Knob Creek
NES Member
Home Firearms covers all types. Pistols, Revolvers, Rifles, Shotguns. Classroom only, how to handle, load, unload, parts of the gun.
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Update on Blended Learning
- Thread starter robmcd
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The HFS is a 4 hour course. The NRA HFS book is 54 pages.Just talks about all types of firearms and safety.
BP book is much longer and gets into a lot more detail of pistols as well as the actual shooting- grip, shooting positions aiming etc.
I believe in the near future we will see the focus on instructors and not the course. I believe Massachusetts is in the process of setting up Minimum Training Curriculum Parameters, similar to , Utah does it. The instructor will give "a" course, certifying that all parameters have been met. Instructors with those with a NTO Certification, i.e. NRA, USCCA, SAFTD or others with established instructor certification programs.
In a discussion with the MA SP, I've been told changes are a few months away.
This is just my opinion based on discussions with several parties. Connecticut has gone from pretty much only NRA BP to looking at the individual instructors and their credentials, along with individual lesson plans being considered. USCCA submitted and approved by a few CT Instructors.
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Knob Creek
NES Member
Spoke to someone at the NRA today. He said the new Basic Pistol should be out in 2 or 3 months. And insisted that the MSP has approved the blended course.
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All of which means exactly nothing when it comes to getting the NRAs hands out of student's wallets.
Published list has not been updated: http://www.mass.gov/eopss/agencies/msp/approved-basic-firearms-safety-course-list-updated.html
I have given up on the Basics of pistol blended course. Even if approved I wouldn't use it.The NRA HFS with an additional 4 hours of my own pistol training including live fire accomplishes the same thing and is much better and more manageable from an instructor's standpoint.
If anyone is interested in the blended learning (which I no longer am), I would ask the NRA to provide a copy of the MSP letter approving the course.
I have given up on the Basics of pistol blended course. Even if approved I wouldn't use it.The NRA HFS with an additional 4 hours of my own pistol training including live fire accomplishes the same thing and is much better and more manageable from an instructor's standpoint.
If anyone is interested in the blended learning (which I no longer am), I would ask the NRA to provide a copy of the MSP letter approving the course.
+1 on this. IMHO you'll submit your credentials to the FSB. If you meet the qualifications you'll take an exam (and pay $$ to the state) and get your BFS credentials.
Did you mean FRB? I doubt it, MSP seems to be charged with dealing with "licensing" dealers and instructors at the state level. I would expect MSP to handle all this, not FRB.
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The fee of $50 for ten years is established by statute, not administrative fiat and will not be easily changed.
They make that $50 the application fee like the LTC app fee, then charge more for the exam separately by CMR.
If they were to handle it the way DESE does for exams required for people seeking educator certificates, they wouldn't even need to make a CMR section for the fees. They would simply need to implement an examination requirement and find an external contractor who would run the testing program, set fees, etc...
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I have been waiting for an update on how NRA is going to change the blended learning basic pistol class. Today I have seen the article below claiming that the class will be updated so that use of the online portion is optional.
https://www.thegunwriter.com/22431/...offers-details-on-the-new-basic-pistol-course
However, so far I have not seen any other articles about this topic. Does anyone else here have any more information?
https://www.thegunwriter.com/22431/...offers-details-on-the-new-basic-pistol-course
However, so far I have not seen any other articles about this topic. Does anyone else here have any more information?
That's because preliminary info was sent to NRA Training Counselors with the request NOT to go public until the NRA official public announcement later this month. As expected, some folks can't help but violate such requests.
In any case, having learned from the blended fiasco, info that we were led to believe (like low cost to student for Phase 1) became a lie, etc. I take a wait and see attitude . . . when they announce details we'll all know what the straight scoop is . . . until then, there will be lots of speculation and damn few facts.
Regardless of what NRA does, I don't expect to teach it except by specific demand.
I have a plan and will teach an "extended" NRA HFS class instead . . . by including live fire with multiple caliber long and short guns, etc. My rationale is to give the student a well-rounded knowledge on various guns not just handguns and for those chiefs that demand live fire, that is also met in the class (technically after the NRA portion). At this point, I will teach that by demand during the week and as a substitute for my MA Gun Law Seminar if requested first on a weekend date I have that scheduled. So in most cases it will be a private class of 1 or 2 people.
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Knob Creek
NES Member
The information I received from a Counselor was to inform the Instructors. Not necessarily to go public but inform Instructors.
There are some private groups on Facebook where verified NRA Instructors can belong. There is preliminary information there published by Counselors who were requested by NRA to keep their Instructors informed.
There are some private groups on Facebook where verified NRA Instructors can belong. There is preliminary information there published by Counselors who were requested by NRA to keep their Instructors informed.
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Anyone have an update on whether the MSP has approved the NRA blended learning course? I just looked on line and the state approved course list has no changes.
Just curious- going on a year now.
Just curious- going on a year now.
yanici
NES Member
The new student packets are available at the NRA Instructor Portal. They're listed as "Basic Pistol" packets; who wooda thunk that. I guess we're back in business as Basic Pistol instructors if you want to go there. The NRA screwed us around for a full year on this shit but maybe it will all settle down now.
Wow... what looks like the new version of the old basic pistol shooting book is available.
Has the NRA come out with an announcement that the old basic pistol course can be taught again? I don't see anything on their website when I log in.
