Thread: Mountain Safety Council Firearms Course

Quote (koshogi)
Lack of resources should not make a significant difference in the delivery of the course though.

Rubbish. You are even contradicting yourself now.


Quote (koshogi)
Yes, developing people is flogging them.

You know perfectly well what I meant, so don’t come at playing dumb so that you can come back with a Smart Alec answer.

I have already stated my opinion, but seeing you obviously prefer to ignore that, I’ll repeat it, briefly.

The enlargements and additions to the course that you and others are asking for would result in it going from a single session to at least three sessions – and require the instructors to put in at least three times as many hours. That would be if all instructors were prepared to do this. Many would probably not be, and would resign.

Your grandiose plans to continually re-assess the instructors and ‘develop’ those who you consider do not meet ‘standard assessment criteria for instructors’(whatever that means) would undoubtedly result in more resignations, putting an even greater load on those who remain. (for the time being)

If the number of instructors available to take courses falls below a critical level, the present system will collapse. At the centre where I am the NZMSC firearms coordinator, one instructor resignation would make it very difficult to cope with even the present one-session course, and two resignations would be the finish.

Quote (koshogi)
Improving the course and the instructors is going to lead to a serious downward spiral?

Yes, it certainly will if there are nowhere near enough ‘improved’ instructors available to run this ’ímproved’ course. They are UNPAID VOLUNTEERS, remember – they cannot be forced to do what they don’t want to.

If you are determined to push for changes to the present system, take your demands the top brass at police headquarters. You seems to be unaware of the fact that NZMSC has exactly TWO paid employees dealing with firearms matters, one based in Wellington and the other úp country’ somewhere, and their salaries and expenses are funded by the police. They are in no position to set up and fund comprehensive instructor monitoring procedures, or unilaterally change the course content. Only the police could do either of these things.

I’ll leave you with one final thought. Over the decades I have been involved with NZMSC, various arms officers have remarked to me that they always get some applicants who bitch and moan about having to attend a ONE session course. “Why should I have to waste my valuable time doing this – blah, blah, blah?”

If they had to do a THREE session course, the complaints would increase exponentially. Finally, some aggrieved person would post to NZHS or another such forum complaining bitterly, and with internet forums generally being a moaners’ paradise where laws, regulations, and government agencies are involved, they would undoubtedly get some support. “+1” “Yeah, +10” “Yeah, yeah +100” etc, etc, etc.

Away the OP would then go, to NZMSC and to the police, brandishing this ‘history of dissatisfaction’ and demanding immediate changes to the system …………