By Paula Morgan

Not long ago, a question was posed to me as to what drew me to train with Battleline Tactical. The best way to answer this question is to provide a better understanding of what drove me to find good, quality instruction within the firearms arena in the first place.

I have worked in the education sector in various settings for nearly 20 years as a substitute teacher, teacher aide, tutor, school bus driver, and Adjunct Professor. Over the years, I have learned the following:

~ There is no a one-size-fits-all instruction for every student.

~ Each student had their own unique learning style.

~ Creating a learning environment that allowed students to apply it to their daily lives was necessary.

~ In my duties as an Adjunct Professor, the adult students brought a good deal of baggage into the classroom. They were generally subjected to a traumatic event or events that significantly altered their ability to continue in their education.

~ Adult students need guidance to help them change the way in which they view their overall learning experience.

~ As an instructor, you have to set expectations. I simply asked my students to be coachable.

~ Identifying motivational factors are key to achieving success.  

During my years in education, I saw many challenges our school systems faced when it came to the security of the children. As a parent with children in school, you pay attention to what is going on with these issues. As an employee of the school, however, occasionally, we received training and drilled during teacher service days on how to handle active shooter situations. Over time, as risks increased, the private Christian school where our children attended hired a police officer. That was over a period of about ten years. Let me share a little more about what happened during that time from a family perspective.  

Over a Decade and a Half

When my husband and I first married, I had no problem with firearms in the house. However, after our first child was born, I grew increasingly anxious about having firearms around the house despite my military training and background. I bought into the philosophy the majority of accidents happen at home. Why would we want to risk the possibility of our children endangering themselves? I felt our police and security were our first line of defense. That is, after all, what they are trained to do, right?

We took extra measures to secure the firearms. Our family grew from three to four with the birth of our second child. Christmas brought nerf guns and airsoft to introduce concepts. One year it was a BB Gun, which is another story, for another time. We ensured our children went to safety courses and were trained in how to use firearms, but that had been the extent of it. They were sent to their grandfather’s ranch for their first hunt. I would have nothing to do with it.

Then one year for Christmas my husband gave me a pistol. Clearly, he wanted us to spend time together at the range. It hadn’t been a good year in our marriage, so I felt it was a selfish gift, purchased as something only he could use, and not really for me. I was upset. “Why would you buy me a pistol? You know how I feel about them!” To be honest, I don’t even remember what it was. Later that day we talked again. What on earth was he thinking when he purchased it as a Christmas gift? He said, “If you will just learn how to use one pistol.”

So, it began. Off to the shooting range we went when money and time allowed. I would try various pistols out: .45, 380, 308, 9mm, etc. I left with bruised hands, a target with maybe 2 or 3 holes, and a feeling of failure. “Why do I even embarrass myself?” I read magazine articles, went to the gun store, and talked to the salespeople. “Oh, you need this, or that…” I was unable to rack the slide, felt like it would fall out of the large palm of my hand if I fired it, or it was awkwardly shifted from my dominant hand to the other. I went through a number of range instructors – egotistical, impatient, ‘my way or the high way,’ arrogant, hotshots. Not to mention that I was uncomfortable going to the range alone. I had a habit of stove piping pistols, jamming triggers, and realizing I couldn’t even trust the people standing next to me to help. I took notes on what seemed to make sense and made note of those things which made no sense at all. I lacked the vocabulary to understand the language.

 I went through a long, tedious process before I finally decided on my first pistol purchase as a gift to myself, a Ruger, SR9, 9mm, known for their adaptability with left-handed people. I was rather proud of that investment. Off to the range my husband and I went. Once again, I left feeling totally defeated: but something inside of me had changed. I was determined I did not want to quit.

Safety – The Battleline Tactical Team

A few months later I was perusing Facebook when I ran across a page called Battleline Tactical. In doing some research, I realized this was Kris Paronto, a military veteran who went to Ranger school, had survived a real gunfight, and lived to talk about it. He is one of the secret soldiers of Benghazi. Here is someone who actively trained in the field, then used his experience and knowledge to ‘stay in the fight’ when the need arose. He was coming to an area near where I lived for a class in Texas, so I texted my husband who was overseas at the time to ask him what he thought. He gave his blessing, encouraging me, and felt a training class of this nature would be best. It was a one-day course, $350. I signed up for the class, only a few days away, and looked for the list of required items to bring. I was full of mixed emotions thinking, “Holy crap! I just signed up to go to a firearms class – alone – without my husband. With former military guys. I must be out of my bleepin’ mind!”  

