The correct date for the IDH class in Darlington is Thursday, 22 APR.  Sorry for the confusion.

Steve

843-618-1381

Thanks to the generosity of the James O. and Harriet P. Rigney Endowment administered by the Coastal Community Foundation of SC, Paladin Training is able to offer a limited number of one-day no-cost firearm training classes.  Both tuition and ammunition requirements have been met by the grant and will be waived until the grant is depleted.

Interpretation:  The class is free plus we  provide all the ammo for it.

Purpose of Basic AR-15 (BAR)

This class is geared toward the new or prospective AR owner who wants to establish a proper foundation on the AR-15.  It is also suitable for the experienced rifleman whose technique has become contaminated over time and who is in need of a critical eye.

The larger purpose of the class is to help citizens meet their responsibility to the State in regards to Title 25 of the South Carolina Constitution, specifically, the duties of the Unorganized Militia.

 At the conclusion of this training, the student will have:

1. A good foundation upon which to further develop marksmanship skills;
2. Extended the distance at which he / she can influence outcomes with a rifle;
3. The ability to efficiently reduce stoppages when they occur;
4. The administrative skills necessary to competently handle the carbine;
5. The knowledge necessary to properly lubricate and maintain the carbine.

Training Outline

1. Safety & Emergency Procedures
2. Nomenclature, function cycle and controls
3. Overview of lubrication and maintenance procedures
4. Optics
5. Slings
6. Natural Point of Aim
7. Fundamentals of combat marksmanship
8. Stoppage reduction
9. Prone position
10. Zeroing
11. Standing position
12. Kneeling position
13. AK47 FamFire
14. Discussion: Legal v. Moral; Right v. Responsibility; Mindset

 Admin

Date:  Saturday, 24 APR 2021

Location:  Marion, SC (further TBD)

Prerequisite training:  None

Physical requirements:  Light

Start / Stop Times:  830 am – Dusk (Registration begins 8 am)

Important Notice

We reserve the right to withhold training.

We may request that you provide us with at least one character reference.

Equipment Requirements

1. AR-15 (Don’t have one?  No problem! We have three available as loaners)
2. 200 rds of ammunition (PROVIDED)
3. Quality two point sling (NO single point slings unless an agency or department requirement)
4. Three magazines (min) and the ability to carry at least one spare on your body
5. Safety gear (ball cap, ear pro and ANSI or mil-spec rated wraparound eye pro)
6. Lunch, snacks, meds, whine stoppers, etc.
7. Hydration (electrolyte replacement strongly recommended to supplement your water)

Optional stuff

1. Bug spray, sunscreen, other seasonal equipment
2. Rain gear (training will continue in the event of rain)
3. Note-taking gear
4. Folding chair
5. Meds
6. Ground pad for prone work

Misc

Be prepared to eat lunch at the range.

Space is limited.  Please don’t sign up for the class unless you’re serious about attending.

Please don’t buy something expensive for the class until you’ve talked with us about it!

If you want to reserve a spot or have questions, contact me at steve@paladintraining.com or 843-618-1381.

Paladin Training, Inc.

POB 12752

Florence, SC 29504

Paladin Training is a public charity under IRS Section 501(c)(3).  Our mission is to provide world-class crime prevention & homeland security training to law-enforcement, military, and – America’s original first responders – the armed private citizen.

Rev 2

INTRODUCTION TO DEFENSIVE HANDGUNS (IDH)

If you’re a new or prospective owner of a handgun, or just recognize the need to get some professional training in the areas listed below, consider attending our four-hour Introduction to Defensive Handguns class in Darlington Thursday, 22 APR.  The class will be held at the Darlington Rescue Squad building, 107 South Sycamore Street.  Start time is 6 pm, stop time is 10 pm.

THIS IS NOT A SHOOTING CLASS.  It is a technical class designed to teach proper handling skills, including loading and unloading, storage, and transportation, etc.  Bring your unloaded gun to the class if you have one, but you are not required to bring a gun.  We’ll have plenty of different types on hand to handle and practice with.

No live ammunition is allowed in the classroom.  All procedures are demonstrated and practiced using dummy ammunition.

