The Responsible Handgun Owner

Description

The Responsible Handgun Owner class duration will be 8 hours 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

All courses are delivered at GTI’s Joint Operations Center 1321 Technology Drive, Barnwell, SC 29812.

All students will be required to provide the following equipment at the time of the class:

• Eye Protection
  • If it is very sunny, you may want sunglasses, but typically, clear glasses allow you to see your sights quicker and more clearly.
• Ear Protection – Ear muffs or ear plugs. It is highly recommended to use both!
  • The less noise you hear, the better you will shoot. High quality electronic muffs are GREAT!
• Serviceable Modern Pistol (I.E. Glock, Springfield, S&W, etc.)
  • It goes unsaid; you MUST have a modern, high quality weapon if you attend this class. It must be reliable and it must be combat accurate!
• Quality Retention Holster (Outside the Waist Band) (The Blackhawk SERPA holster is NOT ALLOWED during our courses.)
  • We HIGHLY recommend that if you are going to purchase a new holster, do some good research online and buy the highest quality holster that you can. Cheap holsters, especially SERPA’s, are dangerous! I prefer leather on guns that have a nice finish that you do not want to scratch but Kydex is much faster to draw your weapon from. Kydex will tend to wear or scratch the surface of pistols much faster but there are advantages to Kydex when it comes to speed of drawing your weapon. Either way, make sure your holster attaches securely to your belt and it is easy to get your pistol into and out of in a safe manner. That is what is important! Do NOT go cheap on your holster! Do the research!
• Extra magazines and magazine pouches are highly recommended.
  • Quality Magazine – Again, when you purchase magazines, do some extensive research online and find out which aftermarket magazines work best for your particular weapon. DO NOT BUY CHEAP MAGAZINES!!! You will regret it. A high percentage of firearm malfunctions stem from using low quality magazines.
  • Magazine Pouch – Typically, you will purchase a mag pouch that matches your holster. Make sure that it fits on your belt and that you can access the magazine quickly from your mag pouch. If you are right handed, your pistol holster will go on your right side and your mag pouch will go on your left side up toward the front of your body.
  • Expedient reloads will not be covered in this class but having extra magazines and an efficient way to carry them will make your day on the range much more enjoyable. You will spend more time shooting and less time back at the truck reloading the same magazine all day. Bring extra! The more the better but 3 is a good starting point!
• 100 Rounds of quality ammunition that is appropriate for your firearm.
  • For range practice/training, “ball” or Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) ammo is appropriate. Just make sure that it functions in your particular weapon reliably. For carry/self-defense purposes, you will want to purchase extremely high quality Jacketed Hollow Point (JHP) ammo. It doesn’t matter if you shoot a .380, 9mm, .45ACP, 10MM or whatever caliber you pick, you MUST shoot defensive style ammo for defensive situations. Do NOT shoot “ball” or FMJ ammo for self defense. It will not typically be effective enough for quick resolutions of the threat. Again, for training, FMJ or “ball” ammo is very acceptable as long as it functions reliably and is reasonably accurate in your weapon.
• All students must have proper footwear (I.E. tennis shoes, boots).
  • Gunfighter training is “athletic” training with a gun. In order to be able to move athletically, swiftly, competently and safely, you must have appropriate footwear. Open toed footwear is not allowed for safety reasons.
• Comfortable pants or shorts may be worn.
  • Skirts or dresses are not allowed. Pants with side cargo pouches work best!
• Appropriate weather protection (I.E. hat, sunscreen, jacket)
• We supply water, but bring your own along with snacks, rain gear and whatever else you can think of that may make your training more comfortable.

** If you do not yet own a handgun you can rent one from GTI for the class. We will provide you with one of our Glock pistols, holster, magazines and ammunition for the course. Simply select that option before adding the course to your cart.