PHOTO GALLERY

Recent current events have pushed many Americans into seeking defensive training to improve their knowledge, skills and abilities to help keep their families safe from violent attack.

Responsible firearms ownership has many proven benefits, not the least of which is personal protection.  Embracing firearms ownership offers gun owners and their families the ability to thwart violent attack until police can arrive to help.  It also offers useful recreational opportunities for the entire family while building skill sets that can save one’s life.

A key component of responsible firearm ownership is learning the fundamentals of using your firearm.  The “man card” does not imbue holders with gunfighter skill sets.  Wise and prudent men won’t count on dumb luck to win a life-and-death struggle using their firearm, but instead would rather rely on their training to emerge victorious and perhaps even unscathed.

Many of Guns Save Life’s board of directors are firearms instructors and teach through GSL Defense Training in courses provided year-round, primarily at Darnall’s GunWorks and Ranges in Bloomington, but also at the DeWitt County Sportsmen’s Club near Clinton, IL as well.

GSL Defense Training’s most popular offering is a two-day NRA Personal Protection in the Home courses. They also offer an Urban Rifle 101 class for carbine-rifle owners to learn how to use their AR- or other semi-automatic carbine rifle defensively, and an intermediate-level pistol course entitled “Training to Live and Win:  Intermediate Personal Protection” to build from where the NRA Personal Protection in the Home course left off.

While NRA only requires a single-day for the NRA Personal Protection in the Home course, the GSL Defense Training group adds a great deal of bonus material and additional range time.  Students will generally shoot nearly 300 rounds of ammunition over the two-days and have a healthy dose of fun and excitement during the course under the careful and experienced eyes of lots and lots of very friendly, capable instructors.

Students finish the class with a well-rounded education in not only mindset issues relating to personal defense and the judicious use of deadly force, but also the fundamentals of using and fighting with a handgun.  And then there’s the safety.  Keep that cotton pickin’ finger off the cotton pickin’ trigger!  Among others…

Here are some photos from some of the recent courses to give you an idea of what an intensive, two-day class in learning personal defense with a handgun is all about.

We’re running one of these classes this weekend, which is what got us thinking, “Hey, we should post some photos!”

So, enjoy!