I was wondering

I looked into it already. Looks like I'll have to take an NRA Pistol Course first, and there isn't one locally.

Who here on the Forum is already an NRA Certified Instructor? Maybe we can do a weekend and get several of us ready to become Instructor Certified.
 
So this means that after the course we can issue those safy certificats to ourselves and others as often as the Opressive PD wants to make us?

if So, I'm game!

-Weer'd Beard
 
My one request is, can we do it on a NH or VT facility? I may be able to find a VT facility in the SouthEastern part of the state that's reasonable.

I'm also planning on taking one of the courses Jim Conway offers.
 
I understand wanting it somewhere other than MA. But really where it's going to be and when is going to depend on if I can take it.

I have a wee one in the works so if it's far, and more than a few hours, it's going to be hard for me to get away.

So I guess I would need more information on price, length of time of the class and where before I can commit.

But I really would like to do it.

I know that VT would be too hard for me. But lower NH isn't out of the question.
 
Instructor Course

GOAL offers the NRA instructor course from time to time. Jon Green is their NRA certified training counselor, and has an excellent reputation.

Once you get your NRA instructor certificate, $50 gets you a MA instructor's license and # good for 10 years which allows you to issue state accepted course certificates. Just don't forget the $5000 penalty for issuing a certificate to someone who does not take the course from you.
 
OK, since there seems to be a lot of interest, here's basically what we're talking about. NRA instructor certification training consists of two parts. First there's a classroom session on training fundamentals, techniques and NRA policies that takes about 6 hours (figure a full day). Then there are separate training sessions for each discipline, usually with both classroom and range components. Home Firearm Safety and Basic Pistol together (the one's I find most people are interested in) take two days; Basic Rifle or Personal Protection each take two days.

As an NRA instructor you can get certified by Massachusetts to do the training required for new LTC/FID applicants by paying the state $50 for 10 years. HFS, Pistol or Personal Protection are all valid for LTC's; Rifle or Shotgun are only valid for FID's, but also satisfy the BSA requirements for supervising rifle and shotgun shooting by scouts.

If we assume that most people would be interested in HFS & Pistol, then we'd need a total of three days. Since most people have to work for a living, that would probably mean a Saturday session for the general training component, followed by a Saturday/Sunday or two consequtive Saturdays for the specific components. (If people could get the time off and would prefer, we could also do Fri/Sat/Sun, three days straight.) Only the second part would require a range, but we'd need to be able to have firearms around for the first part as well, ruling out places like schools.

I normally do classes at the Westford Sportsmen's Club (about 10 minutes off of Route 3, 10 minutes south of Nashua, NH), but I'm open to wherever would allow the most people to participate. I normally supply all the guns and ammo for the course, since this allows me better control. (It's an instructor training course, not a shooting clinic, after all.) I usually bring food and drinks for the course as well, since this minimizes the time lost for lunch breaks. I normally charge around $300 depending on the specifics, but could to do it for $200 for this group.

Rather than try to organize this as an open discussion, I'd appreciate it if everybody who's interested would EMail me to let me know your geographical constaints/preferences and whether you'd prefer one long weekend, two weekends, or three Saturdays. It's unlikely that we could do this any earlier than February, but I'd need to know how many people and the location/schedule at least 2-3 weeks beforehand to get the necessary materials and handle other logistics.

If you've got more questions, somebody else probably has the same ones, so feel free to ask them here or in EMail, whichever you prefer.

Ken
 
Ken,

[Posting here because these issues should be of general interest.]

I'd be interested and depending on dates I could do 3 days-straight or 2 weekends. My interests would be in Pistol, HFS and Personal Protection.

I wouldn't want it to be further North than Westford, as I don't want to triple the cost with hotel and meals.

Also of concern is the Winter months. Snow/ice is a great possibility and that could make the commute brutal (and take 2-4 hours for a 1-hour trip).
 