The class is broken into four blocks:

• 6 pm to 6:50 pm – Ammunition:  How it works, what all those numbers on the box mean, how to store it and select the proper caliber and bullet type for the intended purpose, how bullets influence behavior.
• 7 pm to 7:50 pm – Safety & Etiquette:  How to carry, transport and handle firearms without unintentionally endangering or being rude to others.
• 8 pm to 8:50 pm – Revolvers:  How they operate, what the parts are called, controls and how to operate them, how to load and unload them, etc.
• 9 pm tp 10 pm – Semi automatic pistols:  Same subjects as for revolvers.

This is a great way to learn how to handle and operate your defensive handgun in a sterile, non-threatening environment.

If any of these apply…

1. A store clerk has to help you pick out the right ammunition for your gun
2. The terms DA, DAO, SA, SA / DA are meaningless to you
3. If you need some guidance in selecting the right handgun to buy

…this class is for you.

To recap…

What:  IDH

Where:  Darlington Rescue Squad, 107 S. Sycamore St., Darlington

When: Thursday, 22 APR

Times:  6 pm to 10 pm

Cost:  $50  PayPal to steve@paladintraining.com.

What to bring:  Handgun.  If you don’t yet own a handgun, no problem, there will be numerous variants to handle and practice with.

Space is limited to twelve students, first come, first served.

Questions:  Steve@paladintraining.com or 843-618-1381.

Hope to see you there!

BASIC CARBINE OPERATOR

Heads up: This will most likely be the LAST CLASS of this type this summer and it’s restricted to the first 12 sign ups.

Police Cabin on Brass Street (off McIver Rd), Florence, SC
Starts at 830 am and ends NLT 6 pm.

Bring:

AR15 (Pistol Caliber Carbines okay) equipped w/ 2 point sling
RDS not required, but okay
200 rds ammunition (always bring more in case)
At least 3 magazines and some method of attaching at least one spare to your body
Eye and ear protection
Ball cap (or similar)
Lunch
Snacks
Plenty of water!
Folding chair would be nice
Pen and notebook
Sunscreen, bug spray, meds, whine-stoppers, etc.
Rain gear
Any balance due

$150
Make payment via Paypal to steve@paladintraining.com

This is a basic class. More technical than tactical, but there will be some movement. Wear comfortable, sturdy shoes and loose fitting clothing.

We’ll cover:
Fundamentals of marksmanship
Controls
Three types of reloads
Three types of malfunction reduction
Three basic positions

Call me at 843-618-1381 if you have questions, or if you’re lacking any essential equipment. I’ll be glad to loan you something until you can make an educated decision about what to buy.

Don’t put this off, friend.

We’ve got room in the two day Defensive Carbine 1 class scheduled for 2 & 3 MAR. Details are here: DC1

A reminder about our pricing scheme and the discounts we offer:

1. DC1 is $300
2. $150 for full-time LE
3. $0 for SCNG (Army or Air) and active duty mil
4. $180 for Day 1 (Saturday) only

This is new:

If you’ve completed DC1 in the past, we’ll take 50% off your tuition for this class. That 50% discount applies to full time LE as well.

Contact me if you have any questions: steve@paladintraining.com or 843-618-1381

LE Pistol Qualification?

Greg Ellifritz of Active Response Training writes regularly on the subject of armed self defense. I strongly urge my students to subscribe to his posts.

I recently rediscovered an older post by him on the subject of private citizen firearm qualification. In it, he makes the point that, should a CWP holder find himself in court defending his use of a firearm, it might be to his advantage if he can show he went above and beyond the minimum standards in his training. One way of doing that, Ellifritz suggests, is to have proof you qualified on an existing, approved law enforcement firearm qualification course. In the post linked to above, Greg makes a strong case for CWP holders to use the FBI Pistol Qualification Course (PQC).

There is a school of thought that says additional training or even proof of skill might cause you legal problems if you have to shoot someone in self-defense. I strongly disagree. As Ellifritz puts it, quoting Massad Ayoob, here’s the statement you’re making when you qualify on a more difficult standard:

“As a responsible gun owner, I didn’t feel comfortable carrying my gun in public until my skill level was at least as good as the police officers who patrol my community.  I took several training classes and I successfully completed the [FBI] pistol qualification course.  Here’s the target to prove it.”

