Firearms Training

The world of firearms training is literally built upon the graves of the good men and women who died because of the crappy training they received.  We at Front Sight Firearms Training Institute in Nevada are humbled and very fortunate to be able to learn from their misfortunes and mistakes.  We will forever be students of real-world gunfights because that’s how we determine what works and what fails.  We pride ourselves on being “Sometimes an instructor, always a student.”

Entire volumes have been written comparing training on the range to performance on the street.  For those new to the subject, let me illuminate just a few examples.  The industry standard of firearms training 40 years ago was a complete joke by today’s standards.  The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is a good example.  CHP officers were shooting .38’s on the range and carrying .357’s on the street.  They were trained to dump the empty brass into their hand after a firing exercise and to place that brass in their pocket so as to keep the range spiffy.  They were taught to reload their revolvers a single round at a time.  They were taught almost nothing about the pump-action shotguns they were carrying in the cars.  All of these deficiencies resulted in the deaths of four CHP officers one night in April of 1970 in Newhall, just outside of L.A.  From the Newhall shooting emerged the current training standard of practicing with your carry ammunition, dumping empty brass to the ground, reloading revolvers six rounds at a time using a speed loader, and training with every weapon you might encounter.  This all seems pretty basic today, but good men had to die to spark change.

In April of 1986, the FBI in Miami were hunting for a couple of murderous bank robbers who were leaving quite a bloody wake behind them.  The FBI agents spotted the suspects driving in a Miami suburb.  The agents rammed the suspect’s vehicle which brought all the cars to a stop and now the action really began.  Most of the FBI agents wore no body armor at all, even though they knew the bad guys were very fond of shooting people.  The FBI agents were primarily carrying handguns in .38 or 9mm, even though they knew their adversaries would likely be shooting rifles and shotguns.  Finally, the FBI mostly got very poor hits on the bad guys.  In the end, the two criminals expired at the scene, as did two FBI agents.  Another five agents were seriously wounded.  So, with reverence to the fallen FBI agents, what did we learn from all of this?  The Miami FBI shooting resulted in better training on the use of cover and concealment, more widespread use of body armor, and the mandate to use long guns instead of handguns whenever possible.  It also gave rise to the .40 S&W cartridge which is now a very common defensive handgun caliber, both in law enforcement and private hands.  Yet, the most noteworthy training element to emanate from the Miami shooting is that of Combat Mindset.  Some of the bad guys out there are not just sitting on the couch getting high and watching TV.  Some of them have military training and keep their skills sharp with routine practice.  These are serious enemies and such was the case in Miami.  When you are confronted by a dedicated opponent, you need to be tougher.  You need a Combat Mindset which is superior to your enemy’s.  One of the FBI agents had exactly that, and even though he was seriously wounded, he finished the fight.

In April of 1999, two disgruntled students at Columbine High School started shooting their fellow students inside the school.  The first shots were fired at 11:19 a.m.  The 911 calls went out immediately as gunfire and screaming filled the air.  Every nearby agency responded and the officers gathered to talk about their options.  Lengthy discussions ensued about jurisdictions, tactics, rescuing the wounded, determining good guys from bad, bomb threats, etc.  More gunfire and screaming.  More 911 calls.  The shooting continued for 49 minutes, until 12:08 p.m.  SWAT entered the building at 1:09 p.m. which was 110 minutes after the shooting started and 61 minutes after the shooting stopped.  The only task remaining was to count the bodies; 13 students and teachers were dead.  Add the two bad guys who committed suicide for a total of 15.  Americans were outraged at the approach that law enforcement took at Columbine, even if it was in accordance with departmental policy.  Waiting, studying, and setting up perimeters, is no way to stop the bad guys and save innocent lives.  George Patton was correct in his estimation that a good plan executed now is better than a perfect plan executed later.  And that is the exact offshoot of the Columbine mayhem.  Most law enforcement agencies now have a firm “Active Shooter” policy which simply states go in and shoot the bad guy, as soon as possible, and worry about other things later.  It seems so intuitive, doesn’t it?  But “Go shoot the shooters” was not departmental policy until after Columbine.  The Active Shooter policy has saved numerous students and staff since 1999 and the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007 is an example.  Yes, it was bad; but without the lessons learned from Columbine, it would have been far worse.

The above shootings are only three examples from a long list.  But you get the point.  At Front Sight, we attempt to integrate all these real-world examples into our curriculum.  Clearly, we concentrate our efforts on you, the individual, and not team tactics, military units, and the like.  Even so, there is benefit to be had, lessons to be learned, from each and every gunfight.  Our goal at Front Sight is to make sure you receive that benefit.