Fighting Pistol

I took the Fighting Pistol course from Tactical Response over the weekend. I'd been waiting years - literally - to take a class like this, and it was totally worth it.

Tactical Response puts alot of emphasis on the mindset behind carrying a gun ... they emphasize the idea that those of us who carry a gun do so to save our lives if - God forbid - anything ever were to go down. That mindset gets as much time as actual shooting instruction during Fighting Pistol. That's a big part of the reason I chose to train with them - they make no bones about the implications of carrying a gun. They teach the mindset, tactics, skill and gear behind gunfighting.

I had some reservations about James Yeager, the CEO of the company, before I went. He's ... controversial to say the least. I stayed in the Team Room while in Camden, TN for the class; the Team Room is the basement of Yeager's house. Think about that for a second ... Yeager is CEO of a world-class firearms training school. He probably makes enough money every year to live in a large home in a gated community with a pool and tennis courts.

But he doesn't.

Not only does he live in an average, small-town-American neighborhood (kids riding bikes in the street and all that,) but he allows .... he invites his students - people he has never met before and people he knows nothing about - to stay in his home FOR FREE to take classes from his company. Show me another firearms training company CEO who does that - I dare you.

Not only that, but I had the opportunity to talk to him for a few minutes in his office. I was just waiting to take a shower, and he pulled me up a chair and talked to me for a few minutes about why I took the class and things ... just small talk, really. He was more cordial and accommodating than I ever would have expected.

I used to wonder about what I perceived as all the Yeager-fellatio I read on the discussion forum Yeager runs. Now I understand. Yeager is definitely opinionated, but his views come from experience. Frankly, many of those who hate him probably do so because he challenged their opinions and they can't step back and reexamine the validity of ideas they've come to accept.

Actually, the first interaction I had with Yeager was in the classroom on the first day of training, when he sarcastically wished me "good luck" with the Para 14.45 I was using. I found out later he has every reason to hate that particular model of pistol. He didn't bring that up after that, though -- and before meeting him, I would have thought he'd hold a grudge and throw his opinions in my face at every juncture ... but he didn't. Not at all. He treated me the way every paying customer wants to be treated ... whether at a fast-food joint, department store or firearms training class. I totally respect him for it.

Keep this in mind about Tactical Response though ... don't go there with your feelings on your shirt sleeve. If you can't be open minded about what they teach and how they teach it, go spend your training dollars somewhere else.

Go there prepared to learn, however, and you'll get your moneys worth ... and probably have a great time. I did.