I think this is a very good idea. So, starting in March we will offer, as a free service to anyone that’s taken a Paladin CWP or defensive firearm course, the opportunity to qualify — for record — on the FBI PQC under a certified LE trainer.

The plan is to reserve the range for three hours on a Saturday from 9 am to noon. We’ll work on the fundamentals for two hours and begin qualifying at 11 am. We will NOT rehearse the PQC. Instead, we’ll train on and practice the fundamentals necessary to pass the PQC.

Once you’ve qualified, we’ll document it. Should your level of training ever come up in a courtroom, you’ll be able to demonstrate the same level of proficiency required of an FBI agent. For what that’s worth.

Again, there will be no charge for this.

Let me know if this interests you and we’ll see about scheduling some range time and publish the gear / ammo requirements.

Newsletter Recommendation

Another newsletter I strongly recommend you read regularly is that put out by Paul Howe at CSAT. Howe’s credentials as a trainer are impeccable. I’m certified by Paul as a Tactical Rifle Instructor and Paladin’s DC1 is closely modeled after his Tactical Rifle course. He’s a genuinely nice guy. Humble. Conservative. Read his newsletter. Begin with FEB 2019. Especially pay attention to the recommendations on Page 4.

Caps and Decals…

are in! Caps are by Port Authority and are $20 each. If you’re out of town and shipping is required, I’ll split the cost with you. Paypal to steve@paladintraining.com is okay.

Decals are free (up to two). If you need more, let me know and we’ll figure something out.

PM or email me your address.

Thanks for showing off the colors!

Until next time…

… stay sharp! Continue to develop your personal and team skills!

And don’t forget DC1 on 2 & 3 MAR and the SC CWP on 23 FEB. Details on the CWP class can be found in the JAN newsletter.

Hope to see you on the range soon!

Steve

Terry Gainey and I will be doing a one day 8 hour SC CWP class on Saturday, 23 FEB at Lake Darpo, 4900 North Governor Williams Hwy, Society Hill, SC.

Start time is 8:30 am. We expect to finish around 5:30 or 6 pm. Cost is $80.

The $80 fee includes training, fingerprinting, all paperwork and a pre-addressed envelope to SLED. It does not include the $50 application fee SLED charges.

Good news: SLED has partnered with Identigo to handle the fingerprinting and application processing. Identigo will transmit your fingerprints electronically to the FBI center in WV, taking SLED out of the loop, and drastically speeding up the process. According to SLED, you can expect your permit in 3 weeks instead of the usual 3 months if you choose to use this service. More good news is that SLED is absorbing the cost of the service and the application fee is still $50.

There is an Identigo location in Florence, Hartsville and Chesterfield. We can give you the addresses at the class.

You may elect not to take advantage of this service and we’ll fingerprint you the old fashioned way if you like.

These are the required subjects that we’ll cover in the class:

1. Statutory and case law regarding deadly force
2. SC laws governing firearms and concealed weapon permits
3. Proper firearm storage practices that deny access to children
4. Prohibited carry locations
5. Liability and responsibility issues relating to firearms
6. Proper interaction with Law Enforcement Officers
7. The four general firearm safety rules
8. Handgun safety, manipulation and operation
9. Basic handgun marksmanship
10. Proper concealment techniques and drawing from concealment
11. Qualification on the range with the Instructor

We also provide training here:

1. The kinesiology of an efficient drawstroke followed by dry and live fire reps working on safety and speed when drawing and safe holstering
2. Supervised dry and live fire practice reps working on the marksmanship fundamentals and training for the qualification course

What you need to bring:

1. SCDL – Make sure the address and all information is current and correct.
2. Handgun and holster – If a semi-automatic, bring ALL the magazines for that gun.
3. 100 rds of factory ammunition
4. Ear and wraparound ballistic eye protection
5. Ball cap or visor
6. Concealment garment – Just something to hide the holstered gun while you’re wearing it.
7. Sturdy belt – Make sure your pants have belt loops!
8. Notebook and pen. Highlighter is a good idea, too.
9. Lunch, snacks, etc. We’ll have a working lunch and there will be NO opportunity to go out to eat.

