Travel Insider Group Training at Front Sight, Nevada – Nov 2011

Following on from the great success of our two previous Travel Insider groups taking four-day defensive handgun courses at Front Sight, we are repeating the experience this November.

Here’s what you need to know.

What

This will be a Four Day Defensive Handgun course, starting on Friday morning, 11 November and ending on Monday afternoon 14 November at the Front Sight location in Pahrump (45 minutes out of Vegas) in Nevada.

I am adding an optional pre-course briefing and also short courses of qualification to get a Florida and/or an Arizona concealed weapons permit on Thursday late afternoon at the Best Western in Pahrump.  These are :

1.  Pre-course briefing :  What to expect and how to get the most out of the four-day course – free and open to all

2.  A two-hour (plus or minus) course that, in conjunction with the Front Sight four-day handgun course and assuming you pass the test at the end of the short course, will qualify you to get either a Florida or an Arizona concealed weapons permit – or both if you wish (no matter what state you live in).  The Florida permit is the key one, and allows you to carry a concealed weapon in 32 different states.  Adding Arizona allows you to carry in Nevada as well (it is easier to get an AZ permit than a NV permit).  In addition to certifying your eligibility, we will also walk you through filling out the paperwork to get the concealed weapons permit(s).

The cost of this class is $50 to be certified eligible for one state or $75 to be certified eligible for both states.  State license fees are extra.

Note that Front Sight offers a full day class on Tuesday 15th which would qualify you for three states’ permits – FL, UT and NV.  We feel the AZ permit is better than the NV one because it is easier to obtain.  UT is inferior to FL in all respects except that it adds MN to the states that FL already offers (in contrast, FL offers three states that UT does not offer).

If you can afford a full day (and possibly the $500 cost) then you can definitely do the Front Sight course.  But if you can’t spare the extra day on Tuesday, or if you want an AZ instead of NV permit, you might wish to consider our class on the Thursday afternoon preceding the four-day course.

There will also be an optional celebratory dinner on Monday night at the Silverton hotel/casino, close to Las Vegas airport, and of course, many of us will choose to eat as a group during the week in Pahrump too.

Who

Anyone and everyone is welcome to come along and join in, no matter what your level of interest, experience or skill with firearms may be.  In the past we have had a range of people from professional firearms trainers for law enforcement agencies at the high-end, and both men and women who have never handled a gun before at the other end (and who never thought they would!), join us.  We’ve had young people and old people (all the way up to almost 80), and of course both men and women.  Everyone has enjoyed the course, and everyone has learned a great deal (even the professional trainers).

If you don’t have your own pistol, or don’t wish to bring it with you, Front Sight will rent you a complete kit – gun, holster, belt, magazines, eye and ear protection, etc.  If you do have your own pistol, our page on how to travel and fly with guns and ammunition tells you all you need to know about how to bring it with you.  I regularly travel with up to four pistols and a thousand rounds of ammo, you should have no difficulty either.

International visitors are welcome too.

When

The course starts early Friday morning 11 November, and ends about 4.30 – 5pm on Monday 14 November.  You should arrange to be in the area by Thursday evening, and you might want to think about overnighting somewhere on Monday as well, flying out on Tuesday morning.

Of course, there’s no reason you can’t come earlier or stay later, too – Vegas is always a fun place.

Where

At Front Sight’s location between Las Vegas and Pahrump.  They are about 20 minutes drive east out of Pahrump, and 45 + minutes drive west out of Las Vegas, off Hwy 160.

The optional Thursday briefing and concealed weapons class will be in Pahrump at the Best Western hotel, and the optional Monday celebration will be at the Silverton hotel/casino, close to the airport on the Pahrump side of Las Vegas.

We recommend the Best Western in Pahrump as the best place to stay (ask for their discounted Front Sight rate).  Most people will stay there four nights (Thursday arrival, Monday check out) and then spend one night at the Silverton on Monday night.

If you prefer, you could stay in Vegas instead – it is probably another 25 – 30 minutes driving time each way each day if you are in Vegas rather than Pahrump.

Why

The extra fellowship and friendship you can enjoy by doing this as part of a small group rather than as a single person (or couple) makes the experience much more pleasant, and the ability to compare notes with your fellow participants adds to the overall learning experience.

If you need the answer to ‘why should I take a four-day handgun course’, that is understandable.  Prior to going on my first course, I couldn’t imagine how it would take four days to learn how to shoot a handgun, and neither could I think why I’d want to spend so much time learning such an arcane skill.

But having now taken the course three times, I was astonished – and remain astonished after each successive course – at how much I have learned (and how much I still have to learn), not just about how to shoot a gun, but also when to shoot one, how to avoid getting into such situations, how to shoot quickly and accurately, how to respond to problems/jams, and lots more.

Plus, it is great fun as well as invaluable learning!

How

Please let me know if you’d like to join us.

I’ll coordinate the group with Front Sight so we all get to be on the same range, and can walk you through the sign-up process with Front Sight, and if necessary help you get a low-priced certificate to attend the course.

How Much

(If you are already a Front Sight First Family member, you can probably attend for free!)

I currently have three certificates entitling the bearer to a $150 course fee for this course.

I have additional certificates entitling the bearer to a $250 course fee for this course.  (The four-day course lists for $2000 but almost no-one pays full price.)

You might also find a good deal on eBay (search for Front Sight Certificates) to get a certificate allowing you to take this course.

In addition to the course fee you will need to pay $50 for a background check (this needs to be done only once a year so if you come back for more courses in 2011, you’d not need to pay this again).

If you are not bringing your own equipment, you can rent a full kit of just about everything you need including your choice of handgun (we recommend the Glock 17 in 9mm) for $100.

You can bring your own ammo (figure on about 600 rounds) or buy it from Front Sight’s Pro Shop (if you are renting their gun, you need to use their ammo).  600 rounds of 9mm would cost you $264 at Front Sight (and probably less elsewhere – some people phone ahead to Walmart in Pahrump and place an order with them to collect when they get in to Pahrump).

More Information

Here is a lot of information about Front Sight, their Four Day Defensive Handgun Course, how to prepare, what to bring, etc etc.

Here is Front Sight’s home page.

And by all means email me with any questions you have.

I hope you will choose to join us.