Firearms Instructor Development 24 hr

Registration Deadline: October 16, 2026

This course has been approved by ILETSB for the following mandates:

Constitutional Use of LE Authority – 1.0
Officer Wellness – 1.0
De-escalation – 10.0
Law concerning stops, searches, and the use of force – 1.0

PURPOSE OF COURSE: The purpose of this course is to prepare qualified individuals to become effective and responsible firearms instructors. This course focuses on enhancing both technical shooting skills and instructional abilities, emphasizing safety, range management, lesson planning, and student assessment. Participants will learn how to communicate clearly, correct shooting deficiencies, and apply adult learning principles in a classroom and range setting. By the end of the course, attendees should be capable of confidently teaching firearms fundamentals, conducting live-fire training, managing the range function at their agency, and ensuring a safe and structured learning environment for their students.

COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is an intensive 3-day training program designed to equip experienced shooters with the knowledge, skills, and instructional techniques necessary to effectively train others in the safe and proficient use of firearms. This course is intended for students who are already certified firearms instructors. This course serves as continuing education to ensure that modern methodology is being trained.

The course begins with a focus on the foundations of adult learning and instructional theory, helping participants understand how to effectively deliver training material to a diverse range of students. Participants will explore learning styles, communication techniques, coaching strategies, and how to provide corrective feedback in both classroom and range environments. Emphasis is placed on developing clear and structured lesson plans that align with training objectives and safety protocols.

Participants will learn to conduct safety briefings, manage live-fire exercises, and oversee range operations while maintaining the highest standards of safety and control. Live-fire portions will evaluate each participant’s shooting proficiency and ability to demonstrate techniques in a clear and controlled manner.

Throughout the course, students will be required to present instructional segments to their peers, receive feedback, and refine their teaching approach. Practical exercises include leading classroom modules, facilitating range drills, and diagnosing shooting errors, qualities essential for any instructor responsible for student safety and training outcomes.

The course concludes with a comprehensive skills evaluation, including two qualifications, teaching demonstration, and lesson plan development.

COURSE GOALS: The goals of this course are as follows:

•    Train officers to safely and effectively manage law enforcement live-fire training environments.
•    Elevate individual shooting skills to meet or exceed departmental instructor standards.
•    Develop the ability to write and deliver ILETSB/POST-compliant firearms training lesson plans.
•    Apply adult learning strategies tailored to law enforcement trainees.
•    Communicate clearly and assertively in both classroom and high-risk range settings.
•    Diagnose and correct officer shooting deficiencies to improve qualification success rates.
•    Conduct range briefings with a focus on officer safety, accountability, and legal liability.
•    Prepare instructors to lead remedial training for underperforming or high-risk personnel.
•    Reinforce understanding of use-of-force policies, case law, and departmental procedures.
•    Foster leadership, professionalism, and integrity in all aspects of firearms instruction.

COURSE PREREQUISITES: Students enrolling in this course MUST be currently certified as firearms instructors through ILETSB, POST, FBI, FLETC, or other approved organizations.

METHODS OF EVALUATION: Firearms Qualifications, practical teaching evaluation, lesson plan submission, peer and instructor feedback

METHODS OF INSTRUCTION: This course is conducted using the following methods of instruction:

•    Lecture
•    PowerPoint presentations
•    Live fire exercises

COURSE REFERENCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY:  
1.    Police Training Institute – U of I at Champaign
2.    Tom Givens – Rangemaster
3.    LSU 

COURSE REQUIREMENTS/GRADING POLICY: Students will be required to shoot two firearms qualifications, the PTI Badge Shoot, and the FBI Firearms Instructors qualifications. Students must score a minimum of 430 out of 500 on the badge shoot, and score a 90% or better on the FBI qualification. Students may only shoot each qualification a maximum number of 2 times. 

RECOMMENDED INSTRUCTIONAL AIDS: This course requires a classroom with TVs/projector for classroom presentations. An adjacent range with the capacity for 8 shooters on the line at once is also required. 

ATTENDANCE POLICY: Per ILETSB guidelines, students may not miss more than 10% of the overall course.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Academic integrity is the commitment to honesty, trust, and ethical behavior in all aspects of teaching, learning, and evaluation. In the context of this course, it means producing original work, giving proper credit for the ideas of others, and demonstrating personal accountability in both written and practical assignments. Violations—such as plagiarism, falsifying qualifications, or misrepresenting instructional experience—undermine the credibility of the instructor role and the integrity of law enforcement training as a whole. All participants are expected to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and integrity throughout the course.

SAFETY PROTOCOLS: Safe weapon handling must be a constant priority to every firearms instructor. A momentary lapse of safety can result in the needless death or serious bodily injury of someone on the range. Your co-workers, friends, family, and the public are put at risk if you do not maintain safety awareness. Whether on or off duty, in the home, the office or even in a high stress environment, we cannot afford to allow complacency or mental preoccupation to lead to the unintentional discharge of a firearm.
 

THIS IS NOT A PUBLIC MEETING