I set a goal for myself to make the best possible impression I could without feeling like an idiot. I wanted every minute of this time to count! So as you can imagine, I was thrilled when I woke up to a dense fog that morning with nearly an hour and a half drive. I was a little late, or maybe everyone else was early? I entered the back door quietly, setting my gear down on the desk and taking a seat. Was I mentally prepared? My heart was pounding in my chest as thoughts raced through my mind. I was fairly certain each of the instructors looking at me could see the unspoken baggage I carried with me into the classroom. If I was playing the role of Santa Claus, then the bag was full of broken toys that no child would enjoy on Christmas morning. Kris was at the front sharing about what was going to happen that day. He was friendly, smiling, and excited about instruction. The atmosphere was different. I was able to calm myself down, but I was still nervous. I glanced around the room and was thankful to see at least two other women in the class. I thought to myself, “They probably shoot better than me.” Kris took the time to have everyone in the class introduce themselves. He introduced the instructors for that day, which were Jeremy and Rob.

It didn’t take long for everyone to get busy. I had a mental list of questions about as long as the ‘naughty’ and ‘nice’ list for Santa, but unfortunately, my list was labeled, ‘Makes Sense’ and ‘Seems Like Nonsense’. Kris instructed about safety and the basic fundamentals giving a brief breakdown while demonstrating each one.

These are the notes I took that day:

–       Muzzle Discipline

–       Finger Placement – keeping your finger off the trigger unless you are prepared to fire

–       Mechanical Safety

Seven Fundamental Basics

–       Stance

–       Grip

–       Draw

–       Sight Alignment

–       Sight Picture

–       Trigger Reset Control

–       Follow-Through

During this time, I made an assessment that nearly every note I had made about things that made no sense at all, were ones that he addressed. Obviously, these questions and concerns were addressed because they were well-known in the field. It made me feel good to know things I had questioned, which were questions many people struggle with finding the answers to.

 The morning activities set the stage for the rest of the day. The best learning takes place when you are actively engaged in carrying out the activity. He divided us up according to how we felt we were with a pistol. If there was a category for losers, I would have gone to that group. It wasn’t offered, so I stepped into the group with ‘no too little’ experience.

Although I felt safe, something about moving to the range made me nervous enough that I couldn’t load my ammo into a magazine. I had helpers. I made mistakes, but that didn’t matter, because someone was there watching to help me see what I did wrong so I could take action to correct it. They didn’t make me feel bad about what I did, they simply corrected me. I made progress in a short time. I was truly amazed. For the first time, I connected all of the dots and felt a connection: From Ready to Threat. I engaged.

By the end of the day, I was smiling. My confidence was growing. I began building relations with other people in the class who were being supportive, and uplifting. I saw others making some of the same mistakes I did. But that is how we learn! I traded those broken toys for toys worth enjoying. I truly felt for the first time that I had successfully accomplished what I set out to do: learn one pistol. That’s it. I took the time to learn how to use one pistol. Mission Accomplished!

A Few Takeaways

Those in the military understand an AAR: After Action Review. When I left that day, I had so many things racing through my head that I had to pull over and write them down. Knowing what to look for in good, quality instruction can be a challenge in itself. Women often shy away from courses with male instructors, but I can assure you, this team can take you from no experience to threat engagement in a matter of hours. I was respected, treated kindly, and encouraged.

There is something more to understanding it’s not just about knowing how to shoot a pistol. You have to keep your head in the game, keep a disciplined mindset, and realize it’s not just knowing a pistol, but being prepared to engage should the need ever arise. Personally, since I have trained and continue to train with Battleline Tactical, others who watch me shoot at the range ask me who I train with. I generally follow this question with, “Why do you ask?” before answering. People share with me they don’t want to travel, or the course is too expensive, etc. You really don’t know how well you are prepared if you don’t take the time to challenge yourself in other environments. I found the following advice helpful that day, and it still holds true today:

~ Men don’t necessarily feel comfortable teaching their wives how to shoot.

~ Smaller pistols with shorter handgrips are not necessarily the best for women.

~ Pistols are not as forgiving as rifles are – the aim is more precise.

~ You don’t have to have a perfect shot group to good engage a threat.

~ When you are under pressure, you are not going to engage the threat in the same way.

~ If you make a mistake, it doesn’t mean it’s over. Correct and move on!

~ You have to keep training. It’s not a one-and-done deal.

Excellent Instruction Matters!