Firearms Trainers Association

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Several firearms instructor associations exist; thus, proving my previous statement that they will only matter to those people who think they matter.

Serpas and Judges sell; so does bad firearms instruction.

The fact that so much bad instruction exists is proof that the masses either don't do any vetting or don't have a frame of reference to make a proper distinction between good and bad, See Serpas and Judges statement.

If Pistol-Forum were to form an accrediting body for firearms instructors, and Ken Hackathorn doesn't join it, does that mean he is a bad instructor that people should avoid?

Couldn't someone like Yeager put together enough acolytes to form their own competing association thus bringing the whole issue of proper vetting and frames of reference back into play?

Pincus has an instructor organization. If you think he teaches good stuff, its accreditation would matter to you. If you don't think he teaches good stuff, its accreditation would tell you to stay away.

I'm on the board of directors for a statewide LE firearms instructor association. Dysfunction is the order of the day, and derp is an organizational principle.

Well, PF never did create an accrediting body, but it looks like Hackathorn did:

The state of firearms training in the United States is a mess and does not further the interests of law abiding firearms enthusiasts. Perception of firearms enthusiasts is so crucial to our civil rights provided in the 2nd Amendment. However, the unregulated internet world of posting videos and attempting to obtain celebrity through inappropriate tactics, ill founded curriculum, lack of safety and unprofessionalism highlights the need for creation of an organization that protects and professionalizes the profession of Firearms Trainers, in an apolitical way.

Therefore, we are proud to announce the formation of the Firearms Trainers Association, www.FTAProtect.com. The FTA is an organization founded by 5 of the most well respected and distinguished professional firearms trainers in the world. Ken Hackathorn-Chairman, Larry Vickers-Vice Chairman, and Board members Jeff Gonzales, Dave Spaulding and Scott Reidy have worked with 2A Association Management and Executive Director Kyle Sweet, to create for the first time, an organization delivering national standards for firearms trainers, protecting the profession of firearms training through standards, insurance (professional liability and property and casualty), business development services, curriculum certification, safety and risk management. The Board members have decades of training experience in military and law enforcement and have dedicated their professional lives to training all levels of civilians. Their recognition of the need to create a mechanism to serve the interests of firearms trainers as well as increase the professionalism of the profession through their experiences, resources and core values lead them to create FTA.

Firearms Trainers Association will provide content that has been vetted, is reliable and trustworthy in addition to being tactically sound. FTA, operating with the the hashtag #ProtectingtheProfession will provide three levels of membership to firearms trainers based on the extent of their teaching and career in the industry. FTA will serve as the industry leader in providing professional development to trainers through resources, networking, marketing assistance (including joint marketing initiatives), web content consulting, video safety briefings from Board Members, and legal forms for Waivers of Liability, and other business related forms as well as use of the FTA logo in marketing and training materials. A comprehensive suite of insurance services are provided with each membership. Certificates of Insurance are available to all members when needing them for conducting classes. Insurance is provided to the FTA through 2A Insurance, a Captive Insurance company reinsured through Port Royal Captive Re-Insurance. FTA has established for it’s members the only stable insurance in the firearms industry available to trainers. This insurance is not subject to political changes, protest or tragic event. It exists for the purpose of protecting the interests of it’s firearms associations.

Level 1: Instructor: this level is for members who teach an occasional class such as Self Defense Act courses to license individuals for a concealed carry permit. NRA basic instructors who teach occasionally.

Level 2: Teacher: This level is for those teaching classes regularly, has had more advanced training themselves and possesses more advanced certifications. Someone who teaches classes beyond mere concealed carry classes, such as tactics, but does not do this for a living.

Level 3: Professional: someone with significant advanced training from military, law enforcement or significant civilian firearms training who is a firearms trainer for a living. The Professional level of membership will require peer reviewed acceptance by the 5 Founders.

All memberships are priced at $400. Payment online is available at www.FTAProtect.com For those who are not trainers and do not need the insurance for a trainer but want access to the content, and support the mission to create standards for trainers and training, an auxiliary membership is available for $100 per year. Support Members will have access to all content and information of all levels of membership.

For more information or access to Board members for media inquiries and interviews please contact Kyle Sweet at 405-684-0900 or e-mail info@FTAProtect.com

Source: http://soldiersystems.net/2018/03/10...s-association/

[KeeFus]

...I will just say that they wont get membership from many people if their website isn’t in English. And at $400 a membership what will they offer other than a sticker and a membership card?

[TQP]

A lot of the internal links are dead too.

[RJ]

Wow.

If an organization can’t manage to roll out a coherent web site, how can anyone expect them to provide a professional level of service?

I sure wish them well, and welcome a new training organization, but every hour this web site stays up in this form gives detractors a chance to ridicule them. They really need to switch to an ‘under construction’ banner and sort this out.

[Totem Polar]

Wow.

If an organization can’t manage to roll out a coherent web site, how can anyone expect them to provide a professional level of service?

I sure wish them well, and welcome a new training organization, but every hour this web site stays up in this form gives detractors a chance to ridicule them. They really need to switch to an ‘under construction’ banner and sort this out.

Well, you want them to shoot; or to code, nancy-boy?

Nah, just kidding.

Don't any of them have a grandkid or two who could sort that out for them?

Regardless, it's a great group of instructors, and I wish them well. It will be interesting to see how this nascent "certification" industry plays out between the independents/affiliate programs, the Ford V Chevy collectives (of which this is a good example) and the glossy big box offerings (eg. "carry guard").

[Erick Gelhaus]

Saw the announcement on SSD - Spaulding alluded to it after SHOT. Went to website, saw what you all saw; looked at the FB page; and then tried registering for the email. Now I’m getting emails from a CCW org rather than the entity I signed up for.

On to the premise ... the idea is a good, needed one. I’m curious about how they plan on doing the vetting of Lesson plans, course material, and the like. Will it be off of format or content? What about specialized subject matter that may be a wee bit different than the knowledge base of the original five - such as an armed parent class or a class on criminal violence. Having seen the arguments between mil veterans and experiences street cops over context specific training some of this may be really interesting.

[Drang]

I don't know whether to LMAO or SMH that the acronym is FTA...

(I'm sure some here will get it.)


Also: The "Lorem Ipsum" is a standard placeholder text, found, among other places, in my first blog post. They should have replaced it before the links were made live.

[El Cid]

Sorry. There is no way I'm giving Hack and LAV $400 a year for anything.

[greyghost]

It is a terrible roll-out.

The Contact Us page has an email link to support@ccwsafe.com

[Hambo]

First, shoot the webmaster.

I'll give them credit for trying to professionalize firearms training, but the idiots aren't going to up their training game to join. They'll just YouTube and Instagram harder.