I recently wrote an article for PoliceOnce.com titled "Firearms Qualifications are NOT Important!" While there were a few comments from people who disagreed, the vast majority of readers agreed with the premise of the article, and some even emailed me directly for further conversation.

You can read the article here... PoliceOne.com  |  PDF copy

As firearms instructor, it's easy to put too much emphasis on qualifications. It's almost like a validation of our training...if people pass the qualification, then our training was good.  In my mind, a validation of our training is when someone we trained won a deadly force confrontation...not passed a minimum standards test.

Don't put too much emphasis on improving a firearms qualification...the only people who care about qualifications are lawyers and administrators.  Instead, put that emphasis and energy into improving your live-fire range training programs!

Train hard & stay safe!