Have you ever thought of becoming an NRA Certified Firearms Instructor? There are many benefits to achieving this sought after title. For all the reasons not to become an NRA instructor, there are many reasons to do so. The NRA is synonymous with the Second Amendment. The more visible NRA instructors are, the more our communities associate with quality firearms instruction.
According to the NRA’s Basic Instructor Training (BIT), there are five benefits of training for both NRA instructors and their students. These include:
- Safety
- Quality and effectiveness in performance
- Benefits to the shooting sports, the shooting community, and the community as a whole
- Promotion of the responsible exercise of our firearm freedoms
- Promotion of enjoyment of the shooting sports
These benefits are long lasting and ensure that NRA instructors and their students are responsible gun owners.
1. Safety
Safety is the backbone of all NRA Training. Each lesson starts out with the 3 Rules for Safe Gun Handling and these rules are repeated throughout the lesson. The importance of these rules is continually stressed and applied to all aspects of the class. The NRA 3 Rules for Safe Gun Handling are:
- Always Keep the Gun Pointed in a Safe Direction,
- Always Keep Your Finger Off the Trigger Until Ready to Shoot, and
- Always Keep the Gun Unloaded Until Ready to Use.
Being a responsible gun owner means being a safe gun owner. Teaching the 3 Rules of Gun Safety is one of the primary functions of an NRA instructor. It is important to remember that one of the biggest threats to our Second Amendment Rights are unsafe gun owners.
2. Quality and Effectiveness in Performance
NRA Certified Instructors are considered the “Gold Standard” in firearms training. Becoming an NRA instructor involves intense training and long hours to achieve the title, NRA Certified Instructor. This is to ensure that Instructor Candidates can deliver quality instruction to give their future students the training that they expect from an NRA Certified Instructor.
All NRA Instructors represent the organization and are a reflection of all other instructors. In other words, an NRA instructor who does not deliver quality instruction to their students makes us all look bad. All instructors should strive to constantly improve their training to become better at instructing new gun owners.
I tell the students in every class I teach that their class is better than the last class, but unfortunately, the next class will be better than theirs! The experience, teachable moments, questions and discussions we have in this class will be used to improve the next!
3. Benefits to the Shooting Sports, the Shooting Community, and the Community as a Whole
By becoming an NRA instructor, you benefit the shooting sports, shooting community, and benefit your own community. NRA instructors do this by getting more people interested and involved in shooting opportunities. Those who shoot usually encourage other people in their circles to join them and give the shooting sports a try.
When an NRA instructor introduces a new person to the shooting sports, the number of those who enjoy that activity naturally increases. This can positively affect the shooting industry in your community. For example, if the number of individuals who participate in shotgun games increases, the local public or private gun ranges might add more shotgun fields to accommodate this demand or at least make major improvements to their existing facilities.
Increasing the number of participants in the shooting sports can also increase family bonding by making shooting sports a family activity. I am seeing more and more families together at our local gun ranges. I attribute this to the number of NRA instructors in our area.
4. Promotion of the Responsible Exercise of our Firearm Freedoms
One of the most significant reasons to become an NRA instructor is the promotion of responsible exercise of our firearm freedoms. This is because responsible NRA instructors produce responsible new gun owners. It is important to remember that responsible gun owners defend the Second Amendment through their actions when handling firearms.
Not only do NRA instructors promote responsible exercise of our firearm freedoms through quality instruction, but they are also promoted by modeling proper behavior when they are not instructing. For example, because NRA instructors are professionals when it comes to firearm safety while teaching, when they are themselves shooting at the range, others around them see proper and safe behavior at the range.
5. Promotion of Enjoyment of the Shooting Sports
By providing quality instruction, NRA instructors actively promote enjoyment of the shooting sports. Shooting should be fun and quality instruction can ensure enjoyment when participating in the shooting sports. Whether it is promoting target shooting, competition shooting, hunting, or shotgun games, NRA instructors should introduce new gun owners to the wide variety of these fun activities.
Certified NRA Rifle, Pistol and Shotgun Instructors are properly trained and encouraged to pass their knowledge on to their students. The act of shooting by itself is fun but participating in discipline-specific activities add a new level of enjoyment to new students. Instructors should remember that some of the shooting sports they may have been involved with for years and may take for granted might become a new gun owners’ new hobby!
NRA instructors are the most sought-after firearm instructors in the industry. We are the ones that new gun owners look to for quality instruction. There is an abundance of new firearm owners and that means that we need a lot of properly trained individuals who are NRA certified to reach these new Second Amendment beneficiaries.
By becoming an NRA Certified Instructor and reaching new gun owners, you are not only protecting your own Second Amendment Rights, but you are also protecting the rights of those who have not yet joined our ranks. For every new gun owner that we instruct, we are potentially reaching new voters that see the importance of protecting our Second Amendment Rights!
