Courses

Participants must have valid Photo ID, unless a minor accompanied by an adult with a valid Photo ID. Participants must not be legally disqualified from owning or purchasing a firearm to be qualified to take these courses.

Select a course: Home Firearm Safety Basic Pistol FIRST Steps Pistol Basic Shotgun FIRST Steps Shotgun Personal Protection Refuse to be a Victim Women on Target Women Empowered for Defense

NRA Home Firearm Safety

A basic course recommended for anyone unfamiliar with guns or who needs to learn gun terminology. This class is scheduled on an as-needed basis, and will be scheduled when there are three to four participants interested. This is a non-shooting class.

Course Goal

In this four hour course students will get the NRA's Home Firearm Safety handbook, pamphlets on safety and terminology, and lessons on the rules of safe gun handling, identifying and unloading various firearms, ammunition, cleaning, and storage, and will get hands-on experience with the most common types of handguns, rifles, and shotguns.

Lessons

• Rules for Safe Gun Handling
• Identifying and Unloading Different Firearms
• Practical Exercises in Safe Gun Handling
• Types of Ammunition; Cleaning and Storage of Firearms

Prerequisites

The are no prerequisites for taking this course, and the material is accessible to appropriately supervised mature children.

Course Completion

Students will receive feedback on the practical exercises and a course certificate upon successful completion of the lessons.

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NRA Basic Pistol

A pistol, or handgun, is a firearm designed to be fired while being held in one hand. While such firearms are small and compact, they can be the hardest to learn.

Course Goal

The Basic Pistol course can be as short as ten hours. In it students will get the NRA's The Basics of Pistol Shooting handbook and intensive lessons in safety, gun handling, the various types of pistols, the fundamentals of pistol marksmanship, various pistol firing positions, several practical exercises on the firing range, cleaning, storage, and a summary of pistol sports and activities.

Lessons

• Pistol Knowledge and Safe Gun Handling
• Ammunition Knowledge and Fundamentals of Pistol Shooting
• Firing the First Shots (includes cleaning and storage)
• Two-handed and One-handed Standing Shooting Positions
• Pistol Sports and Activities

Prerequisites

The are no prerequisites for taking this course, and the material is accessible to appropriately supervised mature children.

Course Completion

Students will receive feedback on the live-fire exercise and a course certificate upon successful completion of the lessons. Students will receive a “Basic Practical” rocker upon successful demonstration of firing a qualifying “group”. There is a short written test on the lesson material at the end of the course.

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NRA FIRST Steps Pistol

FIRST stands for “Firearm Instruction, Responsibility, and Safety Training”, a program the NRA developed to meet the need for a firearms orientation program for new gun purchasers. This FIRST Steps program is a basic courses abbreviated to the most fundamental shooting skills, and the specifics of a particular model of pistol. This class is scheduled on an as needed basis, and will be scheduled when there are three to four participants interested.

Course Goal

The Basic Pistol course can be as short as ten hours. In it students will get the NRA's The Basics of Pistol Shooting handbook and intensive lessons in safety, gun handling, the various types of pistols, the fundamentals of pistol marksmanship, various pistol firing positions, several practical exercises on the firing range, cleaning, storage, and a summary of pistol sports and activities.

Lessons

• Pistol Knowledge and Safe Gun Handling
• Ammunition Knowledge and Fundamentals of Pistol Shooting
• Firing the First Shots (includes cleaning and storage)
• Two-handed and One-handed Standing Shooting Positions
• Pistol Sports and Activities

Prerequisites

The are no prerequisites for taking this course, and the material is accessible to appropriately supervised mature children.

Course Completion

Students will receive feedback on the live-fire exercise and a course certificate upon successful completion of the lessons. Students will receive a “Basic Practical” rocker upon successful demonstration of firing a qualifying “group”. There is a short written test on the lesson material at the end of the course.

Register |

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NRA Basic Shotgun

A shotgun is a long gun designed to be fired with two hands. It has a smooth bore (the inside of the barrel) and is designed to shoot a variety of ammunition, ranging from a solid bullet, called a slug, to multiple projectiles, called shot. Shotguns are often used in bird hunting, and in the sports of trap or skeet.

Course Goal

The Basic Shotgun course can be as short as ten hours. In it students will get the NRA's The Basics of Shotgun Shooting handbook and intensive lessons in safety, gun handling, fundamentals of shotgun shooting, several practical exercises on the firing range, cleaning, storage, and a summary of shotgun sports and activities.

Lessons

• Shotgun Knowledge and Safe Handling
• Ammunition Knowledge and Fundamentals of Shotgun Shooting
• Firing the First Shots (includes cleaning and storage)
• Shotgun Shooting Skills Practical Exercise
• Shotgun Games and Activities

Prerequisites

The are no prerequisites for taking this course, and the material is accessible to appropriately supervised mature children. Be aware that the proper fitting of a shotgun to a shooter can be time-consuming.

