Instructing a CCW Wanna Be....

[Adam Helmer]

I am an NRA Certified Instructor for rifle, pistol, shotgun and muzzleloader. In the past, I took 2 or 3 newbies, at a time, to my local gun club for introduction to handguns. I finally realized, one novice at a time is better when one realizes the awesome liability an instructor assumes with a novice.

For the past three weeks I have been instructing a fellow, on Thursday mornings, on handguns here at the farm. He wants to apply for a CCW and purchase a revolver. Joe never fired a handgun before our training sessions began. He started on a .22 revolver and is now shooting a DA .38 Special. In another week or two, he will be finished with "basic." All shooting is at a silhouette target at 10 yards, or closer when running drills.

I think new shooters are best served with a DA revolver because all the adults I teach "fired" cap guns and water pistols in the past and the muscle memory is there. After the trigger squeeze and hand/eye coordination is "grooved", the groups begin to shrink and we have another shooter in our ranks.

Adam