Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Florida Concealed Carry Weapons Permit Classes


Women Specific Handgun Self-Defense Training
Do you own a firearm for self-defense? Are you considering owning one? If so then I suggest you read on. Many people believe just because you own or carry a gun they are well protected. Just because you have a good set of tools, doesn’t make you a great mechanic. I hear it all the time. People call us up and say I want to participate in your tactical shooting classes. I find myself compelled to ask about their firearms experience first. 90% of the time they tell me they have their Concealed Carry Weapon Permit / License etc. Therefore, they feel qualified to take a Tactical Handgun, Shotgun or Carbine course. Although I appreciate their enthusiasm and would love to profit from such endeavors, we explain to these individuals what you you are about read below in this article.  My suggestion is start at the beginning go back through quality basic safety and concealed carry class first. This way you have a solid foundation to work from.

Most concealed carry permit courses being offered in Florida today only meet the minimum state requirements under FLORIDA STATE STATUTE 790.06 which doesn’t make it difficult to get a certificate and doesn’t hold the instructor who issues it very accountable to make sure you leave with something more useful than a piece of paper saying you have a pulse. I have seen Florida instructors charge as little as $45 for a 2 hour class where you watch a couple of videos, talk for a few minutes about the laws, then you shoot one round from a revolver which was already loaded for you. You receive your certificate. Then off you go to apply for your Florida state concealed carry license. Although this is perfectly legal under the state requirements I personally think instructors should hold themselves to a higher standard to teach instead of running license mills solely for profit..

Pretty scary from where I am sitting. Now you are going to carry a firearm on the street and think you are ready to win a gun fight? I have news for you...

Tactical U Classroom Hollywood, Florida
Our philosophy
Is one that is derived from many years of experience while working in Law Enforcement. All of our trainers are active or retired police Law Enforcement Certified Firearms Instructors who re certify every year on various weapon system platforms. We also train with other Law Enforcement Certified Trainers, Agencies, SWAT Teams and Associations.
 
First we start at the beginning, SAFETY!!!!! Whether you are shooting for recreation, hunting, cleaning your gun in the garage or defending your family from an attack, all firearms safety rules are derived from 4 basic GUN SAFETY principals. Once you understand these principals you will agree that there is no such thing as a accidental discharge, but only negligent or careless ones. We keep classes small enough to give special attention to each who attend.

Next up is nomenclature of the specific weapon you are going to carry showing you animations of how they function as well as break downs of their parts and what they are for. Since not all handguns are the same, you need to understand that just because you may have mastered one type of pistol or revolver, doesn’t mean you are the master of them all. Do not let your ego get in the way.

Then we cover Florida State Statues as well as Federal Civil Liabilities Law. From there we will show you a few actual scenarios letting you see how fast things happen and let you decide from what you saw if actions taken were appropriate responses to attack showing you that everything is subject to debate after the fact. You may have on seconds to react, when the courts and attorneys have weeks, months and even years to build a case based on perceptions and eyewitness accounts. The moral here is whether you are right or wrong, you are going to be subject to case review by the States Prosecutor. Bottom line is if you find yourself in a shooting and you survive, that is where it all begins. Will you be charged criminally? Will you be subject to a civil suit? Your guess is as good as ours. Either way, the legal fees can ruin your life even if you are found not liable. This is why training for an appropriate response is so important. An example would be, maybe training yourself  yell, STOP GO AWAY while retreating. If all else fails then you escalate. Knowing the techniques then practicing them so you can apply them is paramount. Our motto avoid, evade, then if all else fails counter.

From there we go into ammunition, loading, reloading stoppages, malfunctions, clearing them and keeping your pistol running. The use of emergency reloads, tactical reloads with and without retention. We also go over cover vs concealment, mind set, situational awareness, gear and accessories. We will cover the 7 fundamentals of marksmanship. Then show you how to clean and maintain your firearms and how to store them safely so unauthorized or untrained persons cannot gain access. Did you know if a minor under the age of 18 years off age gains access to your guns you are responsible and can be charged?

Once we are done discussing this in class we get everyone up and we begin dry handling their carry weapon. Once everyone is comfortable, then we fire a minimum of 50 rounds live fire.

Please understand this 4 hour course is bare bones minimum as far as we are concerned. We do not get into teaching how to work from a holster in this class. We feel the initial information needs to be  practiced and a certain level of motor skill and competency needs to be developed first before you ever attempt to work from a holster. When you leave you will be on information and sensory overload as it is. Our goal is not to overwhelm you, but give you sufficient information that you can work with. It is up to you to practice what was taught. Then from there you should consider furthering your education and training.

Unlike most instructors who will tell you how wonderful they are and that everyone else is crap to get you in the door. What I will say is that if you are going to seek out an instructor for your Concealed Carry Weapons License or any training for that matter, do yourself a favor, make sure they are an Accredited Law Enforcement Certified Firearms Trainers.

Once you have found a trainer(s) you are happy with learn as much as you can from them. There is no substitute for experience. You need to ingrain the skill sets you learn into your subconscious so that they become muscle memory. This takes time and practice. Do not think that one class or handling your firearm once or twice a year will suffice. I suggest If you are serious about self-defense you should practice often. Once a month should be a minimum and not just shooting at paper standing still.

In conclusion
As a firm believer in our second amendment rights. I think every law abiding citizen should be allowed to carry a firearm, but with that said I think it is a tremendous responsibility that too many take lightly. In closing if you are going to possess or carry a gun for protection, learn how to use it proficiently. Start with formal instruction, and then from there you can practice on your own.

If you have interest in any of our firearms training classes or events you can check us out at TACTICAL U or contact us via EMAIL for more information.

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