A Hiker’s view of the 250 Pistol Class

I attended the 250 Pistol Class last May, and found the training to be extremely valuable.  You may remember me being the guy who does a lot of hiking and photography  I hiked/climbed over 100 miles / 50,000 feet last summer and found my configuration worked very well.  The training I received at Gunsite definitely contributed to my ability to safely and confidently carry my pistol.  I also believe my skill level and confidence was noticeable by other hikers I encountered while hiking.  I always make every effort to be courteous and friendly when encountering other people while in the wilderness, but given certain ‘attitudes’ that can be prevalent in this  “neck of the woods" I was a bit concerned how other people would react when meeting a person carrying a firearm.  I’m happy to report that most people really didn’t seem to react in any manner whatsoever.  Only one person seemed to express a somewhat critical attitude by asking me if I was a member of law enforcement, to which I politely replied no - but also thanked him for the implied complement in assuming I am a ‘professional’ (it’s all about training!).  Some people actually reacted positivity, and a few asked good questions which led to great discussion about effective use of pistols for wilderness self defense.  I firmly believe that my Gunsite training increased my effectiveness in being a good “steward” of our rights to armed self defense. This past year I also noticed a significant increase in the number of hikers who are open carrying.  Observing other people carrying led me to another important conclusion about skills I received from my Gunsite training:  I now seem to have an increased ability to determine if another person carrying a pistol has decent training.  An ability to observe this is probably well-ingrained and “second nature" to anyone who has law enforcement experience.  But to a civilian like me, it has been one of those “eye opening” experiences.  I don’t have an elitist attitude about gun ownership and training, but just wanted to share what it has been like for a ‘civilian’ to gain that level of ‘vision’ through proper training.  Thanks!

Annonymous, 250 Defensive Pistol Class, May 250 Pistol 2018, Gunsite, Paulden, AZ

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