How to Become a Firearms Instructor | Words from the Wise

In the previous installment of this series, we looked at some common ways that people can grow and develop as instructors, along with a few common ways of gaining the title itself. In this piece we change gears, and seek out guidance from some established instructors in the industry. These are people who have been teaching for many years, with successful programs of their own, training folks across the country. Today we’ll ask them what they look for in an instructor before choosing to bring someone onto their team. This can be skills, personality traits, experiences, and more.

How to Become a Firearms Instructor, What to Look For

While there are many instructors who have helped me throughout my journey, there’s not enough room here to include everyone. With this in mind, I had to narrow my criteria on who to seek out to assist with this piece. The easiest component was choosing those who have been positively impactful for me, whether it be a series of contributions, or a single major lesson. Next, I wanted someone who has recently and repeatedly brought someone into their organization to teach under their own banner. While everyone provides mentorship, it’s a different matter when you allow someone to represent your name and brand.

Finally, I wanted to give a diverse spread of instructors from the industry. Different styles of branding and instruction, different eras of the industry, and varied backgrounds. Some of these people are former military and law enforcement, while others are strictly armed citizens. Each brings a unique perspective to what they value most, but you’ll also see overlap between them as well. Let’s see what these instructors look for when bringing someone into their organization.

Tom Givens, Rangemaster

I first trained with Tom Givens back in 2019, taking the Rangemaster Instructor Development Course (IDC) near my home town. I didn’t know what to expect, aside from vague comments about Tom’s class being a step above my NRA certifications. Fast forward to now and I’ve managed to take an additional five instructor courses from Tom, holding Professional Pistolcraft and Advanced Shotgun ratings from him, as well as attending the 2024 Professional Trainer’s Symposium. That same year Tom also provided me the opportunity to AI for him during a Shotgun IDC. You’ve also seen me cite his work here on several occasions, and he was the first subject of my Living Legends series of interviews.

In short, Tom has been highly influential for me, and is one of the instructors that I have trained with most often and most consistently. While Rangemaster’s staff is small, they’re very highly regarded. It’s not often that someone is added or removed from their ranks, and each instructor has their own specialties. Here is what Tom Givens looks for when considering someone for Rangemaster staff:

First, I need to observe them in multiple classes. I want to see:
A high skill level

• Being open to changes in their technique
• How they interact with other students
• Do they speak English well, are they articulate ?
• Have they trained with other schools, not just Rangemaster?

Then, they apprentice as AI’s for a while. I want to see how they approach teaching students and how they follow procedures.

I look at their educational background. Tiffany Johnson has a PhD. John Hearne and Lee Weems have Masters degrees. All the rest have various degrees. This helps them in developing classes and training materials.

Finally, but most importantly, they have to be passionate about teaching people to defend themselves. They have to CARE.

Aqil Qadir, Citizens Safety Academy / Rangemaster

Aqil and I first met back in 2022 during the Rangemaster Master Instructor Development course where he was acting as an Assistant Instructor for Tom Givens. Our paths have crossed a few times since, with a few of those instances having us both share the line as students. In addition to his work with Rangemaster, Aqil is also the founder of Citizens Safety Academy. While I haven’t trained much with CSA, their Effective Assistant Instructor Course is a stand out for me. I won’t get into details here, as I wrote a review of the course in 2023, it is a must-have for instructors, prospective instructors, and anyone acting as an AI or RSO. Finally, I’ve sought Aqil’s advice on more than one occasion both for feedback on my own material, and instructorship in general.

He, along with the rest of the Citizens Safety Academy crew, don’t get the credit they deserve. With all of this in mind, I reached out to Aq to see what he looks for when adding folks to his cadre. Here are some notes from that phone call.