Depends upon which one. I'm already certified for HFS, BP, and Personal Protection. I'd like to take the instructor course for basic rifle.

But as usual, I suspect I'm a bit more than a standard deviation beyond the mean...
 
Nickle said:
I looked into it already. Looks like I'll have to take an NRA Pistol Course first, and there isn't one locally.

Who here on the Forum is already an NRA Certified Instructor? Maybe we can do a weekend and get several of us ready to become Instructor Certified.
Click to expand...

Ed and I took our instructors course without the BP course, Nickle. Course, it made it a bit more difficult because we had to learn two courses at the same time. Unless they've changed the criteria, we didn't have to take the BP course first.
 
Email sent.

But as with Len, I think that if we do it in the Winter months, keeping it cental to the most people would be the best.

Len, I think that we can ride together and I'd we willing to split the cost of gas as we're pretty close to each other.

And Ken, thanks.
 
C-pher,

Yes, carpooling would be a good idea.

We'll see where this goes. Wish it were in the Spring! Winter is just such a risky business to plan anything in advance.
 
LenS said:
C-pher,

Yes, carpooling would be a good idea.

We'll see where this goes. Wish it were in the Spring! Winter is just such a risky business to plan anything in advance.
Click to expand...

I'm with you, and that would give me more time to get the family used to the new baby and where I would feel more comfy leaving Nicolle alone with the new baby.
 
Nickle and I would probably be the ones traveling aways. See where it goes, I started the thread to see if there was an interest. If it works for Ken and everyone else spring would be fine also with me. I am with the majority here and what will work for most.
 
Ken, e-mail sent yesterday afternoon.

You make it ANYWHERE in NH, and it works for me. I'll have to travel anyways, so, my one concern was legal issues. Winter months (especially Feb, I work most days) aren't good for me to do, but, from March on may work.
 
I've heard from several people so far, and it looks as if there ay be enough people to do two separate sessions, one for HFS and Pistol, the other for Rifle. Anybody who wants to take both only needs to do the basic training piece once. Figure an additional $150 if you want to do all three certifications or if you're already an instructor and just want to add a certification.

Ken
 
Yes, we're talking about NRA instructor certification. Once you get your NRA credentials, becoming a Mass instructor is simply a matter of sending a copy of the NRA credentials and $50 (for 10 years) along with the 1-page state application.

So far I've got 2 people who've expressed interest in Rifle and 1 in Personal Protection, plus 5-6 for HFS/Pistol. I'll need a bare minimum of 2 people to run a discipline, but would prefer at least 3. Based on preferences expressed so far, I'll probably arrange the basic traininc module for a Saturday, HFS/Pistol for the following Saturday/Sunday, then Rifle and Personal Protection on subsequent weekends, assuming sufficient enrollment. (If you're concerned about there being enough people for a discipline in which you're interested, feel free to recruit a friend from outside the list.)

Ken
 
It looks as if we have enough people interested in Home Firearm Safety & Basic Pistol for a course. I've got C-pher, Dwarven1, Nickle, Mrs WildWeasel, LenS and DR listed as potentials. There are probably enough people to do the Basic Rifle course as well (C-pher, M1911, LenS and possible another person not on the list). I've only had one person express an interest in Personal Protection (LenS), so unless we get at least a couple of more people that one will have to wait. (Weer'd Beard also expressed interest, but didn't indicate a specific discipline.)

I'm fairly certain that I can use Westford Sportsmen's Club for the course for no charge, but I'll have to run the proposal, and some specific dates past the executive board at the January 23rd meeting. Based on the feedback I got from people in the initial discussion, I'm thinking of doing the basic training class (required of everybody who isn't already an NRA certified instructor) on Saturday, March 4th, and the HFS/Pistol classes the following weekend, March 11th and 12th. The following weekend is booked, but we might do the Rifle class the weekend after that, March 25th and 26th. If there turn out to be enough people interested in the Personal Protection class, I'll work out a date with them (probably a Saturday/Sunday combination).

