I am a firm believer in a person’s right to self defense and the coming to the aid and defense of the innocent. The Second Amendment gives us the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. Without getting deep into the weeds, I also believe there are gun laws on the books that are a clear infringement of the 2nd.
Becoming trained is not a requirement by the Constitution or in all states or cases. Owning a home defense gun does not require training by law. Concealed Carry or Open Carry does in some cases, depending on states, require comprehensive training and in some cases only requires minimal training. It just depends on where you live. I do not support firearms or concealed carry training being required by law. It should be the responsibility of the gun owner or the armed citizen. In any cases anyone who intends to go armed or has a gun for home defense should be demonstrating a willingness to seek out training. Owning a gun has some responsibilities. Owning a gun for home defense, concealed every day carry, or carrying a gun in support of a security team and providing security for others has even greater responsibilities.
Personal defense, home defense, concealed carry or even supporting security at a church or business requires more it than just having a firearm. From time to time we see incidents where the victim had a defensive firearm but never got the opportunity to use it for defense in a critical incident due to a lack of training and situational awareness. This is a failure. A failure on the part of the armed citizen to get properly trained and prepared for the moment they may need to use deadly force in the defense of self or others. It is also a failure on the part of the security group organizer to require training before a person be allowed to join the team and continued training after the team is assembled. It is not enough just to have a gun! Some training can be done in Distance Learning and other requires In Person Training. There is a much bigger picture here than just having a gun.
There is more to it than carrying or having access to a gun for defense, LIKE;
Justifiable Use of Deadly Force
Situational knowledge of when should force be use vs. when can it be used
Situational Awareness
Mental Preparedness and Mental Conditioning
Post-Shooting Responsibilities
Environmental Control
Becoming a Trained Observer
Becoming trained in Threat Assessment
And More
Besides the training areas listed above you have to be good at gun handling and be a good shot. You are going to be required to hit a threat that will likely be moving as you are likely to be moving. A person who is going armed needs to be capable of hitting with both precision and a general defensive accuracy while under stress. You need to have a good understanding of what you are personally capable of. Accurate shooting while using the sights, unsighted shooting, low light shooting and unorthodox shooting positions. Physical skills and muscle memories are formed in training and routine practice. Repetition is key in maintaining and forming muscle memories. This is where in person training stands out above distance training.
As a private citizen take into consideration that Law Enforcement, Corrections, and some security businesses require an employee attend a academy of some sort. Some are quite long and the training curriculum contains many areas we have discussed. Those employees are also required to attend annual training to maintain that knowledge and update. Range Qualifications are part of that academy and annual training. A private citizen has no requirement to train beyond Concealed Carry Permit training by law. It is your choice. It is your responsibility to seek out and attend training.
To sum this all up;
IT IS NOT ENOUGH JUST TO HAVE A GUN! THE TIME TO LEARN IS NOT IN THE MIDDLE OF A LIFE THREATENING SITUATION! If you are taking on the responsibility for the security of others or even yourself, you have a responsibility to train. You have to be good. You have to be a good shot under stress and in unorthodox shooting situations, You have to be good at situational awareness, You have to have a good understanding of Use of Force Laws. You have to be good at situational awareness and threat assessment. You have to commit to being better than the bad guy. You have to commit before you take on the responsibilities that are required morally and intellectually.
Be Safe, Be Trained, and Be Prepared
T-M Firearms Training 