In Dangerous Times, Train for Self-Defense

My wife and I built our defensive skills with six days of sweat, dust, and the right mindset.

If you're going to own a tool, it's best to know how to properly use it. That's as true for firearms as it is for chainsaws. Given the rising temperature of American politics, including escalating violence against people and property, my wife Wendy and I decided it was time to up our game when it came to self-defense. To that end, we enrolled in Gunsite Academy's Defensive Pistol class.

Shootier Than the House of Mouse

Located in Paulden, Arizona, Gunsite was founded in 1976 by the legendary Jeff Cooper. Among his accomplishments, Cooper developed the Modern Technique of the Pistol and created the first formal firearms training academy for the general public. The academy covers roughly 3,200 acres and teaches everything from concealed carry classes to tactical medicine. The 250 Defensive Pistol class is the flagship offering of what Gunsite CEO Ken Campbell, a personable former sheriff of Boone County, Indiana, calls "unwoke Disneyland with guns."

But while Gunsite is a fun place to shoot, it's also a good place to become a better shooter. Among the attendees was a man who asked that I refer to him by the pseudonym "Jacob Weinberg" because of the sensitivity of his work. Jacob is a frequent attendee at Gunsite and a repeat student in the 250 class. He is affiliated with a nonprofit that trains volunteers to defend synagogues, schools, events, and to participate in neighborhood watches. His skills reflected his regular presence at the academy.

Much the same could be said of Linda Tyrrell, an NRA instructor from Green Bay, Wisconsin, who also certifies armed security guards for her state and co-chairs the local chapter of Armed Women of America. When I asked her why an NRA instructor would travel across the country to attend Gunsite, she told me it was to further develop her skills: "I consider this to be the premier place to come."

There were a total of 32 students from across the U.S., plus a German who was the lone revolver shooter. All of us were required to submit our concealed carry permits or else be vetted by a private investigator (at minor expense) to ensure we had no disqualifying criminal record. With so many attendees, the class was split in two. Along with Jacob and Linda, Wendy and I were assigned to the section taught by Rangemaster Dan Bilodeau and instructors Brian DeKind and Gary Smith. Bilodeau and DeKind have backgrounds in the military and law enforcement while Smith is a well-known hunting guide.

Presenting, Reloading, and Make Shit Up University

Over the course of five days, Bilodeau, DeKind, and Smith took us through Gunsite's procedures for drawing and presenting our pistols, tactical and speed reloads, clearing malfunctions, and, of course, shooting. When we failed to follow a procedure correctly, Smith called out the offender as a graduate of Make Shit Up University. I became an MSU alum while, umm, creatively addressing a malfunction.

Safety violations were firmly addressed. Our section had no serious problems, but those who really cross the line can expect a private conversation with Campbell or ejection from the class.

The instructors worked us through shot placement in the chest and head areas of targets, later combined into failure drills (originally called the Mozambique Drill) consisting of two chest shots followed by a single head shot. When we had a skill down at three yards, we moved back to five, seven, and 10 yards. We practiced shooting and moving, shooting from a kneeling position at 15 yards, and turning and pivoting before shots. Lessons were combined into drills, including the Cooper-developed El Presidente, intended as a means for testing the readiness of a Central American president's bodyguards. As lessons settled in, the instructors introduced a time element, exposing targets for just a few seconds.

Temperatures never got above 90—not bad for Paulden in late May—but it's fair to say we all spent much of the week caked in sweat, dust, and gunpowder residue. So, the night shoot was a welcome relief as we learned the combination of flashlights and one-handed shooting in darkness. That evening required use of both the FBI technique, with the flashlight held by the support hand in an ice pick grip above and forward of our heads, and the Harries technique, with the support hand holding the flashlight below the shooting hand and the backs of both hands braced together—painfully, for shoulder muscles.

The real test—literally—of what we learned came on Friday in the simulations. We were required to clear a shoot house room by room while eliminating threats represented by weapons-brandishing targets without harming any innocents. In close quarters, we worked our way down corridors and circled furniture to confront whoever was around a corner or behind a door. It's easy to get tunnel vision, and most of us, myself included, missed the bad guy angled outside a window.

The outdoor simulation, in a dry wash, required longer-range shooting to target threats while avoiding shooting at innocents, some of it through brush. The instructors said the simulations are the most nerve-wracking part of the course for them, since they follow each student through at arm's length.

Firearms instruction starts with safety, and driving onto and off of the Gunsite campus you pass by one sign after another bearing Cooper's version of the firearms safety rules: All guns are always loaded. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target. Always be sure of your target (and what's around it).

Proper Mindset Is Imperative

Gunsite emphasizes safety and self-discipline as much as its instructors teach shooting skills. The school's classic combat triad consists of mindset, marksmanship, and gunhandling. To this day, the mindset lecture is conveyed through a recorded lecture by Jeff Cooper. As the Defensive Pistol Handbook puts it, "proper mindset is imperative to successful crisis management. It allows competence, rather than chance, to increase the probability of survival."

Wendy and I actually began our lessons a day early, in the Day Zero Pistol class taught by DeKind and Jim Owens. The class is, unfortunately, presented by Gunsite as "for the novice or new gun owner" when it really introduces students at any level of skill to the school's prescribed procedures and techniques. The class dramatically lowers the learning curve once the Defensive Pistol class begins, but the only other participants were Justin Nation, the owner of Blue Chip Welding in Casper, Wyoming, and his friend and employee Clay Loraas. Like us, they weren't novices and told us they benefited from the extra day.

Our instruction wasn't cheap. The 250 Defensive Pistol class runs $2,070 per person, the Day Zero class adds extra expense, and then there's food, lodging, and 1,000 rounds of regular ammunition plus 50 rounds of frangible. That's even more than the price of the Disneyland without guns.

But building defensive skills doesn't require putting off training while you save for Gunsite or one of its competitors. There are many good instructors around the country who offer lessons that won't break the bank while improving your knowledge and ability. After graduating from Gunsite's Defensive Pistol class, Wendy and I will probably take our next lesson at a nearby sandpit with members of her synagogue and a local instructor. Education is good where you find it.

And education in defensive skills, self-discipline, and the right mindset will help you protect your family and yourself. That's always important, and especially so at a fraught time in our country's history.