Defensive Gun Training

A quality range is more than just a backstop for your bullets. A QUALITY range helps you to be a better defensive shooter by allowing you to train REALISTICALLY.

Defensive Gun Training:

How to find a range where you can practice REALISTIC skills.

One of the common questions that students ask at the completion of a Safety Solutions Academy firearms course is, “Where can I practice the defensive gun skills I just learned in class?”

It is a great question, but it isn’t as easy to answer as the students or I would like. Most shooting ranges DON’T allow shooters to practice in a realistic manner and finding a range that understands and is willing to allow you to train can be a real problem.

You see, there are all kinds of reasons that shooting ranges restrict the behaviors of shooters.

Ignorance
Insurance
Past negative experiences
Overzealous attorneys
Monetization

The list is probably much longer than that, but I hope you get the point. It really comes down to the fact that there are few ranges that allow folks to train in a realistic manner. I’m very lucky that the training facility I’m associated with allows me to do what I need to do as a defensive firearms instructor. The freedom I have at the range is one of the reasons students travel from all over the state of Ohio to take Ohio CCW Courses with Safety Solutions Academy and a strong motivator for folks to travel from around the nation to take more advanced courses like our Critical Defensive Handgun course with Safety Solutions Academy.

You probably don’t need a range as robust as the facility that Safety Solutions Academy partners with, but you do need a quality range. Keep in mind that you can always travel to train with Safety Solutions Academy in NE Ohio.

Why Realistic Defensive Training is Critical

Training and practicing for self-defense requires an attention to details. Especially when you are talking about self-defense with firearms. When a self-defense situation calls for the use of a gun, obviously the stakes are very high. It is for that reason that you need to make sure that your training and practice are realistic. On the other side of the coin, we have to agree that when we are practicing and training with loaded guns, that raises the stakes as well. No one that I know trains so that they can get injured or killed. Instead, when you train your goal is to INCREASE your level of safety.

Violence is dangerous and if we aren’t careful, training and practice can be dangerous as well. Do you see how these two facts play off of each other and could cause a problem?

The factor that makes it even more difficult to sort out is the PERCEPTION that people have about defensive training and practice. Even people that are involved in the firearms industry have misconceptions about how safe realistic defensive practice and training can be. The idea that perception is reality is crystal clear when it comes to the policies and procedures that many ranges adopt with the goal of keeping their patrons “safe.”

Many ranges have rules that prohibit things like:

drawing from the holster
firing at a rate faster than 1 round per second
targets being closer than 7 yards

These policies tend to be extreme instead of carefully metered. The result is a challenge for you the defensive shooter in finding a range that is amenable with you training realistically and unfortunately a decrease in your safety. If It is so dangerous for you to draw from a holster, how could it ever be acceptable to send you away from a concealed carry course without specific, professional instruction in the activity? You are going to carry your gun in a holster aren’t you? If you carry your gun in a holster and you need to defend your life, you will have to draw that gun from the holster. Is the middle of a violent encounter the best time for you to learn that skill?

I would argue that the answer is no. But that doesn’t stop the rule makers. The reason that I train outside with my students year round with my students is because I can’t find an indoor range that will allow me to teach my students to draw from a holster… Sigh. Frustrating indeed.

The consequences are much greater than frustration. It is your safety that is on the line. You are left to learn to draw a gun alone in your living room or in the middle of a fight. That has serious implications. Just like learning how to fire a gun at a realistic rate of fire for defensive shooting (3 rounds every second or even faster) and shooting with the required precision for realistic defensive scenarios.

If you don’t train and practice these defensive skills it could cost you your life. That is why training and practicing defensive shooting (and finding a range where you can do it) is so important.

So you need to find a shooting range that will allow you to do what you need to do. But how?

Read on my friend!

How to find a shooting range where you can train and practice REALISTIC defensive gun skills.

Turn the range you use into a QUALITY defensive shooting range.

For many folks this is the best option. Work with the range you currently practice at to accomplish your goals. This certainly isn’t a foolproof plan, but if you are reading this, you aren’t a fool. That means you have a good chance of finding some success. And success at your local shooting range is a good thing. Changing what you have into a more perfect situation can save you from the long drives to get to more understanding ranges. This means less time in the car, less fuel burned and more time and money for practice and training.

Also, keep in mind that if you improve the training conditions at an existing range, you aren’t just bettering your circumstances. You are actually making things better for everyone that patronizes that range. You will be making the world a better place!

So here are some suggestions for how you can make headway in helping your range be more accommodating to defensive practice and defensive training.

Become a patron to your range.

The old dictionary that lives in my web browser says that a patron is a customer, especially a regular one. If you want to have a positive impact on any business, one of the best ways is to become a patron. In the firearms industry, you might have to even take that o the next level and become a trusted patron.

It really makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it?

People and business are much more likely to institute change if the suggestion of the change comes from an individual or group of individuals that are invested in the business.

Invested. That is an important word and it means exactly what it sounds like it means. You need to invest your money into the range that you want to help become the best. Here are some tips that you might be able to use to help your range understand that you are a contributing patron:

Buy an annual membership to the range. It will probably end up saving you money and it lets them know you are in for the long haul.
Buy guns, targets and especially ammunition at the range instead of at Wal-Mart and on the inter webs. Running a brick and mortar is expensive and having consistent sales helps to make sure the doors stay open
Bring your friends to the range. Helping to spread the word about their business is a valuable way to impact your range.

Once you have established yourself as a trusted patron, it will be much easier for them to understand why they should listen to your suggestions for improvement.

Become an asset to the range.

If you can position yourself as a helpful individual, maybe even an expert, in the eyes of your range, you are in a position to help them and at the same time it benefits you as well. How is being helpful or becoming an expert a bad thing?

