NRA Instructor Training

The NRA requires a minimum number of hours for the NRA Instructor Training which includes an assessment of handling and shooting skills, instructor guide/outine class and up to 11 hours or more for each discipline! You do NOT have to be an expert shot but you must understand the fundamentals of shooting, how to handle firearms safely and have the desire to help others learn.

For example, the minimum number of hours required by the NRA for a new candidate to become certified to teach Basic Pistol is 17 hours of instruction (instructor guide & basic pistol discipline) plus the additional time for the assessment. There is simply no way to deliver NRA Instructor Training, for even the Basic Pistol discipline alone, to a new candidate in only 1 day - especially when you add in the required assessment and range time.

Yet, there are some training counselors and providers who are trying to deliver NRA Instructor Training in only one day per discipline! There is one such provider that routinely offers NRA instructor training in about 8 hours on Saturday for Basic Pistol and the same hours on Sunday for Personal Protection. They even throw the instructor candidates in with regular students and try to run both the basic course and instructor training at the same time with the ill-prepared instructor candidates teaching the basic students!

This “quickie” approach may look attractive to you but you are getting what you pay for and probably less. If you go that route, you’ll be doing yourself and those that you teach a disservice. Call the NRA Training Department at 1-703-267-1430 and see what they have to say about one of these one-day, 8-hour "instructor training” classes.

We’ve seen the results and met instructors who attended one of these two-day, weekend instructor training programs to become certified in both the NRA Basic Pistol and Personal Protection disciplines.  They are grossly unprepared to begin teaching and cannot teach effectively. Even after acquiring experience, these instructors started out on shaky ground and may not ever overcome the disadvantage.  Many of them loose interest or give up entirely, thus wasting their time and money. How much of a “savings” was the quickie certification path for them in that case?

If you are considering another training provider to obtain your NRA instructor credentials, ask them for details about their instructor training. Specifically, ask them if their instructor training includes the required assessments, instructor guide/outine training and all of the other requirements for each discipline as stated in the official NRA Training Counselor manual.

We believe in taking the time to provide you not only with the basic material but the additional training and role play necessary to help you build a solid foundation as a certified firearms instructor. Therefore, our NRA Instructor Training is delivered across 3 or 4 full days for about the same price as some providers charge for only 1 or 2 days of training. If you are going to become a certified firearms instructor, you owe it to yourself to get the best training and a good solid start!

If you attended the NRA instructor guide/outline class within the past year, and you are currently an NRA Certified Instructor for Basic Pistol, you may pick up the credential to teach Personal Protection in 2 days for a reduced tuition amount.

We strongly believe that individuals wanting to become NRA Certified Instructors should take the basic class in each discipline in which they intend to teach. If you have not yet taken the NRA Basic Pistol class, it would be a good way to start on the path to becoming an NRA Certified Instructor.

In light of recent legislation in states like Missouri that have passed “shall issue” concealed carry laws, we are pleased to offer instructor training programs for residents of those states with classes scheduled in Colorado as well as their home state.  Please call 303-295-2235, or toll-free 1-866-512-SAFE, for more information about NRA Instructor Training in your state!

Our NRA Instructor Training is taught by an NRA Certified Training Counselor with an extensive background in firearms training that includes experience as a certified law enforcement firearms instructor, approximately 20 years of law enforcement experience and 15 years of NRA firearms training experience.

Get real NRA Instructor Training from a real provider, Safearms Academy.

For more information, please call the Academy at 303-295-2235.