Firearms Training- WHERE DO I START?

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Where do I start as a new person in firearms training? How do I find the right instructor?

When it comes to firearms training, who we go to matters the most. 
Would you trust a guy in a hotel room with dental equipment to fix your crowns?
The same thoughts about that should apply to firearms training as well.  Just because someone owns 5 handguns, 4 shotguns, and 3 AR-style rifles does not make them an expert in training, it just means they own 12 different firearms. 

        A certified instructor means they took the time to learn about firearms, safety, and how to train you.  It also means that if they are going to be educating others, they need to be insured. Growing into adulthood with limited experiences, I had a lot to learn and I am still learning 30 years forward.

  In my history of learning, I learned from retired police, and retired veterans as well as a civilian instructor. Whom did I trust the most?  All of them, but not until I stepped into their class or private lesson as a student.   It was not until then I gained respect for them all for I know now that all of their intentions were for my benefit, one thing it lacked was personalization, but that is not how they were taught to teach.  

You see, my needs were specific in regards that concealed carry being my preferred method of carry, even though we have here in Pennsylvania, Open Carry laws.   Not many taught anyone how to do this with the right gear, (what is the right gear?!?) so holster after holster company got money from me every payday.  Every company imagined a holster that claimed their method and style was the way and I had to have.  

Well, there are many ways to carry concealed, so the choices are:  how you dress, how active you are, what you do for a living, and if you plan on driving with this holster option you chose. There is more to it than just hiding the gun from everyone's view.  Retention, unholstering, and re-holstering, all have to be planned and practiced, or you will be carrying a weight that cannot be accessed easily in the time of need. 

    Having an experienced instructor with not only safety in their minds but patience as well is a high must for anyone who is starting out, and anyone looking to see how they can improve as a shooter, you need these qualities as well.  

One way is to see how many people actually filled out the rate your instructor at the end of a USCCA course, the USCCA and Instructor have no say in what our students say about us. It is unsolicited and true from their voices to your screen.  Google also has a rating system, but anyone can send in anything on there without being asked to, as well as social media platforms, but the USCCA has true students saying how they felt as a student with us.
 
You can find our rating here below
 
Gunpowder & Lead, LLC | USCCA Training (usconcealedcarry.com)

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