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| Being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed…,” United States Constitution, Amendment 2. Darin Oberhart, owner of QCI Firearms Training in Bettendorf, firmly believes that as important as it is for men and women to be allowed to act on the freedoms and rights listed in the second amendment, it is equally important to receive the proper firearms training both before and after obtaining a Concealed Carry Weapons permit. “Permit training in itself is not enough,” says Darin. The variety of classes offered at QCI Firearms Training makes it possible to have “competent and confident people out there who want to exercise their second amendment rights,” he says. After acquiring a permit through the Concealed Carry Weapons qualification course, Darin recommends the following classes: NRA Basic Pistol, Personal Protection in the Home, and Personal Protection Outside the Home. Each course is a prerequisite for the next. Additional courses available at QCI Firearms Training include Taser® usage and shotgun and rifle use. But it’s not all about weapons. Darin also teaches a non-weapon-based self-defense course using a tool called the Kubaton. The Kubaton comes on an ordinary key ring and is made of either hard plastic or machined aluminum. It is a little thicker than an average pencil and can have a flat or pointed end. This protection device can be used for jabbing and targeting an attacker’s pressure points, or whatever it takes to defend yourself against an attacker, he says. Darin explains that the Taser is another excellent tool for defense, especially for ladies. He says that in order to be lawfully justified when using a gun, the user has to be able to prove that his or her life was in danger by a potential attacker. Lawful use of a Taser, however, is much more relaxed in that the user needs only to sense danger and fear being attacked by someone. Generally, Darin offers at least one free Taser course per month and one basic pistol course per month. He also mentions that he is planning a women’s-only basic pistol training course for any woman who might feel intimidated training in the same class with men. It will be specifically tailored to women in the manner in which women would be likely to carry and use the weapon. Darin expects this course to be scheduled sometime in late February or early March. When a person is truly passionate about his or her career choice, it shows in both performance and initiative. I think Darin definitely fulfills that description. He is thorough in both the types of classes he offers, as well as the amount of training that takes place in each class. His desire is that men and women who take his classes will completely understand the skill and ability required to effectively use weapons in stressful situations. He explains that stress inhibits various motor, auditory, and other natural actions we take for granted. If we are exposed to a life or death situation where use of a gun is required, stress is definitely a major defining factor. Your skill to function effectively under that stress is one of the many important factors on which Darin will focus when you take his suggested training courses. One way he does this is by integrating real-world situations into his training. Another training technique that customers specifically find beneficial is both training weapons and real weapons training, as well as range time. Simulated or training weapons training is also known as “dry fire” practice. Basically, it uses a real weapon that doesn’t fire live ammunition. The magazine that loads into the gun is weighted to feel like it has ammunition in it, so when taking it out and reloading, aiming, and shooting the pistol, the action feels real. Then when it comes to range time, the shooting is familiar with no major differences from the dry fire practice. Within the past six months, Kim Brewer has taken the Permit Qualification, Basic Pistol, and Personal Protection in the Home courses, as well as a Taser course. She describes Darin’s training techniques as thorough and informational. She states, “He is an awesome instructor. He is knowledgeable on the subject, and he tries to make the classes interesting.” Kim adds that she believes Darin is the best weapons trainer in the area, and she highly recommends him to anyone needing a Concealed Carry Weapons permit or additional training. Other customers have said that they find Darin to be very knowledgeable about weapons training, and that they received the education they were seeking when signing up for his classes. Darin opened QCI Firearms Training a little over a year ago after Iowa legislation passed the Concealed Carry Weapons bill requiring gun owners to receive a non-professional permit from their county sheriff. His background includes being recently retired from the U.S. Navy Reserve, a Chief Master at Arms, and he has recently returned from his third overseas deployments. His professional certifications include Homeland Security Level IV, Disaster Preparedness, a Master Anti-Terrorism Specialist, and a Certified Close Protection Agent. He is an NRA Certified Law Enforcement Civilian Instructor, and firmly believes that individuals can never be trained enough when it comes to self-defense and weapons training. He continues his own education, and is in the process of obtaining his NRA Training Counselor Certification. This will allow him to train new instructors and be able to make more classes available to his clientele. While Darin offers scheduled classes, he will provide individual training upon request that is geared to specific needs of the client. This is also useful if a client took a class, but feels they need additional one-on-one training. Darin’s mission to ensure the availability of ongoing training so that those who wish to carry firearms can do so with “confident action rather than careless reaction.” QCI Firearms Training is a division of Quad City Investigations, LLC. To contact Darin Oberhart, call 563-528-5711. Or you can visit his Web site at www.qcifirearmstraining.com. Class schedules vary, and are generally posted on the Web site about two months ahead of time. You can register online or by phone. The office hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
QCI Firearms Training |
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