NRA Certified Instructor

[yrac]

you have to understand that they're looking at someone instructing someone that has ZERO gun handling skills or understanding of gun safety.

Templar nails it on this. The overwhelming majority of folks taking an NRA Basic Pistol course possess nothing close to the level of weapons handling proficiency that you might witness among many of the students in, as examples, a Vickers or Tigerswan class. Many may have VERY limited experience handling a weapon. Some will have absolutely no experience. Some may be uneasy about the prospect.

The NRA classes are designed to provide a basic level of familiarization and understanding of firearms safety to these folks in a non-threatening manner, and in an environment that minimizes the possibility of unsupervised weapons handling. Unless the curriculum has changed over the last few years, students will not fire the weapon from an unsupported position during the class.

It's not a Super Dave Harrington class, but it's not designed to be that type of instruction. Most of the folks taking the NRA basis classes have quite a way to go before they are prepared for the kind of training that many on this forum take for granted.

No, being disarmed for any reason is not my cup of tea. But IMO, the NRA classes serve a valuable purpose - exposing more folks to firearms and the 2nd Amendment.

[William B.]

I appreciate your input guys. I'm going to keep thinking about it for now. If I do it I'll make sure I post and tell you what I thought.

[ToddG]

Some folks may be missing the forest for the trees.

If you get your NRA certification, you can teach non-NRA classes. Or you can teach the NRA curriculum with little changes (use the word "weapon" if that makes you feel good, or carry a live gun in class)... just don't mention the NRA or give out NRA certificates.

The benefit of the NRA instructor program doesn't lie in state-of-the-art curriculums for you to use. It's the learning how to teach stuff that most people need. It also opens some doors in terms of discounts on training gear, access to instructor insurance, etc.

[Surf]

Some folks may be missing the forest for the trees.

If you get your NRA certification, you can teach non-NRA classes. Or you can teach the NRA curriculum with little changes (use the word "weapon" if that makes you feel good, or carry a live gun in class)... just don't mention the NRA or give out NRA certificates.

The benefit of the NRA instructor program doesn't lie in state-of-the-art curriculums for you to use. It's the learning how to teach stuff that most people need. It also opens some doors in terms of discounts on training gear, access to instructor insurance, etc.

I am in line with Todd here. I have the white and yellow cards and have been through just about every instructor course offered by the NRA. As far as the NRALE side of things I think they give a good basis on liability especially in regards to case law / precedent. They give a good foundation of how to teach, lesson plan prep, course prep documentation etc for someone new to the instructor thing. Of course as we learn more or become more experienced instructors we adapt our materials to suit our own styles etc. But for someone new, it is good. I must admit that the skills etc, while sound are basic, but again is a good foundation for instruction. They are not "high speed" by any means, but a good foundation.

Also there is much that comes along with the NRA instructor affiliation. While we are not bound to just teaching NRA curriculum verbatim the NRA offers a good foundation with many benefits.

[jgalt]

I just got my Basic Pistol Certification (& 3 others), and the advice we were given was this:

If you want to call it an NRA class &/or hand out NRA certificates, you need to cover everything in the NRA curriculum for the class in question. It is not a problem to cover more than what is in the curriculum, so long as it doesn't contradict anything in the curriculum.

And they are definitely intent on instructors using the term "firearm" over "weapon". The reason has been touched on by a few others already, and it has to do with the general audience for their classes - folks with little to no experience with guns. "Weapon" tends to have a negative connotation out in the non-gun-folks world - we may not like it, but that doesn't change the facts. The goal is to basically "demystify" the whole concept of guns for your students - show them how & why they work, how they can be handled safely, etc. If you can do this, then by the end of the class, the term "weapon" should have become a neutral term, rather than a negative one.

The benefit I see to being NRA Certified is mainly that folks who are not already into guns still recognize the NRA as an authority they can trust when they seek out information, education, or training. This may or may not be a benefit to you, if your main focus is training military spouses, for whom your own military background is probably a bigger competence indicator than any NRA Cert would be - but it certainly wouldn't hurt, and their training in how to be an instructor really is pretty decent if you don't already have a fair bit of experience teaching newbies.

[JSantoro]

The benefit I see to being NRA Certified is mainly that folks who are not already into guns still recognize the NRA as an authority they can trust when they seek out information, education, or training. This may or may not be a benefit to you, if your main focus is training military spouses, for whom your own military background is probably a bigger competence indicator than any NRA Cert would be -.

Here. The train-the-trainer aspect is worthwhile, no argument there, but otherwise, you get vetted by them because they're a household name. NRA certification, if gotten, shouldn't be the ONLY ceritfication you have, unless teaching novices and hausfraus is all you plan to do. Most folks with a functioning brain and some experience shooting are aware that NRA curriculums are risk-averse, heavy on liability concerns, and light on content.

We had a haggle over this in regard to our program, due to some DoN reg that supposedly states that any contractor/civ personnel that provide weapons instruction to DoN personnel are required to be NRA LE Instructor certified. Everybody on the team are former Combat Marksman Trainers, BUST/SASO Insturctors, MOUT Instructors, a couple of different CQB schoolhouse gurus, a couple who did schoolhouse instriuction for SAWIC and HRP, even a guy that did a stint at DevGrp.

Bottom line, we all have certs out the yin-yang, and somebody is gonna tell us that we need to get vetted by a political action committee with delusions of grandeur and what we see as lip-service support of the tactical/self-defense practitioner community? Lots of folks who work for the NRA get hired based on their background with the military and LE community, not the other way around, so it was weird in the extreme to us that they somehow managed to get themselves set up in the position of being a certifying entity for ANY military activity. Galling, particularly since our students would start giggling uncontrollably if we touted NRA certification, and promptly cease listening to us. So, we put on our Brig Lawyer hats and found a solid loophole.

That said, if my company or the gov't was the one coughing up for the instruction, I'd do it, if for no other reason than to legitimately "pad" my resume. But this is what it would look like inside my head:

[jgalt]

Riverine-

I agree completely. My statements regarding general public perception are true & accurate - but that is only because much of the "non-gun guy/gal" public are completely clueless...

I got my NRA certs - & will get more - mainly as a stepping stone to what I consider to be bigger & better things. I believe there is a definite benefit to getting them, but almost completely for public perception purposes, not for content related reasons.

[USAFR]

I have been a instructor for the NRA a while, I was a Combat Arms Instructor for the Air Force before I retired, and am a life member of the VFW.
I think, at least for me, one must understand, as has been pointed out, the NRA class does not teach you warrior skills. It is desinged to bring a student into a classroom and show them the NRA way, each stident is given a NRA approved lession plan, and the instructor MUST follow it if they want to use the NRA logo on the class flyers, or anything else.
I think that for an entry leval class its OK, it will be up to the student to go to the range and put everything that the class gives them to work.
Id say take the class, teach the NRA way of doing things untill you want to do your own lession plan, and have to pay to get everything printed, on your dime.
Also remember if you start teaching any gun stuff you had better get insurance to cover your ass, and its hard to get if you dont have the NRA creds.
Good luck.

RobL

[JSantoro]

Also remember if you start teaching any gun stuff you had better get insurance to cover your ass, and its hard to get if you dont have the NRA creds.

That's really an excellent point, one that completely slipped my mind in spite of having tossed the word "liability" in the middle of my brain droppings above. Nice.

[ToddG]

Also, remember there is a huge difference between the Training (civilian) side of the house and the LEAD (law enforcement) side of NRA. The LEAD classes are much more progressive and they aren't trying to force a standardized lesson plan on you.