Course Completion

For best results, the shotgun shooting skills exercise is repeated several times, with feedback from the instructor. Students will receive feedback on the live-fire exercise and a course certificate upon successful completion of the lessons. There is a short written test on the lesson material at the end of the course.

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NRA FIRST Steps Shotgun

FIRST stands for “Firearm Instruction, Responsibility, and Safety Training”, a program the NRA developed to meet the need for a firearms orientation program for new gun purchasers. This FIRST Steps program is the basic course abbreviated to the most basic shooting skills, and the specifics of a particular model of shotgun.

Course Goal

This course, because of its narrow focus, can be completed as quickly as three hours. Students will get the NRA's The Basics of Shotgun Shooting handbook and quick practical lessons on the safe use, cleaning, and storage of their shotgun. The practical exercise covers a single position and type of target. As the number of participants or shotgun types increases, the course will take proportionally longer.

Lessons

• Introduction to Shotgun Safety, Parts, and Operation
• Introduction to Ammunition and the Fundamentals of Shotgun Shooting
• Introduction to Shotgun Shooting at Straightaway Targets
• Introduction to Shotgun Cleaning, Storage, and Training Opportunities

Prerequisites

The are no prerequisites for taking this course, and the material is accessible to appropriately supervised mature children. Be aware that the proper fitting of a shotgun to a shooter can be time-consuming.

Course Completion

Students will receive feedback on the live-fire exercise and a course certificate upon successful completion of the lessons.

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NRA Personal Protection in the Home

Unlike the other basic courses, the Personal Protection course covers defensive shooting. Self-defense is a topic somewhat distinct from the regular diet of shooting fundamentals, it can cover mindset, legal issues, decision-making under pressure, and planning for the worst. The Basic Personal Protection in the Home course is designed around the use of the defensive pistol.

Course Goal

Although the course can be completed as quickly as eight hours, the amount of information presented, and the probability of intensive question and answer sessions on the included topics, makes it likely that the course will take longer.

Students will receive the NRA Guide to the Basics of Personal Protection in the Home handbook and intensive lessons on basics of defensive shooting, issues of self-defense, and other strategies for protecting the home and family.

Lessons

• Introduction to Defensive Shooting
• Basic Defensive Handgun Skills
• Firearms and the Law: Possession, Ownership, and the Use of Deadly Force
• Strategies for Home Safety and Responding to a Violent Confrontation
• Selecting a Handgun for Personal Defense
• Sport Shooting Activities and Training Opportunities
• Course Review and Examination

Prerequisites

Participants in the Personal Protection course should be experienced shooters, showing mastery of the basic skills of safe gun handling. If necessary, this course will put partcipants through a pre-course evaluation exercise, where potential students are asked to demonstrate safe gun handling, shoot a series of five-shot groups, discuss the operations necessary to zero a pistol, and demonstrate how to properly clean a handgun.

Participants are expected to show validation of shooting experience by showing an NRA Basic Pistol Course certificate, an NRA Marksmanship Qualification Program certificate, a Pistol qualification card, a DD 214 card with pistol qualification, or a Concealed Carry Permit.

Finally, the Personal Protection course is intended for mature law-abiding adults, who have the mindset and seriousness necessary to properly perform the activities in the course. Self-defense is not a topic that lends itself to horseplay and distractions.

Course Completion

Students will be given feedback on their shooting exercises, and a certificate upon successful completion of the lessons. Not only are shooting standards fired during the practical exercises, but a written exam will be given at the end of the course. Throughout the course the instructor will use an individual checklist for each student to ensure the coverage of course material, and satisfactory absorption of the material being taught.

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Refuse to be a Victim

A three hour course designed to teach students about the options available for preventing crime to themselves or to their homes. This class is scheduled on an as needed basis, and will be scheduled when there are three to four participants interested.

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Women on Target

A four hour class designed to help students learn shooting skills in a safe and supportive women-only atmosphere. The program educates and encourages women to participate in the shooting sports, then provides them with arenas in which to enjoy their newly found skills. This class is scheduled on an as needed basis, and will be scheduled when there are three to four participants interested.

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Women Empowered for Defense

An all day class designed by Portland Firearms Training Team, Inc. that combines the RTBAV® seminar with a dynamic introduction to armed self defense for women. Note that this training is not supported by the NRA's Women on Target® program which is focused on recreational shooting. The day begins with a 3 hour RTBAV® seminar which empowers people to develop a comprehensive personal safety, crime prevention plan before they need it! The seminar stresses mental preparation, awareness and avoidance.

The second module unravels some of the popular myths about women and guns. And finally we provide an excellent introduction to defensive handgun use which begins with safe gun handling and operation before moving to live fire drills. Safe storage options and proper gun care are also introduced.

Since the inception of the WED program in May, 2002, PFTT Inc has trained over 200 women most of whom have been delighted to see how quickly they learned to shoot and how quickly they became comfortable with a pistol. This class is scheduled on an as needed basis, and will be scheduled when there are three to four participants interested.

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