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I'm feeling so good right now, I want to share it with everyone here.
My Sheriff's firearms policy (which I wrote) requires all new Deputies to take a two day, (16 hour) basic service handgun course before being authorized to carry a handgun on duty. Our full-time commissioned road Deputies rarely go to the Academy before going on the street (there's a waiting list), and our Reserve Deputies don't go to the Academy; WE'RE responsible for training them. In order to carry a gun on duty, our non-commissioned jail and dispatch staff have to have a Special (reserve) Deputy's commission, and take the required training. A certificate from certain firearms training schools, such as Gunsite, Thunder Ranch, or the Association of Profesisonal Trainers, satisfies this requirement, but everyone else has to take my class. The Sheriff will only pay for the ammo for those who have to have the class for employment reasons; those who are not required to be able to carry a handgun have to pay for their own ammo. I can't charge tuition, as I use the Sheriff's range, not to mention his liability insurance, but they do have to do it on their own time, so they're putting out something.
In my last class were two female dispatchers. who don't like driving to or from work late at night without being able to carry a handgun for self defense, particularly when wearing a uniform. (Even the dispatchers' polo shirts have "Franlin County Sheriff's Office" embroidered on the front) Both took my "try before you buy" advice, and tried different guns during and after the class, to see what suited them the best.
One girl only owned a Bersa 380 (her husband's Ruger P89 was lost when their house was burglarized), so for most of the class, she used borrowed guns, a Glock 19 and a Kahr K9, but she shot the qualification with her Bersa, scoring 88%. She has more recently bought a Glock 19, which I feel was a good choice, and is interested in taking classes at APT. On this quarter's qualification, she scored 92% with her G19.
The other lady used her son's Glock 17, and did very well with it, scoring 98% on the basic course qualification. A couple of weeks ago, though, she tried out my service pistol, a "Loaded" Springfield M1911-A1 45, and boys, she shot like a house on fire with that 1911. She's now decided to get a full-size 1911 Government Model 45 to carry when she gets her Special Deputy card, which I think is a GREAT choice, especially since our new Sheriff will authorize others besides me to carry 1911s.
I encourage my students to get more training than I can offer them, and both of these ladies are making plans to take more classes next year. I know some instructors don't like
their students going to other instructors, but all I can offer at this time is a basic level course, and in any case, it makes me feel pretty good when I can inspire someone enough to make them want to go to a private shooting school and get more training. To top it all off, they've got other dispatchers wanting to take the course, so I guess I'll be having another class next spring.
I enjoy teaching, and it makes me feel good when my students do well and learn to enjoy shooting. I especially enjoy training women, because they take the training so seriously, but when a lady tries several handguns, and choses a 1911 45, well, that really makes my day.
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Roger Shambaugh
Ottawa, Kansas
My Sheriff's firearms policy (which I wrote) requires all new Deputies to take a two day, (16 hour) basic service handgun course before being authorized to carry a handgun on duty. Our full-time commissioned road Deputies rarely go to the Academy before going on the street (there's a waiting list), and our Reserve Deputies don't go to the Academy; WE'RE responsible for training them. In order to carry a gun on duty, our non-commissioned jail and dispatch staff have to have a Special (reserve) Deputy's commission, and take the required training. A certificate from certain firearms training schools, such as Gunsite, Thunder Ranch, or the Association of Profesisonal Trainers, satisfies this requirement, but everyone else has to take my class. The Sheriff will only pay for the ammo for those who have to have the class for employment reasons; those who are not required to be able to carry a handgun have to pay for their own ammo. I can't charge tuition, as I use the Sheriff's range, not to mention his liability insurance, but they do have to do it on their own time, so they're putting out something.
In my last class were two female dispatchers. who don't like driving to or from work late at night without being able to carry a handgun for self defense, particularly when wearing a uniform. (Even the dispatchers' polo shirts have "Franlin County Sheriff's Office" embroidered on the front) Both took my "try before you buy" advice, and tried different guns during and after the class, to see what suited them the best.
One girl only owned a Bersa 380 (her husband's Ruger P89 was lost when their house was burglarized), so for most of the class, she used borrowed guns, a Glock 19 and a Kahr K9, but she shot the qualification with her Bersa, scoring 88%. She has more recently bought a Glock 19, which I feel was a good choice, and is interested in taking classes at APT. On this quarter's qualification, she scored 92% with her G19.
The other lady used her son's Glock 17, and did very well with it, scoring 98% on the basic course qualification. A couple of weeks ago, though, she tried out my service pistol, a "Loaded" Springfield M1911-A1 45, and boys, she shot like a house on fire with that 1911. She's now decided to get a full-size 1911 Government Model 45 to carry when she gets her Special Deputy card, which I think is a GREAT choice, especially since our new Sheriff will authorize others besides me to carry 1911s.
I encourage my students to get more training than I can offer them, and both of these ladies are making plans to take more classes next year. I know some instructors don't like
their students going to other instructors, but all I can offer at this time is a basic level course, and in any case, it makes me feel pretty good when I can inspire someone enough to make them want to go to a private shooting school and get more training. To top it all off, they've got other dispatchers wanting to take the course, so I guess I'll be having another class next spring.
I enjoy teaching, and it makes me feel good when my students do well and learn to enjoy shooting. I especially enjoy training women, because they take the training so seriously, but when a lady tries several handguns, and choses a 1911 45, well, that really makes my day.
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Roger Shambaugh
Ottawa, Kansas