NRA Pistol Instructor Training (PIT) Class

Class Length: 10 hours
Class Description
Class Prerequisites
Pre Course Qualification
Schedule
How to Apply

Our NRA Pistol Instructor Training (PIT) course is designed to develop NRA Certified Instructors who possess the knowledge, skills, and attitude necessary to conduct the NRA Basic Pistol Shooting Course.

NRA Pistol Instructor Training begins with our NRA Basic Instructor Training class, which must be successfully completed first. Both classes together form the required course for NRA Basic Pistol Instructor certification. (You are not considered an NRA Certified Instructor until the NRA Training Department processes your application and issues your instructor credentials.)

NRA Basic Pistol Instructor certification is a requirement for becoming a Concealed Weapons Permit (CWP) Instructor in South Carolina, North Carolina, and other states. It is each individual state that decides all matters relating to their CWP programs including whether, when, and to whom they issue Instructor certificates. You must apply directly to the state and meet its requirements for certification as a CWP instructor in that state.

From time to time we offer competent and qualified people a special course package that includes all the training requirements for NRA Pistol Instructor and CWP certification in one weekend: NRA Basic Instructor Training, NRA Pistol Instructor Pre Course Qualification, NRA Pistol Instructor Training, with bonus CWP Instructor Training—all on a Saturday and Sunday in the same weekend.

As a rule, all NRA instructor training consists of two classes separated by an Instructor Pre Course Qualification in the subject matter of the discipline-specific Instructor class such as Pistol, Rifle, or Shotgun. The NRA Basic Instructor Training class teaches the principles, methods, and standards of all NRA basic firearm instruction; the Instructor Pre Course Qualification is the instructor candidate's opportunity to demonstrate required competence in the knowlede, skills and attitude essential to the discipline-specific Instructor class that follows; and successful candidates enter that discipline-specific Instructor class. Our special course Pistol Instructor package includes not only the NRA's discipline-specific Instructor class but also our South Carolina CWP Instructor training and model CWP Instructor class.

Prerequisites

To enroll in our NRA Pistol Instructor Training class you must:

1. successfully complete our NRA Basic Instructor Training class;
2. send us an application to attend the NRA Pistol Instructor class, an NRA Pre-Course Questionnaire, and payment of the current class fee;
3. achieve satisfactory scores in an NRA Pistol Instructor Pre Course Qualification assessment that we conduct for qualified and promising potential students; and
4. demonstrate on an ongoing basis the knowledge, skills, and attitude that we consider appropriate for an NRA Pistol Instructor candidate.

Top of Page

Pre Course Qualification

In your Pistol Instructor Pre Course Qualification test you must: 1. achieve a score of 90 percent or higher in the NRA Basics of Pistol Shooting Exam as demonstrated by certification that you provide us before you appear for our classes, and 2. have a minimum passing score of 80 out of a possible 100 points in firearms handling, shooting competence, and firearms safety evaluation that you demonstrate to our satisfaction when you are on-site in our classes. Note that any failure to practice gun safety is grounds for disqualification and dismissal. Here is the NRA Pistol Instructor Pre Course Qualification that we may modify, adapt, and apply at our slae discretion.

The NRA states that "Only those candidates who achieve satisfactory scores in the pre-course qualification, and who meet other specified requirements for NRA instructors, are eligible for certification."  

Top of Page

Class Description

NRA Pistol Instructor Training begins after NRA Basic Instructor Training stops: with Lesson VI.

The NRA Pistol Instructor Training class proceeds through lessons that teach you how to conduct an NRA Basic Pistol Shooting course step by step using the NRA's current Basic Pistol Shooting Outline and Lesson Plans, and how to teach pistol shooting on a basic level. NRA Pistol Instructor Training concludes with the Pistol Instructor Examination and other preliminaries to NRA certification.

We help you learn you what you need to know for success as an NRA Pistol Instructor and we help you apply your knowledge, skills, and attitude to teaching your own NRA or CWP classes successfully.  Photographs on this page show just a few aspects of how we teach a typical Instructor class. The photos give you a glimpse of our hands- on instructional method. First we teach you how to coach a student firing the first shots. Then we supervise you as you do an actual coaching session with a student firing those first shots. We explain, demonstrate, and guide you through what you need as a first rate certified Pistol Instructor. Look for us in the photographs and you'll notice that we are always visible but never intrusive. 

Typical lessons in our model NRA Pistol Instructor Training class:

6. Introduction to "NRA Basic Pistol Shooting Course Outline and Lesson Plans"

7. Teaching "Pistol Lesson I: Pistol Knowledge and Safe Handling"

8. Teaching "Pistol Lesson II: Ammunition Knowledge and the Fundamentals of Pistol Shooting"

9. Basic Pistol Shooting Instructional Method

10. Teaching "Pistol Lesson III: Shooting Positions and Shooting Qualification"

11. Evaluating and Improving Performance of Beginning Pistol Shooters

12. Teaching "Pistol Lesson IV: Scoring Targets and Selecting and Maintaining a Pistol"

13. Teaching "Pistol Lesson V: Continued Opportunities for Skill Development"

14. Using NRA Basics of Pistol Shooting Course Evaluation, Performance Requirements Checklist and Pistol Instructor Examination and Course Conclusion

Top of Page

Class Schedule

Here are currently scheduled NRA Pistol Instructor Training classes in the Greater Columbia, SC, area. We add classes throughout the year. If you do not find a satisfactory class date on this schedule you can reserve a place on the waiting list for a future class.

How to Apply

Email us now if you're interested in attending an NRA Pistol Instructor Training class and/or you want to be a CWP Instructor. We talk with prospective students first. Please be sure to include your telephone number(s) so we can call to prequalify you for the class, determine your needs, and answer your questions.

Top of Page