14 The Firearms Instructor Issue 50 to 15 years ago that turning on the 6 o’clock news today would routinely show a group of soldiers carrying ‘tricked out’ M-4 type rifles with red dot optics, flashlights attached and picatinny rails all around? During the rigors of any of today’s practical shooting sports, tactics and/or gear items that do not work will quickly be exposed. On that same note the weapons and related equipment that work well are seen by other competitors and usually end up being accepted and used by agencies and other organizations as well. As law enforcement firearms instructors, part of what we want to achieve on the range is a simulation of the actual stress that an officer will experience during a life or death struggle. Of course we cannot exactly dupli- cate that stress response without actually shooting at our officers and everyone under- stands that this is not the thing to do. What we can do however, is attempt to create that kind of stress in other ways. By simply plac- ing time limits on the officer the stress begins to build. Then, the lone officer knowing that people are watching him or her perform a particular exercise is added stress as well. Forcing the officer to shoot and move and having multiple targets will cause the heart rate to rise also. Giving the officer a reaction- ary target with instant feedback is a great motivator. All of these things put together can help simulate the stress and physiological effects that the body will experience when forced to engage in mortal combat and these tasks are exactly what the practical shooting sports require and promote. Additionally, the safety factor of organized shooting competition is something not a lot of law enforcement firearms instructors have taken a hard look at today. While I confess that my particular competitive shooting pref- erence is USPSA competition, I also have to say that the USPSA/IPSC organization has an unparalleled set of safety rules and regulations that are strictly enforced. To the first time casual law enforcement observer at a USPSA shooting match it could initially appear that the shooter on a stage, or a par- ticular shooting stage itself, isn’t necessar- ily being conducted safely. Nothing could be farther from the truth. USPSA regulations require your handgun to be holstered with an empty magazine well and the hammer sitting forward when on the range. USPSA regula- tions allow NO idle handling of guns outside of the direct supervision of a Range Officer (one on one), OR in a designated and clearly marked “SAFETY AREA,” with absolutely no carelessness being tolerated. USPSA also goes out of their way to embrace new shooters and make them feel welcome. To date in my career I have shot hundreds of USPSA and like type matches all over the USA and several places abroad. At every one of these matches with NO EXCEPTIONS that I can recall, I have heard the Range Master during the pre-fire brief- ing ask if there were any shooters present who were new to this particular shooting discipline. If and when there were first time shooters at that particular match, a range officer or a squad of range officers would take that person aside after the briefing and personally and respectfully advise the new shooter of the rules and regulations pertain- ing to USPSA. The Range Officers at these matches genuinely wanted to make sure that the new shooter understood the rules so there would be no problems and the new shooter had a great first time shooting expe- rience at the match. As a direct result of the ego elimination (usually) and safety emphasis I have wit- nessed in USPSA, I have seen absolutely NO gross safety errors or negligent discharges at any of the shooting matches where I have been present. Sadly, I cannot say the same for my time on the range with my fellow law enforcement officers, whether it was dur- ing annual qualification, basic training, or some type of agency/area competition. Often new officers aren’t properly trained from the on-set and are then looked down upon or berated by instructors for not knowing the correct way to perform an exercise. Some law enforcement instructors expect fellow officers (especially senior officers) to auto- matically know what to do and what not to do and are therefore more hesitant to correct major safety violations, sometimes resulting in accidents or incidents of negligence. Contrary to what some believe, shooting sports also emphasize accuracy above and beyond speed with a firearm. There has been a misconception in the past but it has never been true that the shooting sports reward speed above all else. Every practical shoot- ing sport I have ever been involved with has given me the correct impression that accuracy is the final deciding factor. While the purpose of repetitive behavior is to build muscle memory and therefore, build speed, the shooting sports realize that speed is good but accuracy is final. In closing it would be beneficial for fire- arms instructors to explore some of the practical shooting sports to build their own skills and to learn some new techniques to bring back to their respective agencies. Or better yet, instructors take your entire squad or agency with you to a local match. Chances are you will be hooked! TFI About the Author Chad Thompson is the Senior/Lead Firearms Instructor at the North Carolina Justice Academy and the School Director of the Specialized Firearms Instructor Training Course. Thompson is a 21 year Law Enforcement Veteran and is currently still sworn at a former agency. Thompson’s Law Enforcement career has been spent at various levels, from federal law enforcement to local law enforcement, and in numerous states in the US, including a year internationally as a Police Officer in Kosovo. Log on for up-to-date information on the premier law enforcement firearms instructors organization! www.ialefi.com THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF LAW ENFORCEMENT FIREARMS INSTRUCTORS CALL 603-524-8787 FOR MORE INFORMATION. ALL MEMBERS ARE WELCOME AND ENCOURAGED TO CONTRIBUTE! ® ® You never know - your photo may end up on our cover! FORIALEFI members BYIALEFI members. Contributions are always welcome! F Write an article F F Send photos F F Respond to an article from a previous issue F F Share your experiences with your fellow members F