#321 - Firearms Training: Essential Life Skill or Elite Club?

The GUNS Magazine Podcast

In this episode of the Guns Podcast U.S., hosts Brent Wheat and Roy Huntington dive deep into the crucial topic of professional firearms training. While many gun owners believe growing up hunting or previous military experience is enough, Brent and Roy explain why shooting is a perishable skill that requires ongoing education and consistent tactical standards. They break down the three distinct tiers of training available to civilians: the local gun instructor, the itinerant traveling trainer, and prestigious academies like Gunsite and Thunder Ranch. Finding the right teacher can be daunting, so the hosts provide a no-nonsense guide on how to vet potential instructors and avoid the "elite club" mentality.

They discuss common industry pitfalls, including firearms instructor critiques, massive egos, and unsafe range behaviors. They also tackle the misconception that being a former Navy SEAL automatically makes someone a great teacher. Whether you are a brand new shooter looking for affordable shooting drills or an experienced CCW carrier seeking advanced tactics, this episode provides the roadmap to finding reputable, safe, and effective training while defending your 2nd Amendment rights.

Key Topics Covered: • The "Gatekeeping" Myth: Is high-level training a barrier or a necessity? • Vetting Instructors: How to spot "Tacticool" ego versus actual expertise. • Training Tiers: From local shops to world-class academies. • Skill Maintenance: Why your 10-year-old CCW qualification doesn't count today.

--

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2026-02-06 34 min Transcript

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Transcript

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Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch.

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This guy comes up and he had already
established himself that first day.

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He was a geek, nerd, wannabe, idiot.

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00:00:07,440 --> 00:00:10,200
Finally, he just blurted out,
oh, sure. Mr.

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Smith, what are we going to do?

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Like, do like the kitchen doors and,
you know, like, roll and get up and engage

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multiple targets and all you know,
I mean, I think that's

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I think it's really important.

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And I remember Clint just like, sighed.

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And he looked at me and Clint
kind of smiled.

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He says, I'll make you a deal.

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Let's just concentrate on learning how
not to shoot yourself or your neighbor,

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and we'll worry about that other stuff
later.

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I said.

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Hi there.

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Welcome to the Guns
Podcast, U.S., brought to you by guns

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magazine.com and sponsored by Tango Down.

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Hi there.

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I'm your host, Brant Wheat,
and thanks for joining us here

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on one of the world's
biggest gun talk programs.

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And we can even prove that as we talk
about the interesting stuff

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and the interesting people who make up
the world of shooting and of course, the

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the king of the interesting people
is my co-host, Roy Huntington.

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Howdy there Roy. Now I'm embarrassed.

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That's
my job to embarrass and humiliate people.

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We bring on the podcast,
but now we've got another great show.

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But before we do that, here's
a quick word from our sponsor, Tango

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Down.

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Tango down.

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It's been a trusted leader

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so you don't miss what's next?

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Well, Roy, this is a topic that,

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we've we've kind of kicked around
for a while, and I finally decided

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it's time to do it,
and it's kind of an opinion thing,

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but I think some learning can occur
for all parties involved.

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And we're going to talk about training.

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We often recommend
to get professional firearms training.

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And, most people understand that
and maybe not everybody can afford it,

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but most people understand
at least the reason behind it.

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Occasionally you get those people going,
well, you know, trainers are just

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you're just shilling for the training
industry and trainers are jerks.

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And let's, let's talk about that today.

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Both of us have trained folks.

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You've trained a lot more folks
than I have, but I've done my share of it.

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And, we're going to talk about it
from the trainer side,

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from the student side,
because both of us are eternal students

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and just kind of, analyze
this whole idea of

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why would you need professional
training in shooting?

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And, I'll leave it at something.

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We point out a lot
that shooting is a perishable skill.

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And just because you got training
in the Army and Basic 42 years ago,

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if you haven't shot
since then, you probably suck at it.

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So it's like riding a bicycle.

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You'll pick it back up pretty quick.

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But if if you haven't used
that skill in a while, and especially

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if you haven't been trained on it,
your skill level goes down over time.

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So, Roy, when you say
gun training, what do you think of.

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It's that was a tired.

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I know it it's multi-dimensional.

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You know, it's like, where do you start?

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But to me, a quick overview
is because this is what I've seen.

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I know this is what you've seen.

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I grew up hunting with my grandpa.

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I know about guns.

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Why would I go to a trainer?

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Because he wouldn't teach me anything
I don't already know.

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Well, with rare exceptions,
that they're exactly wrong, you know?

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And those are the people who buy,

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a Glock and load it
and put it in their holster

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and never even shoot it and say, it's
okay.

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I know about guns. Right?

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Okay, so that's bad.

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We know that the other ones
that I particularly

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am amused by as you bump

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into some 80 year old guy

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and he said, oh,
I'm a certified firearms trainer.

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And I go, you are, you know.

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Oh, yeah, I was certified by the NRA

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in 19 was, you know, 68.

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Which can

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be as little as a four hour class
in those days.

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Right.

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And so, you know, no,
you're not a firearms trainer.

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And if you're listening
and you want training,

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you shouldn't
listen to those kind of people.

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I mean, yeah, go shooting,
see what you have,

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but don't consider yourself,

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to be a firearms, you know, trainer

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or to be someone who attended training,
you know,

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I mean, you know, and then, of course,
there's all, you know,

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all the regional gun shops have that have

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ranges, especially have trainers on site.

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And, the thing about it, though,
is that a lot of people don't realize

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is that there's no training,
vetting system.

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I mean, in other words,
I literally could hang shingle out

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tomorrow and say, I do firearms training

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and then and people who don't know
would just believe me,

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and then they would show up
and I might teach them

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really, really bad things, because
we've all seen that before, you know,

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I mean, I've

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seen trainers who have put students
downrange and shoot around them,

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you know, because they say, oh,
I want you to experience what gunfire

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sounds like down there.

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It's like, really, really, you know.

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Yeah.

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And, I told one guy like that
and I said, okay, now

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something happens
and they accidentally get shot.

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And now the police cars here,

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and the paramedics and the policeman walks
up to you and says, what happened here?

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And you say,

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well, they were downrange

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and we were shooting.

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They were what?

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Yeah. You know what?

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Yeah.

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And you're gonna learn
what it's like to have handcuffs on.

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So, I mean, I think that it.

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I mean, you're right.

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We always say you should seek training,
you know?

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Well, how do you find training?
What do you.

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You know, I mean, I think it's as simple
as if you live in a certain area, doctor

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Google will help you type in firearms
trainers near me.

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Right?

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If you're lucky, you'll come up
with half a different plate,

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half a dozen different places.

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It might be a stand alone
guy who's got his own range.

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They're pretty rare these days.

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More than likely
there be a gun store with an indoor range.

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And they have onsite firearms trainers.

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And this is where the onus is on you.

