As always, the world of self-defense and firearm training is a varied one. There are those who take the profession seriously, and those who do not. A recent addition to the drama was a so-called ‘instructor’ who’s methods and instructional techniques went beyond unsafe and straight into gonna get someone killed. Ever defiant of the establishment, even after his training credentials were yanked by the NRA, he perseveres since he, and only he, knows better than the rest of the industry. He really IS that good, just ask him.
Some say firearms in general and firearm training is inherently dangerous. I disagree. It most certainly can be, but it is not without something specifically added to it to make it so. The most common additive is of course human error. And when the errors occur, lives can be lost.
First, and foremost, let’s talk about what is considered safe. Those of us in the training industry LIVE by the Four Basic Firearm Safety Rules:
- Treat all firearms as if they were loaded.
- Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy.
- Never place your finger on the trigger until your sights are on target and you have made the decision to fire.
- Know your target, what is in front of it and what is beyond it.
No matter what you do after that, if you follow those four rules you and the people around you won’t get hurt.
Like many instructors, some of the training sessions I facilitate are designed to nudge people outside their comfort zone both physically and mentally. But that doesn’t mean they are unsafe. You never push anyone past what they are capable of and never, ever cross the line of safety. Yes, we may walk right up to that line and swear at it, spit in its face and beat it like it owes us money, but we don’t cross it. The line IS the line.
Firearm safety like most things is progressive. Things the industry used to do 30, 20 or even ten years ago we would never do today. Why? Because people have been hurt and killed in training. Fortunately, the industry learned from its mistakes and we’ve all become safer as a result. But not everyone buys into this way of thinking. There are some instructors out there who think that because nothing bad has ever happened to them doing things this way, it never will. They are above it all and say to each his own.
For example, force-on-force training is an incredibly valuable tool to prepare for real life encounters, yet every year a number of law enforcement officers and civilians are seriously injured or killed while doing it. It’s not because the training itself is dangerous, it’s because someone violated the rules.
Instructors who conduct this type of training are fanatical about safety. Even the slightest violation of the safety zone is enough to shut everything down, re-search everything and everyone, and then start again from scratch. Often the students or observers see reactions like this as unnecessary, but experience in the industry has proven otherwise. Regardless of how valuable the training is; it is not worth a human life.
Quality, cutting edge training doesn’t have to come at the cost of safety. And anyone who believes they are above the standards, knows better than everyone else in the industry or has a lackadaisical attitude towards safety is playing a very dangerous game. Maybe nothing will happen and nobody will ever get hurt doing what they’re doing… maybe. But if you play that game too long it will eventually bite you, or shoot you, right in the ass.
If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. If your firearm instructor doesn’t take safety seriously and only responds to industry criticism with flippant remarks and boasts of their own tactical prowess, then it might be time to find a new instructor.
Train hard, but train safely.
Bob
#oddstuffing, #SecondAmendment, #Safety, #Training, #VodaSucks!, #YouKnowWhoYouAre, #patriotpatchco, #mewe, #medium, #instagram, #oddstuffing.com