Saturday, June 11, 2011

NRA Certified

Meet an NRA certified Safety Instructor:
Police say a two-year-old found a loaded .45 caliber pistol under a bed. He accidentally shot his six-year-old stepsister Emily Lavender in the chest and killed her, authorities said.
Investigators found 53 guns after searching the home.
People who know the homeowner say he was an NRA certified firearms instructor and a trainer for a Valley Sea Cadet program.

Do you realize it's harder to become a barber or a driving instructor than to become an NRA certified instructor?  It's true.

Plus, barbers and driving instructors are routinely monitored and have to periodically renew their licenses.  An NRA certified instructor isn't monitored and doesn't have to renew anything.

Nobody ever fails any NRA course and course content and conduct isn't standardized.

16 comments:

  1. "Police say a two-year-old found a loaded .45 caliber pistol under a bed. He accidentally shot his six-year-old stepsister Emily Lavender in the chest and killed her, authorities said.

    For the 20 something actual kids/year where this happens it is indeed sad. Instructor should be arrested, charged, and go to jail.

    You know a tax deduction for gun safes would be a big incentive for some to store their guns safely.


    "An NRA certified instructor isn't monitored and doesn't have to renew anything.

    Untrue. There are instructor tests for each discipline. And even for my Range Safety Officer certificate, there was a test. Certificates can be renewed cheaply online.

    As far as licenses go, we've become (as a society) a bit overly naive about them. I tend to think they are all but worthless (and I'm licensed by the state). Plenty of licensed professionals out there such as teachers, barbers, lawyers, doctors, driving instructors etc, who couldn't run a business or conduct themselves properly if their life depended on it.

    "Nobody ever fails any NRA course and course content and conduct isn't standardized.

    Also untrue though many of the courses are harder to stay awake through (then passing the test). Conduct pretty much is self selecting through the free market. At my local range, every instructor must be certified to teach. Add to that we are selective on conduct. No political stump speeches in class and hands off the ladies (unless invited).

    More here.
    http://www.nrahq.org/education/training/index.asp

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  2. You know a tax deduction for gun safes would be a big incentive for some to store their guns safely.

    You're asking me to subsidize some whack-job with 53 guns??

    Not gonna happen today, tomorrow or any other day. The libertarian manifesto: Tax breaks for the wealthy and for gun owners. I would rather have a well-used library card than anything the NRA can provide.

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  3. "You're asking me to subsidize some whack-job with 53 guns?"

    Safes are good for a lot of things. We store our legal papers, passports, jewelry, etc inside.

    Do you find potentially lowering the needless deaths of children a worthy goal? Do you like the idea of guns from being stolen out of homes while the owner is away?

    Flying junior. Safe storage mandates have already been tried in many states. They fail miserably.

    I have solar panels on my home because the tax incentives made it affordable (and being self sufficient for my own power is a good thing).

    I invest 1400/month pretax because the incentive is there to lower my tax liability. Saving money, investing into my own retirement is behavior the govt promotes through incentives.

    If storing firearms safely is behavior you want, looks for ways to accomplish that goal (your bigotry against firearms notwithstanding).

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  4. Sounds like you're doing very well sir. Best of luck.

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  5. Anonymous said, "For the 20 something actual kids/year where this happens it is indeed sad." Then he went on to point out all the things Jadegold got wrong. Pretty funny, huh?

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  6. "Then he went on to point out all the things Jadegold got wrong. Pretty funny, huh?

    Kind of sad how often you two get things wrong. Especially when 5 minutes looking something up would both prevent you from looking ignorant and prevent you from spreading misinformation.

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  7. Again, let me clear: nobody flunks an NRA course.

    Nobody.

    So, it doesn't matter if an instructor gives no tests or 80 tests; if nobody flunks--it doesn't matter.

    Moreover, NRA instructors have no oversight. They can teach straight out of the NRA instruction manual or they can teach whatever they want.

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  8. "Again, let me clear: nobody flunks an NRA course.

    BULL! I've administered said tests and flunked students. You have zero idea on what you're talking about.

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  9. Baloney, Anon.

    Nobody flunks. Ever.

    Now, we could argue back and forth on this but here's a pretty strong point: if I were to Google about flunking a drivers test or algebra or the sixth grade, I could literally get hundreds of hits of people who have flunked those subjects or courses or tests.

    OTOH, you can't seem to find anybody willing to admit they flunked an NRA course. You'd think that somebody who flunked say--an NRA RSO course--might ask for advice on any of the many gun boards.

    And, frankly, it isn't in an NRA instructor's interest to flunk anyone. First, he wants folks to join the NRA. Second, he wants people to come back for other courses for the fees.

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  10. "For the 20 something actual kids/year where this happens it is indeed sad."

    Well, I guess it all depends on what you mean by "this."

    What I consider "this" is incidents in which a kid gets ahold of daddy's gun, period. You could limit it to the times the gun is fired, or to those times when someone is shot, or, I suppose you could limit it to the times when someone is killed. If that's not limited enough, how about if we count only those cases in which a 2-year-old shoots and kills an older sibling.

    I'm not sure how you get the numbers down to 20 per year, but I'm sure it can be done. it all depends on what you limit it to.

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  11. Nobody flunks. Ever.

    Now, we could argue back and forth on this.....


    You get to post pretty freely here as its your blog. Nor does it mean you'll be honest in your posts. Is this willing ignorance on you part?

    "First, he wants folks to join the NRA. Second, he wants people to come back for other courses for the fees.

    At many clubs you have to be a NRA member before taking the course. You knew that right? BTW - People come back regardless as they often need the certs to work at a range, etc. Or they go home, study, come back and retake the test. Not much to ask a gun board as the advice will be go study. This stuff isn't brain surgery. Nor is the curriculum harder than most high school level exams.

    BTW - Its in our best interests to hold people accountable so accidents do not happen. Ranges have liability concerns you know. Retaking a class is just more money for us. And if its a requirement for working, them failing is just increased revenue.

    I think if you looked a bit more closely, you'd find the incentive to push people through NRA courses (like many private universities) is the opposite to public education.

    Well, I guess it all depends on what you mean by "this."

    Actual children, not teenagers or young adults who should know better. You're side has a tendency to lump teenagers in gangs and the 18-21 young adults into 'children.'

    And the number is off the top of my head. Actual children in 1996 was 42 (had to look it up). In a country of 300 million people, its newsworthy but relatively insignificant. Less than car crashes, burning, or drowning.

    As I said, 'children' dieing is a sad thing, but even without guns present, parents manage to kill 3-5 'children' everyday. That level of dysfunction is sad, but just isn't newsworthy.

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  12. Baloney, Anon.

    I called you a liar and posted the link to see how one renews their certification. You are dead wrong on that among other things.

    Now, we could argue back and forth on this but here's a pretty strong point:

    Rather than waste my time going back and forth on an issue I've seen 1st hand, post a link backing your assertion. That can't be too hard if you're so certain of yourself. Either you got the incorrect information from somewhere or you're making it up.

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  13. Nobody flunks ever. You could be a full-up retard and not flunk.

    As I sagely noted, no instructor is ever going to flunk anyone--they want 'em coming back for more. They want the 'student' to tell his buddies how they, too, can become gunslingers.

    There is no accountability whatsoever. The 'instructors' aren't monitored and who cares what becomes of the students?

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  14. What is Anonymous trying to say anyway, that the NRA training is adequate?

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  15. No link provided. Liar. You made it up as expected.

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  16. Anon: No link provided. Liar. You made it up as expected.

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