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I mean, you really have to go
and talk to the men and ask

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what their experiences and, you know,
where did they get their training?

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I mean, that's the only way to do it.

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And the problem is I what I see is
if you're not a shooter,

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then anything they say
is going to sound right.

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You know,
so I think it's like shopping for a car.

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You need to you need to shop
several places if you can.

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If you have that luxury
and then you're, you're going to bump into

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somebody who just seems like
they know what they're doing.

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You know, the these
we all know them, these these trainers

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that have this certain sense of calm
and they

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they speak with quiet authority, except

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they're also very welcoming and patient.

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And, you know,
all of those things should be part

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if you take your first class.

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And if they start by yelling at you,

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I just unload your gun
and put it back on the holster.

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Leave exactly.

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Yeah.

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That that's an ego problem
masquerading as an instructor.

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And fortunately, it's
not too widespread in the industry.

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But we've all seen them.

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And I think I've told the story before of,
we were doing

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some teaching behind another group,
and we were in the changeover

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and it was some older guys,
and they were in our NRA instructors.

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And we were that day happened
to be teaching an all female class.

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And, you know,

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we learned after a while that sometimes
females just want to be females.

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That's fine.

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So we did that.

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And these guys stood over there
on the line a little later and I did.

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And some of the women heard that.

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And for for people
that this is literally their first contact

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shooting a handgun,
a couple of one to leave and

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the person I was with who was the,

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the range master went over and said,
what are you doing?

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What are you doing here?

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You know, and it was
it was just that chauvinistic,

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ego driven
look at that little old lady there.

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That little lady there.
You know she doesn't.

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That's too big of a gun for these guys.

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And I know them
from being in the community.

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And they knew about this
much more than the students did.

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So it's not like
they were really experienced.

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And to me,
that was the the single worst time

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I'd ever seen an instructor
behave, towards students.

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And I thought, what? Why are you even.

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Well, I was going to say, why would you
even want to be an instructor?

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The reason they want to be an instructor.

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So they could hitch up their pants
and inflict their,

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their, condescension on other people.

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And it's like.

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Yeah.

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Like Roy said, if you if you're dealing
with people like that, just say thank you.

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Hope the check clears. I'm out of here.

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So. Well, you know,
and you bring up many good points there.

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But I think one way out of
this is to if you're serious about it,

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is attend
one of the sort of vetted schools,

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you know, the gun sites of the world.

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And, you know, there are other ones,
some of them are regional

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around the country.

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And your best friend, though,

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even if you're attending a local class,

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is go online and read reviews,

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you know, and and if,
if a, if a lot of people say,

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wow, this was the best thing
I could have ever done.

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They were they were nice.
The equipment was good.

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They were patient with me there.

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You know, what's like, okay, well,
maybe that's a good idea.

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You know,

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if there are no reviews,
I would be suspicious of that.

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You know?

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00:10:39,160 --> 00:10:41,280
But I think you just believe your gut.

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00:10:41,280 --> 00:10:44,280
Unfortunately, with new shooters,
they are an open book.

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00:10:44,280 --> 00:10:46,000
They're sponge. Right.

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00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:49,000
So they go up to the counter
at the gun store and they say,

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I see that you offer training, you know,
can you tell me what that is?

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00:10:53,520 --> 00:10:56,520
Well, that's the magic point.

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So if they say,

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certainly, I'd be happy to.

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What is it that you're looking for? Right.

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And you say, well,
I'm a brand new shooter.

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And so I need to start from the beginning.

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I understand

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we have a two hour introduction
to shooting that,

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you know, I mean, because you're going to
get a sense of like, this is reasonable.

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This guy sounds nice.

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You know?

225
00:11:17,000 --> 00:11:18,640
I mean, this shop is clean.

226
00:11:18,640 --> 00:11:21,160
The range looks good.

227
00:11:21,160 --> 00:11:25,240
I'm being made to feel welcome here,
you know, but if you go up there

228
00:11:25,240 --> 00:11:29,720
and the guy rolls his eyes,
you know, and says, well,

229
00:11:29,760 --> 00:11:34,000
you know, every Friday
we have a class at six hours, it's $199.

230
00:11:34,360 --> 00:11:37,360
You have to bring your own gun, bring
your own holster, bring your own ammo.

231
00:11:37,560 --> 00:11:41,880
Yeah, well, at that, you know,
thank you, but no, thank you, you know.

232
00:11:42,040 --> 00:11:44,000
Yeah. Turn around and leave.

233
00:11:44,000 --> 00:11:47,520
I just helped somebody buy
his first first gun ever.

234
00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:49,920
And now he's in another state.

235
00:11:49,920 --> 00:11:51,040
I just I talked him through.

236
00:11:51,040 --> 00:11:51,760
It is all.

237
00:11:51,760 --> 00:11:54,360
And, and he had this exact question.

238
00:11:54,360 --> 00:11:57,280
What do I do?
I don't know anything about this gun.

239
00:11:57,280 --> 00:12:00,360
And so I gave him
a little bit of instruction on just things

240
00:12:00,360 --> 00:12:01,320
to be safe with it.

241
00:12:01,320 --> 00:12:03,640
When you after
you pick it up and stuff like that.

242
00:12:03,640 --> 00:12:06,240
And, where he is, is an urban area.

243
00:12:06,240 --> 00:12:10,480
So he was able to find about
four indoor ranges.

244
00:12:10,480 --> 00:12:13,480
And so he did exactly
what we're talking about.

245
00:12:13,560 --> 00:12:15,880
He went to each one of them,

246
00:12:15,880 --> 00:12:17,800
and then he got back to me
and he said, you know what?

247
00:12:17,800 --> 00:12:21,480
I found what I really liked,
it was kind of like a log cabin.

248
00:12:21,480 --> 00:12:25,080
And I went inside and it was
it was neat and orderly.

249
00:12:25,080 --> 00:12:26,880
And the people were really nice.

250
00:12:27,920 --> 00:12:28,440
And they

251
00:12:28,440 --> 00:12:31,440
actually took me on a tour of the range

252
00:12:31,680 --> 00:12:37,480
and showed me the rental guns they had,
and showed me the targets and showed me

253
00:12:37,480 --> 00:12:40,840
the reloads that I'm required to use
when I shoot there.

254
00:12:41,840 --> 00:12:43,600
And made me feel really welcome.

255
00:12:43,600 --> 00:12:44,680
So I'm pretty comfortable.

256
00:12:44,680 --> 00:12:47,680
I'm going to go with them
and it's like great success.

257
00:12:47,880 --> 00:12:48,600
Yeah.

258
00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:50,800
I mean, that's
exactly how you should do it.

259
00:12:50,800 --> 00:12:53,560
Don't compromise. You know. Yep.

260
00:12:53,560 --> 00:12:56,880
Well, you know, sitting here
talking about it, it's hard for us.

