National Instructor Trainer John Howard was invited on Tom Gresham's Gun Talk Sunday, August 22. Howard presented information on the NRA's Certified Instructor program. He discussed the necessary steps to attain the status of NRA Certified Instructor.

"We've gotten a good response from your interview," a producer e-mailed Howard. "Many listeners really liked hearing about the training program, but even more liked hearing about how the trainers price and advertise their classes."

Click here to listen to the interview -- Howard begins around 4:44.

"Our courses are considered the national standard," Howard told Gresham at the beginning of the interview. "What we do is we take experienced shooters and provide them with a lesson plan. We set the objectives. We prepare experienced shooters to actually teach and pass on that experience." 

Interested in becoming an NRA Certified Instructor? Learn more here.

From the Wellsville Daily Reporter, a spotlight on the Scio Rod & Gun Club:

Shooting for the disabled at Scio Rod and Gun Club

The Scio Rod and Gun Club is taking aim at helping the disabled get the chance to shoot a rifle.

Tuesday night the club under the direction of President Bill Hadsell and other members, flew the red National Rifle Association (NRA) flag over it firing range to let those around them know that the firing range, located off the Vandermark Road and bordering farm land, was in use.

A line of about 10 disabled riflemen were trying out their aim, some with the Club’s rifles and others, like veteran competition shooter Tracy Schmitt, of Scio, were using their own rifle. His, with a nifty variegated stock, was being sited in using a special (tiny) target. However others, like Steven Weatherell of Friendship, were using regular NRA regulation targets and shooting from a fixed stand at 50 yards.

Schmitt, who is an active member in the Scio Club said, “My being a member kind of shown a light in the club that disabled shooters couldn’t use the old range because the old shooting benches were too high and there was no concrete so we couldn’t get up here to shoot.”

Shooting since he was 12 years old, Schmitt is afflicted with a form of muscular dystrophy and is confined to a wheelchair, however that doesn’t stop him from being a certified instructor by the NRA for rifle, pistol, shotgun and range safety.

Continue reading here.

John Howard, NRA National Instructor Trainer, will check in with Tom Gresham's Gun Talk Radio at 2 p.m. on Sunday, August 22. Gun Talk, which says it's the only nationally-syndicated radio talk show about guns and the shooting sports, features trainers and instructors in an effort to inform its listeners of the options available to them.

John Howard leads the NRA Instructor Training program here at NRA Headquarters in Fairfax, Virginia. This program offers training to those who want to become an NRA firearms instructor, and has produced more than 65,000 instructors, 3,800 coaches, and 1,700 training counselors over the years.

Tune in Sunday afternoon to hear Howard and Tom Gresham discuss the process for becoming an NRA Certified Instructor. It's an interview you won't want to miss.

Tom Gresham's Gun Talk Radio airs live on Sundays from 2 - 5 p.m. EST and runs on 100 stations, plus SIRIUS XM Satellite Radio. Look here for more info.

NRA Certified Instructor and Range Safety Officer Connie Elliot volunteered at the recent Boy Scout Jamboree, where thousands of scouts participated in the shooting sports. Read on for Elliot's story on running the OK Corral air gun range and how introducing young people to shooting became a rewarding experience.

Attending the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) National Jamboree as staff is a different experience than participating as an adult Troop leader. Both have their own merits, however, attending as a staff member and seeing Jamboree emerge from bare land to a city for thousands is exhilarating.

As an NRA Certified Instructor and NRA Range Safety Officer, you see and hear many things while helping on a range. There are those that ask why we would want to give up two weeks of vacation to spend it with scouters and scouts we have never met before. I had the good fortune of being selected as staff for the Venturing Exhibit’s OK Corral and there are Jamboree scouts that have helped change the way I look at our youth today.

The OK Corral consisted of 12 stations where scouts competed against each other by shooting air rifles at five targets. The first scout to knock down all five of their targets won that round and progressed to the darkened indoor range where they experienced shooting the Night Stalker air rifles with lighted scopes. Needless to say, this was a highlight and the scouts that did not win their round scurried back in line to try their shooting skills again and again.

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Here's a note from John Howard, NRA's National Instructor Trainer, on revisions to the FIRST Steps Pistol Lesson Plan.

To keep you up-to-date and to let you know that we are committed to continuously improving the quality levels in all of our programs, we have revised the FIRST Steps Pistol (FSP) lesson plan. In previous FSP lesson plans, the shooting portion required students to repeat the multi-shot exercise until instructors were comfortable with their performance. The vast majority take great pride in their role as NRA Instructors and place very reasonable expectations on their students to ensure they are able to shoot well prior to receiving an NRA Certificate.