You can help out in simple ways at the range:

Clean up after yourself and others. If you are cleaning up your brass and somebody else left brass laying, take a few minutes and take care of theirs as well.
Be ready to volunteer at the range to help out with special events, and special situations. Take a Range Safety Officer course so that you can help on the line when the next GSSF match comes up.
Get medical training and make sure you have your kit with you on the range. Be prepared to help out if an emergency situation presents itself. Again, this falls into the , “duh” category, but do it any way.

Keep in mind, I’m not suggesting you become the uninvited expert that stands at the gun counter giving advice that no one asked for. Become a real expert and be ready to help out when the opportunity presents itself.

Demonstrate you are a good risk.

If your local range has oppressive rules it may very well be because they are afraid of risk. Risk aversion is an important characteristic in a business person, however, risk, their benefits and their consequences all need to be considered in the appropriate dose. Ranges tend to spend way too much time living in fear. The best way for you to quell their fears is to prove yourself as a good risk.

To be seen as a good risk try these ideas:

Follow gun safety rules. Not just when the range officer is watching, really, all the time. You should be doing this anyway for your safety and the safety of those around you.
Follow range procedures whenever you are on the range. Remember, it is their place and on private property they get he rules.
Participate in range safety courses if they are offered. A healthy focus on safety is the mark of a professional. Listen to what they have to say and put it to practice.
Help others understand how important range safety is. When someone makes a misstep on the range, politely help them out where appropriate. The shooter and the range will both appreciate your help.

Being a good risk means that you can be trusted, it also means that at times it might be ok to look the other way while you bend the range policies. You shouldn’t take the above actions with the expectation that you will be treated with special care. Instead you should do them because they are the right thing to do. If something beneficial comes out of your respectful efforts it is a great bonus.

What I’m suggesting is that you position yourself as a person of influence. A leader. Leaders are able to do things that others can’t. They lead. And what you will do is lead your range to a new era of reasonable policies and procedures that enable the range to function safely while you are able to practice and train in a realistic manner. Leaders seek out win-win situations and that is what shooting ranges need to be working towards as defensive shooting becomes more popular and arguably more important.

How to find a QUALITY range for training and practice.

Changing the range you already shoot at might not be an option for some people. There are ranges that are very entrenched in what they do and how they do it. Even if what they do isn’t very good. “Old boys clubs” exist and at times they rule the roost.

So what do you do if you find yourself in that type of a situation?

It’s easier said then done, but you head out and you find a facility that will allow you to do your thing. They are out there. You just have to find them!

There are a few ways you can approach the process that are a bit more likely to be successful than others. Give these tips a try!

Take a defensive training course.

If you are interested in a location to engage in quality defensive training and practice you might consider signing up for a defensive training class in your local area. Taking a course can provide you with more information and skills to practice and some time to actually get some quality practice in during class.

There is a possible positive outcome to taking a class as well. It would make sense that if you are taking a defensive training course, It would make sense that the course would be held at a facility that would be appropriate for defensive training and practice.

When you attend class, you might find yourself at a facility that not only is ideal for defensive firearms training, but you may also find a facility that you can use on your own. You may have to attend an orientation, or take a safety course or even join, but this can be an excellent way to learn about facilities in your area.

How well does it work? Well, it is exactly how I gained the ability to conduct training courses at the facility that Safety Solutions Academy has dozens of courses each year.

It worked for me and I’m guessing it will work for you as well.

Attend a competitive shooting event.

We all know that competitive shooting will getcha killed on da streetz (well, not really,) but attending a competitive shooting event can have its upside. If the event is for an action shooting sport, your prospects are even better.

The attributes that make a range facility good for competitive action shooting like USPSA or IDPA also makes the range suitable for defensive shooting.

Paying a small match fee and spending an afternoon or even a full day having fun gives you the chance to meet the people that are running and/or hosting the event. Once you get to know folks you can figure out if there is the possibility of using the facility at times when the range is not in use for a big event.

When I first moved to Cleveland from Detroit I was easily able to transition to a new shooting range because I had been shooting competitive matches in the Cleveland area. I knew the folks that ran the matches and they were all members of the club. I quickly and easily joined them and had a place to practice and train as I saw fit.

Join a gun club.

Gun clubs are more common than you might imagine and they can often provide great places for defensive training.

An internet search can begin to help you discover gun clubs and conservation clubs in your area the could yield results. Although clubs can have a wide appeal, it makes sense to make sure the purpose of the club and your goals are parallel. A gun club that focuses on shotgun sports may be completely unsuitable for defensive shooting practice.

It’s also a good idea to take a look at the rules the club expects you to follow. I’m not talking about the rules for safe gun handling. Instead, make sure you understand all the extra rules the range has like:

types of firearms and calibers allowed on the range
What types of targets are permitted to be used
where targets can be set up
where shooters need to be while shooting
the rate of fire allowed
etc.

Keep in mind, the extraneous rules can be extensive at some clubs. These aren’t the places you are looking for. Rules are great and all, but some rules are simply there to be a nuisance or for old men to control other old men. Unless you want high school cheerleading squad drama coupled with syphilitic noses you need to find a gun club that will allow you a certain amount of freedom.

Final Thoughts

Taking training courses is an important part of developing your defensive skills. Keep in mind that after you take a defensive firearms training course, it makes sense to dedicate some time to practice what you have learned. Many people enjoy having a place where they can practice realistic defensive skills on a regular basis.

Not every range allows for realistic practice of your gun skills. In fact, places that allow realistic practice tend to be the exception instead of the rule.

A quality facility might not be easy to locate, but it isn’t an impossibility.

Hopefully, some of the tips here will help you to find the kind of facility that will help you learn and practice your defensive shooting skills.