The NRA Instructor training courses are sanctioned by the National Rifle Association
(NRA) and conducted by Certified NRA training counselors employed by DR Security & Training. They provide
instructor candidates with the practical knowledge and skills
needed to properly instruct beginning students in the specific disciplines they
are certified in. Instructor candidates completing these courses, and
completing the required NRA certification application process, will achieve a solid foundation
for instructing the particular
firearm training disciplines they are certified in. When certified for
teaching the Basic Pistol, Rifle or Shotgun disciplines, certified instructors
can also teach the First Steps courses for those disciplines as well.
All NRA Instructor training courses have the pre-requisite of the Basic
Instructor training course. This course is a six (6) hour
classroom-only course, which covers the common firearms instruction techniques,
policy & procedure, and other information needed for all instructors to
successfully teach firearms training courses.
Becoming an NRA Instructor
Becoming an NRA firearms instructor is a three-step process.
Take the NRA Basic
Instructor training course, which is valid for a period of one year no
matter how many discipline specific courses you follow with.
All NRA Basic
Firearm safety courses include a complete set of educational materials specific
to the discipline being taught, including:
Discipline specific student pack:
Handbook
Student Exam
NRA Gun Safety Rules Brochure
Course Completion Certificate
Basic Practical Rocker and Flyer
Basic Firearm Training Program Brochure
Marksmanship Qualification Program Booklet
Course Report Form
Discipline specific Lesson Plans
Instructor Materials Order Form
Instructor Certification Application
Instructor Certification Examination
NRA Trainers Guide & Exam (new instructors only)
Discipline specific First Steps Lesson Plans (if applicable)
Additions courtesy of DR Security & Training:
Customized 3-ring Binder
Assorted Handouts to Aid New Instructors
Key Course Benefits
NRA Instructor Training Courses teach you the knowledge, skills, and attitude that are needed to
successfully instruct Basic NRA training courses. In addition:
NRA Certified Instructors qualify to take the NRA Basic Range Safety
Officer Course as a validation course. The Basic Range Safety Officer
validation course is offered and taken as part of the Home Study Program.
You will soon qualify to become a Training Counselor. In this position,
you have the responsibility of teaching (new) NRA Instructors.
Once you receive your certificate (suitable for framing) from NRA, you
will receive your identification card. You will also receive a free
subscription of the NRA Shooting Education Update, a newsletter
published periodically for all NRA Trainers.
Program information, training schedules, book reviews, material updates
and more are provided. Additionally, the Update provides an open forum for
the exchange of information and ideas on firearm safety and marksmanship
education.
You become an even more valuable resource for your community. NRA
Certified Instructors are leaders who provide a very important service.
Because of your dedication to the shooting sports, you are providing a
chance for others to enjoy the same benefits of firearm ownership that you
have enjoyed in the past.
Successful completion of all lessons, course objectives and required minimum
examination score, will earn instructor candidate an NRA authorized completion certificate specific to each training
discipline certification training has earned.
In addition,
those students completing an NRA instructor training program leading to
certification will automatically be provided Civilian
Marksmanship Program membership and issued a CMP membership card.
Certified NRA
Training Counselors
DR Security & Training use only Certified NRA Training Counselors when conducting
these NRA Instructor courses. The counselors providing this training will
include individuals who have:
Training Certifications
At a minimum, all certifications to lead the instruction for all NRA
Instructor training courses normally taught in an lead counselor, including Pistol, Rifle, Shotgun, and Personal Protection
level training.
Experience
All lead counselors have at least five years experience conducting
all of the courses being taught
Related Qualifications
Many of our instructors do not limit there involvement with Firearm
expertise to the classroom. DR Security instructors and training
counselors are highly rated in competitions and work to improve the sport through dedicated
activism efforts.
Our Instructor Training Philosophy
Unfortunately, there
aren't many good books geared toward Firearm instructors and they are needed
on the subject. Maybe we will look into starting a project like that
in the near future.
A firearms instructor has to develop a wide range of skills, including:
Becoming very well
organized
Developing an acute
attention to detail
The ability to teach
a wide skill range of students
The ability to
properly run both a classroom environment and a range session
The ability to
recognize when students are following important classroom topics
The ability to
identify and correct unsafe range habits, and those common errors which lead
a person to perform poorly in shooting exercises
Some basic
psychology about adult learning, gender differences as they related to
shooting skills, and motivational skills
All of these skills are
learnable, a person just needs to have that included in the instructor
training they receive.
Whether an instructor is
a good marksman or not has been a subject of much debate over the years.
We believe it is important for an instructor to be a 'respectable' shot - with
the critical instructor skill being that leading students to understand the expertise curve on
developing improved shooting skills. The basis of that concept are:
Your understanding
of the fundamentals;
The amount of time
you practice; and,
How often you
compete with people at a similar skill level.
