As promised in my Feb 15 article, I said I would get back to you when I had completed the permit to carry a handgun course. Last Saturday I attended the Personal Protection Course, presented by NRA Certified Instructor, Richard “Rick” Bruels of River Valley Training, Mankato. Rick proved to be a wealth of knowledge, a true professional in his field, and his course meets or exceeds the requirements of the Minnesota Personal Protection Act (MPPA).
The class I attended was hosted by Hunter’s Den in New Ulm. I arrived a little before 8 a.m. and with a cup of coffee in hand, I found a seat. I believe there were 24 attendees in the room and we soon got to task. Rick did a nice job of keeping the content interesting. With a lecture format that was more like a friendly discussion amongst friends, and the assistance of hands-on props, videos, and visual aids, we covered a lot of material. Energized from a truly worthwhile experience, I was on my way back home by 4:30.
The course, as suggested by the name, focused and was presented from a personal protection, self-defense perspective. Rick stressed that gun or no gun, the best way to survive a violent encounter is to avoid it altogether. He talked about conflict avoidance, situational awareness, how to keep from becoming a victim, and much more. He underscored the universal gun safety rules: treat all guns as though they were loaded, never point a gun at anything you don’t intend to shoot, keep your finger outside the trigger guard until you decide to shoot, and always know your target and what’s behind. A lot of what he talked about boiled down to simply paying attention and using common sense.
In terms of the permit to carry, Rick covered the protocol for applying for a permit, responsibilities of the permit holder, types of handguns and ammunition, shooting tips, and the legalities and aftermath of defending yourself and family with a handgun. The class culminated with a hands-on shooting exercise, making use of the indoor shooting range at Hunter’s Den.
Rick offered the attendees the opportunity to purchase a book pertaining to the brass tacks of what we discussed: “Minnesota Permit to Carry a Firearm Fundamentals” by Michael Martin. I purchased the book and read it over the weekend. The book proved to be a perfect compliment to the course. Much of the subject matter mirrored the content of the class.
Probably the most important thing I got out of the class was there is no substitute for knowledge and you’re never done learning. As I mentioned in my first article, there should be no avenue for, “I didn’t know.”
There are thousands of good, responsible people out there with a permit to carry. According to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), there were 69,313 permits issued between 2003 and 2009. If you’re into statistics, check the BCA 2009 Permit to Carry Report.
Whether you’re a recreational shooter, a person who is concerned about the safety and wellbeing of your family, or both, I would strongly recommend this course. Feel free to join in on our discussion or leave your comments below.
Comments
Good article! If more people knew more about guns, there'd be fewer problems with guns in society.
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