“Tap, rack, bang” and “point that barrel down range” were new clichés heard by the teenagers on June 9, 2019 at the pistol range. The class titled “Basic Pistol Fundamentals for Children of Police Officers” was scheduled at the Compound Gun Repair and Range in Crete, Illinois. There were approximately eight brave souls that reported to the range to experience an event of a lifetime by shooting real firearms at paper targets. Several of the kids mentioned their only familiarity with guns was playing on their video games at home, but were humbled on the range when shooting a live handgun.
The range staff of the Metropolitan Police Self-Defense Institute greeted the parents at the Compound Gun Repair and Range in Crete as they dropped off their teenagers for a life changing experience. The parents were briefed on the class overview, but were not permitted to remain at the location with their child to view the class in progress. The session began with the staff explaining to the participants about range rules, firearms safety, and methods of discipline to suffer for rule violations. The discipline was in the form of push-ups, which consisted of three push-ups per penalty on the graveled ground, which we did a lot in the beginning of class to get their attention.
After several bouts of rule violations and suffering the consequences of push-ups coupled with yelling and screaming by the staff, the class came together and operated smoothly. The staff presented a remedial dissertation and hands-on pistol manipulation with the teenagers using clearly indicated colorful dummy rounds for safety. The young bright minds of these kids caught on quick absorbing everything like a sponge.
The class eventually evolved to the firing line to shoot live rounds at the targets. The staff was impressed with the student’s skill level in such a short time. Our basic shooting drills quickly became no match for these students abilities, which then challenged the range staff to present more difficult shooting drills. After the basic pistol fundamentals were introduced to the class, the group escalated to more challenging drills such as advancing the target and engaging moving targets. Shooting from a sitting and prone positions was also introduced to the class.
The class concluded with an official handgun qualification to determine the student’s proficiency classification of Marksman, Sharpshooter, or Expert. The M.P.S.D.I. staff is pleased to announce the qualification exercise resulted in two Expert rankings and six Sharpshooters. The attendees received some cool gifts generously provided by the American Police Hall of Fame and the National Association of Chiefs of Police. These two organizations sponsor the public service programs offered by M.P.S.D.I.
Upon successful completion of the class, the students were awarded a Basic Pistol Shooting certificate granted by the National Rifle Association’s Education and Training Division. It was touching to witness the proud faces of these kids, when their names were called along with their classification rankings. The M.P.S.D.I. staff volunteered their time to teach this class as a public service program, which so rewarding to see the progress of new people on the line for the first time.
The class in progress is available to view on YouTube, titled: “Basic Pistol Fundamentals for Children of Police Officers.” Embedded below:
About the Author: Brian C. Smith is a retired captain from the Chicago Heights Police Department and a former police chief. He is currently serving part-time at Steger Police Department and full-time at Prairie State College Police Department in Chicago Heights. Brian founded the Metropolitan Police Self-Defense Institute in 1981 with the mission to teach defensive tactics and firearms to civilians and law enforcement personnel.
Brian is a longtime trainer who was appointed as a NRA Firearms Training Counselor in 2012. He has acquired approximately 44 instructor certifications in topics such as firearms, defensive tactics, use of force, and tactical team operations. He was named the 2014 Law Enforcement Firearms Instructor of the Year by the NRA Law Enforcement Division and also named 2016 Trainer of the Year by ILEETA. In 2018, he was appointed to the Board of Directors for IALEFI and conducts firearms training for several public and private police agencies in the Chicago area.
He is a freelance writer with articles appearing in many law enforcement and firearms publications. He is a member in good standing with NTOA, American Federation of Police, National Association of Chiefs of Police and a graduate of the FBI National Academy’s 184th session.
Brian can be reached at brownhornet525@yahoo.com or smithb525@gmail.com