Therefore, the objective has worked fine as indicated, until recently. We have been notified on several occasions by students that received a certificate, but did not feel confident in their shooting skills. They indicated that they took the course for their "carry permit" and only fired 15 rounds (or fewer) in their class. The specific revision is on page FSP-40, E-8 and incorporates an actual "skill standard" that must be met by students before moving onto the next step, and most importantly, before receiving an NRA FIRST Steps Pistol course completion certificate.

Watch for this change to be implemented in every NRA Basic Firearm Training course as they become due for reprint. In a nutshell, the optional shooting skill requirement that is currently in the basic practical rocker worksheet will become a standard skill requirement in each basic shooting discipline. People expect a high level of quality from training programs bearing the NRA name, and we cannot lose focus on the goal of any NRA Basic Firearm Training course. "To Teach the Basic Knowledge, Skills, and Attitude to own and use (the specific firearm) safely."

As NRA Instructors, it is imperative that your students feel confident in handling their firearms and that they develop the skill to be able to group their shots in the center of their targets with consistency before they receive your endorsement. We have placed this page at your sign-in screen at NRAInstructors.org under "Useful links for instructors" as FIRST Steps Pistol Revision FSP-40. Please print it and replace it in your FIRST Steps Pistol Lesson plan.

Thanks for the update, John. Have questions? Call NRA's Training Department at 703-267-1428 or send an email to training@nrahq.org.

Remember reading about Refuse To Be A Victim instructor training introducing an online format?

Here's your chance to register for the next online course! National Coordinator Ruthann Sprague and the NRA's Education and Training staff are excited for the change. Almost 75,000 people have attended RTBAV seminars in the last ten years, mostly in community venues like libraries, churches, and community centers. 

With the new online program, these numbers are sure to increase, Sprague tells us. Bring this program to your community in 2010:

Registration is now open for the September 13-27, 2010 session of the Refuse To Be A Victim® Online Instructor Training course. Registration is open until August 30th or until the course reaches its maximum student enrollment. The cost is $250, and you must be at least 18 and without a criminal record to become an instructor. 

 Look here for information and details.

Our Youth Programs Department provides training to several Youth Cooperative Organizations each year, and the Boys Scout of America is no exception. Thanks to NRA Senior Training Counselor Bill Tidwell for the following report on his recent training:

In the beginning of April, Barry Bauer of Herb Bauer Sporting Goods contacted me to see if I would be willing to train a group of Boy Scout leaders an NRA Certified Shotgun Instructor Course. As an NRA Training Counselor, I hold Instructor Courses on a regular basis, so I agreed that if we could come up with a date, I would be glad to teach a class.

Mr. Bauer put me in touch with John Richers of the Sequoia Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Mr. Richers told me that they wanted to hold a course as soon as possible and that they may have as many as thirty people interested in becoming instructors. As the most people I had ever had in an Instructor Course was fifteen, I told him that I was a bit apprehensive about thirty, but if I could arrange for a couple of more Training Counselors to help with the course, that I thought it was possible.

After enlisting the aid of experienced Training Counselors Sam Grow and Jeff Banke, we set a date for the course of June 5 & 6. It was a good thing that Sam and Jeff were available as there were so many people who wanted to sign up for the course that Mr. Richers asked if we had room for ten more Instructor Candidates. Heck, I wasn't sure I could pull off training thirty, so forty shouldn't be a problem.

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Rebecca Peak with our Hunter Services Department let us know some of their programs have news websites: 

Hunter Services Department: www.nrahunterservices.org

Youth Hunter Education Challenge (YHEC): www.nrayhec.org

NRA Great American Hunting and Outdoor Show: www.nrahuntingshow.org

Great American Hunters Tour: www.nragaht.org

Hunter Clinic Instructor Program: www.nrahcip.org

Hunters for the Hungry: www.nrahfh.org

Environment, Conservation, and Hunting Outreach (ECHO): www.nraecho.org

 

Ann Marie Foster, coordinator of Women On Target® Hunts, attended the Stackhouse Park Turkey Clinic a few weekends ago.

The Park's 6th Annual Wild Turkey Hunting Clinic took place Saturday, June 26 at Powell Stackhouse Park in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. NRA Certified Wild Turkey Hunting Instructors Tom Hindman and Mike Horst and Pennsylvania State Game Commission Turkey Biologist Mary Jo Casalena taught the clinic, which Foster estimates had 35 participants.

