The Top 5 Reasons Why People Don’t Train With Their Firearms and How We Eliminate Those Excuses
Everyone who owns a firearm should get some form of professional training at least once. But most training companies and training programs are out of reach and tailored for shooting enthusiasts, a minority of gun owners.
But what about the tens of millions of everyday folks who own a gun or carry one but never practice with it? We've heard the excuses. We've done the research. And we've built a training company that eliminates those excuses.
So why don't people train?
1. Lack of Time: Many individuals lead busy lives and may find it challenging to allocate dedicated time for firearm training.
Most trainers offer training that spans several days, or isn't local, causing people to spend time traveling. You have jobs, families, other obligations. This is why most RD classes are single day commitments. Our schedule is also typically released at the beginning of each year, giving you plenty of time to plan.
Sometimes training orgs want you to progress in their class tracks and only permit you to advance after you've taken the previous level. At RD, we have tracks too, but we generally accept equivalent class experience as a prerequisite. We understand there are many ways to to be successful and don't believe in a single, almighty methodology.
2. Cost: This is a big one. Training can involve expenses such as range fees, ammunition, and expensive professional instruction, which may pose financial constraints for some gun owners.
Some companies charge upwards of $1,000 for training classes because they have a lot of overhead. They bring in big name instructors who need travel costs covered. They rent ranges with high reservation fees. They also mark up services to squeeze out as much profit as possible. Nothing wrong with any of those things but it makes it harder for non-enthusiast, budget-minded people to attend.
Our philosophy is your training and safety is more important than us making every penny we can. Our entire training model is built from the ground up with your costs in mind, without any sacrifice to quality of training. You won't find our level of training at our price anywhere else.
3. Access to Suitable Training Facilities: Not everyone has easy access to firearm training facilities or ranges, especially in urban or densely populated areas.
We establish great relationships with the right ranges throughout the region for our training. We're able to offer classes that can be used year-round, in daylight or at night, and from 0-1200 yards.
Our network of ranges in SE WI is within a 2 hour drive for almost all of Wisconsin south of Wausau. Most of northern IL is within that distance as well.
4. Lack of Knowledge or Resources: Some gun owners may not be aware of the importance of regular training or may not have access to reliable training resources and information.
We make it easy to not only discover great classes, but we consult with you to find the right class. We have lots of experience in teaching and the various levels of training, so we can help you regardless of your skill level.
Our website also has plenty of free resources to help you understand what we do, what your skill level might be, and what our trainers are like. You can always contact us with questions.
Lastly, we are one of the only training outfits in the area that lends equipment free of charge. If you need a piece of gear or a firearm for a particular class, we got you covered with the same gear we prefer, not cheap rental junk. If you are not sure you want to purchase a specific firearm but want to get training on it, we got you covered.
5. Comfort Zone: Training with firearms can be intimidating for some individuals, leading them to avoid it due to fear or discomfort.
New things usually come with some level of discomfort, but our students always get comfortable a few minutes into our classes. We don't work with intimidating or "macho" instructors. We don't work with trainers who believe their way is the only way. We aren't a boy's club.
Our personnel are welcoming, friendly, extremely helpful, and have decades of experience teaching in ways anyone can understand. We don't hit you with a ton of industry lingo and expect you to understand. We're stern on safety, but we're going to handle any issues professionally, not berate you in front of class.
Our curriculum approach is crawl, walk, run, so you can move at a pace that's right for you without worrying about falling behind. Plus, we offer one-on-one sessions and private groups so you can train at your own pace.
Wrapping Up
It's important to note that responsible firearm ownership includes regular training and practice to develop and maintain proficiency. Overcoming these challenges by finding appropriate training resources, budgeting time and money, and prioritizing safety is crucial for responsible gun ownership.
Ultimately it's about making your safety a priority and taking the huge responsibility of owning a firearm seriously. Understand that you don't know what you don't know and a YouTube education isn't everything you need to know. Training with a reputable and accessible company like RD is a small price to pay compared to all the potential liabilities of owning or using a firearm.
We do everything we can to provide you with the drills, materials, and know-how to continue practicing long after class. We look forward to seeing you on the range!