For a Google Map link to the club location, try http://maps.google.com/maps?oi=map&q=76+West+St,+Westford,+MA . (That's not the actual street address of the club, but it does show the correct location.) Unless you like to wind through secondary roads, which might save you a few miles (particularly coming east on Route 2 or north on I495), the easiest approach for most people would probably be from Route 3, either south from Nashua, NH or north from I495 or 128.

If there's anyone else here who's interested in one of the NRA Instructor courses, please let me know, either by Email or PM. Also, I'd like to know whether the dates and location I've suggested work for everyone involved.

Ken
 
It looks as if we have enough people interested in Home Firearm Safety & Basic Pistol for a course. I've got C-pher, Dwarven1, Nickle, Mrs WildWeasel, LenS and DR listed as potentials. There are probably enough people to do the Basic Rifle course as well (C-pher, M1911, LenS and possible another person not on the list). I've only had one person express an interest in Personal Protection (LenS), so unless we get at least a couple of more people that one will have to wait. (Weer'd Beard also expressed interest, but didn't indicate a specific discipline.)

I'm fairly certain that I can use Westford Sportsmen's Club for the course for no charge, but I'll have to run the proposal, and some specific dates past the executive board at the January 23rd meeting. Based on the feedback I got from people in the initial discussion, I'm thinking of doing the basic training class (required of everybody who isn't already an NRA certified instructor) on Saturday, March 4th, and the HFS/Pistol classes the following weekend, March 11th and 12th. The following weekend is booked, but we might do the Rifle class the weekend after that, March 25th and 26th. If there turn out to be enough people interested in the Personal Protection class, I'll work out a date with them (probably a Saturday/Sunday combination).

For a Google Map link to the club location, try http://maps.google.com/maps?oi=map&q=76+West+St,+Westford,+MA . (That's not the actual street address of the club, but it does show the correct location.) Unless you like to wind through secondary roads, which might save you a few miles (particularly coming east on Route 2 or north on I495), the easiest approach for most people would probably be from Route 3, either south from Nashua, NH or north from I495 or 128.

If there's anyone else here who's interested in one of the NRA Instructor courses, please let me know, either by Email or PM. Also, I'd like to know whether the dates and location I've suggested work for everyone involved.

Ken
 
It looks as if we have enough people interested in Home Firearm Safety & Basic Pistol for a course. I've got C-pher, Dwarven1, Nickle, Mrs WildWeasel, LenS and DR listed as potentials. There are probably enough people to do the Basic Rifle course as well (C-pher, M1911, LenS and possible another person not on the list). I've only had one person express an interest in Personal Protection (LenS), so unless we get at least a couple of more people that one will have to wait. (Weer'd Beard also expressed interest, but didn't indicate a specific discipline.)

I'm fairly certain that I can use Westford Sportsmen's Club for the course for no charge, but I'll have to run the proposal, and some specific dates past the executive board at the January 23rd meeting. Based on the feedback I got from people in the initial discussion, I'm thinking of doing the basic training class (required of everybody who isn't already an NRA certified instructor) on Saturday, March 4th, and the HFS/Pistol classes the following weekend, March 11th and 12th. The following weekend is booked, but we might do the Rifle class the weekend after that, March 25th and 26th. If there turn out to be enough people interested in the Personal Protection class, I'll work out a date with them (probably a Saturday/Sunday combination).

For a Google Map link to the club location, try http://maps.google.com/maps?oi=map&q=76+West+St,+Westford,+MA . (That's not the actual street address of the club, but it does show the correct location.) Unless you like to wind through secondary roads, which might save you a few miles (particularly coming east on Route 2 or north on I495), the easiest approach for most people would probably be from Route 3, either south from Nashua, NH or north from I495 or 128.

If there's anyone else here who's interested in one of the NRA Instructor courses, please let me know, either by Email or PM. Also, I'd like to know whether the dates and location I've suggested work for everyone involved.

Ken
 
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