261
00:12:56,880 --> 00:13:00,800
We've been immersed in this culture
for literally decades, but

262
00:13:01,440 --> 00:13:04,440
probably one of the questions
we'll get is,

263
00:13:04,560 --> 00:13:08,280
let's talk about the tiers of training,
the levels of training.

264
00:13:08,880 --> 00:13:11,280
And it's pretty simple, really.

265
00:13:11,280 --> 00:13:15,640
You've got your local trainer, which
typically, for a lot of folks is gun shop.

266
00:13:16,280 --> 00:13:21,160
It may be for a, it may be,
you know, whomever a local group

267
00:13:21,360 --> 00:13:25,560
that has local instructors, often
they're NRA certified instructors.

268
00:13:25,560 --> 00:13:27,480
And I'll talk about that in a second.

269
00:13:27,480 --> 00:13:29,320
But that's your local level.

270
00:13:29,320 --> 00:13:32,680
I would say the quality varies
the most with this level.

271
00:13:33,040 --> 00:13:37,080
You'll have people that are really good,
really experienced,

272
00:13:37,080 --> 00:13:40,080
really smart and patient
and all those great things, Roy said.

273
00:13:40,320 --> 00:13:43,080
And then you'll have some people
that are just

274
00:13:43,080 --> 00:13:46,840
unsafe and idiots and horrible people,

275
00:13:47,160 --> 00:13:50,880
and it you tend to see those people
at this level.

276
00:13:50,880 --> 00:13:53,680
So again, as you said, Roy,
that's the key.

277
00:13:53,680 --> 00:13:56,000
Buyer beware. Do your research.

278
00:13:56,000 --> 00:13:57,360
Trust your gut.

279
00:13:57,360 --> 00:14:00,360
If this guy feels like a jerk
when you're signing up

280
00:14:00,360 --> 00:14:03,360
for the class, he's probably
not going to get better on range day.

281
00:14:03,400 --> 00:14:07,080
So, you really need to be
an experienced consumer.

282
00:14:07,080 --> 00:14:10,160
The next level is your
what they call an itinerant trainer.

283
00:14:10,520 --> 00:14:14,480
And there's a lot of these,
they tend to be retired law enforcement

284
00:14:14,480 --> 00:14:18,120
or retired military people
that have put a lot of bullets downrange

285
00:14:18,120 --> 00:14:20,640
and and have had a lot
of training experiences

286
00:14:20,640 --> 00:14:22,600
and a lot of real world experience,

287
00:14:22,600 --> 00:14:25,720
because by the time you get to the point
where you're hanging your shingle out

288
00:14:25,720 --> 00:14:30,960
and traveling the country and the world
as a trainer, if you're an idiot

289
00:14:30,960 --> 00:14:34,080
or a jackass, you're not going to last
very long at that.

290
00:14:34,080 --> 00:14:39,320
So if a guy's been doing it for 15 years,
that right there kind of vets them as

291
00:14:39,480 --> 00:14:42,920
they've got some kind of worth in the
in the world of training.

292
00:14:43,080 --> 00:14:45,920
Either that
or they're pulling the greatest scam ever.

293
00:14:45,920 --> 00:14:49,800
But generally, you know, if you survive 2
or 3 years on the road, teaching

294
00:14:49,800 --> 00:14:53,400
full time,
means you've got something of value for,

295
00:14:53,880 --> 00:14:57,000
enough folks
that you can make a business out of it.

296
00:14:57,480 --> 00:15:00,600
And then the probably the top tier
is the academy.

297
00:15:00,600 --> 00:15:04,280
So gunsight is the world's
oldest and largest shooting school,

298
00:15:04,480 --> 00:15:07,480
because I was just staying
with Ken Campbell and I heard it 50 times.

299
00:15:07,480 --> 00:15:09,720
But it's true to me. It's the mothership.

300
00:15:09,720 --> 00:15:11,440
It's where everything else flows from.

301
00:15:11,440 --> 00:15:13,960
But you've got, Clint Smith and,

302
00:15:15,760 --> 00:15:18,760
Thunder Ranch.

303
00:15:18,880 --> 00:15:19,560
I'm not sure

304
00:15:19,560 --> 00:15:22,640
that one out by Vegas now
it's gone through a couple of iterations.

305
00:15:23,680 --> 00:15:26,640
Sig Academy, there's a number of these,

306
00:15:26,640 --> 00:15:31,480
academies that if you're doing it
full time and you have a physical location

307
00:15:31,480 --> 00:15:34,680
with full time trainers again,

308
00:15:34,880 --> 00:15:38,040
nothing's a guarantee
and there's no certification.

309
00:15:38,040 --> 00:15:41,040
But if they're doing that
and they've done it for a number of years,

310
00:15:41,600 --> 00:15:44,160
they're probably really good
at what they do.

311
00:15:44,160 --> 00:15:47,040
So that's kind of the way
if you're looking at training

312
00:15:47,040 --> 00:15:52,920
and I would suggest start out, I wouldn't
suggest, first time spend all the money

313
00:15:52,920 --> 00:15:56,480
and time and energy to get to gunsight
as your first class, if you can.

314
00:15:56,480 --> 00:15:57,120
That's great.

315
00:15:57,120 --> 00:16:01,480
You will have a life changing experience,
but start with that weekend class

316
00:16:01,480 --> 00:16:05,280
at the local range with somebody you feel
like is going to be a decent instructor,

317
00:16:05,400 --> 00:16:08,360
so you least know which end of the gun
to point down range, how

318
00:16:08,360 --> 00:16:11,360
not to, you know,
put it in your ear and pull the trigger.

319
00:16:11,520 --> 00:16:15,320
Get those basics down and then kind of
work your way up up the tiers,

320
00:16:16,240 --> 00:16:18,280
your thoughts
on this kind of tier structure

321
00:16:18,280 --> 00:16:21,240
and where where the different trainers
fall. You're right.

322
00:16:21,240 --> 00:16:24,640
It's it's more of a crapshoot
when you're talking locally.

323
00:16:25,400 --> 00:16:28,360
But that doesn't mean there's not good
local trainers because.

324
00:16:28,360 --> 00:16:29,760
Exactly.

325
00:16:29,760 --> 00:16:31,840
I mean, I have some in this Joplin area.

326
00:16:31,840 --> 00:16:34,280
They're well respected by people.

327
00:16:34,280 --> 00:16:37,280
Yeah, they tend to be on the modest side,

328
00:16:37,600 --> 00:16:40,200
you know,
they don't wave their arms and yell,

329
00:16:41,440 --> 00:16:43,480
that's that's a real key note.

330
00:16:43,480 --> 00:16:47,800
If they're waving their arms and yelling,
you know, you have to leave that that

331
00:16:47,800 --> 00:16:52,440
second tier though, the the retired law
enforcement retired, you know, whatever.

332
00:16:53,760 --> 00:16:56,760
They can be a crapshoot, though,
because there's

333
00:16:57,880 --> 00:17:00,720
they tend to get fanboys.

