This is the Home Page of the

  Upper Snake River NRA Instructors 

    

Certified NRA Instructors Serving Eastern Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana.

If you own a firearm, you deserve the best possible training.  We offer that training.  We offer NRA courses in Home Firearm Safety, Basic Pistol, Personal Protection in the Home, Rifle, and Shotgun.  We also train NRA Instructors, and Training Counselors (Instructor Trainers), Range Safety Officers, and Chief Range Safety Officers.  Check this Web page often for news of upcoming classes. 

We are active shooters who hone our skills in competition.  Our instructors compete in shooting sports for handgun, rifle, and shotgun.  We attend advanced training at top notch schools like Front Sight. 


We share our knowledge, skills and a positive attitude toward firearms safety with our communities by training Scouts, Scout Leaders, and 4H members.  Many of our instructors are also volunteer as Hunter Education Instructors.

 


Click here for 2008 Class Schedule including Utah CCW Training.

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Our Instructors Are Now Certified to Teach the Utah Concealed Firearms Permit Course.

NEXT UTAH CLASS SATURDAY NOVEMBER 15, 2008




CLICK HERE FOR INFO ON THE 2008 LADIES DAY CLASS HELD 6-28-08.


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Next LADIES DAY CLASS Saturday August 9 in Rexburg.

NRA Women on Target September 27.


Click here to sign up for the August or September classes.  Please put Ladies or Women on Target in the subject line of your note.



Click here for pictures from the 2007 Ladies Day class.







New Instructors

NRA Personal Protection in the Home Instructor Class Completed August 2, 2008



Pistol Instructor Class Completed May 31, 2008



Click Here for Photos from the Class.


Rifle Instructor Class Completed April 12, 2008

Click Here for Photos from the Class.




Shotgun Instructor Class Completed March 29, 2008


Pistol Instructor Class Completed June 16, 2007



Firearms Training, Competition, and Concealed Carry Presentation at Sportsman's Warehouse




On Saturday, April 7, 2007, members of the Upper Snake River NRA Instructors, the Southeastern Idaho Practical Shooters, the Idaho State Police, and the Bonneville County Sheriff's Department provided customers and staff at Sportsman's Warehouse in Ammon, Idaho with useful information on NRA courses, opportunities to compete in local IDPA, IPSC, and ICORE matches, along with information on laws pertaining to concealed carry permits, and where concealed firearms can and cannot be carried.  The law enforcement officers also provided information on the Idaho laws concerning the use of firearms for personal defense.

On Saturday April 21, the Upper Snake River NRA Instructors will present the NRA Personal Protection in the Home Course, a course that goes into these topics in great detail, and also provides information on making the home more secure.  The class includes lessons in advanced shooting skills.




Recent Events Include "Ladies Day 2006, NRA Basic Pistol Classes in Wyoming'

and the NEW NRA Personal Protection Outside the Home course in Idaho Falls.



Three Training Counselors, Six Instructors, and Two Guys from Pocatello Complete the New NRA Personal Protection course

  

Ladies Day 2006 and Training Classes in Wyoming


Click here for more pictures from "Ladies Day."





We Teach All NRA Basic Firearms Classes.

Send e-mail to randy@randymays.com to register for classes.  Fees are $10 for juniors and $40 for adults for Basic classes, and $50 for adults for Personal Protection in the Home.  Fee for Metallic Cartridge Reloading is $50.  Fees for NRA Instructor Training vary depending on the student's need for the training.  Hint - volunteers who work with young people in Scouts, 4H and Hunter Ed get the best deal.  It pays to be a volunteer.




Course Descriptions

NRA Basic Instructor Training


Basic Instructor Training takes 6 hours and is the prerequisite for all NRA disciplines (rifle, pistol, shotgun, etc.).  This course is often taught on two week nights leading up to a weekend session for a specific certification (rifle, pistol, shotgun, etc.).  You must take this class before taking a discipline specific class like Rifle, Pistol, or Shotgun instructor.


 

NRA Personal Protection Instructor Training

Personal Protection Instructor is a Pistol oriented class that leads to certificationto teach the NRA's Personal Protection in the Home Course.  This class takes 10.5 hours.  You must have completed NRA Basic Instructor Training and NRA Pistol Instructor training before taking this class.   This class is a prerequisite for taking the new NRA Personal Protection Outside the Home.  More information about this new course will be posted in the near future.


