Defining The Outcome

I will be the first one to tell you training is essential to being a competent firearm owner. Before we get too far down this rabbit hole it is important we define a few terms. Starting with competent. Competent is defined as having the necessary knowledge, skills and ability to do something successfully. Essential is defined as absolutely necessary or extremely important. Lastly, training is defined as teaching a particular skill or behavior. With these as our anchors it makes it easier to talk about the state of the industry. With so many new gun owners it is difficult to expect them to see the importance behind my opening statement. I see this difficulty being divided into three main reasons; not knowing they need training, not believing they need training and ignoring the fact they need training. Which ever reason it all amounts to the same outcome, less competent firearm owners. The real question is so what, is that really all that bad.

The Direct Proportion

Truthfully it is not. There are thousands of people who will go their entire lives without any formal instruction on safe firearms usage and they will be just fine. They may not be the best prepared, but they have made their choice based off one or more of the reasons listed. One of the biggest obstacles we are facing within this industry is expressing the value behind safe training. It may seem obvious to many of us, but we are quickly becoming the minority. I’ve talked about the investment of time, talent and treasure towards developing a skill, any skill and firearms training is no different. There is a level of competency associated with time invested in said skill. It is a direct proportion relationship meaning, the more time invested the more competency achieved.

Pistol 101

Many are still not convinced investing time in a skill is needed. The vast majority of new gun owners I speak with have no interested in attaining a high level of competency. They are hard pressed to value a modicum of competency. This situation exists for lots of reasons, but time is one of the biggest reasons. What if we could convince the masses they could achieve a minimum level of competency with a minimal invest in time. People are usually turned off to the idea of training if it appears a complex, burdensome or time consuming task. What if we defined the lowest level of competency (101) and the time investment amounted to one to six hours of formalized training.

Satisfaction Guaranteed

Three to four hours makes it more palatable to the new firearm owner. It would achieve what we all want with minimum investment. I define basic 101 skills as an understanding of fundamentals and initial practical application. These skills would be learning firearm safety rules, basic firearm operations and basic marksmanship. That is it. Could we ask them to learn more? Of course, but would they be willing is the question. If this represented the minimum to satisfy the requirements to be a competent firearm owner then everyone should be happy. There will always be people who don’t believe they need training, then some who don’t believe they need a lot of training, then some who once exposed to competent (there’s that word again) training develop an interest in pursuing further training.

As we move into this next chapter in our country’s history we need training on these essential skills to obtain a minimum level of competency. In a sense, all we can do is be supportive and available to offer help when asked.

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A Great Punch Line

At first it was somewhat comical. Someone would say in a joking manner, “it’s science, bro.” I’ll admit to laughing at what was nothing more than a punch line. Along the way they became more of marketing ploy, a new way of one upping. Well, my technique or tactic has science so it is better. Then we reach a new level when we start to reject other techniques or tactics because they don’t have this so called science. If your techniques or tactics don’t have science you are not able to worship these false idols.

Science, The New Tactical

Very little and I mean very little in our industry is actually science. Using that term is akin to the new “tactical”. I watch as so many folks clammer on board this new bandwagon in an effort to flex an intellectual fake muscle. Lines are drawn between one camp and another. There is a sense of extreme devotion to one’s methods whether science is involved. It is used to create a perceived advantage whether one can actually be based on a scientific method. It is used to gain a metamorphic piece of the high ground. It disappointing how perverse the term has become and worse used.

A Fair Experiment

When people use the term science it is not science really. It is their own attempt at being scientific, but it is not science. They use crafty terms, but their process would often not meet the scientific method standard. First, what are you trying to prove or disprove. What is the question you are trying to answer. What research currently exists that might answer the question or provide clarity on your direction. Then, what is your hypothesis. In other words, what is the predictable relationship between two variables; the independent and dependent. To be fair, what controls and conditions have you set and most important what is the variability you need to account for to make it all work. Science is the intellectual and practical activity encompassing a systematic study.  The two main vehicles are through observation and experiment. When folks try to use science to illustrate a point without understanding science it’s nothing more than an attempt to persuade you by sounding smarter. If you start to dive into the world of science you realize how much you really don’t know.

You Might Be A Pseudo Scientist If

If you see someone use the word science in their statement, take a step back and ask yourself some important questions. Do you know how to tell the difference between science and everything else. Does it define an objective truth? As opposed to outcome based information. There is a big difference and most people don’t want to look further because of their own bias. I’m okay with that, it doesn’t bother me in the least, but own it. Don’t try to convince me otherwise based on your half truths. Instead, be good with what you know or think you know. I can appreciate your intentions, but it is not science.

Lowest Form Of Objective Truth

Our industry has no real science based material. Probably the closest might be terminal performance testing, but even then there are a lot of unknowns or variables. The simple reason is the undeniable fact we cannot account, nor control for all the variables encountered. The pursuit of truth is very narrow, there is little wiggle room. I have listened to a lot “observations” that through their findings have come to a singular conclusion. They all have something in common, they are based off anecdotal observations; eye witness accounts or similar. The funny part is no scientist worth their salt would base their hypothesis on eye witness accounts. Let that soak in for a moment. This one statement smashes many claims to the science alter. Some may lead you to believe their findings are sacred because they are largely due to eye witness accounts. It does make sense to me why they may feel this way. Because in our industry, eye witness accounts are the highest form of legal precedence. However, in science eye witness accounts are the lowest form of objective truth.

The one good thing about all this science talk is I have become more appreciative for three letters and the impact they have our industry. Why…

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For Profit…It Is Not A Bad Thing

The problem with today’s market place is there are three different types of instructors. There are the law enforcement or military instructors who are assigned to their new duties sometimes involuntarily. Then there are the government instructors who often times are handed curriculum or strict guidelines to follow. Lastly, there are the for profit instructor. The part you should really pay attention to is “for profit”. Meaning, they will only be as good as the product they produce. No matter how fancy their youtube channel, or the previous addresses, in the capitalist industry we live in folks want to know they will get better. They are expending some of the most precious commodities; time, treasure and talent.

Its All About Needs

One of the questions had to do with a student who is disrupting the class due to their skill level or lack their of in some cases. Probably the hardest of all the problems to solve is how will you manage their needs as well as the needs of the rest of the class. The problem is further compounded by two factors; ego and comprehension. You can place as many prerequisites in your course description, but it will boil down to how they are interpreted. Some will read them and think, “yeah, I’m good.” Others do not realize what they are reading and just go along in the hopes of figuring it out on the road. Neither of these have the best outcome.

Making Good Business Choices

I have been confronting both of these issues for over a decade and they are challenging. First, you cannot be insensitive to the situation nor can you turn a blind eye. At times students will require more attention, more time or more of your resources. You can either invest hoping they can get to a point they will be able to manage or you can overlook them and hope they don’t have an accident. Again, suboptimal choices. The truth of the matter is if you are designing your curriculum well it will be directed towards the masses, the over achiever and under achievers will be somewhat missed. As a business, you have to make good business decisions. Basing your class around the lower or higher minorities and ignoring the majority will not improve your return student business. Likewise, ignoring the minorities on either end will result in similar responses.

The Art Of Instructing

Your curriculum has to be flexible enough to affect positive behavioral change for the majority. Then, keep the over achievers engaged while at the same time encouraging the under achievers to keep trying. There is science to teaching, how adults learn, but there is art to the delivery. You have to be agile enough to play to all three of these audiences if you wish to be successful. Your product is not solely the outcome, did positive behavior change occurs. it is also the experience the student underwent; which is directly tied to how long the behavioral change will last. You cannot have one without the other.

There are a lot of great instructors in a variety of fields, but if you are a business and expect to stay in business you have to be concerned with the needs of each student. You have to have well thought out strategies to keep everyone engaged.

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