334
00:17:00,720 --> 00:17:02,000
Exactly.

335
00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:06,560
And so they'll be a guy
and I mean, I've attended him.

336
00:17:06,560 --> 00:17:09,920
You go there and he's the tiger McHugh
is like this very soft

337
00:17:09,920 --> 00:17:13,800
spoken, very knowledgeable,
very supportive.

338
00:17:13,880 --> 00:17:16,880
A very much a teacher, you know,

339
00:17:17,400 --> 00:17:20,560
but then you get a guy
who's a former seal,

340
00:17:21,560 --> 00:17:25,480
and they come out on the range
and they run like a military unit,

341
00:17:26,080 --> 00:17:27,080
you know, and there's, like,

342
00:17:27,080 --> 00:17:31,200
yelling at you, and you will re holster
on my command and burglary, you know.

343
00:17:31,400 --> 00:17:34,400
Well, if it's Sam and Suzy Homemaker
just wants to learn how to shoot

344
00:17:34,400 --> 00:17:39,120
their notorious revolver,
you know, those guys can be intimidating.

345
00:17:40,040 --> 00:17:43,400
But having said that, now,
they may also have the fan club with them

346
00:17:43,400 --> 00:17:47,400
where they're all geared up
and tactical up and shooting,

347
00:17:47,400 --> 00:17:49,240
you know, and everything, and that's fine.

348
00:17:49,240 --> 00:17:51,320
That gives them something to do.
They should go do that.

349
00:17:51,320 --> 00:17:54,960
But I don't think that's how it is
or how it needs to be.

350
00:17:55,480 --> 00:17:56,120
You know, when,

351
00:17:57,120 --> 00:17:57,480
gosh,

352
00:17:57,480 --> 00:18:01,360
after the first Gulf War,
and I got to know Clint Smith,

353
00:18:01,360 --> 00:18:04,440
he was had just,
just barely started at Thunder Ranch.

354
00:18:04,760 --> 00:18:09,080
And, he said I would,
he said, Mark my word.

355
00:18:09,800 --> 00:18:12,240
He said, when, when these guys

356
00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:15,480
come back, we're going to see an explosion

357
00:18:15,960 --> 00:18:18,960
and tactical training schools.

358
00:18:19,440 --> 00:18:22,520
I mean, because at the time
it was really Gunsight and Thunder Ranch.

359
00:18:22,680 --> 00:18:27,000
I mean, you know, there might have been 1
or 2 other ones, but those were the two.

360
00:18:27,480 --> 00:18:29,080
You know, they kind of wrote the book.

361
00:18:29,080 --> 00:18:32,080
They were the format. And,

362
00:18:32,480 --> 00:18:34,440
and sure enough,

363
00:18:34,440 --> 00:18:37,480
you know, as the first Gulf War
have a second Gulf War happened,

364
00:18:37,920 --> 00:18:43,040
the chat show got flooded with AR fifteens
and body armor and night vision

365
00:18:43,080 --> 00:18:46,320
gear and all that,
and then all of these little one man

366
00:18:46,320 --> 00:18:49,440
schools that are kind of you're
talking about the second tier kind of,

367
00:18:50,120 --> 00:18:53,280
all started to open up
and most of them were traveling.

368
00:18:53,280 --> 00:18:56,920
And so they would what they would do is
they would contact local rangers and say,

369
00:18:56,920 --> 00:19:01,280
I will go there and do a one day
class, a two day class, a three day rifle.

370
00:19:01,280 --> 00:19:06,000
Class,
and then you invite the people, you know,

371
00:19:06,000 --> 00:19:10,640
I show up, I teach, I get a percentage,
and then it's on to the next one.

372
00:19:10,920 --> 00:19:11,680
Right?

373
00:19:11,680 --> 00:19:15,240
So the only defense you have
there is good vetting.

374
00:19:15,240 --> 00:19:15,800
And so

375
00:19:16,800 --> 00:19:19,360
here you need to, to,

376
00:19:19,360 --> 00:19:22,280
search for students,
see if they have a website,

377
00:19:22,280 --> 00:19:24,200
see what kind of comments they have.

378
00:19:24,200 --> 00:19:26,280
You know,

379
00:19:26,280 --> 00:19:30,400
and then just leap off the cliff and go.

380
00:19:30,640 --> 00:19:35,280
But I would definitely stay locally
if you really are brand new to it.

381
00:19:36,160 --> 00:19:38,960
Because as Brant said, I think,

382
00:19:38,960 --> 00:19:41,960
I think if you went to gun site
and took their

383
00:19:42,240 --> 00:19:45,240
what's their first class
called the two 5250,

384
00:19:46,720 --> 00:19:50,280
you would have to have a good gun
and a good holster, ammunition.

385
00:19:50,520 --> 00:19:54,960
And to me, yes, you could show up
there never having fired the gun at all.

386
00:19:55,320 --> 00:19:58,320
And but I think
if you had at least some experience

387
00:19:58,920 --> 00:20:04,240
and that would be a much better experience
for you either way, if you're brand new,

388
00:20:04,240 --> 00:20:07,240
I would really recommend
that you seek training out locally.

389
00:20:07,960 --> 00:20:10,600
Probably someplace with an indoor range.

390
00:20:10,600 --> 00:20:13,320
Just get,
you know, your gun handling skills

391
00:20:13,320 --> 00:20:16,440
up, you know, get sight
picture, trigger squeeze.

392
00:20:16,440 --> 00:20:20,760
Understand how you put a target
up on a target backing board.

393
00:20:22,200 --> 00:20:24,960
When do you pick up your brass?

394
00:20:24,960 --> 00:20:26,800
How do you carry spare ammunition?

395
00:20:26,800 --> 00:20:30,960
When you're on the range,
you just learn all those basic things.

396
00:20:31,680 --> 00:20:34,080
And then,
I mean, you can learn a lot of that

397
00:20:34,080 --> 00:20:37,200
with one class,
but then once you get that foundation,

398
00:20:38,160 --> 00:20:42,360
now you'll know either
you want to go more, right?

399
00:20:42,720 --> 00:20:45,440
Or maybe that was enough.

400
00:20:45,440 --> 00:20:50,480
And so now you take whoever local guys
second class, you know,

401
00:20:50,760 --> 00:20:54,040
and they may they usually have 2 or 3 or 4
or 5 classes, you know,

402
00:20:54,320 --> 00:20:59,160
they may do two handguns and then they may
have introduction to the AR 15,

403
00:20:59,680 --> 00:21:02,920
and then they may have introduction
to the combat shotgun.

404
00:21:03,280 --> 00:21:05,040
Right.

405
00:21:05,040 --> 00:21:08,320
So and if they have weekend

406
00:21:08,320 --> 00:21:11,520
competitions at their indoor range,
you know, casual

407
00:21:11,960 --> 00:21:15,440
you know, shooters, steel plates
kind of stuff, I would recommend that too

408
00:21:15,440 --> 00:21:16,280
because you'll learn a lot.