"There were many repeat attendees, but also a bunch of new faces, including two reporters from the Tribune Democrat," Foster reports. Read the Tribune Democrat article profiling Hindman here. "The turnout was great, and the weather was  great. It was a successful clinic."

Foster, an experienced hunter, is somewhat new to turkey hunting. Did anything surprise her? "I learned so much about the biology of the turkey," Foster said. "We talked a lot about turkey behavior in heavy snow like we had this past winter."

"It was a big topic of discussion – what do turkeys do in three feet of snow? They go to treetops, and stay that course until the deer break through the snow."

For more information on NRA’s Hunter Services Department or NRA’s Hunter Clinic Instructor Program, see www.nrahq.org/hunting or call (703) 267-1524.

 

Of all the exciting new gear rolled out by the folks at NRAstore™, this shooter's cap might be our favorite:

NRA Certified Firearms Instructor shooter's cap

Designed specifically with NRA instructors in mind, our Shooter’s Cap is composed of soft, comfortable brushed cotton twill. It’s unstructured with a lower than average profile, and we’ve removed the top button to prevent discomfort when worn with hearing protection. The NRA Certified Firearms Instructor logo is beautifully embroidered on the front with “Instructor” embroidered across the back in blue. A Velcro® closure ensures that one size fits most. Available in Red or Tan. 

The caps are available at the NRAstore™ for $14.95. For more information, visit www.nrastore.com or call 1-888-607-6007. Be sure to request a copy of the NRAstore™ catalog!

NRA’s Training Department is always busy running a bevy of firearms training programs, and three staff members recently traveled to North Carolina and New Mexico to add to our cadre of trainers. Thanks to our own Steve Hoback for the following report:

On June 22-24, Mark Richardson and Steve Hoback with NRA’s Training Department conducted Chief Range Safety Officer Training for a group of 28 Wildlife Enforcement Officers and Hunter Education Specialists from the North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission (NCWRC). The three day training covered the NRA Range Safety Officer (RSO) Course, Basic Instructor Training, and the Chief Range Safety Officer Course.

The training was initially coordinated through Moe Aguilar with NRA’s Hunter Services Department, and Travis Casper, NCWRC Coordinator/ Assistant Hunter Education Coordinator and YHEC volunteer. NCWRC identified the need for all of their personnel involved in firearms instruction to be certified as Range Safety Officers, and the training was coordinated to make the program as self-sustaining as possible. By having a core cadre of Chief Range Safety Officers, the NCWRC can conduct training and certify their own RSOs as needed.

The training was held at the North Carolina Division of Forest Resources Mountain Training Facility’s B.H. Corpening Forestry Training Center in Crossnore, NC. The facility offered a modern classroom, lodging and dining all at one location, allowing training time to be maximized.

Across the country in Albuquerque, New Mexico, NRA Instructor Program Coordinator Andy Lander provided RSO training to 12 volunteers with the NRA National Junior Air Gun Championships to help work the firing line during the competition and serve as RSOs at their local gun clubs.

Thanks for the report, Steve! Interested in training for your organization? Call (703) 267-1428 or send an email to training@nrahq.org.

One of NRA’s most popular programs is Refuse To Be A Victim® (RTBAV), which trains instructors to teach important personal safety tips for home, public places, and even overseas travel. One of RTBAV’s newest instructors is Melita Ellington, who lives in the Atlanta area and received her RTBAV training at the 2010 Annual Meeting in Charlotte.

Ellington told NRAblog she’s “super excited about my involvement with the NRA and its programs, especially those designed for the advancement of women in firearms safety and personal protection.” While RTBAV became a co-educational program in 1997 and seminars are open to anyone, many instructors cater to female audiences. “I believe women are often targeted more than men, and will therefore place more emphasis on a female-focused seminar,"  Ellington said.

Ellington began to pursue her interest in firearms by registering with Georgia for a concealed carry permit in 2004. In 2008 she attended a women’s action pistol camp called Babes with Bullets™. “It was at this awesome immersion-style camp that I really began to understand the need for training in my area,” Ellington explained. An NRA member since 2008, she was inspired to reach out to other women by founding Magnolia Defense Enterprises LLC, which teaches women both pistol skills and personal defense tactics.

Completing the RTBAV training course, Ellington said, was a fun experience that greatly expanded her personal safety expertise: “I learned so many things during the seminar, such as the difference between tear gas, mace and pepper spray; travel tips like hiding personal information on luggage tags by turning them backwards; and using light timers while away on vacation.” More...