NRA Pistol, Rifle, Muzzleloader, Shotgun, Range Safety Officer, and Chief Range Safety Officer Instructor Training


We teach all of the basic NRA courses and Instructor training courses.  Click here to take a look at the 2007 calendar to see what we have planned for this year.


For more information or to pre-register, send e-mail to Randy Mays or call 524-7143 in Idaho Falls.  Randy Mays is an NRA Senior Training Counselor, certified to train Instructors and Training Counselors.


 

Randy Mays is a Distinguished Graduate of the Front Sight Firearms Training Institute, and a Life Member of the NRA.  He is a member of the South Eastern Idaho Practical Shooters and the Big Sky Practical Shooting Club.  He is one of the nicest people you would ever want to meet.  He wrote this brief biographical sketch from memory.


NRA Basic Firearms Classes




NRA First Steps Pistol Orientation

This is a class for all ages.  You will learn firearms safety rules, the parts of pistols and revolvers and how these firearms operate.  Ammunition, marksmanship, cleaning, storage, and shooting sports are covered in First Steps Pistol. 


NRA Basic Pistol

This class provides information similar to that taught in the First Steps Pistol Orientation class, but in greater detail.  Rather then concentrating on the handguns students bring to the class (as in First Steps), NRA Basic Pistol covers all common handgun types, and provides more marksmanship training. 


First Steps Rifle Orientation 

This is a class for all ages.  You will learn firearms safety rules, parts of rimfire and centerfire rifles, how your rifle operates, and how to hit your target.  Ammunition, marksmanship, cleaning, storage, and shooting sports are covered in First Steps.  This is a 3-4 hour class.  


NRA Basic Rifle Course

This is a class for all ages.  You will learn firearms safety rules, parts of different types of rifles, ammunition, cleaning and storage of rifles, and marksmanship.  The NRA Basic Rifle Course teaches all of the positions and techniques used in NRA Rifle Competition.  This class covers more material than the First Steps Orientation, and is recommended for beginners who want to improve their skills for hunting, target shooting, and competition.





First Steps Shotgun Orientation

This is a class for all ages.  You will learn firearms safety rules, the parts of a shotgun, and how your shotgun operates.  Ammunition, marksmanship, cleaning, storage and shooting sports are covered in First Steps.  This is a 3-4 hour class.  







Personal Protection in the Home -

This is a class for adults.  Students need to have basic handgun skills, as taught in the Basic Pistol Course or First Steps Pistol Orientation, in order to attend this class.  You will learn about mindset, effects of stress, laws covering firearms ownership, transportation, and use in personal defense, advanced shooting skills, strategies for making your home more secure, and how to maintain your shooting skills.  Legal information is presented by a law enforcement officer or attorney familiar with Idaho and Federal laws covering firearms and the use of "deadly force."  The range session for this class will cover defensive accuracy, "flash sight picture," accelerated shots, use of cover and concealment, shooting from a kneeling position, and "point shooting" (also called "target focused") at close ranges.  At the end of this class you will have a much greater appreciation for the legal ramifications of using a firearm for defense, and you will have shooting skills that may save your life someday.

Personal Protection Outside the Home

This is a class for adults.  Students need to have basic handgun skills, as taught Basic Pistol or First Steps Pistol plus the advanced skills taught in the Personal Protection in the Home course.  Completion of Personal Protection in the Home is required before taking Personal Protection Outside the Home.  One difference between these classes is that in Personal Protection Outside the Home (PPOtH), the student will learn to present the firearm from concealment, from a hip holster or from a purse holster.  In order to take this class, you must demonstrate a high level of situational awareness when handling firearms, a complete knowledge of firearms safety rules, and a positive attitude toward safe gun handling. 




NRA Metallic Cartridge Reloading

This class will teach you how to reload ammunition using a variety of techniques. 

Here are some stories about classes we've taught in Eastern Idaho and Wyoming.

NRA Basic Pistol Class in Cody, Wyoming

November 11, 2006

  

November 11, 2006 was Veterans' Day.  Two of the Idaho Falls Training Counselors went to Cody to assist one of the local NRA instructors with a class of 13 students.  Once again we had the advantage of a great classroom facility at Denny's Guns & Maps, and good weather for the trip over and back, and for the range session on Saturday afternoon.

NRA Basic Pistol is an introductory level course designed for people who have not handled or operated a handgun before.  Most of the students had in fact used a pistol or revolver in the past, but were still glad to go back over the safety rules, learn some of the details of how handguns operate, and have a chance to gain some new insights into topics like sight alignment, sight picture, and trigger control. 

