We offer the 4 hour NYS Pistol Safety Course.  This covers all the requirements for your pistol safety course in New York State.  Basic identification of firearms, parts, ammunition, safe handling, storage and cleaning as well as the Article 35 “Use of Force” are taught.  Our course is approved for Onondaga, Oswego, Jefferson, Cortland and Madison Counties. 

 

Some facts about your pistol license;

>Your pistol license is not good in all areas of NY, you need to know where you can go.

Stores that have “no-gun” policies do not carry the weight of law in NY.  Store policy does not supersede State Law however they may ask you to leave.  You may carry there however if asked to leave you must.

>Your NYS License is good in approx. 27 states and is an unrestricted license (regardless of your restrictions here) in the states you travel to.  Check the laws as many states have open and conceal carry both and you must follow the law in those states.

>If you receive a sportsman license you may reapply for an unrestricted and we suggest doing so (add other courses to your resume before doing so).

>You must carry your license at all times and Onondaga County Law Enforcement is aware that you have a pistol license as it is attached to your driver’s license.

 

As of January 7, 2014, states that honor your NYS Pistol License.  Always verify your travel routes and the validity of your current License; AK, AL, AR, AZ, IA, ID, IN, KS, KY, MI, MO, MS, MT, NC, OK, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, WI.

This course deals with your responsibility to make proper decisions with regard to the “Use of Force” in NYS.  The class is an open forum type of class where all questions are welcome.  

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“Unarmed and Armed Citizens” must make decisions every day and usually under the worst possible circumstances.  Because of the nature of laws there are 2 sets, one for Law-Enforcement and one for Law-Abiding Citizens. Most New York State residents do not know that their “Use of Force” will necessarily be subject to scrutiny both from Criminal Justice System and the Civil Law System.  Criminal and Civil prosecution may result if the individual’s actions are deemed unlawful or inappropriate.  Yet, failure to use force when it is reasonable and necessary may very well mean injury or death to the person and / or innocent civilians.  In particular, this course deals with defining the proper course of action and the possible consequences if you are not justified by NYS Law Article 35.

 

We always teach in this course with the worst possible circumstances in mind so we are all prepared for what may happen.  We do recommend a liability insurance for those of you that are aware enough to realize that even if you are found innocent you will need to hire an Attorney and retaining their services are not cheap.

>Article 35 is NOT a gun law only.  It defines your ability to use force to defend yourself in all situations.

>NYS does not have a “mutual combat law”.  You cannot agree to fight with someone without fear of prosecution. What this means to you is that ANY use of force against another person means you are committing a crime, even in your own home.  Nice huh?

>Article 35 defines the “exemptions/justification” under which you can justify the “Use of Force” to defend yourself and/or another person in those situations.

>In NYS we have an obligation to retreat and can only resort to self-defense physical or otherwise when there are no other options and deadly physical only when we are in imminent fear of death or bodily harm.

>You cannot use “Deadly Force to protect your money, vehicle or home.  You may however use “Physical Force”  which may lead to “Deadly Force.

>The laws in NYS are much more stringent than in other states however even in other states you still must show imminent fear of death or bodily harm.

 

This is presently a 4 hour class however we will be making it into an 8 hour class again soon.  4 hours is simply not enough on the New York State Penal Law Article 35 “Justification” on the “Use of Force” in defensive situations.  As we all know from recent current events, defending ourselves and others is not such a clear cut decision any longer.  This course will define for you the terminology used by NYS, give scenarios as well as examples and explain the “justification” and your “right to self-defense” within the NYS Penal Law.

This class is generally taught by 2 Instructors, it gives great perspective to hear Instructors who specialize in different areas and from different experiences.

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In our CCW l Course we teach;

>The Safety Rules for Safe Shooter/Carry.

>Handgun choices, materials and brands, holster choices, materials and types. >Ammunition, types and why.

>Types of Carry, where and how.

>Situational Awareness and Firearms.

>What to do when presented with a threat.

>Critical Situations and your legal rights.

>What happens during a critical situation

>What do you do after the critical situation is over.

>Tactical Mindset and preparing for critical situations

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Your basic classes do not prepare you for having to make choices about the method of carrying your newly acquired firearm and having to conceal it on your person in order to adhere to NYS and other States laws.  We will discuss firearm safety as it relates to conceal carry.  This means how to load/unload safely and how to make sure that you comply with the laws when you are in public.  We will be going over clothing choices, holster types, material options, the types of firearms and the types of ammo for self-defense.  

