Help, I Can’t Find One!—Finding a Shooting Range, Part V

Not everyone lives near or has easy access to a firearm range and shooting instruction. Here’s what to do if you’re looking to learn how to safely handle a firearm but your community lacks these important resources.

In our very first column, I discussed the one step you should take to obtain safety and handling instruction if you’ve never before fired a gun: finding a range. There are many top-notch facilities out there, and more than a few that’ll do for just about anyone without being the “destination” ranges so many modern facilities have become. And yet, not everyone has access to a firearms range.

So, what do you do if you’ve made the decision to learn to be safe with and skillfully shoot a firearm, but a Google search of “shooting ranges near me” turns up squat? That’s a real concern for those who live where there simply isn’t enough of a customer base to keep a range in business, and it can also be a challenge in populated areas of states with strict firearm regulations, such as New York. We have four resources to help solve that problem.

State Rifle and Pistol Clubs

Instead of Googling “shooting ranges near me,” search for the rifle and pistol club in your state. All 50 states have a state rifle and pistol association. They are affiliated with and recognized by the National Rifle Association (NRA) but are independent organizations.

Wait. Stop. Let me finish. That is not an endorsement of the NRA, and we at Biofire fully realize that not everyone looks on the NRA favorably these days. I’m simply giving you an explanation of how the state associations are connected to the national organization. You do not need to join the NRA to contact or join your state association or, for that matter, take advantage of many of the resources NRA provides to firearm owners, NRA members or not.

When you contact your state association, tell them where you live and ask what range or instructors they recommend for first-time safety and firearm handling training that doesn’t require you drive all the way across your state. If you live near a state line, you could also contact the state association for the neighboring state and ask the same questions.

Certified Instructors

While well-appointed ranges may be harder to find depending on how off the grid or rural your location, it likely won’t be difficult at all to find an NRA-certified instructor. As before, no judgement or endorsement here. I’m simply supplying you with the information about what’s out there and why.

Nearly every certified firearm safety and handling instructor will be NRA certified because the NRA set the standards for teaching and the curriculums going all the way back to its founding in 1871. There are hundreds of other training courses and “certificates of achievement” you can find, but the NRA is almost exclusively responsible for establishing and evolving basic firearm handling and safety training curriculums.

That said, you’ll likely have no trouble finding one or a dozen NRA-certified instructors because people who shoot like to teach others to shoot and take great pride in being certified safety instructors. Another plus to this: If you’re living way out there, one of your neighbors is probably an NRA-certified instructor who has or knows of a place to shoot, even if it’s a homemade range on their own property. They might also utilize public ranges available on many national forests and grasslands or state land ranges open to public use. These are super resources worth checking out if that’s where an instructor takes you, because you’ll be able to use these ranges on your own when you’ve become safe, comfortable, and confident in your firearm skills.

NRA Training Classes

The NRA has dozens of training classes available in all 50 states, and it even offers remote learning. This page details the listings. Simply choose the course you want, plug in your zip code toward the bottom of the page, and select a search of 10 to 500 miles from your location. You can also do an all-inclusive search by state.

For those new to shooting, and particularly if you can’t get to a range or an instructor right away, it’s not at all a bad idea to start with the online NRA Basics of Pistol Shooting Course. It contains a broad overview of firearm safety basics, types of handguns, guidance on how to choose the one right for you, an overview of ammunition basics, fundamental shooting skills, and handgun cleaning and maintenance, among others. There’s a robust eight hours of online learning across 11 classes, and you can take them at your own pace. Simply log off when you’ve had enough and log back in to pick up where you left off.

For getting down to business with live-fire and hands-on teaching, this same NRA Basics course is offered as an in-person, instructor-led class and also as a “blended” format, in which you’ll have access to online courses that you’ll then follow with in-person instruction. Again, simply check the course you desire here, then search via zip-code radius or by state for availability.

NSSF First Shots

NSSF—the National Shooting Sports Foundation—is the trade association for the firearm industry, and this non-profit also offers a number of resources for consumers. Its First Shots program was developed to provide an easy-to-implement, first-time-shooter training program to the organization’s member ranges. NSSF provides the curriculum, classroom supplies, and other supporting materials to the range, so all the range has to do is have an instructor host the class. The program became a hit because, aside from the benefit of getting new customers through the ranges’ doors, First Shots was designed to ensure each participant is successful with their first shots. Nearly everyone who takes a First Shots seminar says they come away feeling like they’ve overcome any apprehension or fear about shooting, with many having had such a great experience that they immediately make an appointment for another course or more range time.

Another valuable resource for first-time gun owners from NSSF is LetsGoShooting.org. Tap the “New Shooters” tab at the top of the page to learn more about First Shots, what you can expect your first time on a shooting range, firearm safety rules, and a comprehensive listing of the various shooting sports you’ll want to explore once you get the basics down. LetsGoShooting.org also has a great “Where to Shoot” section that geo-locates ranges for a given radius (five to 160 miles) from a zip-code search, and you also have the ability to narrow your search to desired range amenities, such as a clubhouse, women and youth programs, sport competition availability, and retail stores.

In our next column, we’ll detail a long list of additional resources that help new shooters get started on the right foot and help you discover just how rewarding learning how to shoot can be.