A little over a year ago I was given a certificate to attend a free 2 day defensive handgun coarse at Front Sight Firearms Training Institute by a friend of You Can Carry. Because of a busy work schedule it took me a while to get out and use it–but a few months ago my wife and I finally decided it was time for a vacation for the two of us. So we planned out a week long trip to Las Vegas with the first 2 days being set aside for the class at Front Sight. Overall it was a great experience for us–so here’s my take on Front Sight .
We arrived at 6:30am and waited in a line of cars for about 15 minutes as cars filed into the facility. They have a very controlled facility with gates surrounding everything and they had 2 staff members greet each car. The gates were on a schedule so people weren’t coming in and out except at specified times (obviously they would open the gates to let you out should you need to leave the facility at another time, but no one was getting in unless it was during the hours the gates were open ). The beginning of the first day was check in and weapons inspection. They verified that you were in fact registered for the class and then inspected your equipment–your firearm, magazines, ammo, and holster. They had some specific requirements in place for safety and wanted to make sure that everyone and their equipment were in compliance. They have all of the information on their website for review before you show up, and they have a pro shop where you can buy most anything that you may need including gear, ammo, shirts, etc. We didn’t feel rushed (which I enjoyed, but also was wanting some of that sleep back that I missed earlier that morning!).
At 8:00am or 8:30am we began the initial introduction and “housekeeping” items. Basically we got the introduction/philosophy for Front Sight and signed the waivers. Every class was grouped together in a big classroom which was connected to the pro shop and surrounded outside by a bunch of shooting ranges. When we were done there we headed out to the range.
The range we were at was 75 yards with a pavilion and chairs at one end, and three dirt berms surrounding the range. Our class had 38 students and 3-4 instructors at any given time. There was one instructor that was in charge and lead the group and then 2 or 3 others that mostly stayed the same, but we did have one join us on the second day that wasn’t there on the first day.
Range time was split up into three different activities–first was the lecture where we were seated in the pavilion and were listening to the instructors and watching the demos that they were going through. We went over basic firearm safety rules, then started into the defensive use of a handgun. The second activity was dry practice (they do not refer to this activity as dry fire–simply dry practice–since you can not fire an unloaded weapon). At the 75 yard marker we would line up and dry practice various drills including drawing from a holster, getting in the “ready” position, trigger control, malfunction clearing, and more. Lastly, we did live fire drills from the 3 yard marker out to the 15-20 yard marker.
We didn’t fire a round for the first portion of the class, but lined up on dry practice line for exercises. For both dry fire and live fire exercises they implement what they call a “coach system”. Essentially, this just means that you split the group up into two firing lines and everyone is matched up with one person. The person not firing is supposed to offer help and critiques, as well as encourage and enforce safety with the person on the firing line. One line would go through the drills, then they would switch and the second line would go through the drills with the first line coaching.
I have mixed feelings about this coaching system–most of the time I was paired up (by choice) with my wife. While I am quite a bit more advanced in my training, she felt comfortable offering reminders and suggestions based on the instruction that we had received. Obviously, I felt the same and was more than comfortable making sure that she was safe and performing the drills properly. However, on the second day the instructors switched it up and gave everyone a new partner (without a choice) so we got to know some more people in the group–but it is a little different “coaching” someone that I just met and I found it less effective because I didn’t want to be too intrusive or critical of my new partner. My wife had a similar experience but was even a little more magnified based on her shooting partner. At that point I felt like I was only on the lookout for major safety violations–and not as much of a coach. Either way, the system did allow for the instructors to give more personalized attention simply because only half the group was shooting at any given time.
After we went over the basics and practiced without ammunition, we lined up on the firing line. Following commands issued by the instructor we started from the ready position and slowly started to work through the proper mechanics of shooting. Sight alignment, sight picture and trigger control were the main focus as we began to slowly build our skills and speed. We didn’t begin drawing our gun from the holster and firing until the second day (the entire first day anytime your gun went in or out of the holster it was unloaded)–which left time for beginners to build up the confidence and skills to safely draw from a holster–and allowed time for the more experienced to gain muscle memory for the specific actions that they wanted you to perform. I found myself constantly walking through each step one by one in my head so it was nice to start with a slow repetition and work up speed.
By the end of the second day we were drawing from a holster and firing two rounds to center body mass–most of us could do it from 10 to 15 yards in under two seconds. However, we were taught to only go as fast as we could guarantee the shots. That meant different speeds to different persons at different distances, but for a two day class I felt like we made good progress. They advertise the fact that you can take this class even if you have never fired a round before–which is true–but you’ll get more out of it if you are familiar with the basics of handguns, and specifically the one you are using.
One of the activities on the second day of class was the shooting house. It was a very simple and beginner version of a realistic shoot/don’t shoot scenario–but I found it was a good test of the skills we had learned and provided a step up in realism of the training. In this particular scenario we were standing about 10 feet in front of a house door with one window on one side of the door and two windows on the other. Targets would then present themselves and you would have to identify the target, decide if they are a threat or not, and then fire or not fire based on what you saw. One of the targets had a hostile holding a child as a hostage and you only have the face visible on the hostile. Even though it was a pretty simple scenario, it was a good step up from a silhouette target that doesn’t move.