409
00:21:17,800 --> 00:21:19,800
And let's talk about this,

410
00:21:19,800 --> 00:21:23,360
kind of that middle tier
and qualifications because you're exactly

411
00:21:23,360 --> 00:21:28,480
right that after we've had a shooting war,
a lot of the guys that got to put a

412
00:21:28,480 --> 00:21:33,840
lot of rounds down range and in real world
think, well, I, I but what do I know?

413
00:21:33,840 --> 00:21:36,480
Oh, I know how to tear stuff up
and I know how to shoot.

414
00:21:36,480 --> 00:21:38,080
So that's the. Thing. Yeah.

415
00:21:38,080 --> 00:21:40,120
I can't find a job tearing stuff up.

416
00:21:40,120 --> 00:21:42,920
So I'm going to I'm going
to become a traveling trainer.

417
00:21:42,920 --> 00:21:45,520
And again, some of those guys are great.

418
00:21:45,520 --> 00:21:50,240
Some of those guys, are only still
in business because of their fanboys.

419
00:21:50,640 --> 00:21:53,320
And, you know, when when I start talking

420
00:21:53,320 --> 00:21:56,360
or I see things posted on the internet
if it's.

421
00:21:56,360 --> 00:21:59,360
Well, he's
he was a Navy Seal and he was Delta

422
00:21:59,360 --> 00:22:03,240
and he was,
you know, a PJ and the ninja squirrel and

423
00:22:04,240 --> 00:22:07,240
that that means nothing because,

424
00:22:07,520 --> 00:22:11,200
the higher you rise on that hierarchy
in the military,

425
00:22:11,880 --> 00:22:14,680
in terms of operational,
yeah, you probably have more training

426
00:22:14,680 --> 00:22:17,760
opportunities, you have more actual
shooting opportunities.

427
00:22:18,400 --> 00:22:21,720
But that doesn't mean
you know how to instruct.

428
00:22:22,160 --> 00:22:26,080
And the other caution I would make
is in the civilian

429
00:22:26,320 --> 00:22:30,480
meaning law and civilian law enforcement,
nonmilitary.

430
00:22:31,240 --> 00:22:35,680
If if it's one thing to clear a house
by tossing in a couple of frags

431
00:22:35,680 --> 00:22:41,160
and doing a mag dump, that doesn't go so
well when you're at the supermarket

432
00:22:41,440 --> 00:22:44,920
and you've got to pull your revolver
and defend your life.

433
00:22:45,240 --> 00:22:49,280
So make sure the person you know
they may be a Delta

434
00:22:49,280 --> 00:22:52,920
ninja secret squirrel with the 1500 kills.

435
00:22:53,320 --> 00:22:56,880
But if they don't understand,
we're not in Afghanistan

436
00:22:56,880 --> 00:22:59,880
or Syria or wherever.

437
00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:02,520
That skill set, the trigger pull

438
00:23:02,520 --> 00:23:05,760
certainly does, but everything around
it doesn't apply.

439
00:23:05,760 --> 00:23:10,280
So you've got to be careful of that
and don't get enamored with Navy Seals.

440
00:23:10,640 --> 00:23:14,520
So don't just assume
because a guy's a former Seal.

441
00:23:15,120 --> 00:23:17,320
That means that he knows what he's doing.

442
00:23:17,320 --> 00:23:18,680
Other special ops.

443
00:23:18,680 --> 00:23:23,560
Again, it you just got to be a little bit
educated and see through the hype, but,

444
00:23:24,160 --> 00:23:26,840
that's where the hype tends
to cloud people's judgment,

445
00:23:26,840 --> 00:23:28,880
especially if you're younger
and less experienced.

446
00:23:28,880 --> 00:23:31,960
Well, this guy was,
you know, seven tours, Navy Seal.

447
00:23:32,320 --> 00:23:34,480
Well, that didn't mean he hit anything.

448
00:23:34,480 --> 00:23:36,600
It just mean
he didn't get hit in return fire.

449
00:23:36,600 --> 00:23:38,360
So so be aware of that.

450
00:23:38,360 --> 00:23:40,320
And as far as law enforcement goes,

451
00:23:41,480 --> 00:23:44,480
you know, if a guy is experienced, great.

452
00:23:44,600 --> 00:23:47,280
But again, make sure that they can teach

453
00:23:47,280 --> 00:23:50,280
because I've known a lot of guys,
as has Roy, that are,

454
00:23:51,320 --> 00:23:53,240
firearms instructors and law enforcement.

455
00:23:53,240 --> 00:23:57,120
And again, they're not the person
I would send my daughter

456
00:23:57,120 --> 00:24:00,120
or my wife to in a class.

457
00:24:00,480 --> 00:24:02,200
Well,
and that's you brought up a good point,

458
00:24:02,200 --> 00:24:05,680
which I've had a lot of people say,
oh, my friend who's a cop says that

459
00:24:06,240 --> 00:24:07,200
I should buy this guy.

460
00:24:07,200 --> 00:24:09,320
And he said, he'll show me how to shoot.

461
00:24:09,320 --> 00:24:10,680
No and no.

462
00:24:10,680 --> 00:24:11,400
You're there.

463
00:24:11,400 --> 00:24:11,640
Yeah.

464
00:24:11,640 --> 00:24:13,320
There are cops who know how to shoot,

465
00:24:13,320 --> 00:24:15,720
and there are cops
who are trainers on their agency,

466
00:24:15,720 --> 00:24:18,040
and they're good teachers,
and there's nothing wrong with that.

467
00:24:18,040 --> 00:24:20,680
And if you find one,
you know, count your blessings.

468
00:24:21,840 --> 00:24:24,840
But just because they're a cop
doesn't mean they know about guns.

469
00:24:25,040 --> 00:24:28,800
And and, you know, the the whole it's

470
00:24:28,800 --> 00:24:31,800
like in a home defense shooting,
people have this imaginary,

471
00:24:32,720 --> 00:24:36,200
picture in their brain
and is that they wake up at nighttime

472
00:24:36,200 --> 00:24:39,240
and the house is dark,
and they go down the hallway

473
00:24:39,240 --> 00:24:43,560
and there's a shadowy figure backlit,
standing with the knife held up like this.

474
00:24:43,560 --> 00:24:44,280
Right.

475
00:24:44,280 --> 00:24:48,760
And then they magically have their gun
and they shoot him and he falls down.

476
00:24:49,400 --> 00:24:51,840
And then the police come
and they shake his hand

477
00:24:51,840 --> 00:24:54,760
and they say, what a hero he is
and all that, you know?

478
00:24:54,760 --> 00:24:58,240
And so it's it's never like that again.

479
00:24:58,440 --> 00:25:02,320
But but people are enamored
with the Navy Seals, and they're enamored

480
00:25:02,320 --> 00:25:07,800
with that sort of the idea of being a hero
and things like that, you know?