If you’re lacking any of the above, even a suitable handgun, check with us before spending a bunch of money on something. Odds are good we can loan you what you need at no additional charge.

There will be at least one instructor for every four students while on the range.

We are not ‘CWP Instructors’. We are defensive firearm trainers that also teach a CWP class. We work hard to provide the very best SC CWP class in South Carolina. Our failure rate is very low, due to quality and thoroughness of instruction AND hard work by our students.

If you pass both the written and range tests, at the end of the class we’ll hand out Paladin Training decals to those that want one. You can display it with pride, and our thanks, because it wasn’t given to you… you earned it.

A deposit of $40 is required to lock in your seat. You can reserve a spot in the class using the PayPal button on the website or directly thru PayPal to steve@paladintraining.com.

If you have any questions or concerns, call Terry at 843-496-3415 or me at 843-618-1381. You can also reach me at steve@paladintraining.com.

Back to work!

Looks like we might survive the summer after all.  Being (probably overly) optimistic about that, here’s the schedule for the remainder of 2018:

Defensive Carbine 2 (DC2)  8 & 9 SEP  (We still have openings!)

The September CWP class is full.

Ladies AR15 (LAR)  6 OCT

SC CWP  11 & 13 OCT  Details at https://paladintraining.com/courses/concealable-weapon-permit-cwp/

Defensive Handgun 1 (DH1)  10 & 11 NOV

SC CWP 15 & 17 NOV

Urban Break Contact (UBC)  7 – 9 DEC

SC CWP  13 & 15 DEC

For full details on each class, see the course descriptions on the website or follow the links below.

Defensive Carbine 2

DC2 is our introductory two-person team class.  It builds on the foundation laid in DC1 and adds use of cover, individual movement techniques, team communication and fire and maneuver.  Having a team-mate can help or hinder.  We cover both.

Details at https://paladintraining.com/courses/defensive-carbine-2-dc2/

Covering your partner!

Ladies AR15

This is a beginner’s class, but even long time AR owners will benefit from the focus on the basics.  Wherever you fit, you’ll learn a lot and have a lot of fun doing it.

Details at:  https://paladintraining.com/courses/ladies-ar-15/

Defensive Handgun 1

DH1 has gone thru a major revision and contains elements previously introduced in DH2.  We’ll work on one handed shooting and manipulation (both strong and support hand only), unconventional positions, and fighting from and around a car.

Details at https://paladintraining.com/courses/defensive-handgun-1/

Urban Break Contact

We’ll be posting the details on UBC in a separate newsletter.

What’s New?

After almost two decades of carrying the same 1911 style pistol in .45 ACP, I’ve decided to try something a little slimmer and lighter:  A Kahr ST9 in 9mm.  I’ve owned and shot Kahrs for a long time, love the double action trigger, and shoot them pretty well.  I put not quite 300 rounds of 124 grain and 147 grain ammo thru this gun with zero issues before having Todd Smallwood (843-337-7810) make me an AIWB holster and mag carrier for my EDC rig (below).

The twist is that I wanted to be able to carry AIWB with the new compact Streamlight TLR-8 light / laser combo attached.  If you’ve taken a defensive firearm class with us, you know we put a lot of emphasis on night fighting.  Having the light already on the gun is an advantage.  That doesn’t mean you needn’t also carry a handheld light, but once good hits become the solution to your problem, it sure is nice to have both hands on the gun.

I’m very satisfied with the results and have been wearing this rig all day for several weeks now w/o issue.

I’m also very satisfied with the TLR-8.  The little thing puts out 500 lumens of light and, while I haven’t torture tested it or anything, the laser seems to be keeping its zero well enough.  There has been a little shift, not enough to affect outcomes I don’t believe, but that might just be the mechanism settling in.  Whatever, the main thing I wanted was a good light, and I got that.  The laser is a ‘nice to have maybe’ feature in my consideration and adds no appreciable weight, bulk or complications.