 

We will also go over some of the ballistics (what bullets do and how/why) of ammunition and what this means to you.  We will again touch on the laws in NYS (article 35 “Use of Force”) so that you understand what your rights are and the consequences if you find yourself in a situation where you have to defend yourself. 

Our Open Range training can help you develop the skills you need to keep you and your family safe. THIS IS YOUR PRACTICE TIME with an instructor and our laser range.

Practice skills such as:

>Basic shooting fundamentals

>Target shooting

>Drawing your weapon from concealed carry

>Shoot/Don't Shoot simulated training

>Target Transitioning

>and more...

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We offer training in 30 minutes blocks with each block limited to 2 people. A Beyond The Range instructor will be available for guidance and instruction. Reserve your spot today!

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Requirements for course:

18 and over

Sneakers and pants/shorts with a belt. Please bring dry sneakers for training if wet outside.

The CCW II Course is a transitional course bridging the change in instruction from lecture to implementation.  This course to develops the hand/eye coordination necessary along with muscle memory to react to a threat of critical force against you in a positive way. 

 

The body/mind is very powerful and developing a “trained response” to a threat when your “flight or fight” responses are kicking in is paramount to your ability to defend yourself.  Without training you will likely freeze, panic, respond incorrectly, run, etc…

 

This Course addresses the fundamentals necessary in all shooting sports and self-defense scenarios.   You will learn how and where to carry your holster/firearm as well as the proper technique in drawing from your holster.  In many cases if you have to think about “drawing” in a deadly force situation you are already too late.  This must become reflex and your decision process should be Am I Justified. 

 

The advantage of this course is that the basic structure is an NRA Course.  We develop the course of fire.  The NRA Course Certificate and will look great on your “Just Cause”  Portfolios when you submit for your Unrestricted Licenses and the course will set you on the path to proper form and decision making without having the added stress of a live-fire environment.

 

We will be using “Laser” Training pistols to teach/train students in the proper techniques so that the learning curve is much less from a non-firing to a live fire course.

The equipment aides with;

>Proper Grip

>Proper Stance

>Sight Alignment and Sight Picture

>Point of Aim and Point of Impact

>Breathing and Trigger Control

>Learning Sighted Shooting and Point Shooting

>“The Draw”

All without the initial stress of live fire and recoil.

 

Everyone of these fundamentals is the difference between a miss and a hit.  In this non-shooting course we teach you the fundamentals and work with you to enhance your firearms control, speed and confidence.  

 

At the end of this course you will be able to accurately diagnose your own shooting problems and how to fix them, proper shooting techniques when drawing from open/concealed carry and shooting stationary.  This course is the basic preparation for learning to move while shooting which will take place in our next level courses.  While this may seem to long way around remember you had to crawl before you could walk and then run.  Developing bad habits by moving faster than you are capable of may cost you your life.

This Course is the continuation of our CCW II Virtual Training Course.  The CCW II Course transitions you from lecture to Virtual training and the CCW III Course transitions you from Virtual training to Live-Fire making the process much easier for everyone.

 

Courses will be given Weather Permitting and we will reschedule if necessary.

>Minimum of 4 people

>No live ammo on the range until we are ready for live fire.

>Discuss safety and range procedures prior to shooting.

>Discuss Loading and unloading procedures.

>Explanation of grip, sight alignment/sight picture, point of aim/point of impact along with trigger control that you should have had in CCW I and CCW II..

>Explanation of drawing from concealment CCW II.

>Factors that affect accuracy and speed.

>Drawing to high ready position and preparing to fire.

>Processes for attaining speed and accuracy with a goal of self-defense.

>Drills and times drills to gauge your progress.

 

In this class we will be setting safety and handling policies prior to “live fire” that you should learn for all carry situations.  Range education and handling/loading/unloading procedures will be discussed first.  Those of you that have taken CCW I & II will likely have a head start if you took our advice and purchased your holsters and Blue Guns/Airsoft Guns and were able to practice.  

 

Once we determine the class is properly prepared we move to the firing range as a group.  We drill for both accuracy and speed as both are essential skills necessary for you to protect yourself and to also develop great shooting fundamentals.  We will work at 3yds. to 10yds., keeping the primary goal on speed and developing good technique.  Finally we will go over errors/corrections, shooting problems and discuss how to make changes to improve your skills.

 

You will need your own;

>Eye and Ear protection

>Firearms and holsters/mag pouch

>200-300 rounds of ammo

>Any water, snacks or any similar items to increase your comfort