son of sam 9 Posted April 21, 2014 I would like to get my certification for Instructor and maybe RO. No reason other than to have them. Where do I start the process and is it possible to do it in S. NJ or do I need to travel? Also does it open me up to any liability or additional responsibility that I dont have by not being certified? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DeerSlayer 241 Posted April 21, 2014 I know GFH and RTSP offer the classes on occasion. I have no idea whats in S. Jersey, if I'm down there its to get on a boat go fish and go home. I'm sure someone offers the classes down there as well. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Contrvlr 17 Posted April 21, 2014 Would have said that Google was your friend, but I looked this up just yesterdayhttp://www.nrainstructors.org/searchcourse.aspx Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mr.Stu 1,916 Posted April 21, 2014 Don't pay an instructor for an RSO course if you are going to get one of the Basic Instructor ratings. Once you are an instructor you can self-cert for RSO and the Metallic Cartridge Reloading and Shotshell Reloading ratings. You just need to order the student packs, do the included exam and send it off with a check. NRA will mark the exam and issue your ratings. When I did my Basic Pistol course the instructor included Home Firearm Safety for the price of the student pack. Sent from my SCH-I800 using Tapatalk 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Melgamatic 66 Posted April 21, 2014 Don't pay an instructor for an RSO course if you are going to get one of the Basic Instructor ratings. Once you are an instructor you can self-cert for RSO and the Metallic Cartridge Reloading and Shotshell Reloading ratings. You just need to order the student packs, do the included exam and send it off with a check. NRA will mark the exam and issue your ratings. Respectfully, this is completely correct, you can do the RSO yourself after BIT. However, I think it would be a bad idea if you want to be an RSO at any active place. The course I took in person for RSO was a chock-full 8 hours, and included role-playing scenarios that were very instructive and hard. I don't think it's quite the same as metallic reloading where if you know how to instruct and know how to reload you can probably teach it. RSO is different. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mr.Stu 1,916 Posted April 21, 2014 Respectfully, this is completely correct, you can do the RSO yourself after BIT. However, I think it would be a bad idea if you want to be an RSO at any active place. The course I took in person for RSO was a chock-full 8 hours, and included role-playing scenarios that were very instructive and hard. I don't think it's quite the same as metallic reloading where if you know how to instruct and know how to reload you can probably teach it. RSO is different. On reflection, I agree. Perhaps I should not have assumed a level of experience on the part of the prospective RSO. I did mine as a paperwork formality having 20+ years of actually doing it under my belt. Sent from my SCH-I800 using Tapatalk 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Melgamatic 66 Posted April 21, 2014 On reflection, I agree. Perhaps I should not have assumed a level of experience on the part of the prospective RSO. I did mine as a paperwork formality having 20+ years of actually doing it under my belt. That makes perfect sense, and for someone with extensive experience as an RSO it would be perfect to do the course yourself. For me, although I have a ton of experience SHOOTING at ranges, the kinds of situations these guys brought up (from their actual experiences) boggled my mind and made me happy I took a good course (I took it at GFH, which was fantastic). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Smokin .50 1,907 Posted April 21, 2014 I'm now a CRSO (but DON'T call me CHIEF, lol), and I can tell ya from the standpoint of having well over a personal 30-year history of shooting experience prior to undergoing the training, after taking a good RSO course I was delighted to have gone through it! A year or so later I put my RSO training to good use when a good friend I was with (along with a small group of others at an organized shooting outing) accidentally cut his wrist on a bird thrower. It wasn't deep enough to need a stitch (?) and was bleeding rather well (probably due in part to blood-thinner meds he was on--he's 70 yrs. old), so I sat him down in his folding lawn chair and proceeded to bandage him up (one of us had a first aid kit and I'm a former First-Aider). Using direct pressure and elevation I was able to stop the bleeding. So far, so good! Then he looks at the cut as I reach for some tape and I see his eyes roll back into his head: HE PASSES OUT! UNRESPONSIVE! So I take charge and using my RSO training from the role-playing scenarios, I'm able to: 1. Have someone call 911 with ALL the right details, and report that NO GUN was involved--the guy passed-out after seeing his own blood! 2. Have 2 more guys clear and case all shotguns at the range we're using and put them into vehicles' trunks. 3. Send one of us to the very end of the range road where it meets the public road to show Cops and Ambulance where to gain access. 4. Send another of us to the range gate to unlock it and keep it that way to make sure emergency access is immediate. 5. Assign myself (as the most qualified) to monitor vitals, and using the same chair he passed-out in, with some help from another shooter tilt his lawn chair back 90 degrees so his legs are suspended in the air (treating for shock) and we covered him with a blanket. 6. Assigning another Shotgunner to find pen and paper and take notes, times he was OUT, etc., so we relayed all of this to the First Responders. Propping legs up in the air did the trick. First Aid left him that way for a few minutes as they finished doing the bandage job on his wrist while conducting the "interview" to make sure he was "with it". Our friend was advised to go get checked-out, but just like a stubborn Marine, declined transport to the hospital. Still a little shaky, we drove him home to his wife with another shooter driving the Victim's car. After everything was over I made a full written report to the Board of Trustees of the club we were all at. And I had combat veterans from Nam (one a Silver Star recipient) walking up to me and saying/asking how the "F" did I know to do EVERYTHING! I told him the NRA RSO training just kicked-in automatically.............. Somehow it wouldn't quite be the same just readin' it outta a book........... Dave Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AverageJoe 95 Posted April 21, 2014 Before RTSP offered the class, I took my RSO Cert at GFH in West Paterson(i mean Woodland Park, sorry lol)...was an all day lecture. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites