Do you need to be a Certified Instructor

[DaveB]

I am a member of a gun club in New York and we are thinking about having an informational and  instruction youth event to get them acquainted with the shooting sports. My question is do you need to be a certified instructor to do something like this or can anyone in the club give general instruction on different shooting techniques, styles, safe firearm handling and some basic target shooting. etc

[jjb4900]

I think, not 100% sure, that in order to have certain age groups handle and shoot some guns there needs to be a certified instructor present.

[nyantler]

As long as everyone is over 12 years old you do not have to be certified for them to handle long arms... I would require permission slips from parents however. As long as you are not certifying them for anything you do not have to be certified. Having a parental requirement might be helpful as well... mom or dad. Also check the clubs insurance policy for age restrictions.

[DaveB]

We were planning as 12 yrs old being the minimum age, parents would be required to be present and permission slips would be required to be signed as well. 

Thanks Joe for your response. We aren't planning to certify them for anything, just to get youth exposed to shooting sports (rimfires only at this point) under supervised exposure. We think and hope that if more youth have the opportunity to learn in a relaxed atmosphere and not start off with a firearm that may leave them sore etc. that they may enjoy it and continue to shoot, hunt, etc. A lot of kids don't have parents that hunt and have no inclination to go to a club to expose the kids to them, I was like that, my Dad didn't hunt and although he would have taken me to a club if I had wanted him to, I never asked, luckily I had a neighbor who hunted and asked me if I wanted to go and squirrel hunt, that was about 45 years ago, and I have been doing it ever since, I am sure there are more like me out there.

[Dinsdale]

9 hours ago, DaveB said:

I am a member of a gun club in New York and we are thinking about having an informational and  instruction youth event to get them acquainted with the shooting sports. My question is do you need to be a certified instructor to do something like this or can anyone in the club give general instruction on different shooting techniques, styles, safe firearm handling and some basic target shooting. etc

I know someone already running successful program in New Paltz area and he's a really good guy that I'm sure could steer you in right direction.....

Tom Mihalics @ 845 256 8450

http://newpaltzrodandgun.org/youth-program/