What did you do this weekend?
We were with some Illinoisans who sharpened their personal defense skills this weekend at Darnall’s Gunworks and Ranges west of Bloomington.
GSL Defense Training’s Intermediate Personal Protection: Training to Live and Win course was a fun weekend for nine students. A dozen instructors shared skills and techniques they had learned at other schools, both local and national over the years, to help participants unlock their potential to use their sidearms better both defensively and in competition.
We took students through speed skills exercises, eliminating wasted movement in drawing and presentation, shooting while moving, shooting video scenarios on a firearm training simulator and then articulating an explanation for their actions (or lack thereof) under interrogations of real lawyers and law enforcement officers. We shot in the dark and in the rain, and under pressure including distracting pyrotechnics. We covered weapon retention, tactical treatment of gunshot wounds and the combat mindset. We also discussed tactics to avoid becoming a victim and how to thwart muggings and street robberies without firing a shot.
It was a long, but exciting weekend and culminated with a series of drills that took students away from a square range to solve challenging scenarios using their skills, tools and good judgment. It left participants feeling more confident with their new skills and abilities.
We at Guns Save Life are huge proponents of firearm training.
Firearms are not a magic talisman against bad people with evil in their hearts. Using guns to save you from criminal attack requires you to not only be able to safely and effectively employ the gun, but also know the rules of using deadly force justifiably in one’s locale.
Hollywood teaches neither, nor are they for sale on aisle 4 at Bass Pro.
Don’t forget those firearm skills are perishable and getting off a tame square range will help you sharpen your abilities, instead of letting them fade with time.
Seek out and avail yourself to training opportunities throughout Illinois and beyond. There are a number of good trainers and schools throughout Illinois – and other traveling instructors who come to Illinois and adjoining states – sharing the newest and latest in skills, tactics and mindset to help you come out on top should you not be able to avoid a deadly encounter.