A note on ammunition:  I just shot the last of 3000 rds of Georgia Arms 9mm 124 grain TMJ ammunition.  This was the worst ammunition I’ve ever shot.  A group would be forming, everything looking good and then there would be an uncalled flyer 5 or 6 inches out of the group (at only 10 yards!).  It took me awhile to figure out that the problem wasn’t me.  Only after getting a friend who is an excellent shot fire a quantity of it with the same results did I finally conclude the ammunition was just inconsistent.  I finished the break-in & accuracy testing of the ST9 with Speer 147 grain TMJ which has performed just fine.

MTM Case-Gard

…has made a neat thing that has greatly simplified my life:

It’s nice to have the four calibers I work with the most in one place in the back of the Sub or War Wagon.  The only downside, if it is one, is that standard military .30 caliber cans will not fit in the organizer.

Details at http://www.mtmcase-gard.com/products/shooting/4-can-ammo-crate.php

I found mine on Amazon, of course.  Less than $25, if I remember correctly.  Please consider using Smile.Amazon and select Paladin Training as your charity of choice!

Last item

Because Paladin was donating a two day class and 500 rounds of ammunition to the Fraternal Order of Police, I attended the meeting of the Pee Dee chapter of the FOP last week.  J R Joyner of Joyner Law Firm in Cheraw was the guest speaker, which was a treat.  I’ve known J R and his dad, Frankie, for a long time and count both as friends.  Professionally, J R has three attributes that, in my opinion, make him an excellent choice for my attorney if I’m involved in a shooting:  He’s a student of the gun, he’s a graduate of The Force Science Institute, and he’s a proponent of the 2A.  Each of those attributes could be a tremendous advantage for me as a client and none of them are, in my experience, typically found in an attorney.  It could be a huge mistake to assume someone knows about self-defense law just because they’re an attorney.  Andrew Branca (www.lawofselfdefense.com) often points out that his education as a lawyer included about 30 minutes on self-defense.

In addition to talking about the potential cost in dollars for a criminal defense, J R spoke a little about the subject of being ‘fit to fight’, ‘fitness’ in this case being ‘the quality of being suitable to fulfill a particular role or task’.  The four factors J R includes are:

(1) Having suitable fighting SKILLS

(2) Being able to meet the PHYSICAL needs of a fight

(3) MENTAL, or being able to make decisions under stress

(4) Having a firm SPIRITUAL foundation

That’s the greatly abbreviated version of his presentation.  As the old Samurai would say, ‘think on these things’.

If you don’t yet have an attorney on speed dial, give J R a call at 843-253-5316 and you guys get to know each other.

That’s all for now.  Hope to see you in a class soon.

Stay sharp!

Steve

Utrinque Paratus

I. DC1

Last call for the Defensive Carbine 1 class this weekend.  Details on what, where, etc. can be found at www.paladintraining.com/courses.  If you’ve been holding out for a BCO, it’s looking more and more like we will NOT schedule one this year.  My advice is to jump on the DC1.

Cost is $300, but you can sign up for Day 1 only at $180.

Note to department trainers:  DC1 is an expanded version of our SCCJA approved Patrol Rifle Class.  Completing Day 1 of DC1 earns 8 CLEE hours; both days earns 16 CLEE hours.  We offer a 50% discount off the $300 tuition to full-time LEO’s.  Also, at the moment, we can furnish 5.56 ammo for four officers taking the 16 hour class; six officers taking the one day 8 hour class.  First come, first served.  Contact me at 843-618-1381.

The class is free to active duty mil and SCNG.

II.  Preparing for a class

When someone asks me what they should do to ‘get ready’ for a class, my standard advice is this (short version):

First, whatever you do, DON’T go to the range and practice.  What are you practicing?  Bad Technique, usually.  Every iteration spent ironing in Bad Technique takes multiple iterations of remedial work to undo.

It gets worse: It seems that the first way we learn to do a task is hardwired in a way that makes it difficult to erase.  Overwrite might be a better term than erase, because I don’t think you ever totally erase it.

So, whatever you do, please don’t go to the range and work on your Bad Technique.

What should you do?