• Motivation and reliability
  • To quote Craig Douglas (Shivworks), are you trying to be someone, or do something?
  • Who is willing to donate their time, which is their most valuable resource
    • Acting as Assistant Instructors and Range Safety Officers
    • Studying on their own time, with an emphasis on print materials in addition to digital media
  • Who enjoys the the environment
    • Those looking for a mentor rather than a pedigree
      • Asking thoughtful questions, both on and off the range. Reaching out privately for advice or with questions.
      • Taking notes for future reference
      • Maintaining a personal library of reference material
      • Student-centered, able to be granular when necessary without losing sight of the big picture
  • Life long students
    • Continuing education, training at least annually to avoid stagnation
    • Setting ego aside to learn and grow
• Trustworthy
  • You’ll be spending significant time together, possibly traveling together
  • No fighting over money, time in the spotlight, or notoriety
  • Prolonged observation in a variety of situations to build familiarity
    • Responsible for culture, students, and more
• Respectful
  • Ability to read the room, reaching students without compromising integrity
  • Apolitical, especially for newbies
    • Don’t change your politics, change your approach
  • Respectful disagreement without being disagreeable or dogmatic

Red Flags

In addition to the above, Aqil also made mention of some red flags he looks for in prospective instructors.

• Poor conduct around women
• Short temper
• Disrespecting other’s time
• Unreliable, “Your word should be your bond” – Aqil Qadir

Dave Spaulding, Handgun Combatives

Unlike others on this list, I’ve never met Dave Spaulding. While I’ve known of his work for years, our schedules never lined up prior to his retirement. That said, his work speaks for itself, and his name is one that I hear referenced more than nearly any other instructor when it comes to classes, articles, and other material. As such, Dave was a no-brainer when it came to this piece. In early 2026 I interviewed Dave Spaulding as part of my Living Legends series, and one of my questions was regarding how he choose Handgun Combatives instructors to carry on his legacy after retirement. That is reproduced here below.

I was hoping for a cadre of people who would keep the doctrine alive. I feel it offers a lot to those who are concerned about their personal security. At the same time, I wasn’t interested in teaching another instructor certification course. There are plenty of those and I didn’t need to add my two cents to that arena. I had about 50 people apply and I selected 20 who I thought showed the most promise. I remembered them from the classes they took and how they conducted themselves. Prior to the course, I had one fellow drop out due to a family emergency, so 19 went through the week long, 50-hour course.

It consisted of adult learning theory, instructional skills, presentation ability, coaching skills, ability to make corrections, shooting ability and anything I felt was related to the end goal. Each student had to give a lecture on a topic that was not firearms related. There were some excellent presentations. For example, one student gave a lecture on the history of the Erie Canal while another on the process his state went through to execute a prisoner. One fellow installed a water heater.

I was looking for originality. Teaching is about both preparation and presentation…being interesting! Communicating ideas! The student should enjoy the experience, not feel like they are being tortured. Can you remember teachers in your past that just droned on and that hour class took forever?! People should not have to pay for that…

The final exercise was each student had to pass the Handgun Combatives basic pistol standards. While they are not the most difficult standards I have ever seen, I have had plenty of people fail them including SWAT cops and military personnel. No one was guaranteed to pass the program and if they failed, there was no refund. Fortunately, everyone passed. A couple just barely, but they did meet all the requirements set by Bucky Buchanan and I. Oh yeah, since Bucky helped me teach the course, I awarded him instructor certification as well, so there were 20 total…

In truth, I felt like I didn’t have enough time to cover everything I wanted to, so I had a three day follow up course the following year. About half of the original group showed up for that. It consisted of a review from the following year, more pistol skills and a deep dive into extreme close quarter shooting…

In recent years, I have certified three additional students to be HC instructors which angered some of the original group. All three of these folks attended EVERY course I offered and at great expense and time. One of these guys drove from Georgia to Michigan to attend a class. They didn’t take a week-long overview, they attended each and every course, every subject offered, one at a time. In reality, they got a much better emersion into the doctrine than did the instructor group. Before I gave them the certification, I attended training they taught so I could see them teach. You see, teaching is about an exceptional ability to communicate! Thus, there is now 23 people I have certified to teach Handgun Combatives courses.

Wrapping Up How to Become a Firearms Instructor | Words from the Wise

Take a moment to reflect upon the words written here today. How do these guidelines compare to your experience, how you carry yourself, and your instruction? It may be time to make some changes, or maybe you’re already heading down the right path. Of course don’t confuse an article with first-hand mentorship, as this is more of a guide and series of tips.

Thank you to Tom, Aqil, and Dave for taking the time to give their input today! For the readers, stay tuned, as we have a few more instructors lined up to give their unique perspective in a follow-up piece. Be sure to check out Rangemaster, CSA, and Handgun Combatives below!

Rangemaster

Citizens Safety Academy

Handgun Combatives

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