It is important for any professional to complete continuing education. Many professional certifications require it. Attorneys, accountants, real-estate agents and so on are all required to have so many hours of CE hours by their accrediting agencies. But, it is something that should be done anyway to stay on the top of your game.
It is the same with firearms instruction. Firearms technology, available accessories, tactics and techniques are all advancing and changing. It really bothers me when I hear someone in the firearms training community say “I am a (insert gun advocacy group) certified instructor” but that is the extent of their resume’. Or, the other person that says I am a former agent/officer/rank with (insert law enforcement agency or military branch) and that is all they hang their hat on. Now don’t get me wrong. These are valuable pieces of experience to have in an instructor’s background but it should not be the only piece.
This is why I strive to take a shooting or related class myself every so often. I just completed a red dot sight for the handgun class. It was a fantastic class that highlights the cutting-edge tactics and techniques for defensive handguns. Using a red dot sight on a race or coemption pistol has been around for quite some time. Only recently have we seen technological developments allowed red dot sights to be placed on the firearms being used everyday by armed professionals or responsibly armed citizens for personal defense.
As I tell my students, taking one class is only the beginning of the journey. Marksmanship is a perishable skill and needs to be practiced in order to sustain skill level and to advance skills to the next level. This is why we offer our “Firearms 102 – Next Steps” class to advance your skills from where you are to the next level. We also offer a “Firearms 103 -Shooting Lab” where you can refine those principles of marksmanship. We are also developing more advanced classes to teach intermediate and advanced weapon handling skills and marksmanship skills.
Let us help you with your continuing firearms education. Give us a call and lets go shooting.
The mission of South Alabama Firearms Education is to educate citizens to be confident, competent, safe and responsible gun owners. Please reach out to us anytime at www.firearmsed.com and click on the contact us link.