taking a basic class, what are some ways a student can further increase proficiency?

Certainly practicing at a public range with an experienced shooter until you are confident and competent enough to "solo". I make myself available to new shooters one night a week for those who may not have anyone to shoot with. Most instructors conduct private lessons, as well.

Just throwing lead downrange will surely help you with your gun handling skills, helping with familiarity of controls, reloading, obviously trigger press and sight alignment but it can get a bit stale after a while. Shooting with a friend and creating a little friendly competition with maybe dinner or range fees riding on it will add not only an interesting twist to what can be an otherwise mundane task but will crank up the adrenalin and sharpen one's shooting senses! But by and large, the best way to increase proficiency is by participating in shooting sports. And these are plentiful. Bowling pin and “Bullseye” matches, the aforementioned action shooting sports...they are all locally available and information can be found at any public range or gun club or reputable instructional entity.

For many people, getting involved in shooting sports can be intimidating – particularly for women without contacts who assume this is a testosterone-laden world. Let me assure you that nothing is further from the truth.

Far from excluding outsiders, shooters want people to share their passion. Story in point: Many years ago, having moved to North Carolina, I joined a competitive shooting league and found a community which not only welcomed me, but taught me to shoot, to “reload” (remanufacture ammunition), and which hooked me as an enthusiast.

LONGTIME GUN OWNERS, YES: YOU TOO!

Every gun owner should read this. No, that is not a request. While you are undoubtedly thinking, “Yeah, yeah. I know all this safety stuff,” I’d lay odds you’ll find at least one bad habit in the list below. For a comprehensive list of safety considerations, check with the National Rifle Association (NRA).

1. ALL GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED: No, that doesn’t mean to keep them loaded. It means treating them as though they are. Did I say “always?” Yep. Always. I don’t care whether you unloaded it and chamber-checked it. Always. I never want to hear, “Don’t worry, it’s not loaded.” Always. I’m tired about reading how another idiot shot himself while cleaning his gun. Always!
2. NEVER POINT A GUN AT ANYTHING YOU AREN’T WILLING TO SHOOT: Yes, this is a more graphic description of the usual “always point a gun in a safe direction.” But do you know what? I am tired of being “muzzle flashed” by allegedly experienced gun owners. Lest you think this is too basic, go a gun show and see how many morons make you look down the muzzle of a gun. To increase muzzle awareness, imagine a laser beam emanating from the muzzle, destroying everything it touches.
3. KEEP YOUR FINGER OUTSIDE OF THE TRIGGER GUARD until the sights are on target, and you are ready to shoot. This to sounds simple, yet a number of my concealed handgun students – even experienced hunters – picked up a handgun by putting their index fingers inside the trigger guard. Look at the lead photo for this article. See my index finger? Every time the gun comes off target, that’s where it goes: Against the frame, parallel to the barrel. The proof of how well our military is trained comes in every photo you see from Iraq: Whether clearing a room or patrolling a street, the trigger finger is always resting against the frame. You must ingrain this habit, by the way, before moving on to speed reloads.
4. KNOW YOUR TARGET, WHAT’S AROUND IT AND BEHIND IT: Just recently (again), a hunter shot another after “something moved” in the brush. Besides accidentally shooting each other, hunters occasional bag cows. In defensive shooting situations, people have accidentally shot family members. Because bullets can travel for miles, and what goes up eventually comes down, accidents occasionally occur from bullets going beyond targets into communities. As a corollary, I use tritium night sights, which glow in the dark, on my defensive guns. Their danger, however, lies in encouraging you to engage a target you might not be able to see well enough to positively identify. To alleviate the problem at home, I use night lights in strategic locations to ensure an intruder is back-lit, while I am in darkness.

The case of “Tom”: This guy was an experienced shooter. But at a range, one day, he was diagnosing apparent wear problems with his Glock. After calling the company, he reassembled the gun and “dry” fired at … toward his foot … after inserting a magazine. Suffice to say, the .40 caliber Golden Saber did exactly what it was designed to do, expanding impressively, neatly shattering every bone in his foot and condemning him to months in a cast. Being the caring kind of guy I am, I forwarded a "get well" card to him in the hospital … after shooting it with a .40 caliber bullet. I taped the spent casing inside the card.

IN CLOSING

Additional note to last segment on keeping a gun in the home: If you have children, not only should you keep the firearm in a locked compartment such as a quick access lockbox, you should also get the Eddie Eagle program from the NRA. Using a cartoon eagle, the video teaches a simple lesson to small children who find a gun: “Stop. Don’t touch. Leave the area. Tell an adult.”

I’ve seen the program work with my boys: When about 11-years-old, my older son found what he thought to be a gun. He came screaming downstairs, dragging his 8-year-old brother behind him. When I realized that what he had discovered was a long-inoperative pellet pistol, I started to dismiss it until I realized he had done exactly what the program taught: Stop. Don’t touch. Leave the area. Tell an adult. This program is a must for any gun owners with small children. 

Copyright © F. Paul Valone All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, scanning, digitizing or any information storage and referral system, without written permission from the publisher. For reprint permission, contact: fpv@fpaulvalone.com