gunlaws.com
State Firearms Safety
Training
NOTE TO INSTRUCTORS:
Although I thought it would be a good idea, I have decided against posting
links to instructors. The following emails explain why pretty well.
Please let me know if you agree. The language errors are as I received
them.
Alan Korwin, Author
Gun Laws of America
-----------------------------
Dear Alan,
I would appreciate a link to your site under the [State] Firearms instructors.
My link is [omitted for privacy]. I am on the board with my [State]
Firearms Association and also on the board for the [State] Department
of Commerce and Insurance that regulates the training of Security officers.
I have already linked you to our site.
If you have any questions please email me at [omitted for privacy] or
call me at [omitted for privacy]. My resume and info is posted on the
web site.
"Instructor"
Dear Instructor,
Please give me your advice on this problem. I have been stalling on
doing instructor links because I have no practical way of verifying
if a particular instructor is worthwhile. Nothing personal you understand,
but when some eager beaver from a state writes and wants to be linked,
claims to be well connected and thoroughly trained, how can I tell?
I have met many instructors over the years, most seem quite good, but
a percentage just don't have sufficient knowledge or style for me to
ever want to train with them.
This is a serious problem for all the fine instructors out there --
the problem of bona fide credibility. They are between a rock and a
hard place, and I'm in no position to separate the wheat from the chaff.
The idea of posting links to people I have no real clue about has made
me procrastinate to this day. I'm thinking I should drop that link line
from my site (for all 50 states), or have one link to some site that
covers this instructor-directory topic. What do you think?
Alan.
"Instructor" writes back:
Do not blame you at all, I just got out of a court trial last week where
I was testifying against an instructor who had bogus credentials. I
was called in by the state and because of my background to help them
with the case. The bad part about it was the innocent people who he
had took their money and give them un-qualified training.
I completely understand and I have the same problem with the people
I link up with. I am constantly fighting the so called instructors here
that are what we call the two day wonders. They are the ones who go
to the NRA and get their instructor certification in two days and fire
thirty rounds and now they are the bet in their own eyes.
I ask for a resume (this is the reason I put it on the web site) and
then request references. I also would maybe limit to maybe one, two
or three from each state. You will get a lot of complete dumbasses and
just by asking a few questions you may be able to sort through them
with out hurting some feelings.
You could charge a fee to put them on, I would be more than happy to
pay a fee, this may stop a lot of them. We have one here in [State],
who runs the [Name of Classes] site who is and will always be a big
scam. Ask [Name] about him. He has been thrown out of most gun shows
around.
If the person is not going to pay or give you a resume or willing to
have more than the NRA certifications I would set standards and continually
raise them. You could also do a waiver/disclaimer to let people know
that the links are not and you cannot verify the person and they should
always ask questions and verify any information that is given.
It is your site and do as I do and control who is linked, I was once
linked to a KKK site that a friend of mine in the Secret Service and
another in the ATF called me about. It took me almost two months to
make them take my link off their site.
I like being linked to site like your and dealing with professionals
as you, but I do understand.
I will be in the office in the morning and can be reached at [omitted
for privacy] or email me at [omitted for privacy] I am at my home email
now and will now get anything from you until tomorrow night.
Thanks for being Professional
[Instructor]
Dear Instructor,
Your remarks confirm my reluctance to post instructor listings on gunlaws.com.
The "dumbasses," as you call them, are often the best at passing
themselves off as legit. This seriously hurts all the good instructors,
and I can't find a solution. Charging a fee might only make things worse,
allowing anyone to pay and play, and reviewing "credentials"
from afar, well, that's simply off the table. I'm going to post a notice
saying, because of these problems, we don't offer such links. Thanks
for your input and helping me to resolve this long standing dilemma.
Do you know of, or are you willing to establish, a site where instructors
can sign up, so I could just point people in that direction?
Alan.
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