481
00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:09,400
And so you need to

482
00:25:10,720 --> 00:25:12,040
not do that.

483
00:25:12,040 --> 00:25:15,040
I mean, concentrate on don't
shoot yourself in the foot.

484
00:25:15,440 --> 00:25:18,880
I was
I was attending a basic handgun class

485
00:25:19,080 --> 00:25:22,200
at Thunder Ranch in the middle 90s,
I suppose.

486
00:25:22,960 --> 00:25:25,480
And there's nothing wrong
with attending a basic class,

487
00:25:25,480 --> 00:25:27,600
even if you already attended
a basic class.

488
00:25:27,600 --> 00:25:31,560
It's a really good idea because it gets
you well grounded in the basics.

489
00:25:31,560 --> 00:25:31,920
Again.

490
00:25:31,920 --> 00:25:35,160
And as as Clint used to say,
you know, advanced

491
00:25:35,360 --> 00:25:38,800
advanced tactics are just the basics
applied, you know?

492
00:25:38,800 --> 00:25:39,600
And he's right.

493
00:25:39,600 --> 00:25:42,760
But I remember we were on the range
and it was gravel.

494
00:25:42,760 --> 00:25:45,320
And I think I've told this story
once or twice before,

495
00:25:45,320 --> 00:25:49,080
but I'm going to tell it again
because it proves a point.

496
00:25:49,080 --> 00:25:52,880
And that is
it was like the end of day one.

497
00:25:52,880 --> 00:25:56,560
So really at this point
it's it's how to draw your gun,

498
00:25:56,560 --> 00:26:00,400
how to loaded, how to manipulate it,
how to shoot the target at seven yards,

499
00:26:00,960 --> 00:26:03,680
know how to scan a little bit, don't shoot
your neighbor.

500
00:26:03,680 --> 00:26:05,600
Don't shoot yourself in the foot.

501
00:26:05,600 --> 00:26:07,960
You know that kind of stuff.

502
00:26:07,960 --> 00:26:10,960
And we had a lot
of really first timers in the class.

503
00:26:11,200 --> 00:26:13,920
And so I was talking to Clint
and he was like, hey, yeah, this.

504
00:26:13,920 --> 00:26:16,760
And we're doing that and this your crunch,
crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch.

505
00:26:16,760 --> 00:26:17,760
This guy comes up.

506
00:26:17,760 --> 00:26:20,640
And he had already established himself
that first day.

507
00:26:20,640 --> 00:26:23,640
He was a geek, nerd, wannabe idiot. Yeah.

508
00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:25,680
That guy, that guy. Yeah.

509
00:26:25,680 --> 00:26:27,440
And he's like all geared up
and everything.

510
00:26:27,440 --> 00:26:29,160
17 magazines and all that.

511
00:26:29,160 --> 00:26:30,720
And he said he was waiting.

512
00:26:30,720 --> 00:26:32,760
You could tell
he was like, almost out of breath

513
00:26:32,760 --> 00:26:33,800
because he couldn't wait any more.

514
00:26:33,800 --> 00:26:36,640
Finally, he just blurted out, oh, Mr.

515
00:26:36,640 --> 00:26:37,640
Smith, what are we going to do?

516
00:26:37,640 --> 00:26:40,640
Like the,
you know, like the kitchen doors and,

517
00:26:40,640 --> 00:26:44,680
you know, like roll and get up and engage
multiple targets

518
00:26:44,680 --> 00:26:48,080
and all, you know, I mean, I think that's
I think it's really important.

519
00:26:48,080 --> 00:26:49,240
I want to know that stuff.

520
00:26:49,240 --> 00:26:51,920
And I remember Clint just like, sighed.

521
00:26:51,920 --> 00:26:52,920
And he looked at me.

522
00:26:54,480 --> 00:26:57,480
They looked at the sky and he said,

523
00:26:57,560 --> 00:27:00,560
what do you do for a living?

524
00:27:00,760 --> 00:27:02,960
Because of course, most of these people,
they're bank tellers.

525
00:27:02,960 --> 00:27:03,840
And who knows why.

526
00:27:03,840 --> 00:27:06,000
Nobody here was a ninja, right?

527
00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:10,080
And I kid you not, he this guy was Arthur
Murray, dance instructor.

528
00:27:10,560 --> 00:27:13,480
And I didn't even believe
there was such a thing.

529
00:27:13,480 --> 00:27:15,920
But he was right.

530
00:27:15,920 --> 00:27:19,000
And if you picture that in your mind,
that's exactly what he was.

531
00:27:19,520 --> 00:27:21,120
And Clint kind of smiled.

532
00:27:21,120 --> 00:27:23,600
He says, I'll make a deal.

533
00:27:23,600 --> 00:27:28,440
Let's just concentrate on learning how
not to shoot yourself or your neighbor.

534
00:27:29,440 --> 00:27:32,560
And let's concentrate on learning
how to load your gun safely

535
00:27:32,560 --> 00:27:34,480
and unload your gun safely.

536
00:27:34,480 --> 00:27:37,480
And we'll worry about that
other stuff later.

537
00:27:37,600 --> 00:27:39,720
And it was like dejected, turn around.

538
00:27:39,720 --> 00:27:41,520
Crunch, crunch
crunch crunch. Back to the thing.

539
00:27:42,560 --> 00:27:46,280
But, I saw that repeated many times,

540
00:27:46,520 --> 00:27:50,800
you know, and, so
just if you want to do that, that's fine.

541
00:27:50,800 --> 00:27:53,360
But you get the basics and, you know,

542
00:27:53,360 --> 00:27:55,920
and then learn how to do it from somebody
reputable.

543
00:27:55,920 --> 00:27:58,200
Well, it's very much like driving a car.

544
00:27:58,200 --> 00:28:01,240
You wouldn't throw the keys
to your Ferrari,

545
00:28:01,560 --> 00:28:05,160
to your 16 year old
who just got a driver's license that day.

546
00:28:05,160 --> 00:28:06,880
So go have fun.

547
00:28:06,880 --> 00:28:08,240
Yeah, it happens occasionally.

548
00:28:08,240 --> 00:28:11,240
And then you see it on the news
because of what happens.

549
00:28:11,400 --> 00:28:16,800
So, you know, get some experience,
maybe take another driving class.

550
00:28:16,800 --> 00:28:18,200
Then you go to bond different.

551
00:28:18,200 --> 00:28:22,080
And, you know, then your, you know
and your weekend racing.

552
00:28:22,240 --> 00:28:23,560
It's the same thing with guns.

553
00:28:23,560 --> 00:28:27,480
You got to start out crawl, walk, run.

554
00:28:27,640 --> 00:28:28,840
Reputable instructors.

555
00:28:28,840 --> 00:28:32,360
And you know,
my mantra is I'm always training.

