NRA Instructors chime in

steve8140

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Got an email today from the NRA about a new updated training that they claim is specialized towards each of the 50 states to meet requirements.

It says that it’s NOT required to do and the old ways still work. Says it makes the class a 1 day event (hopefully to do away with the blended learning disaster).

-Is anyone familiar with this?
-Is it worth it or better to stick with the older basic pistol or home firearm safety class?
-is it actually approved by MSP?

Here’s the email (at the top) and the link to the article.
NRA Launches 50-State NRA CCW Course
 
The course does not supplant the Basics of Pistol Shooting Course. That course still exists, in both its blended and instructor-led (traditional) varieties.

This is a completely different course, designed as a "complement to" not "replacement for" other courses.
 
Well, first, it offers instruction that's not in the BOPS syllabus, related to defensive shooting/CCW.

Here's a description from one of the offerings (held at the NRA Range in VA): Topics include: firearm safety, pistol nomenclature and selecting a pistol for self-defense, ammunition knowledge and defensive ammunition, basic defensive pistol skills, drawing from concealment, loading and stoppage remediation, mindset. Students will complete live fire training and a shooting qualification on the NRA Range with NRA Certified Instructors. Students will receive the two handbooks (if you are on the CCW instructor path you will bring YOUR OWN student copy of BOPS & PPOH), receive a course completion certificate, qualifying you for your Virginia CCW.

For BOPS content, you can stop after "firearms safety, pistol nomenclature..." The rest is beyond the scope of BOPS.

It's also tailored by the Instructor to the requirements of the individual state. From their press release:

"The NRA CCW Course, created for citizens who currently do not have a CCW permit, will vary in duration from one hour to 16 hours, and will follow one or more of 10 modules, to be determined by the certified NRA CCW Instructor. The guesswork of which module a state resident must follow is gone, as the Instructor will provide all of the necessary guidance based on individual state requirements. Upon successful completion of the course, students will receive a certificate that indicates the specific modules completed, thus qualifying them to apply for their state’s CCW permit."

The details are pretty vague. It's been out for a couple of months, and I've been looking at some of the offerings. They seem to be very state-specific. It's not like BOPS or some of the other courses, where it doesn't matter if you take it in ME or NH or wherever. Also, the CCW Instructor Courses offered (and there aren't a lot of places offering it yet) typically require you to have completed the NRA CCW course in that state.

Still in flux. Requirements for both the CCW and Instructor courses vary wildly. We'll see how it shapes up.
 
Well, first, it offers instruction that's not in the BOPS syllabus, related to defensive shooting/CCW.

Here's a description from one of the offerings (held at the NRA Range in VA): Topics include: firearm safety, pistol nomenclature and selecting a pistol for self-defense, ammunition knowledge and defensive ammunition, basic defensive pistol skills, drawing from concealment, loading and stoppage remediation, mindset. Students will complete live fire training and a shooting qualification on the NRA Range with NRA Certified Instructors. Students will receive the two handbooks (if you are on the CCW instructor path you will bring YOUR OWN student copy of BOPS & PPOH), receive a course completion certificate, qualifying you for your Virginia CCW.

For BOPS content, you can stop after "firearms safety, pistol nomenclature..." The rest is beyond the scope of BOPS.

It's also tailored by the Instructor to the requirements of the individual state. From their press release:

"The NRA CCW Course, created for citizens who currently do not have a CCW permit, will vary in duration from one hour to 16 hours, and will follow one or more of 10 modules, to be determined by the certified NRA CCW Instructor. The guesswork of which module a state resident must follow is gone, as the Instructor will provide all of the necessary guidance based on individual state requirements. Upon successful completion of the course, students will receive a certificate that indicates the specific modules completed, thus qualifying them to apply for their state’s CCW permit."

The details are pretty vague. It's been out for a couple of months, and I've been looking at some of the offerings. They seem to be very state-specific. It's not like BOPS or some of the other courses, where it doesn't matter if you take it in ME or NH or wherever. Also, the CCW Instructor Courses offered (and there aren't a lot of places offering it yet) typically require you to have completed the NRA CCW course in that state.

Still in flux. Requirements for both the CCW and Instructor courses vary wildly. We'll see how it shapes up.
I haven't investigated it more than reading the Email I received today. But from your post plus the Email here's what I get from it:
- Another attempt to make NRA training relevant again . . . most instructors I've spoken with have seen massive drop-offs in interest by the public (beyond any state requirement) for NRA classes.
- Trying to steal back the money lost to USCCA's training program due to NRA stupidity in changing the Basic Pistol course in the first place.
- The short lived Defensive Pistol cert (actual cert is Advanced Pistol) was an attempt to gut the PPOH class (which I really enjoy teaching).
- From your post, this "new" CCW course also guts the PPOH class, so I have no interest in that. PPOH is a 2 day class with almost 9 hrs range time, lots of drills.

Until it shows up here:

https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2018/03/20/Basic Firearms Approved Courses_0.pdf

It doesn't meet Massachusetts' requirements.
Exactly. I've been told by good authority that Lt. Zani is in no mood to approve any new courses, so this one won't make it either. So no matter how good it is if it won't get you a LTC it is useless in MA.
 
I haven't investigated it more than reading the Email I received today. But from your post plus the Email here's what I get from it:
- Another attempt to make NRA training relevant again . . . most instructors I've spoken with have seen massive drop-offs in interest by the public (beyond any state requirement) for NRA classes.
- Trying to steal back the money lost to USCCA's training program due to NRA stupidity in changing the Basic Pistol course in the first place.
- The short lived Defensive Pistol cert (actual cert is Advanced Pistol) was an attempt to gut the PPOH class (which I really enjoy teaching).
- From your post, this "new" CCW course also guts the PPOH class, so I have no interest in that. PPOH is a 2 day class with almost 9 hrs range time, lots of drills.

I think this is probably a good read on the situation. The more I check into it, the less I learn. For an organization with an (presumably) extensive training department and attendant resources, I've never seen a less-standardized course offering. "From 1 to 16 hours?"
 
I contacted the AZ guy who will certify CCW instructors. Not impressed.
The instructor training is $300 and 16 hours. I asked questions got round-about answers that missed my point with a ton of typos.
It's 10 modules are supposed to be accepted in any state, so students would be covered.
I pointed out to him that as a certified NRA instructor in HFS, Basic Pistol, PPITH and PPOTH I could teach any of the NRA courses (HFS being the simplest), and AZ would grant a CCW that would then be recognized in 36 states and that it wasn't worth $300/16 hours to me. I only do AZ people so it's pointless if you're only going to do your home state.
Never heard back.
 
I've been told by good authority that Lt. Zani is in no mood to approve any new courses, so this one won't make it either.

"in no mood"? From that I infer he's cranky about it (because reasons) and not that he's just too busy and doesn't see the point.

If that's right, what's his objection?
 
"in no mood"? From that I infer he's cranky about it (because reasons) and not that he's just too busy and doesn't see the point.

If that's right, what's his objection?
You'd have to ask him to get a real answer. I don't know but can speculate that since there has been some discussion (probably within GCAB) about making changes to the CMR, he may not want to spin his wheels. At one time (probably 2 yrs ago) I was told that he had a stack of proposed new courses on his desk and wasn't going to make any changes. Realize that almost every proposed course is "private" and can only be taught by that person/company. At one time I was considering asking him about proposing a new course for LEOSA, but decided not to waste my time for that reason. For example, the current LEOSA course for retirees wants you to "yell out to your partner to cover you while you reload" . . . not realistic when you are retired and out by yourself when TSHTF.
 
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