NRA member and Dublin, Ireland, resident Declan Keogh became an NRA Certified Instructor in 2002. Keogh has taught Basic and First Steps Pistol courses for the past 8 years. In April 2008 he travelled to Melbourne, FL, and took an NRA Training Couselor course. He has since qualified 28 individuals from various clubs in Ireland and Northern Ireland as NRA Certified Instructors.

NRAblog would like to thank Keogh for sharing the following photos and report:

Having access to a number of Certified instructors helped facilitate the recent NRA Women on Target Program that was run in Ireland on June 19, 2010. The National Association of Sporting Rifle and Pistol clubs is an association which facilitates National and International participation in competitive shooting events and has almost all of the rifle and pistol clubs in Ireland affiliated to it, the NASRPC provided the funding to allow for the course to be provided free of charge to the participants.

Through cooperation with Elizabeth Hellmann of Women on Target®, a plan was put in place in May to run the first WOT program in Ireland. The venue chosen was Hilltop Sporting Club, which is based near Newtownmountkennedy in the heart of Wicklow, famous for its beautiful scenery and deer hunting opportunities. Hilltop Sporting Club is a very well developed shooting facility with indoor and outdoor pistol ranges, bench rest rifle, shotgun with compact sporting, Olympic trap and DTL. The Hilltop Sporting club has a large membership drawn from the local community.

The WOT program was facilitated by Hilltop Sporting Club who provided the use of their indoor classroom facility and indoor pistol range for free. More...

Rosemary Herr, manager of NRA Women’s Programs, forwarded this piece to us. “This wasn’t an NRA or Women’s Programs event, but it illustrates what some of our innovative NRA Certified Instructors are doing,” she said. Photos and story by NRA Certified Instructor Jim Overman.

What would you say to your future daughter-in-law when she says, “I want to do something different for my bachelorette party. Would you mind taking us shooting?”

Well, that’s how I started out with Girls, Guns and Tea. What a novel idea! Originally she wanted to take her girl friends for tea only at one of the local museums, but then decided on something a little different, so I started to put the plan in motion. As an NRA and Hunter Education instructor, I have a great relationship with the local public range – Angeles Ranges, located in the San Fernando Valley. I called the office and booked a private range for the day of the event. I told them what I was attempting to do and they were more than accommodating.

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One of the NRA’s most successful educational programs is Refuse To Be A Victim® (RTBAV), an informative and engaging personal safety course. Now, those who wish to become instructors may train online.

NRAblog spoke with Ruthann Sprague, our Refuse To Be A Victim® Coordinator. At right, Sprague addresses students at NRA HQ.

The idea for an online training course came about, Sprague said, because “in order to be trained as an instructor, you have to attend an instructional development workshop, which has to be taught by a regional counselor, and we have areas of the country where we don’t have regional counselors. So to serve the needs of those who aren’t located within a convenient distance, we decided that an online course would be very helpful.”

Also, many RTBAV instructors are people in the military who see the program as a great community service on their bases. “With their schedules and deployments and such, they had less of an opportunity to attend instructor training, and we wanted to fulfill that need,” Sprague explained.

While RTBAV operates under the umbrella of NRA’s Women’s Programs, it became co-educational in 1997, because “everyone in general, and men after those first few years, saw the benefit of the information we provided.”

According to Sprague, anyone from junior-high students to senior citizens is ideal for the course, a four-hour seminar that gives the attendees information on their personal safety and how to be less likely to become a victim of a crime.

Fortunately, with the new online Instructor Development Workshop, Sprague is confident that “it’s going to greatly increase our growth, since we’ll be able to have instructors in areas we’ve never had before.” Almost 75,000 people have attended RTBAV seminars in the last ten years, mostly in community venues like libraries, churches, and community centers, Sprague said. “A lot of our ranges and different clubs that are already NRA affiliates are already having seminars there as well,” she added.

With the new online program, these numbers are sure to increase, and if you’d like to train to be an instructor or attend a seminar in your area, email refuse@nrahq.org or visit www.nrahq.org/rtbav. The cost is $250, and you must be at least 18 and without a criminal record to become an instructor.

RTBAV consultants put a lot of time into the design of this online course. “We used the model of a college course, so there’s assessments, assignments, and accessibility,” Sprague said. “We’ve tried to cover all of the bases so that the participants are good, strong instructors when they’re done.”