- Is the Instructor licensed by the North Carolina Department of Justice?
- Each CCH Instructor must attend classes provided by the NCDOJ and pass testing in order to be licensed. A licensed Instructor must renew annually.
- Is the Instructor NRA certified?
- The National Rifle Association provides for some of the best Instructor training available. Each potential Instructor candidate must pass written testing and perform in a “train the trainer” environment providing evidence that they are able to provide instruction and do so while abiding by all safety requirements.
- Does the Instructor have insurance?
- Just as you wouldn’t hire a contractor to work on your home that is not insured, why would you use a CCH Instructor that isn’t insured?
- How many hours of classroom training does the Instructor provide?
- North Carolina law requires that a student receive 8 hours of classroom instruction PLUS the range qualification time.
- And did you know that if your Instructor is found to be in violation of his/her requirements to deliver training as required by law, it could nullify your certificate of completion for taking the class?
- Where are the classes held?
- Are classes being conducted in a classroom intended for learning or out of the Instructor’s garage? Is the area used for shooting an actual range designed for that purpose and with safe surrounding barriers or perhaps shooting at a background of trees, bales of hay, old tires or wooden pallets? Remember that every round that leaves your firearm, YOU own no matter what it hits.
- Does the Instructor place a large emphasis on safety?
- It should go without saying that safety should be a large concern. You are after all talking about firearms. And safety must apply to the classroom as well as the range. How many students are allowed to shoot on the range at the same time and, what is the ratio of students to Range Safety Officers?
- Do the people “assisting” the Instructor on the range have formal training as Range Safety Officers?
- Does the Instructor conduct individual shooting qualifications?
- What does the Instructor do to prepare for his/her class?
- Does the Instructor collect fees, schedule the class and simply teach from a script? A great Instructor prepares for each individual student that will be in attendance. We conduct an in-person, telephone interview or on-line questionnaire prior to each class and tailor the class to meet the various knowledge or skill levels of our audience.
- Does the Instructor have a lesson plan?
- Each class should include a lesson plan versus just training on topics as they come to mind or happen as a result of questions asked. The NCDOJ requires Instructors provide annually an outline of their training plan and cannot alter that plan once it has been submitted and approved.
- Is the Instructor willing to adapt to the needs of his/her students?
- People learn differently. Some are very visual, some need “hands on”, some need great detail etc. Is the Instructor able to adapt to student needs?
- Is the Instructor professional in appearance with a friendly demeanor?
- The Instructor should “look the part”. He/she should be friendly and flexible versus rigid or demanding like a drill Sargent
- What is the student to Instructor ratio?
- Large classes are not necessarily better for the student! Large numbers of students may be better for the Instructors wallet but may deter from a great learning experience which is extremely important when you consider the responsibility that comes with concealed carry.
- Ask the Instructor to provide referrals from former students
- Is the Instructor willing to provide referrals? Does the Instructor post testimonials from former students on social media or their website?
- What does the class costs?
- Ask yourself this question, what is your life worth? You have made a decision to take a concealed carry class. That means you have a desire to have the ability to protect yourself if the need should arise. While smaller class sizes may result in slightly higher per student cost remember that the amount of attention given to the needs of each student are by far better when classes are smaller. This is one of those instances where “you get what you pay for”.
Concealed Carry Training, Firearms Training, Personal Protection