Although it may seem odd for instructors to travel so far to teach a class, a trip to Cody, Wyoming is always a great experience.  Cody has nice people, plenty of good restaurants, some wind and snow now and then, and getting there can mean a sightseeing trip either through Yellowstone National Park or a roundabout route that goes through Jackson, Wyoming, Dubois, Shoshoni, Thermopolis, and Meeteetsee.  The latter approach includes mountain passes and a scenic trip through the Wind River Canyon.

The students in Cody had a lot of interesting guns that we don't see very often, including a 5 shot Taurus Tracker in .45 Colt and a "Raven" .22.   When someone didn't have a gun to bring to the class, a trusty Glock Model 17 came out for the student to use.

The number of well trained and safe handgun shooters in Cody, Wyoming is growing, and we look forward to teaching Personal Protection in the Home to many of these students after the first of the year.

NRA Basic Pistol Class in Cody, Wyoming

September 30, 2006



Saturday, September 30, one of our senior instructors went to Cody to teach 15 students in NRA Basic Pistol.  We had a great classroom setup thanks to Denny's Guns and Maps (http://www.wyomingmaps.net/index.html) on Beck Street in Cody.  Some of the students were from Cody and others were from nearby towns.  Many took the class to meet a Wyoming requirement for a concealed handgun permit.  It was fun,  over 30 years after learning to be a Navy instructor, to use chalk again.  It was also good to be able to provide the students with first rate eye and ear protection to use in the class and to keep for future shooting activities. 




New NRA Personal Protection in the Home Instructors

November 5, 2005

  

    Six new NRA Personal Protection in the Home Instructors completed training on Saturday November 5, 2005.  Four of the instructors completed NRA Basic Instructor Training (BIT) on November 3rd as a pre-requisite to the Personal Protection Instructor class.  BIT takes 6 hours, and Personal Protection requires a minimum of 10.5 hours.  The NRA's new Personal Protection class covers a variety of topics including advanced shooting techniques.  In the photos above, Jay demonstrates the type of high intensity flashlight recommended for use with firearms.  Lou instructs Doug in how to shoot from the kneeling position while making use of [simulated] cover and concealment.

    Mr. Frank Jakubowski, Chief Instructor for the Upper Snake River NRA Instructors, assisted in presenting the instructor training.

    The new instructors will join the growing cadre of instructors who conduct NRA Home Firearm Safety, Basic Pistol, First Steps Pistol, Personal Protection, and Rifle, Shotgun, Muzzleloading firearm, Reloading, and Range Safety Officer classes.


NRA RIFLE INSTRUCTORS

Idaho Falls March 21, 2004.  Our Training Counselor staff conducted an Instructor training session for new NRA Rifle Instructors.  Thirteen Instructor Candidates from Eastern Idaho completed the course.  In order to provide the best possible training, we were fortunate to have David Crandall, a member of the medal winning U.S. Palma (Long Range Rifle) Team as a guest speaker.  David Crandall discussed training young people, NRA Service and High Power Rifle matches, and the international Palma competition.




  

  

NRA Rifle Instructors teach a variety of shooting positions.  David Crandall's demonstrations of the correct shooting positions were based on thousands of hours of practice and competition at the highest levels.  The knowledge and skills he demonstrated will be passed on to young shooters in Hunter Education, 4H, and Scouting. by the volunteer instructors who attended the Rifle Instructor class.


Class of 2004 Rifle Instructors Teach Hunter Education Junior Instructors

  

Phil coaches Jared.  Ken helps Diana.

  

Jim helps Weston.  Frank is the range safety officer.  Lynn works with Mary.

Rexburg, Idaho April 17, 2004.  Members of the Upper Snake River NRA Instructors teamed up with volunteers from the Idaho Fish and Game's Hunter Education program to present the NRA's "First Steps Rifle Orientation" to four young shooters who will be helping teach and coach Hunter Education students.  "First Steps Rifle" covers safety, parts of a rifle, safe handling, ammunition, shooting skills, and cleaning and storage.  Unlike the longer Basic Rifle class, "First Steps" concentrates on the student's individual firearm - in this case the Marlin .22 rifle used in Hunter Education training.

Hunter Education students are taught, "When you pick up a firearm, you pick up responsibility."  NRA and Hunter Ed instructors are volunteers who teach the knowledge, skills, and attitude necessary to understand and accept that responsibility.
Handgun bullets will penetrate through walls.  "Know your target and what is beyond."

We also offer NRA Range Safety Officer Training.



To contact us, click here.