Here's a link from Nero (Apr 11, 2013; from the NC forum board). It provides the results of a poll about what changes AS'ers would make to the traditional 2-day program: adding KD, Appleseed Pistol Clinic, etc. The poll provides background for the some of the discussion items we had last Saturday at the Maryland Instructors meeting.
http://appleseedinfo.org/smf/index.php?topic=34967.msg258022#msg258022
So, looking at poll, seems like KD, Appleseed Pistol Clinics and more history top the list. Werks fer me!
Not to be a downer, but polls are not valid as a "What do you want?" you need a counter balance. If not we would all like more freely accessible public lands, free retirement, free healthcare, free ammo,....
Also, to see things as the ship still sinking and not getting better is wrong. The Ship is taking on more water than ever, but there are more people with buckets. Self reliance is growing in this country, countering the bureaucracy is growing, the feeling that we can't print our way out of debt is growing.
Groups other than ours are hearing the message, the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maker_subculture (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maker_subculture) maker movement is an incarnation of this. Not in the way we might like it to be but an incarnation none the less.
We have a way to go. But after having a conversation with a 13 year old suburban female this week who is attending AP courses in public school, I am confident we are on the right path.
My view is unless we can instruct better than 90% of the average pistol courses in the fundamentals and our students all walk away with the Knowledge to teach others, we have no business doing it.
What we skip compared to an NRA course.
Cleaning a firearm, Ammo selection, Ammo construction, safety features, Parts of a firearm, maintenance of a firearm, Keeping a firearm safe while not in use and other available shooting sports and brief descriptions of them.
what we cover that they do not.
american heritage, sling use, focus on 6 steps/NPOA, teach 3~4 positions in depth.
As we focus allot more, we cover allot more in depth.
What is better (I would argue Appleseed) but NRA teaches to the lowest common denominator, we expect people to be competent. Both classes are good for their respective goals, most people get more out of an Appleseed.
If we can not teach the Fundamentals of taking a shot with a pistol, 6 steps (same), 3 +positions (similar), holster draw (new), NPOA (Similar but with more movement)...why are we there?
Other History...starts controversy. Was the Whiskey Tax legal and or Ethical? was that the beginning of the end of our "Liberty"? Civil War even more so. April 19th is grand and we can all agree on. The more we move from there, the more controversial it would be.