Thread: Mountain Safety Council Firearms Course

I have just joined the Forum, so my comments are somewhat belated. I was a NZ Mountain Safety Council Firearms Safety Instructor in Auckland from 1984-2006. Reading the threads on this issue, I felt compelled to reply. I think Koshogi's first post revealed his lack of understanding of the testing process and that he assumed too much. The course revolves around the 7 basic rules of firearms safety and the law relating to firearms safety. It is not designed to make a course member a firearms "expert", nor does the instructor need to be an "expert", but that person should ideally have considerable experience with firearms. Sadly, that does not always apply. As Koshogi pointed out, not all instructors are competent teachers. I used to tell attendees on my courses that they would need to continue to gain as much knowledge on firearms as they could from books and other (competent) firearms users. I made a point of covering each test question in my lecture, and used relevant stories from my own experiences to reinforce those points. Selecting some of Koshogi's examples: you ARE able to leave a firearm unattended in a vehicle, AS LONG AS IT IS UNDER SUPERVISION ; people should not RELY on safety catches- they can fail (I never use a safety); there is not time during the course to display each type of firearm action, and it is not relevant to the aims of the course. Koshogi's comments about the teaching style he/she encountered though are relevant. I am glad that these were brought to the attention of the NZMSC. The idea of a proficiency test had been discussed many years ago, and was shelved because of the sheer impracticality. I commenced testing at Henderson Police Station, when there would be over 100 people sitting the test one night every month. As a volunteer (unpaid), how could I find the time to conduct such a practical test for that many people every month? Where would you conduct it in Auckland?
Lastly, the emphasis on the testing course is on the 7 basic safety rules because every firearms related injury or fatality is a result of someone ignoring one (or more) of those rules.