556
00:28:32,360 --> 00:28:34,280
I'm taking classes all the time.

557
00:28:34,280 --> 00:28:38,280
I'm forever a student because as we
said, it's a perishable skill and you'll

558
00:28:38,280 --> 00:28:41,840
always learn something,
even if it is, I'm never going

559
00:28:41,840 --> 00:28:44,960
to go around that guy
or that class ever again

560
00:28:45,200 --> 00:28:48,480
will pick something up, and it reinforces
the good skills you have.

561
00:28:48,480 --> 00:28:49,680
And in closing,

562
00:28:51,160 --> 00:28:54,160
one thing I will say the hardest thing
for a student to do,

563
00:28:54,400 --> 00:28:57,480
and this doesn't matter
whether you're a complete novice

564
00:28:57,480 --> 00:29:00,840
or you've got a lot of time under
your belt, is the idea

565
00:29:00,840 --> 00:29:03,840
that if if they're not being safe,

566
00:29:04,120 --> 00:29:05,320
walk away.

567
00:29:05,320 --> 00:29:08,040
And the instances
of putting students down.

568
00:29:08,040 --> 00:29:10,080
But usually it's more subtle than that.

569
00:29:10,080 --> 00:29:13,800
It's an instructor
that will sweep the class with his muzzle.

570
00:29:14,160 --> 00:29:16,720
And while it's unloaded, I don't care.

571
00:29:16,720 --> 00:29:18,120
I don't want to be swept by a muzzle.

572
00:29:18,120 --> 00:29:21,960
Now, the counterpoint to that is the guys
that when the gun is fully taken apart

573
00:29:22,160 --> 00:29:25,680
while the barrel was pointing
my direction, it's fine, it's okay.

574
00:29:25,680 --> 00:29:29,880
But when when instructors demonstrate
things and they point at the students

575
00:29:30,120 --> 00:29:34,200
without using a red gun, a plastic gun,
something like that, a special situation.

576
00:29:34,400 --> 00:29:37,400
But when they're casually
just sweeping the crowd or

577
00:29:37,560 --> 00:29:40,600
or you see students
that are continually sweeping,

578
00:29:41,280 --> 00:29:44,360
and doing stupid stuff like that
and nothing's being done about it.

579
00:29:45,120 --> 00:29:49,560
Your highest duty in life at that point
is to say, I'm out of here, I'm done.

580
00:29:49,800 --> 00:29:52,440
And if the the instructors reputable,
they'll pull your side.

581
00:29:52,440 --> 00:29:54,880
What's the problem? Well,
you know, this happened.

582
00:29:54,880 --> 00:29:55,400
Okay?

583
00:29:55,400 --> 00:29:57,240
If it's a student, I'll take care of it.

584
00:29:57,240 --> 00:29:58,680
If it was me.

585
00:29:58,680 --> 00:30:00,400
My gosh, you know, that's horrible.

586
00:30:00,400 --> 00:30:04,240
Stay around, for a few minutes, and,
you know, we'll correct this.

587
00:30:04,240 --> 00:30:07,560
But if there's a rule that I didn't see
it, I didn't do that.

588
00:30:08,520 --> 00:30:10,720
You need to be out of there. So.

589
00:30:10,720 --> 00:30:14,520
Well, you know, I'd like two more things,
and then I'll be done.

590
00:30:14,760 --> 00:30:20,400
Is, first of all, I don't mean to beat up
the certified NRA fire instructors, okay?

591
00:30:20,640 --> 00:30:24,360
But the reality is, if you were certified

592
00:30:24,360 --> 00:30:28,360
47 years ago, your training isn't current.

593
00:30:28,960 --> 00:30:30,360
It's as simple as that.

594
00:30:30,360 --> 00:30:33,400
You know,
would you want a doctor to operate on you?

595
00:30:33,440 --> 00:30:37,560
Whose last operation he did
was 47 years ago?

596
00:30:37,800 --> 00:30:41,080
Now you want a guy who's current,
who does the work now,

597
00:30:41,440 --> 00:30:44,320
who practices all the time. So.

598
00:30:44,320 --> 00:30:45,440
So having said that,

599
00:30:47,200 --> 00:30:48,840
that doesn't mean there's not good

600
00:30:48,840 --> 00:30:52,520
NRA firearms instructors,
because there are and I've met some

601
00:30:52,800 --> 00:30:56,840
and there are very dedicated people
and they take regular training.

602
00:30:57,840 --> 00:30:59,800
And they are what we need.

603
00:30:59,800 --> 00:31:05,680
And so if you know, some, you know, do
I mean Google NRA firearms instructor

604
00:31:05,680 --> 00:31:09,520
in your area and see what turns up,
you know, you may get up to be lucky.

605
00:31:10,080 --> 00:31:13,560
The other thing I've noticed
is people say,

606
00:31:13,960 --> 00:31:17,520
like they say, oh,
I bought a concealed weapons permit gun.

607
00:31:18,800 --> 00:31:20,640
And, you know, show it to me or something.

608
00:31:20,640 --> 00:31:22,920
I said, well, that's really good.
Have you had any training?

609
00:31:22,920 --> 00:31:24,560
Oh, yeah, I have.

610
00:31:24,560 --> 00:31:25,320
It's like, okay.

611
00:31:25,320 --> 00:31:27,920
What training did you have?

612
00:31:27,920 --> 00:31:30,800
And I can't tell you the number of times
I hear, well,

613
00:31:30,800 --> 00:31:34,840
I did my hunter
safety training when I was 16 years old.

614
00:31:35,960 --> 00:31:39,880
So. So I'm trained now for firearms.

615
00:31:40,200 --> 00:31:42,880
So, you know, it's like you're.

616
00:31:42,880 --> 00:31:44,240
A gunfighter now, aren't?

617
00:31:44,240 --> 00:31:47,400
Yeah. You are not, a trained for firearms.

618
00:31:47,400 --> 00:31:50,560
As a matter of fact, many hunter safety
classes, you don't even shoot a gun.

619
00:31:50,760 --> 00:31:53,760
You don't even pick up a real gun,
you know?

620
00:31:54,040 --> 00:31:55,160
Well, let me just.

621
00:31:55,160 --> 00:31:56,520
Interrupt a sidebar there.

622
00:31:56,520 --> 00:32:00,240
These states where you have to take
mandatory training before

623
00:32:00,240 --> 00:32:02,600
you can get your permit or buy a gun.

624
00:32:02,600 --> 00:32:05,520
I know. Oh, it. Is.

625
00:32:05,520 --> 00:32:08,200
Yeah. Lowest common denominator.
It is not training.

626
00:32:08,200 --> 00:32:10,520
It is a minimum certification.

627
00:32:10,520 --> 00:32:15,120
So don't tout that as your
your training experience for having it.

628
00:32:15,120 --> 00:32:15,360
Yeah.

