Andrew Rothman opined: "We should talk about having an association of instructor cert orgs."

Great idea...who is in? Who is willing to take charge to get it organized? What could it do? etc etc etc

I'll start...ShootingSafely.com would join...

Count us in. I imagine an informal organization, perhaps coordinated on a subforum here. Meet monthly or when necessary, and tell the world we're here.

Count me in....If I'm not in jail by the Oct 14th............

Me too. Not much comes to mind for a name but start with these as food for thought:

F I C O Firearms Instructor Certifying Organizations

A F T O Association of Firearms Training Organizations

F I T A Firearms Instructor Training Association

add Minnesota to the front or back maybe.................

Something to chew on.

Biggest advantage would be one voice (representing many) on issues like the DNR park carry.

As suggested here and elsewhere on the Forum, it would probably be a good idea to form an umbrella organization for Minnesota instructors and instructor organizations. (Note the distinction.)

Why?

Well, there's advantages in numbers, and while there's certainly many differences and disagreements among and between instructors and organizations, there are some common interests, like:

1. Promoting the idea of more Minnesotans (and outstaters) getting carry permits. Related: outreach to specific groups and communities (domestic abuse victims, for example; inner-city minority communities) where adoption is, at least arguably, too low.

2. Clarifying the present restrictions -- or lack thereof -- on carry under state law. (Long gun carry, open carry, carry in state parks, etc.) It's a relatively minor issue, I think -- there's few restrictions on where one can carry, after all -- but a good thing to clarify what is and isn't allowed.

3. Advocating for legislative improvements to the Personal Protection Act. (That's going to be controversial, even among instructors. I'm in favor of lowering the age back to 18, for example. I'm not sure that there's a consensus on that, even among instructors. Ditto for returning to the pre-2003 lack of ban of carrying in schools. I'm very sure that there isn't a consensus on moving toward an Alaska-style law. There's also, at the moment, not quite a consensus on the need to go back to the lege and fix the instructor certification organization stuff -- it's a position I hold very strongly, but it's by no means a consensus one.)

I'm sure that there's other issues.

I'll suggest the following next step: let's set a date and a place for an organizational/informational discussion. (I'd suggest, say, the Dan Patch American Legion in Savage; it'll cost about $50 for the use of a room that could hold up to a couple of hundred people.)

I'm willing to take the lead in reserving the room, and initially chairing the meeting under Robert's Rules of Order (which would, I think, call for the election of a new chair almost immediately). I'd rather not be an officer in such an organization -- I like my status as, well, just a guy -- although I'm certainly willing to join such an organization, if it's open to carry permit instructors who aren't officers/owners/principals/etc. of certified instructor organizations.

Sounds like a fine idea to me Joel. Savage works for me, just need to decide on the when.

One yes so far. I think I'd like a dozen before going any further.

Yes...just need the when and where

TT makes 3.... 9 to go

[quote="ttousi"]Me too. Not much comes to mind for a name but start with these as food for thought:

F I T A Firearms Instructor Training Association

Sounds too close to P I T A for comfort

How about FFFIA? Fabulous Furry Firearms Instructor Assn?

Well... it fits Joel. The rest of you may need to grow beards.

I would like to go through instructors training, more for personal fun than to make money.

So, I'd be in. Anyone want to give me an honorary certification?

We're in, and will encourage our instructors to join.

Pakrat ..........you would have to attend double secret initiation to become honorary instructor.....................could you handle it?

Then of course you would have to be put on double secret probation too