Q: Hi Craig, can you tell us a little bit about how your classes work, your views on training and the costs?

Of the many classes I do, my concealed carry class is one of the most popular with my students. The training courses listed on my website are the most requested. There are many classes I offer that are put together for a person or group to meet their needs, most are not listed here but can be presented upon request. The average time frame for the concealed class is about 3 hours. Its not uncommon for me to run a class of that nature for even 4 hours without requesting additional monies if I'm not satisfied with where we are at, or if I have new people who are having difficulty understanding what I want them to end up knowing by the time they leave my class.

My main point in all of this is that I'm doing it totally differently than anyone else who is offering similar training. It's all based on their needs, their lifestyle and their job. On a 24 hour basis it can change according to that person and becomes very individualized. What I have found is that if I just offer a generic class like many others do, in the end, that's all just to make money. That's just the standard way to do it. but I can't find myself offering generic classes meant to just make them be able to barely pass the minimum requirements. I have a responsibility to pass on real life skills to my students that will actually potentially save their lives.

I have to do what I feel is right and for me that is making sure that everyone who leaves one my classes, leaves a knowledgeable and well trained student so that their gun experience is one that will serve their best interests.

For my introductory class, what I try to do is blend in the basic safety class with the concealed class and I throw in a few wrinkles of my own.. Essentially I could do what the state requires me to do in about 35 minutes,... take their money and be gone. But I don't feel comfortable doing it that way. I do this because I love it... so there's a pride issue involved as well as an issue with me wanting to have them all realize and adopt a certain responsibility in addition to knowing & understanding the safety issues as well.

Handling a firearm looks easy on tv from the way we grew up and the shoot-em-up shows we all watched, but the funny thing is that the more you learn, (and this applies to me as well as anybody else), the more you find out that you don't know which leads many of my students to take advantage of our ability to not just graduate students, but excellent shooters who understand the associated safety issues.

It really opens the door for everybody that has any deeper needs going on to know that as we train together, they will realize that good marksmanship and proper gun handling is not as simple as it looks.

I have had so many people say "it looks so easy" and then realize that it takes a lot of proper training and a lot of practice of it to be as good as you though you could be. Especially if your life ever depends on it.

 

If somebody wants to come in to take a concealed class or a basic class, or whatever it is that they need a certification paper for, there's a lot quicker, shorter and cheaper ways to get there from A to B than to come to me if that's all they are looking for.

I am there for the person who realizes their responsibilities and wants to be truly skilled like they should for their family, the society around them and of course, as well as for themselves.

I am not somebody to come to just to get a certificate... I want everyone to know that before they come to me, if they are just looking to just get some short cuts and certificates, etc., you're wasting your time coming to me, because you might as well go to someone else who has no problem collecting their money and signing a paper.

In this profession, it seems everybody is an "ex this", or an "ex that",.. but if there were as many ex-special forces people gun training as they claim that are, we would have had a 15 million man army. Much of the claims you hear are for sensational reasons to just bring in more business. That is why I make it a point to offer proof of my background and experience to those who visit my website or make an inquiry for my services. (Click to view credentials)

While I have never been in the military or law enforcement, I have had more documented law enforcement and military firearm training than most people who have actually spent many long years in the military or law enforcement. I have worked in the field of emergency services for thirty years. I'm a college graduate, worked Ocean Rescue, was an E.M.T. Medic and working in various capacities and realms of Private Security, shot competitively. Trained and graduated at the top of my classes of many world class shooting institutes. Most of which, you have to be accepted through your past experience and credentials, not just pay and enroll. I am a Law Enforcement Survival Trainer and I do take it very seriously as I myself am constantly training to make myself more of an asset to my students.

Anyone who comes to me will get the extra mile and then some. They are going to pay a little more, but I'm going to go that extra mile to teach them not just everything that they think they need to know, but also everything my experience knows for a fact that they are going to need once they get out there on their own.

Everybody knows when they get out of even my first class, they can always consider themselves a student of mine even after the clock runs out. I always consider them a student to whom I am responsible and they are welcome to call me anytime knowing that I'm going to answer any questions they have and put them at ease.

That's why I would rather work with people who care about attaining a level of excellence that only dedication can bring. Most people who train with me will usually come back for long periods of time and then continue training periodically with me because this skill is like using a musical instrument.. The more you practice and learn, the better you become. They know that my knowledge is an open book for them to benefit and grow from. Like anything worthwhile, you have to practice and develop your skills over and over to get it right.

Too many people's egos get in the way of this when considering gun trainer or teacher. They seem to think that the mere fact that they choose to go to a trainer says something negative about them, but it's quite the opposite. Nobody is born a knowledgeable marksman or gun owner. Even I with all of my extensive years of training have mentors that go back decades for me and I still consider them my mentors. Regardless of how much I have learned there is always yet something new to learn that will benefit myself and my students.

I love teaching and can't let ego get in the way. I don't feel I am above or beneath anybody,... I just consider myself a source to pass on all this information to the average person in a clear way that they can understand. I am only here to help those around me be the best they can be. If a prospective student is seeking that, then give Straight Shooters a call. Turning out the best students to be found anywhere is what keeps us at the top of our food chain.