Below is a brief summary of my experience at Front Sight Firearms Training Institute, one of the best firearms training sites in the country. Located in Pahrump, Nevada, about an hour's drive west of Las Vegas, I felt like I was in a movie. An adventure it was... the only thing missing was a Mark Wahlberg sighting! I kept looking, I promise. In case you didn't know, Wahlberg trained at Front Sight to prepare for his role in the movie "Shooter." Now I see why.
I was that girl who shot her gun during malfunction training set up and then cried on the range out of sheer embarrassment. Attending defensive handgun training at Front Sight was not my idea of a good time but after having Dad purchase me a Smith & Wesson M&P .22 for Christmas, I felt obligated to join him in training.
I’d only shot a gun three times prior to training. I was by no means a pro. To the contrary, I wasn’t very good at all. So going to Front Sight was totally out of my comfort zone. But as soon as I arrived I felt as though I belonged. These people were similar to me in their beliefs. I could already feel it.
The range master and his team were friendly and welcoming yet professional, instantly making me feel at ease. They made an excellent team in how they presented and instructed. I always felt safe and was never concerned that something could go wrong. I’ll admit, I struggled to learn the Weaver Stance, how to focus on the front sight and the entire process of dry practice. It took the full first day for me to grasp how to handle myself on the range. On the morning of the second day, as the instructors were showing us how to set up malfunction type 2, I inadvertently set up the gun to shoot instead. I was overwhelmed and wasn’t sure what I was doing but as professional as the team is, we were safe at all times. We were instructed to move into firing stance and prepare to shoot (what was supposed to be a malfunction) but my gun went off. I was shocked and flustered. The tears began streaming down my face from shock and embarrassment. Immediately, our Range Master Morello came over to me to see if I was okay and to reassure me that mistakes like this happen and that I was in just the right place for it to occur. Needless to say, I sat out the rest of the malfunction training but continued to watch from my seat. As soon as that portion of training was over I jumped right back in the game. I didn’t want to be the girl who quit training and walked out because of a simple error. After all, that is why I was at Front Sight!
By the time training was complete, I felt empowered and more prepared for handling a gun. I would eventually like to go back to Front Sight to continue my training. The staff is incredibly knowledgable and professional and I am beyond grateful to them for sharing their expertise. They were extremely patient with me as I continued to make small mistakes - I struggle with learning more than one step at a time - and I couldn’t have asked for a better team to lead on the range. Top notch! I highly recommend Front Sight for beginners and professionals.
For more information about Front Sight go to http://www.frontsight.com.
