"School" is Never Out

During the course of the remodeling of our home, our son was playing with a paper target and one of the contractors found it, my wife and he got talking and she informed him that we are both instructors, they made a little small talk and the guy mentioned that he is a permit holder and that during his class there was shooting going on elsewhere and he could hardly hear the instructor during class. My wife informed him that we have an upcoming class if he'd like a refresher. His reply was "I have my permit, school's out"


This is the wrong attitude to have, "school" is never out, there is no one class that is the end all - be all of carry courses and while it may not be financially possible to attend every class there is, one should be open minded and cognizant that there is always room for improvement and more education on certain topics, going armed is one of them.

We should be perpetual students regarding the carrying and use of arms.

Be cool, stay in school.

Why We Require Students to Fire a Handgun in Our Classes.

On a discussion forum there's a topic regarding persons under 21 needing a permission letter to attend a training class despite being a legal adult at the age of 18, Iowa code requires persons between the ages of 14 to 21 to have parent or guardian permission to handle a handgun for training which is why we have such a letter ( the Instructor/Letter in question was not us/ours), someone chimed in that Iowa code does not require a student to fire or even handle a firearm. This is true, however different classes and instructors have different requirements and viewpoints on this matter. The NRA Basic Pistol Class has a firing portion and this is viewed by many to be the bare minimum in available classes. While we do offer our own curriculum that includes live fire instruction it is not to be unfair, it is not to justify cost, it is not for chest thumping over how many rounds we have students fire at our classes. It is to provide two things: improving the students ability to handle their firearm and show them what they can and can't do with their current skill set.

I recently attended training at the Tactical Defense Institute where I took their Pistol II & III classes. About half way though Pistol III you go through a Live Fire House (LFH) which contains a number of targets, apparently targets such as THIS are common throughout the LFHs. I was presented with this target and was able to place a shot just above the right eye socket of the "bad guy" holding my "wife" as a hostage. The student after me placed his first shot dead center into his "wife" and then placed a shot on the hostage taker. In one of the other LFHs, five out of eight students shot the hostage, two did not take a shot citing that they were not confident in their ability to take the shot.

I do not expect a newly armed person taking the classes that we offer to make this kind of shot under stress. I do not expect to create such a person in one day of training. The students at TDI last weekend had three days of top tier instruction and a good portion either shot the hostage or did not take a shot. There is nothing wrong with not being confident in taking such a shot if one knows that they do not possess the skill set  required to make that shot after just clearing a house and the added pressure of having an instructor and sometimes another student behind them watching their actions.

If one has never fired their gun before, what do they know about their skill set? What kind of faith do they have in their abilities? Have they even fired the gun they are now pointing at someone with their loved ones directly in harm's way?

When students leave our classes with a certificate of completion, we are enabling them to be armed should they meet a deadly force encounter. I don't like to quote movies, however "A man's got to know his limitations" If our students are not aware of their limitations they may make an ill fated decision in a time of stress. I want my students to know what they can or can not accomplish with a firearm.

It's not about being top shooter, it's not about bragging rights, it's not about a free hat to whoever has the best shot group, it's about instilling knowledge in one's abilities and producing a student that will be confident in his/her abilities to put shots on target or to know that they should not fire given certain circumstances.

Wolf Creek IDPA: May IDPA Match w/ Shotgun Side Match -Moved to June 4th

Wolf Creek IDPA: May IDPA Match w/ Shotgun Side Match - May 22nd: "Here is the official match notice: We shall be shooting our regular monthly match this Sunday, May 22. Jesse is our Match Director."

Click on above link for more details.


The match has been rescheduled to June 4th.

A Whole New World...

For many years if you wanted your Iowa Permit to Carry Weapons you pretty much shot a bulls-eye style match shooting at 50' on a bulls-eye target (NRA B3) with a score of 65 (up to 85 pending on where you went). This was to obtain your permit to carry weapons on your person, to be used for defensive purposes...that never sat right with me. Most students who didn't know what they were walking into would come to class bringing the gun they intended to carry with them. Students bringing a pocket auto or j-frame revolver had very little chance of passing the course of fire with their carry guns and after flushing I don't know how many hours and dollars worth of rounds, they would then be handed a .22LR target gun to complete the course of fire. And the passed.

But what did that really accomplish?

CIDT Iowa Defensive Pistol Class - June 11th - Traer, IA

This course is cousin to the Wolf Creek Carry Class offered last fall, it is an Iowa specific carry class detailing Iowa code and the fundamentals of carrying and using a pistol for self defense. An excellent course for those looking to further their knowledge base having taken other less informative classes or for those looking for information regarding the recent changes in Iowa law or those looking to renew their permit.

This class incorporates both lecture and range instruction. It is designed to educate the Iowa Permit to Carry holder on the mindset, equipment, tactics, law, and handgun safety associated with carrying a firearm every day for self defense. Learn where you can and cannot legally carry your firearm, the best means of carry, in what situations the use of a firearm may be justifiable and the best tactics involved in deploying your firearm in a self defense situation. Range portion will include working from the holster (if applicable), acquiring multiple targets and shooting at different distances.

This class is for those with a comfortable, working knowledge of their firearm. If you have never fired your firearm before or are not comfortable with its operation we strongly recommend taking the NRA Basic Pistol or Developing Pistol classes before enrolling for this class.

This class will take place rain or shine so be prepared for all weather conditions.

Training Prerequisites:
NRA Basic Pistol or Equivalent, Carry Permit or Relevant Experience

What To Bring:

• Center fire handgun in good working order (rentals available)*
• A strong-side belt holster (Not required but strongly recommended)*
• Minimum 200 rounds of ammunition
• 2 magazines or speed loaders and carrier(s) preferably more*
• Note taking material
• Weather appropriate clothing
• Ball Cap (Not required but generally recommended)
• Eye protection
• Ear protection.
• Water or other soft drinks.
• State ID

What Is Included:
CIDT student handout
CIDT certificate of completion

This course meets Iowa requirements as well as Florida requirements for their nonresident Concealed Weapons License, if you are interested in applying for the FL permit, inform us at time of registration and we will provide the FL application packet.

Cost: $60 + $10 range fee ($50 + $10 range fee for returning CIDT students)
Maximum of 12 students.

Sign in will start at 08:30 and class will run till 17:30. Students may bring a lunch (bring your own cooler) or travel to Traer for lunch.

See our website for registration information.

*If you do not own a magazine carrier, or speed loaders/carrier or holster, please feel free to contact me and we can make some suggestions on equipment purchases before the class. Rim-fire handguns can be used if certain conditions are present, contact us for more details if needed.