Hi all! I'm a little confused about the whole instructor certification process. In my reading of the new law, it seems like if you're a Certified NRA Instructor you're qualified to hold carry classes and certify your students for a permit; but at the same time it seems like it says you also have to be "certified" by a "certifying organization".

So, does that mean even though I'm a certified NRA Basic Pistol Instructor that I have to get certified by a MN "certifying organization" in order to hold classes? That seems kind of redundant to me - and certainly adds extra costs to becoming a "real" instructor.

You can get cretify by sent the DPS/BCA a lesson plan,copy of you tax ID#,copy of you Bussiness Lic. and copys of your NRA certificate. Make sure that Your lesson plan haves everything in it that the DPS/BAC wants.

It seems redundant to a lot of other folks, too -- including me.

But that is the way it is.

As to how much it would cost to become certified by a certifying organization, we do have a forum here in which certifying organizations announce themselves, and discuss their offerings, if they want to.

As far as I know, initial costs for certification by organizations intending to certify a fairly large number of instructors range from as low as $75 (including a required training session and one-year certification) from MADFI ($25 annual support fee; no additional charges) to something around or over $1000 for AACFI (including training in both their carry course and basic course, first year's annual support fee of $300, and initial purchase of student packets).

Somewhere in the middle is Koscielski's Guns and Ammo -- around $250 for a five-year certification, but includes use of the KGS classroom at no additional charge.

Different organizations have different offerings. I'd strongly encourage you to shop around, talk to a lot of folks, and/or consider becoming a certifying organization yourself.

Joel its KGS Not KGA and the zip code on your site is 55041 its 55407 Thanks

It sure does. The Legislature could have very reasoably left the NRA in the law.

Even when they didn't, the DPS and their "informal" working group, could have concluded in their "recommendations" that, say 16 to 35 hours of training by the world authority in firearms and firearm safety would have sufficed.

They didn't, either.

Instead, they came up with standards that were mostly, but not quite completely, met by NRA training, and set up an administrative process that they must have known that the NRA was not agile enough to implement at the state level.

As a result, even after your extensive NRA training, you need to be certified by an organization that has been through that administrative process.

That's the bad news.

The good news is this: There are already 35 certifying organizations approved by the state.

While some of them start you from square one -- putting you through the same class as someone with no previous instructor training -- others recognize the value of your NRA training, and consider it a base on which a smaller, less-expensive curriculum can be taught.

Tom Tousignant's IFIA (http://www.ifiapermittocarry.com/instru ... ation.html) in one example of the latter. Another (he said with shameless self-promotion) is our own non-profit MADFI (http://www.madfi.org/). I'm sure there are others that I don't know about.

A lot of the leaders of these certifying organizations are themselves NRA instructors, and realize the value of your existing training.

If you take a little time and check around, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised that, although this is an additional hassle, at least it's a pretty small one.

Good luck!

Andrew

Of course, while I -- the former journalist -- was writing a novel, Joel (the professional novelist) whipped out a quick reply.

Mark... My wife and I took the MADFI course on Saturday, It was a very good class. Talk to Andrew about his next class... You can't go wrong! If you're still going to have a night shoot in Holmen, I can talk to you about it then. Ben