I recently took the Mass Basic Firearms Safety Course at Mass Firearms School and couldn't be happier. I thought I'd share some details about the experience for the benefit of others who are looking for a first firearms class.
This four-hour Saturday-morning class had about 20 students. That was more than I expected, but it turned out to not be a problem. There was plenty of time for questions without falling behind schedule, and the school brought in extra instructors for the hands-on parts. Of the 20, there were five women, 2–3 young men under 21, and one preteen boy. No know-it-alls, Rambos, or mall ninjas—in the classroom or on the podium. There were many who, like me, had never touched a gun before.
There were three main parts to the class: (1) safety, (2) how to shoot a handgun, and (3) Massachusetts laws and licensing. The hands-on part started in the classroom with practice handling and loading autoloaders (Glock 23) and revolvers (S&W 686 and Ruger LCR, I think) with snap caps, as well as dry firing with snap caps and laser trainers. The instructors offered help with technique and pointed out safety violations. The technique came easy to me; others, who had a harder time, got quick and effective help and did not seem intimidated or discouraged.
We were then sent in groups to the range, where another set of instructors were ready for the live-fire portion. We fired 15 rounds of .22LR at 15 feet. The first 10 rounds were with an autoloader (Ruger Mark III, I think), and the remaining 5 with a revolver (S&W 617, I think). The instructors took care of loading the guns. I think it would have been very useful if the live-fire portion of the class also included a few shots with 9 mm and .38spc. Shooting with .22LR was easy for me—the recoil was very light and all my shots hit center mass—and I was left wondering what gun I should shoot when I get my license and come back to he range: should I continue to practice with .22LR for some time, or could I practice productively with 9 mm or .38spc? Trying a larger caliber would have been useful. (The instructor was nice enough to let me shoot his carry gun after class, an M&P 9, and it was indeed very manageable.)
The third part of the class covered the essential laws regarding transfer, storage in the home and in the car, where you can and cannot carry, and the different kinds of firearms licenses. The instructor avoided the intricate and confusing corners of the federal and Massachusetts law; for instance, he told us that as beginners, we should just not buy guns out of state because it's so easy to accidentally break the laws. He told each of us how gun friendly our towns are; those in red towns received individual advice on how to increase the chance of getting an unrestricted LTC-A. There was almost nothing about judicial use of force, home defense, or carrying. That is not bad, but simply the scope of the class. This class teaches the beginner how to store and handle a handgun safely and to begin practicing with it safely at the range.
This four-hour Saturday-morning class had about 20 students. That was more than I expected, but it turned out to not be a problem. There was plenty of time for questions without falling behind schedule, and the school brought in extra instructors for the hands-on parts. Of the 20, there were five women, 2–3 young men under 21, and one preteen boy. No know-it-alls, Rambos, or mall ninjas—in the classroom or on the podium. There were many who, like me, had never touched a gun before.
There were three main parts to the class: (1) safety, (2) how to shoot a handgun, and (3) Massachusetts laws and licensing. The hands-on part started in the classroom with practice handling and loading autoloaders (Glock 23) and revolvers (S&W 686 and Ruger LCR, I think) with snap caps, as well as dry firing with snap caps and laser trainers. The instructors offered help with technique and pointed out safety violations. The technique came easy to me; others, who had a harder time, got quick and effective help and did not seem intimidated or discouraged.
We were then sent in groups to the range, where another set of instructors were ready for the live-fire portion. We fired 15 rounds of .22LR at 15 feet. The first 10 rounds were with an autoloader (Ruger Mark III, I think), and the remaining 5 with a revolver (S&W 617, I think). The instructors took care of loading the guns. I think it would have been very useful if the live-fire portion of the class also included a few shots with 9 mm and .38spc. Shooting with .22LR was easy for me—the recoil was very light and all my shots hit center mass—and I was left wondering what gun I should shoot when I get my license and come back to he range: should I continue to practice with .22LR for some time, or could I practice productively with 9 mm or .38spc? Trying a larger caliber would have been useful. (The instructor was nice enough to let me shoot his carry gun after class, an M&P 9, and it was indeed very manageable.)
The third part of the class covered the essential laws regarding transfer, storage in the home and in the car, where you can and cannot carry, and the different kinds of firearms licenses. The instructor avoided the intricate and confusing corners of the federal and Massachusetts law; for instance, he told us that as beginners, we should just not buy guns out of state because it's so easy to accidentally break the laws. He told each of us how gun friendly our towns are; those in red towns received individual advice on how to increase the chance of getting an unrestricted LTC-A. There was almost nothing about judicial use of force, home defense, or carrying. That is not bad, but simply the scope of the class. This class teaches the beginner how to store and handle a handgun safely and to begin practicing with it safely at the range.