Safety or Leave

Considering the myriad of finishing schools I attended in the Navy, I should be a lot more in-your-face, neck-vein-bulging angry when it comes to safety violations on the range. Starting with Dive School and every school along the way that had a wash out rate of 30% or more (here’s a dirty secret, almost every school in the Navy is going to have a high washout rate if any – and I mean any – if objective standards are enforced), the initial safety briefs from the instructor cadre can have very similar platitudes. As it applies to this blog post, each one of those briefs had a story about some idiot squid who got himself killed during training.

As a student I understood the careers of each instructor, on up the chain to the CO, was on the line if any of us died in training. Later on in my career as an instructor and division officer, I learned the true burden of this. I’ve seen guys from all branches take major detours in their career path for the stupidity of their students. For example, despite being ordered every hour to hydrate I still had class mates at jump school faint from dehydration.

“You can lead a platoon of soldiers, but you can’t make them drink…until one takes a heat casualty and you order mandatory mass hydration.”

Aside from the obvious reason of keeping people from dying; NJP and removal of “big boy” rules as a means to ensure safety during high risk training exist for two reasons: 1) Backfill the ranks with qualified troops to maintain readiness, and 2) PR.

As a civilian instructor I want everyone as safe as possible. But I don’t have a quota of sailors to send to the fleet and, unless I’m famous in Japan and just don’t know it, no one cares about my public profile. Therefore I have the luxury of being stoic when it comes to safety violations on the range. Before approaching the firing line in my courses, students will have had a minimum of two safety briefs. They are taught and shown the rules of gun safety and know any violations will result in immediate dismissal and tuition forfeiture.

There is no excuse for not being safe when handling firearms. None. I know I’m not the only instructor out there with this mindset, so here’s some advice before investing in a CHL/LTC course.

1. Take a handgun basics course if you have never shot a gun. Seriously. Don’t show up expecting to shoot like Annie Oakley at the end. In reality, this course is more like Driver’s Ed than a course at Shaw’s. If you can’t work your piece then you’re wasting your money because you’ll likely not pass the shooting test.
2. Show up with a clean and functioning firearm. Your grandpa’s 1911 with pock marks in the slide won’t pass muster.
3. Go slow, take a breath, and calm down. Being nervous is understandable for anyone new to firearms. But as sure as God’s got sandals, you will inadvertently point your muzzle at someone if you are not paying attention to what you are doing. Take your time. We do have all day.

If a student can’t be safe at the range I’m not going to get angry. I’m simply going to dismiss that person from the range and keep the tuition, then laugh after I’m given a bad customer review on social media.

Be safe.
Be accurate.