Who provides the least expensive carry permit classes?

[gunforhire]

http://www.mnpersonaldefense.com/page11.html

I had Greg Reis as a instructor. he was very thorough and reasonable too. if you get 10 or more of your buddies together, it's around 65 each plus your ammo. He comes to your place and does the class. make sure where you are has a safe, LEGAL place to shoot

[EJSG19]

Basing your chances of freedom vs prison, after a self-defense using your firearm, on how cheap an instructor is alone is pretty ballsy.

Kind of like going out, searching down the cheapest gun ever made, and trusting your life with it.

Do a little homework besides price, you and those who might be with you will appreciate it! Those I'd recommend have already been mentioned here.

[Pezhead]

I've taken classes from several different instructors, and have been satisfied with the different classes.
One thing to keep in mind along with the other valid points made by previous posters, how far do you want to drive? You might want to figure the cost of fuel into that.

[IDPA Shooter]

That is a comprehensive well written lists of things to consider GunClasses.Net. I would add how long have they taught carry and what is the average class size. Sorry but we like small, interactive classes where folks can ask questions and get answers.

I think my partner Jon Thompson of Riverside Sporting Gear and I stand up pretty well, and believe our team teaching approach makes us as good as some and honestly better than most, IMNSHO. We are not cheap, but we think the value is there. I believe the 1,000 folks we have trained over the past 7 years would agree.

Sent from my Xoom

[T.P.F.K.A.M]

Do you want a class or need a class, myself and many other if not most instructors, offer free classes for those that need classes. Basically it's for those people that are granted an emergency permit by the SO. If you are having financial difficulties let your instructor know, I/they may be able to come to an arrangement that works with you both. It has been discussed before but a class isn't free to put on. Between paperwork, book, facility rental and so on it cost me about $40 per student. I charge $75 so I think $35 for eight hours of my time gives me about four and a half bucks an hour not including gas and lunch.
I'm sure others will chime in but either way that's how it works for me. If you truly want a class and don't have the funds put in an extra few hours ot, forego morning coffee at Starbucks for two weeks or find another way, it's not a whole lot of money in the greater scheme of things. If you have goods or services to offer then maybe that may work too. If you are interested feel free to private message me.

[plblark]

I've taken classes from several different instructors, and have been satisfied with the different classes.
One thing to keep in mind along with the other valid points made by previous posters, how far do you want to drive? You might want to figure the cost of fuel into that.

I'm slightly biased I suppose but for a first class, I wouldn't try to find the bottom of the heap. When I took my first class, I drove all over the cities (Roseville to Lake Elmo to BPR and back) and paid a premium. But it was worth it for the great class I got. Sometimes you really do get what you pay for.

Driving a little farther once every 5 years is worth it in my book to get a good class.

[Erik_Pakieser]

My classes in the Metro are $120, range fees included.

Most instructors I would trust have a fee ranging between $100-$150.

As others have said, you get what you pay for. In addition to permit-to-carry courses, we also offer practical skills courses. You learn "when and where to shoot (or more appropriately, when NOT to shoot)" in the permit course, and in our practical defensive courses you learn how to actually use your handgun in a self-defense situation.

We also offer post-class support, including legal assistance, if neccessary. We have experience in court and have also investigated shootings involving both citizens and police officers.

All things considered, don't get your training just to punch the ticket; look for a class that will actually provide you with useful information that you can apply to carrying. Carrying a gun isn't just about the gun itself; it's about changing your lifestyle and adopting a self-defense mindset.

As one instructor put it: "When all you have done is show them how to use the toaster, you can't expect them to make breakfast."

I don't really care who you get training with, just get some training.

[Pezhead]

I've taken classes from several different instructors, and have been satisfied with the different classes.
One thing to keep in mind along with the other valid points made by previous posters, how far do you want to drive? You might want to figure the cost of fuel into that.

I'm slightly biased I suppose but for a first class, I wouldn't try to find the bottom of the heap. When I took my first class, I drove all over the cities (Roseville to Lake Elmo to BPR and back) and paid a premium. But it was worth it for the great class I got. Sometimes you really do get what you pay for.

Driving a little farther once every 5 years is worth it in my book to get a good class.

I agree.
Example close class $135.00 far away class $85.00 gas $50.00. That was the analogy.
I've taken classes from the following instructors.
IDPAShooter/Jon Thompson
JoeH
Blue Line Defense
And sat in on part of Andrews class.

I've never wanted to skimp on the quality of any class I've taken.
I would still like to take a few few classes from other instructors too.

[Terry]

Trust your fellow forum member recommendations.. Do research on those instructors that you have been given recommendations on. Any of us instructors on here would be more than happy to chat with you and answer any of your questions.

[GunClasses.Net]

I would add how long have they taught carry and what is the average class size. Sorry but we like small, interactive classes where folks can ask questions and get answers.

Great questions as well. I'll add them to my FAQ page about permits, classes, and instructors: http://gunclasses.net/resources/faq/.

[GunClasses.Net]

Trust your fellow forum member recommendations.. Do research on those instructors that you have been given recommendations on. Any of us instructors on here would be more than happy to chat with you and answer any of your questions.

Absolutely! You'll undoubtedly have questions after the training, as there's only so much we can give in 4, 5, or 8 hours (and only so much you can retain from it). Any instructor who won't respond to your emails or return your voicemails is probably not going to be there for you otherwise.

[glreis]

Do you really judge the quality or a class by the cost? I do not do this for a living but I have a strong belief that everyone should be able to be armed if they want to be and I try to make it affordable. I have gotten many compliments from people renewing their permit who told me their first instructor did not cover nearly as much material and charged a lot more.
Greg Reis
http://www.mnpersonaldefense.com

[System7]

Alright. I wanted to give an update... Actually I've been avoiding it because I know what's coming. So let me save you all some time and say it for you. "You told me so". Lol

I took a cheap carry class recently and it was THE BIGGEST F'ING JOKE EVER. The class was 4 hours long, much of which consisted of rambling nonsense and creepy scenarios involving a guy trying to "grab your wife's tits".

When he wasn't off in lala land talking about his crazy political views, he was telling us about his experiences serving in every armed service and every Government agency. Seriously, at one point I thought he had a stroke and was just repeating the plots to random episodes of the A-Team. It was that rediculous.

I dont know... Maybe I am being too hard on this guy. I mean, afterall he did provide us valuable instructions on how to sneak a pistol into a club where they frisk. He was even nice enough to demonstrate how to perform a headshot on a crowded dance floor. (for when a guy grabs your wifes tits...)

After taking this class I feel less knowledgeable and very misinformed. The scariest part of all was watching some of the people in the class drinking his kool-aid and taking his word as gospel.

Long story short, I signed up for another class.

[farmerj]

and some instructors just don't advertise either.

phorvick just had a class the weekend of Aug 17th. But I may be biased as well.


You'd be silly to miss one of his classes even if you have to drive across the state.

[infidel]

There is a post earlier in this thread that essentially claims that price = quality.

BS.

Someone else posted a number of points that makes their class special.

BS.

Brass tacks; there is a state requirement that says you need a certificate to carry a weapon. I say if you can move your trigger finger, you don't need hours of BS. Teach the requirements, charge what you want. People will pay your exorbitant prices, but there are those who recognize value. Do people really go to a carry class for the instructor or certificate?

ETA: I am just a poor ***** boy. My time is money, the only factors I am concerned about is price and time. Just give me the cert.