629
00:32:15,360 --> 00:32:20,280
So and like that's that because I also
hear that with people who take a CCW class

630
00:32:20,280 --> 00:32:24,160
where because of it because they'll say,
well in order to get your permit,

631
00:32:24,160 --> 00:32:28,920
do you have to take this two hour,
you know, proof of competency, CCW

632
00:32:29,080 --> 00:32:31,960
and that and like you say,
no, that's not training.

633
00:32:31,960 --> 00:32:36,280
You know, I mean, because I know people
who show up there with a Ruger 22 pistol,

634
00:32:36,280 --> 00:32:40,920
but their carry gun is a Glock 19,
you know, that they've never fired.

635
00:32:41,200 --> 00:32:44,160
So so that's
I would just be sensible about it.

636
00:32:44,160 --> 00:32:48,360
And and I'm sorry,
NRA certified firearms instructors,

637
00:32:48,600 --> 00:32:51,920
but I think it's also safe for me to say,
you know who you are.

638
00:32:52,280 --> 00:32:53,600
Okay.

639
00:32:53,600 --> 00:32:56,960
And I would say that same thing
about anybody who calls himself a trainer,

640
00:32:57,200 --> 00:32:58,200
but isn't current.

641
00:32:59,280 --> 00:33:00,000
But it

642
00:33:00,000 --> 00:33:03,000
is a challenge, though,
if you're if you're a brand new shooter,

643
00:33:03,040 --> 00:33:06,680
I mean, that would be a hard thing
to, to try to find.

644
00:33:07,240 --> 00:33:10,680
I know I've helped to countless people
to do it, and it's not always easy,

645
00:33:11,040 --> 00:33:14,040
but just stay the course
and don't compromise.

646
00:33:14,040 --> 00:33:14,760
Yeah.

647
00:33:14,760 --> 00:33:16,840
Well, I think the whole going full circle

648
00:33:16,840 --> 00:33:19,840
back to our title,
you know, training is gatekeeping.

649
00:33:19,840 --> 00:33:23,040
I think the, the people that feel that way
are the ones who,

650
00:33:23,320 --> 00:33:26,560
either have unrealistic expectations,
which there's a few of those,

651
00:33:26,800 --> 00:33:28,760
but I think mostly it's that.

652
00:33:28,760 --> 00:33:33,200
Okay, I went down to the local gun store
and the 26 year old, I've had,

653
00:33:33,480 --> 00:33:34,320
lots of training.

654
00:33:34,320 --> 00:33:37,080
And, you know,
you need this gun and you need that,

655
00:33:37,080 --> 00:33:40,080
and you need to learn and make sure you
got your plate carrier and

656
00:33:41,400 --> 00:33:44,840
they walk away going, no, I this
this is this is bad.

657
00:33:44,840 --> 00:33:48,520
So I hope that we get the point
across that

658
00:33:48,960 --> 00:33:52,680
there's those guys
and a few gals like that in the industry,

659
00:33:53,160 --> 00:33:56,800
but there's also a lot of folks
that really want to be a teacher.

660
00:33:56,800 --> 00:33:59,680
And there's a difference
between an instructor and a teacher.

661
00:33:59,680 --> 00:34:03,680
And if you can find a
a teacher of firearms

662
00:34:03,920 --> 00:34:07,200
and then moving on into tactics,
hold that person

663
00:34:07,320 --> 00:34:10,320
with the greatest love and respect,
because those are the people

664
00:34:10,320 --> 00:34:13,720
that you want to associate
with and find more of them

665
00:34:13,800 --> 00:34:17,120
and continue your lifelong
training journey.

666
00:34:17,480 --> 00:34:20,840
So any any final thoughts there?

667
00:34:20,840 --> 00:34:21,880
Right.

668
00:34:21,880 --> 00:34:24,920
Well, if you do that and then someday

669
00:34:24,920 --> 00:34:27,920
you'll be helping somebody else

670
00:34:27,920 --> 00:34:32,080
with their new gun experiences,
you know, because you could say,

671
00:34:33,000 --> 00:34:36,960
I understand I was there,
you know, and here's how you do it.

672
00:34:36,960 --> 00:34:38,400
So that works out.

673
00:34:38,400 --> 00:34:42,000
So all right, make your comments,
I'll read them and respond to them.

674
00:34:42,840 --> 00:34:45,080
Well,
I think we may get some questions too.

675
00:34:45,080 --> 00:34:48,520
So, leave questions down
if you're watching us on YouTube,

676
00:34:48,520 --> 00:34:51,560
of course, you can reach out
via email editor at Guns

677
00:34:51,560 --> 00:34:56,040
podcast.us,
and, we'll do our best to answer them.

678
00:34:56,040 --> 00:34:56,760
And those are the kind of,

679
00:34:58,320 --> 00:35:00,680
comments that I, I do try to answer.

680
00:35:00,680 --> 00:35:04,560
And Roy certainly does when people
have questions on us, questions about,

681
00:35:04,560 --> 00:35:05,480
well, how do I do this?

682
00:35:05,480 --> 00:35:09,720
Or this guy said, I need a plate carrier
for my intro to CCW.

683
00:35:10,640 --> 00:35:14,520
No, no, that's
that's not not necessary, kids.

684
00:35:15,440 --> 00:35:20,720
So we'll we'll do our best to give you
our experience of having been to an awful

685
00:35:20,720 --> 00:35:24,920
lot of classes and having some real world
experience and being trainers ourselves.

686
00:35:24,920 --> 00:35:28,160
So anyway, before we go,
of course we need to get

687
00:35:28,160 --> 00:35:31,160
a quick word in from our sponsor,
Tango Down.

688
00:35:31,240 --> 00:35:34,480
Visit
Tango down.com to explore the full lineup

689
00:35:34,560 --> 00:35:37,880
and sign up for email updates
so you don't miss what's next?

690
00:35:38,520 --> 00:35:41,520
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691
00:35:44,680 --> 00:35:48,400
And I often like to mention
make sure you go to guns magazine.com.

692
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Sign up for our daily email newsletters.

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You can get all this great gun
goodness sent directly to your,

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00:35:56,080 --> 00:35:59,520
email inbox, including, guns podcast, us

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00:35:59,840 --> 00:36:03,200
and all sorts of other, good stuff
for your favorite writers.

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Guns magazine, dot com, and also,
of course, American hand gunner.com.

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Our sister publication.

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So I think we we covered it all.

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00:36:12,200 --> 00:36:15,200
Hopefully
we didn't upset too many people, but

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we're just telling it like we see it.

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And based on earning our gray hair.

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So, find a good instructor, shop around,

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00:36:24,560 --> 00:36:28,320
and be a smart student before
you plunk down that hard earned money.

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But get training,
get professional training.

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So anyway,
I am Brant Wheat, the host of Guns

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00:36:34,280 --> 00:36:37,800
Podcast U.S, of course,
along with my co-host Roy Huntington.

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And as we always say, we wish you to now
get out there and get shooting.

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