FIRST is an acronym for Firearm Instruction Responsibility and Safety Training. It is a three hour class to introduce a participant to the safe and responsible use of a handgun. Typically a participant either owns no handgun, or has just purchased and wishes some initial training.
The class consists of four lessons:
Lesson I: Introduction to pistol safety, parts and operation. When completed, the participant should be able to state the goal of the class, name the three fundamental rules of safety, name the three major components of a pistol and describe their functions, and safely demonstrate the loading and unloading procedures for a specific pistol with dummy ammunition. This is about 45 minutes in length.
Lesson II: Introduction to ammunition and the fundamentals of pistol shooting. This entails proper identification of ammunition, a brief history of naming conventions, identify and explain the three major types of possible cartridge malfunctions, determine the dominant eye, and explain various shooting positions. 45 minutes.
Lesson III: Introduction to actual pistol shooting. Learning of range commands, NRA shooting safely rules, and actual live shooting at paper targets. 60 minutes.
Lesson IV: Introduction to pistol cleaning, storage and additional training opportunities. Instruction in cleaning (how to and materials needed), safety rules for cleaning, demonstrate basic cleaning and storage options. 30 minutes.
Numerous handguns will be available to try, ranging in caliber from .22 through .45, and including revolvers as well as semi-automatics. Information on where to purchase and purchase considerations will be provided. We will provide the targets, the ammunition and the eye/ear protection if needed. It is a very "hands on" class. When completed, an NRA Certificate will be awarded and the participant should have a good understanding of the different types of handguns, how they work, the safety rules and basic shooting skills. The total time of the class is about three hours.