John Murphy showed exactly why he’s a nationally known and highly respected firearms instructor when he brought his “Just Get Home” class to the DeWitt Co. Sportsman’s Club in Clinton this May.
Early Saturday morning, he nailed the entire mission in one punchy line: “This class isn’t about cutting your draw time by a half-second. This class is about giving you five to ten seconds to avoid needing to draw your gun and use deadly force in the first place.”
Boom. That set the tone for two high-octane days that delivered far more than just range time. The real meat started long before students showed up — with hours of must-watch YouTube videos from Murphy himself. These aren’t dry lectures. They’re gripping real-life encounters, caught on video. Murphy dissects them frame by frame, exposing every dumb decision that turned a sketchy situation into a one-way ticket to a fight the victims never wanted. Victims who ran their mouths instead of disengaging sometimes get killed in gruesome ways. People who ignored glaring pre-violence indicators and paid the price, some with their lives.
Murphy acknowledges it’s tempting to “buy a ticket for a ride you don’t want to take” by letting your ego trump common sense. That’s why good de-escalation skills are a must and Murphy teaches those. Again, those videos alone are pure gold for anyone who wants to learn from other people’s pain instead of experiencing it firsthand.
In class, Murphy brought that same sharp analysis to life. He hammered home the “leaks” bad guys give off — especially that deadly straight-line approach right before the boom.
Students learned to spot trouble brewing, create distance, and de-escalate like pros. In today’s Illinois — where Chicago-style armed robberies and carjackings can happen anywhere thanks to revolving-door justice and no-cash bail — these skills aren’t optional. They’re survival essentials, whether you’re in the big city or smaller towns.
But when talk fails? That’s when things got fun on the range. Sunday delivered a full slate of dynamic live-fire drills that forced students to read changing threats in real time.
No lazy “beep — shoot” commands here. You had to process visual cues, make split-second decisions, and act accordingly. Reaction times slow when your brain is busy reading the fight instead of waiting for an auditory cue — exactly like the street. Roughly 350-400 rounds later, shooters walked away sharper and more decisive.
The class wasn’t all guns, either. A serious medical block taught wound assessment, lightning-fast tourniquet application, and proper use of Israeli Battle Dressings for different injury types. Then came the pepper spray segment — sneaky, effective techniques designed to deploy without telegraphing your move and catching the bad guy completely flat-footed. Smart, low-profile tools that expand your options before you ever touch the trigger.
The course draws straight from Murphy’s intelligence analyst roots. His engaging, no-BS style (with plenty of dry humor) kept the 16+ hours flying by for everyone on the line.
The course ran $495 locally, a high value, virtual bargain for the content. No range fees or surprise charges. It’s not for novices with guns. If you don’t have a good background in gun handling, including holster work, you might want to train up. Make sure you can handle your gun safely in a dynamic environment.
If you haven’t trained hard on situational awareness, conflict avoidance, and de-escalation, put this near the very top of your list. Sadly there are precious few instructors that cover this pre-violence indicator/de-escalation material with the breadth and depth of Murphy. It’s sort of Murphy’s niche and he does it well.
In a world full of potential threats, the best gunfight is still the one you never have. John Murphy’s “Just Get Home” equips you to spot trouble early, talk or walk your way out, or decisively end it if forced. That knowledge can save your life — and help you and your family get home safe every single time.