One of the other positive aspects was the lectures that they gave. During lunch and at other “break” times they brought everyone into the classroom for lectures on the legal and moral side of using your firearm in self-defense. They walked through different scenarios and asked thought provoking questions to get you to see different sides of situations–some that still get me thinking about various possibilities when you are tempted to use your firearm. Two stories in particular from one of the instructors have stood out in my mind. I won’t share the stories but they definitely made me think about when/how I would use my weapon if I am faced with certain situations. I would also sit through these lectures again if/when I go back to Front Sight (even if they are the same lectures). I also liked the fact that they used lunch time to go through lectures so you didn’t waste shooting time going through lectures at a different time.
During some of the lecture series there was also a couple sales pitches–one from Front Sight themselves for anyone who wasn’t a lifetime member and another from Fort Knox safes (which was completely voluntary and was after the rest of the activities for the day were completed so you could leave if you didn’t want to attend). The Front Sight sales pitch wasn’t over the top and they simply said that they wanted us to become members and then they explained the offer. There wasn’t any “pressure” tactics to get you to join.
Because I was out of state we drove down which meant that for the “free class” it costs my wife and I about $400 between gas, the hotel, food, and ammunition and the mandatory background check that Front Sight completes before you can attend a class. We did not rent guns but we did buy a few items to get ready for the class (such as electronic ear protection which is required). I enjoyed the two day course and now want to go back for the four-day defensive handgun class which goes beyond drawing and firing from a standing position. I don’t know that I’ll adopt every single step that they taught, but I think the training is fundamentally sound and will prepare you if you ever have to use your firearm for self-defense.
One side note—I am aware of a lot of the negative aspect of Front Sight–between the first members who purchased plots of land to the lawsuit(s) to the over-the-top marketing campaigns there are definitely some people that have negative feelings towards them. While I may not agree with how they conduct their marketing, my main concern is that I receive quality training for a good price in an environment that I feel safe and able to learn. Others might feel that they don’t want to be included with an organization that does those types of things which is perfectly fine and understandable–but based on my experience I have every intention of returning for more training. I also have every intention of expanding my training with other organizations as time and money permit (including local instructors).
Also–if you are looking for a female perspective on the training check out this post.
**Lastly, in full disclosure, the link at the top is an affiliate link and I may receive commissions if you click through and sign up for a class. However, the review here is based solely on my opinion based on my personal experience with Front Sight and is not influenced by my affiliate (or any other) status–in fact, I signed to be an affiliate after my class because of the positive experience that I had. If you have any questions about the course or my association with the Front Sight do not hesitate to contact us or leave a comment below. **
The guys over at Legal Heat were nice enough to send us a promo copy of their iPhone/iTouch app “Legal Heat: 50 State Guide to Firearm Laws and Regulations” for review. It is compatible with both the iPhone and iTouch (but you must have an updated firmware). I’ve had it for a few days now and have been able to play around with it. On a couple of occasions during conversations with co-workers and friends I’ve pulled out the app to answer questions I couldn’t recall off the top of my head (granted I probably talk about concealed weapons more than the average guy).
The app is basically a quick pocket guide for concealed carry laws for each one of the 50 states. It covers the basics (definitely not a comprehensive review of all firearm laws) but captures most of the questions you would like to know when you carry a firearm using reciprocity laws. It has a page for each state CCW laws, then a “Transport Rules” section, and also every Attorney General phone number (an email for each AG would also be nice to have but isn’t currently included). The navigation is very simple, clean, and easy.
The front page of the app gives you a rating from 1 bullet to 5 bullets (with Illinois and Wisconsin earning head stones instead of a bullet rating!) ranking their friendliness towards concealed 
carry. From there you can go to the state you want with each state page including a section for prohibited areas (both state and federal) and any special notes or exceptions–this may include any weird laws or general attitudes that may be different than written laws in the state. There are two reciprocity maps on the state page as well–first is what states honor the permit of the current state and the second is which state permits the current state will honor (not all maps are currently on there but Legal Heat has confirmed that they will be updated soon).
It would be nice to know if you were required by law to notify a police officer if you are detained (although we recommend doing this even if it’s not required by law). It would also be nice to know what the laws are when carrying a firearm in your car (with or without a permit) for when you are driving through a state that does not recognize your permit and you need to know if you can still have your firearm loaded or if it needs to be locked and hidden. There are tons of other random things that could be included, but they’ve kept the information simple enough to where you can find the pertinent information at a glance.
From talking to Legal Heat they are really committed to making this the best app for concealed carry. They just submitted an update yesterday to add reciprocity maps and add clarification on some points. They also have plans for a much bigger update coming next month which will include open carry information and some additional features. For $1.99 it’s definitely worth snagging. But before you run to iTunes we’ve got 3 promo codes for the app for free (thanks to Legal Heat and App Ventures) so we’re giving it away to three of our Facebook fans on Monday (March 1st). So make sure that you are a fan on Facebook and let us know that you want a free copy of the app.
