A professional firearms trainer, Kathy Jackson who runs the Cornered Cat as well as working at FAS and editing US Concealed Carry Magazine (and is also my boss in that capacity) really hits the crux of the training argument as far as I’m concerned.
A single guy who has no family and no intent to protect anyone else in the world can be quite content to learn how to hit a target at bad breath distances, and not much else. It’s his life, see? If he’s too slow out of the holster, it’s his life. If he’s fumble prone and likely to shoot himself in the knee or left hand because he never learned how to draw, it’s his problem. If he’s too stupid and unaware to avoid trouble, that’s his burden to bear. His life, his choice. If he wants to wander on in happy ignorance, let him.
But someone with a family might want to give a little thought to working with a great deal more competence and confidence even at farther distances. What if someone across the room grabs his baby daughter and threatens to leave with her? Can he hit a kidnapper at that distance? Can he avoid hitting his baby at that distance? Has he given any thought at all to the types of tactics that might enable him to most safely protect his family in these or other circumstances? That’s going to take more training and more thinking. It’s going to require more skill and more knowledge. So he owes it to himself and his family to learn more. Again, if he chooses not to, it’s his life and he’s the one who ends up mourning the consequences if he gets it wrong.
They avoid (mostly) one question. How do I find a good trainer? I live in a Virginia suburb of DC(where 70% voted for Kerry). The nearest public range I can find is 45 minutes away by freeway, and I don’t want to wander into a strange range without training. I don’t know anyone else who shoots. The NRA Headquarters is close but they don’t seem to offer the classes themselves, they just have a referrals list. I have no way to judge who on the list is worthwhile.
The NRA range is Todd Green’s (Pistol-Training.com) home range. I’d drop him an email and see if he has any suggestions. 🙂