This Handgun Instructor’s Certification Should Be PERMANENTLY Revoked

We do not need instructors that are more of a danger to concealed carry students than the criminals they are training to defend themselves against.

Ohio firearms instructor Terry Dunlap has had TWO negligent discharges where he accidentally shot people in his presence. The most recent occurred during the concealed handgun class he was teaching. He shot Michael Piemonte, 27, of Pataskala, while he was demonstrating a .38-caliber handgun. The bullet hit Piemonte’s right arm. The shooting occurred on Aug. 10 toward the end of a 12-hour day of training in gun handling and safety.

There are four simple rules of gun safety that, if practiced by this instructor, should have prevented him from accidentally shooting not one, but TWO people.

1. Finger off the trigger until ready to shoot
2. Always treat the gun as if it is loaded 
3. Keep the gun pointed in a safe direction, never point a gun at something you do not intend to shoot 
4. Know what is beyond your target

A special prosecutor declined to file felony charges, but a city attorney felt that the negligent discharge was worth prosecuting: Terry Dunlap Sr. has been charged with negligent assault in connection with the accidental shooting.

Conviction of the third-degree misdemeanor carries a maximum sentence of 60 days in jail and a $500 fine. This was Dunlap’s second time negligently shooting someone. He was a Pickerington police department auxiliary lieutenant when he shot a teenager in the leg while on a hayride in 1977. The Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission is only suspending Dunlap’s teaching credentials for a year.

This is insane. The Commission, if it does not reverse its decision, should be held responsible for any and all future accidents connected to Dunlap.

As an NRA Certified and State Police certified pistol instructor, I am all about responsibly arming and training fellow Americans. I want there to be an abundance of well trained certified instructors out there to help me with my mission of arming and training as many Americans as humanly possible.

That being said, QUANTITY does not equate to QUALITY. I am outraged at the number of instructors out there who are simply taking people’s money and not properly training them. I recently viewed an instructors pamphlet where he used a photo promoting his classes and the photo was of a woman’s hand IMPROPERLY gripping the gun with her off hand thumb BEHIND THE SLIDE of semi-automatic handgun. He was NOT using the photo to demonstrate improper grip. He clearly did not know better. I believe if instructors are going to charge students to take their classes, those instructors should be periodically audited by undercover state police officers. This would force instructors to, at the very least, teach the required basics to people who are paying them to acquire this knowledge.

I know for a fact that too many instructors are not properly training people because many of those people end up taking my class after they have already paid someone else to teach them and they were not taught even the basics.

In my classes, we use air soft pistols in the classroom and plastic bullets. The only time real guns are pulled out of cases or holsters in my class is when we are actually in the shooting range, in the shooting lane and firearms are ALWAYS POINTED DOWNRANGE.

It is past time to crack down on negligent instructors in this country who apparently do not feel the moral conviction to acquire the proper knowledge, safe gun handling skills, and teach all of the disciplines necessary to properly and responsibly arm Americans who take their classes.

I welcome an audit of my classes any time.

To read more articles by Jan Morgan, check out JanMorganMedia.com.