Has the NRA come out with an announcement that the old basic pistol course can be taught again? I don't see anything on their website when I log in.
robmcd
Instructor
After you log in to your account you'll see links to download the course outline/lesson plans and the PowerPoint. Where the "blended" version and this new "in person" version differ from the old Basic Pistol is essentially the individual student evaluation and live fire instruction requirements.
I'm pretty annoyed that 1) the new Basic Pistol book is bound, rather than spiral bound. The spiral format sits flat on the desk; and 2) they didn't bother to update the awful PowerPoint presentation for the Instructor Led Training. They had plenty of time to turn that into something professional.
Oh, well...
The NRA has not reinstated the old "basic pistol" course from what I can see. I wouldn't be running off buying these student packets just yet.
I am waiting for another reply from the NRA.
I'm not sure why you're not seeing the "new" Instructor Led Only course. If you go to register a new course, the form allows you to choose "Basic Pistol Shooting Course -- Blended" or "Basic Pistol Course -- Instructor Led Only." If you choose "Instructor Led," it pre-populates with the appropriate time (8 hours), and the Basic Pistol Packet is back on the Materials website ("New" Basic Pistol Student Packet), the new ILT Lesson Plans are right there, in both PDF and PPT. The cover of the new ILT Lesson Plan clearly says "Instructor Led Training," and matches the cover of the new Basic Pistol Packet.
"Mellow greetings, citizen. What seems to be your boggle?"
I saw what you are talking about on the course registration page. But, for the new "blended course" the NRA allowed the instructors to set up students for both the online portion as well as the instructor led portion of the new course. So I wasn't if that is what those pull downs were referring to.
Also, after much fanfare from the NRA about discontinuing the old course effective 5-15-16 and buying back all of those old student packets etc, I haven't heard anything from the NRA about the old basic pistol course being reinstated.
This is the part I was talking about.
You can choose Blended or ILT.
I'm planning on a full BPS Course next month (ILT version), and I already have the new packets (books and tests). The key is in the ILT Lesson Plan, so it all seems a go to me.
robmcd
Instructor
The old NRA Basic Pistol curriculum has not been reinstated. The Instructor Led Training version, as with the Blended Learning version, is indeed very similar to the old Version of Basic Pistol. The main differences are in the individual student evaluation and live fire requirements. Check out the new Instructor Led PowerPoint and you'll see the similarity with the old Basic Pistol. The new course curriculum seems very doable, although it requires more one-on-one time with students which perhaps reduces the student-to-Instructor ratio.
Here's the answer I got from the NRA regarding this subject:
The Basics of Pistol Shooting Instructor Led is available to teach. It has some variations in reporting and generating the certificate. All NRA Pistol instructors have to sign a memorandum of understanding explaining the changes. If you login to your NRAI account you will see the MOU, lesson plans and a FAQ. If you still have further questions please let me know.
When I log in, I can not find the MOU mentioned above. The FAQ's says the old basic pistol is discontinued and the new pistol course is the 2 phase blended course, the 2nd phase being the instructor led component. If the above reply is referring to this 2nd phase of the blended learning course, then the NRA never answered my original question as to whether we can teach the old 8 hour basic pistol course.
I have no clue what is going on.
The Basics of Pistol Shooting Instructor Led is available to teach. It has some variations in reporting and generating the certificate. All NRA Pistol instructors have to sign a memorandum of understanding explaining the changes. If you login to your NRAI account you will see the MOU, lesson plans and a FAQ. If you still have further questions please let me know.
When I log in, I can not find the MOU mentioned above. The FAQ's says the old basic pistol is discontinued and the new pistol course is the 2 phase blended course, the 2nd phase being the instructor led component. If the above reply is referring to this 2nd phase of the blended learning course, then the NRA never answered my original question as to whether we can teach the old 8 hour basic pistol course.
I have no clue what is going on.
This is the part I was talking about.
You can choose Blended or ILT.
I'm planning on a full BPS Course next month (ILT version), and I already have the new packets (books and tests). The key is in the ILT Lesson Plan, so it all seems a go to me.
I see what you are saying now, the "- blended" populates with just 5 hours and the "- IL only" populates with 8 hours.
So it would "appear" that the old 8 hour basic pistol is now available to teach (in a newer version) as an alternative to the new blended pistol course. When they converted to the new blended course a year ago and it was not approved in Mass, many Mass people asked the NRA to continue the old basic pistol until the blended course got approved in Mass and the NRA staunchly denied this request and said the only option was the blended course format.
Seems very weird that the NRA hasn't made any announcement of this new course alternative to the blended course.
Does this new unblended course also need MSP approval? If so we could still be years away from an instructor led basic pistol for LTC course
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Great question. It's all in how you document things. If the NRA had kept the old "Basic Pistol" course and just said here is a newer and revised booklet for the course and some enhanced training components, everything would be fine with the MSP. But they didn't, they formally discontinued the old course and set up a new blended course
Here is what the MSP LT in charge of the courses sent me in an email a couple of days ago.
[FONT=&]At the time we were (and still are not) approving new courses. An NRA official named Mr.John Howard assured me that all the material contained in the submitted syllabus for LTC-002 were included in the new blended course. With that,I advised Mr. Howard (and others who had questions) that we would accept the blended course as LTC-002. Since that time, however, I believe the NRA,in listening to their instructors' concerns, returned to allowing a straight classroom presentation of LTC-002. [/FONT]
[FONT=&]So, as long as the material contained in the course that was originally approved as LTC-002 is covered (in either the blended or classroom presentation), we will accept it as same. [/FONT]
[FONT=&]Thanks,[/FONT]
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