Easy.  No argument, the one thing you can do that will make you a better shooter and have a more successful class is to exercise, especially targeting stamina and grip strength.  At a recent tactical conference, one of the presenters reported (this is second hand as I wasn’t there) that one commonality among the top IDPA and IPSC shooters is that they ALL work on grip strength.  The Captain’s of Crush gripper (www.ironmind.com) seem to be the preferred brand.  One of the best shooters uses the 300 lb. model!  Get to it.

III.  SC CWP

Our next SC CWP class is 17 & 19 MAY.  Details can be found at www.paladintraining.com/courses.

IV.  Final thought

“At the moment of victory, tighten the straps on your helmet.”   Tokugawa Ieyasu

Just think on it.

Steve

Hope you and your team are doing well and continuing to train and get ready.

I. DC1

The Defensive Carbine 1 class scheduled for 5 & 6 MAY is filling out nicely.  Ladies, looks like the class will be about half female.

If you need the prerequisite DC1 to attend DC2 and UBC later in the year, try to make it happen because this will likely be our last DC1 for 2018.

Equipment list, etc. at www.paladintraining.com/courses.  Let me know if you have questions.

II. REVIEWS

If you’ve taken a class with Paladin, please go to Paladin’s Facebook page and leave a review of your experience.  A page ‘like’ would be appreciated as well.

I don’t know why I never thought to ask this before.

III. CHURCH SAFETY  

Getting more requests for our church safety training.  We’ve added an interesting training block on spotting attempts at deception by people you’re greeting.

If you’d like me to come to your church and discuss crime prevention or do some training for your Safety Team, or just want to talk about what we can do for you, contact me at steve@paladintraining.com.

Stay sharp!

Steve

Hopefully, you got your CWP training with us, but if you didn’t, I hope your instructor did more than just ‘teach the test’.  First, all instructors have been explicitly instructed by SLED not to do that, and second, it’s a disservice to students to let them get certified thinking their knowledge of the law is adequate.  If all you know about state law regarding the use of deadly force can be covered by the test, you might be in for a rude — and costly — surprise one day.  Much of the law is common sense, but there are often traps found in the language.

This example just in from Andrew Branca:

[begin] Most of us are familiar with the phrase “Stand-Your-Ground,” but sadly it’s an often misunderstood and misapplied phrase. Correctly understood, all SYG does is relieve a defender of the element of “avoidance”in a self-defense claim, relieving that defender of an otherwise existing duty to retreat (and that’s ALL it does). Even then, however, SYG can be trickier than it looks, because it comes in several different flavors.

For example, about half the SYG states simply have no legal duty to retreat, period. Most of the other half allow for SYG, but only if certain conditions are met (e.g., not engaged in unlawful activity).

And then there’s North Carolina, where the statutory language explicitly provides that an otherwise lawful defender can stand their ground “anywhere they have a right to be”–but then defines “anywhere” as meaning ONLY particular special locations: your home, workplace, or motor vehicle. Attacked while crossing the street? No SYG for you, as Mr. Gyrell Lee was shocked to discover when he was denied a SYG jury instruction at trial, was convicted of second-degree murder, and had that conviction affirmed on appeal. See: State v. Lee, 789 S.E.2d 679 (NC Ct. App. 2016). (NOTE: This case has been accepted for review by the NC Supreme Court, so we’ll see what happens there.)  [end]

There’s a link at the bottom of our homepage for Branca’s website.  I recommend you get his e-mails.

And, as he says at the bottom of his e-mail:  You carry a gun so you’re hard to kill. Know the law so you’re hard to convict.

I hope I’m not interfering with Darwin’s Law here, but I’m going to make this offer:  If you know anyone that took their SC CWP class with someone else and they’re not satisfied, or just want to experience ours, let them know that they’re welcome to sit in on our legal / safety class for just the cost of materials:  $5.00.

Neither the block of instruction on marksmanship fundamentals nor the range portion of the class are covered by this offer; just the classroom part on safety and legals and they’ll get nothing with my signature on it for attending.  Just knowledge.

Please pass this on to anyone that might be interested.  Our training calendar is here:  Calendar

That is all.

Steve