©2010 Phillip G. Andrade. All Rights Reserved
We offer basic pistol, home firearm safety, Refuse to Be a Victim and other firearm courses in small class sizes.
The purpose of this NRA-certified course is to teach the (1) knowledge, (2) skills, and (3) attitude necessary for safe firearm handling. Demonstrate these requirements and you will earn a certificate of proficiency.
The 10+ hours of classroom and range time will introduce you to pistols from revolvers to semi-automatics. Starting with the safe handling of any pistol, the course will familiarize students with the various types of handguns, their ammunition, safe handling/storage and operation. The course will also review Massachusetts firearm laws.
Conducted with no more than five students per session. Range time will be one on one personal instruction.
This course fulfills the requirements to apply for a License To Carry Firearms (LTC) or a Firearms Identification Card (FID) in Massachusetts.
FIREARMS CLASSES
Classes available monthly beginning mid-January 2011. Sign up by sending an email to the right.
Cost: $130.00
BASIC PISTOL
Next Basic Pistol Class is on March 26, 2011 in Sharon, MA. Fill out the form to the right for more information. Private lessons are also available year around.
GIFT CERTIFICATES NOW AVAILABLE
Go to the store
WHY THE NAME THERMOPYLAE?
Phillip Andrade has been around firearms most of his life. As a boy it was not uncommon to see him packing up the ol' Mossberg and go hunting with a friend or fishing the ponds on Cape Cod.
He has been a certified firearms instructor for 4 years but has years of hands-on experience behind him. He holds regular classes and can be found Friday nights coaching the Junior Rifle Team at the local Sportsmans club.
He holds a Masters degree in Theology and a Doctoral degree in Leadership Development. When not surrounded by the smell of gunpowder, he keeps himself busy as a husband and father of four. He has served as the pastor of a local church in Sharon for 13 years.
All classes use NRA course materials and include all manuals and materials needed. Thermopylae also provides a packet of Massachusetts specific supplements. Upon successful completion of any Massachusetts approved LTC course both MA State Police and NRA certificates will be issued. These certificates indicate successful completion of an approved course but do not guarantee an issuance of a LTC/FID by local authorities.
Students may be trained on the following pistols:
This course is at least 8-hours long and includes classroom and range time learning to shoot revolvers and semi-automatic pistols. Students learn NRA’s rules for safe gun handling; pistol parts and operation; ammunition; shooting fundamentals; range rules; shooting from the bench rest position, and two handed standing positions; cleaning the pistol; and continued opportunities for skill development.
Cost: $130.00/person
HOME FIREARM SAFETY
This is a four-hour course for safe gun handling that is conducted in the classroom only. Students are taught NRA’s three rules for safe gun handling; primary causes of firearms accidents; firearm parts; how to unload certain action types; ammunition components; cleaning; care; safe storage of firearms in the home; and the benefits of becoming an active participant in the shooting sports.
Cost: $100.00/person
REFUSE TO BE A VICTIM
The seminar includes classroom instruction on a variety of crime prevention strategies, from criminal psychology to automobile crimes to cyber crime. Seminars can vary in length, and may be modified to suit the needs of a particular audience. This is not a firearms instruction course, and does not include instruction in physical combat self-defense. Seminars teach about common weaknesses that criminals may take advantage of, and teaches a variety of corrective measures that are practical, inexpensive, and easy to follow. Strategies include home security, carjack avoidance techniques, cyber safety, and use of personal safety devices.
Cost: $15.00/person
PERSONAL PROTECTION IN THE HOME
Unlike the other basic courses, the Personal Protection course covers defensive shooting. Self-defense is a topic somewhat distinct from the basics of shooting fundamentals, it can cover mindset, legal issues, decision-making under pressure, and planning for the worst. The Basic Personal Protection in the Home course is designed around the use of the defensive pistol.
Prerequisites
Participants in the Personal Protection course should be experienced shooters, showing mastery of the basic skills of safe gun handling. If necessary, this course will put partcipants through a pre-course evaluation exercise, where potential students are asked to demonstrate safe gun handling, shoot a series of five-shot groups, discuss the operations necessary to zero a pistol, and demonstrate how to properly clean a handgun.
Participants are expected to show validation of shooting experience by showing an NRA Basic Pistol Course certificate, an NRA Marksmanship Qualification Program certificate, a Pistol qualification card, a Concealed Carry Permit, or similar documentation.
Cost: $150.00/person + personal ammunition
PRIVATE RANGE INSTRUCTION
Firearm instruction at the range is available on a per hour basis. This instruction will help you fine tune the basic shooting fundementals. However, a more cost effective way to practice is to join your local sportsman club.
Cost: $45.00/hour plus ammunition costs.
Two Options
PRIVATE CLASS: Drop me a note on the contact page and we can set something up.
REGULAR CLASSES: Regular classes will be posted on the front page and also posted on NRAInstructors.org. If you cannot make my class, other instructors post their classes on this site as well.
In the meantime check
out this video on the
effectivness of gun laws.
PISTOL BASICS
Click on the links below to view some information on the respective topics. These are not exhaustive but just meant to be an introduction to the topics. They do not replace hands on firearm instruction. All files are PDF.
Firearm Safety Rules
Pistol Types and Parts
Ammunition Basics
Shooting Basics
Coming
Soon
MASSACHUSETTS LAW
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The video below may be disturbing but effectively illustrates the fact that the police cannot always be there to protect you from harm.
Mass License Types
Firearm Ownership and Storage
SAFETY and AWARENESS
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The Criminal Mindset
Don't Be A Victim
You may contact me by calling or dropping a quick note in the form below. I usually respond within a few days.
Give the Gift of Training.
Gift certificates good toward the complete Basic Pistol Training Course are available for purchase and are good for 3 years from the date of purchase.
$130.00
SIRT TRAINING PISTOL
Interested in owning your own? 'Dry fire' training is key in developing accurate and consistent shooting. The SIRT pistol enhances this training with real-time feedback on your trigger control and shot placement.
Available at a discounted rate of $399.00 (MSRP $439.00) email me for a free discount code and web link
480 BC:
When the Persian king Xerxes demanded that the Spartans defending the mountain pass of Thermopylae lay down their weapons, King Leonidas replied, "Molon labe!" (meaning "Come and take them!"). This defiant call in the face of oppression has been the cry of many whose freedom to defend themselves has been threatened. In the United States, the phrase is becoming a modern-day Second Amendment cry of resolve never to disarm in the face of compulsion.
Thermopylae Firearms Training joins the spirit of the Ancient Greeks as we train people to safely handle firearms and defend the Second Amendment.
