Firearms trainer interview – David Kenik

[HeadHunter]

David Kenik has focused much of his training effort on distance learning, using DVDs. I’ve mentioned the fact that if all the firearms trainers in the country, including NRA Instructors, were working at full capacity, it would still only be possible to train less than 3 percent of US gunowners annually. Distance learning is a venue that needs to be used more in the industry.

http://exm.nr/L7sAvD

[Chuck Haggard]

That's a little mind boggling to think about. There seems to be firearms instruction popping up everywhere.

[Redhat]

I'm skeptical as to the effectiveness of this approach.

[Wendell]

I'm skeptical as to the effectiveness of this approach.

Subjects such as safety rules, gunhandling, and mindset are in your mind, mostly. You can practice them on your own.
Every professional trainer I've been to has emphasized that point, saying that their (8h/12h/24h/40h, in-person) training course was just the beginning; the student must go home and practice on their own.
It's not a matter of either-or, or this is better than that; most people have real-life issues that are effective limits to anything else.
It's not hard for me to imagine a motivated student employing distance learning, because I am one.

[HeadHunter]

That's a little mind boggling to think about. There seems to be firearms instruction popping up everywhere.

Here's how I worked those numbers.

The NRA claims about 100,000 instructors and RSO's.

NRA guidelines are 4 students per instructor. I would consider one class per month to be full capacity, so 48 students per year. RSOs don't count in the equation since they can't award a Basic Certificate. So that's somewhere around 3 million students per year.

52 million is the estimated number of households that own guns, so I figure 2 people per household =~100 million gunowners. Hence, my calculation of 3 percent.

And those numbers don't figure in range availability, which heavily cuts into the number of classes that could be held.

That's why the concept of mandatory training is such an anathema to me. It would be yet another unfunded mandate that really works out to an almost wholesale ban; the training base just isn't there to support it. Another reason why I am so opposed to Brandon Webb's candidacy to the NRA Board of Directors. His idea that all public ranges should only accept shooters who have an NRA Basic Certificate would essentially outlaw shooting for 95% of the population of the US.

Yes, the numbers are staggering. That's why we have an ammo shortage. Instead of a couple of million people buying ammo regularly, now we have 10 times or more that number. The manufacturing capacity just isn't there. And it never will be. Get used to it.

[jlw]

And those numbers don't figure in range availability, which heavily cuts into the number of classes that could be held.




That's the big issue right there.

[Chuck Haggard]

I don't doubt your numbers Claude, and it's staggering because I've not looked at the math before.


Sounds like we need a comprehensive nation wide program to start converting golf courses to something more useful.

Hey, a guy can dream................

[Chuck Haggard]

Claude, your PMs are full.

[Redhat]

Subjects such as safety rules, gunhandling, and mindset are in your mind, mostly. You can practice them on your own.
Every professional trainer I've been to has emphasized that point, saying that their (8h/12h/24h/40h, in-person) training course was just the beginning; the student must go home and practice on their own.
It's not a matter of either-or, or this is better than that; most people have real-life issues that are effective limits to anything else.
It's not hard for me to imagine a motivated student employing distance learning, because I am one.

Yes maybe for some skills but for others I believe you still need a skilled instructor with eyes on what you are doing to see things you may not. Now if you're already skilled enough to "self-assess", I'm not sure how much a distance learning course will help. I suppose shooters at a certain skill level could use video to help but I'm not convinced lower skilled students could.

Practicing skills from courses you attended...yes...but you learned them in attendance first.

[Wendell]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anbu0bXw-aE

[TheTrevor]

That's the big issue right there.

And even when there are ranges available, they're not equally available to all instructors. I recently learned that the indoor range that I prefer to shoot at is substantially less friendly to independent instructors than they used to be.

The first hint was the prominent sign which appeared at the check-in desk requiring instructors to check in with store management. I figured this was just a proof-of-insurance thing, but nooo... I found out yesterday that the per-person range fee is doubled when you bring in students, and they won't give an instructor more than one lane even if he has four students with him.

Adding insult to injury, they recently banned an independent instructor who was also a kitchen-table FFL, apparently because he was seen as competition to their in-house gun sales.

This kind of idiocy especially sucks because we live behind the Redwood Curtain and it's basically impossible to open new gun stores or ranges here.