Training Courses
Riverside Sporting Gear has teamed with Eagle Mountain Training Company to bring you high-quality firearms training, along with a variety of individual and group classes for beginners and experts, taught by NRA and USCCA certified professionals.
Minnesota Permit to Carry Class
Obtain or renew your Minnesota Permit to Carry through Riverside Sporting Gear and Eagle Mountain Trading.
Jon Thompson and Brian Cooper have teamed up to off you the very best permit to carry instruction. In addition to using the USCCA presentation and format, Jon and Brian add unique information garnered from their years of instruction from such individuals as John Farnam, Massa Ayoob, Robert Vogel, Mike Seeklander and Ben Stoeger. Brian is also a multi-level graduate of Gunsite.
Permit class fee is $99.00.
The fee for use of the range is included in the above prices. We collect the range fee on behalf of the range. Students are renting the use of the range from the range not from Riverside Sporting Gear. There are no hidden fees in our prices!
Introduction to Firearms
This class is designed for the person who wants to learn or improve their ability to handle and shoot firearms in the correct manner using proven techniques. The class includes:
- A review of the Four Rules of Firearm Safety.
- Pistol/Revolver actions and parts (can include rifles and shotguns including the AR-15).
- How to handle and operate firearms safely.
- An explanation of cartridges, shells and calibers.
- Fundamental shooting techniques for pistol/revolver (or shotgun/rifle) including grip technique, trigger control and more.
- Clearing stoppages and malfunctions.
- Cleaning and maintaining your firearm.
- Hygiene during /after shooting.
This is a three-hour course. Parts of the class are hands
$75.00 per individual student.
$62.50 per student for two or more that sign up together.
We attempt to schedule these classes individually or as convenient to your group. Call us to schedule a class.
Become a United States Conceal Carry (USCCA) Instructor Certified Instructor!
Receive Your USCCA Instructor Training from Jon Thompson
Concealed Carry & Home Defense Fundamentals - Certified Instructor course description:
- Upon successfully completing this course, you will become USCCA Certified Instructor, uniquely authorized to teach the USCCA course, Concealed Carry and Home Defense Fundamentals.
- This course has become the gold standard across the United States for law abiding Americans seeking to obtain their concealed carry permit.
- As a USCCA certified instructor, you will be trained and equipped to provide world-class instruction to students. You will have access to our world class classroom materials (including a full set of PowerPoint presentations and classroom videos).
- During this two-day training course, you’ll be taught by a USCCA Training Counselor on a number of valuable topics, including: The top ten instructor mistakes, and how to avoid them; teaching best practices; and running a safe live fire range.
- You’ll also have a chance to demonstrate your knowledge of the USCCA training material through seven short presentations to a group of your peers, as well as running a live fire range, guiding your peers through the safe completion of the USCCA course of fire.
- After completion of this course, you’ll not only be intimately familiar with the USCCA training methodology and materials, you’ll be a far better instructor and presenter, regardless of the topic of choice.
What You Will Receive:
- Concealed Carry & Home Defense Fundamentals Instructor Certification
- USCCA Instructor ID Card
- Concealed Carry & Home Defense Toolkit
- Concealed Carry & Home Defense Digital Course Materials Access
For class costs and registration, contact Jon Thompson at: 763-263-9587
Countering the mass shooter threat
If you’re worried about the mass shooter threat and wish to take a course specifically designed to teach you how to protect yourself, this USCCA certified course is for you.
This USCCA course, Countering the Mass Shooter Threat, analyzes data gathered from 48 mass shootings that have occurred since Columbine, to determine what can learned from these tragedies, including whether a reduction in magazine capacity or the banning of any class of firearm would have changed the outcome. The author of the course, Michael Martin of the USCCA, considers whether "gun-free" zones figure into the planning of these mass murderers; whether victim response at any mass shooting has made a difference; and whether "universal background checks" or other proposals by gun control advocates stand a chance of stemming the current trajectory of these shootings. Martin summarizes this data with a comprehensive plan designed to eliminate the scourge of these shooters once and for all.
Jon Thompson is certified by USCCA to teach this course. He will also add to this course material he has received by taking courses in this subject from other nationally recognized instructors.
$75 per student
$100 for group of two students
Countering the Mass Shooter What We have Learned!
Countering the Mass Shooter What We Have Learned, opens with a look at the data in a way that has never been explored before. It is an update to the original USCCA Countering the Mass Shooter Threat. Class length is 2.5 hours versus the full original class length of 4-5 hours.
Part One begins with a high level summary of many of those data points, including key definitions, data trends of these events, a breakdown on where these events are occurring, and even a detailed look at police response time to these shootings.
Part One also analyzes what factors affected the outcome at mass shootings. For example, after every mass shooting and in particular, after the Newtown shooting at Sandy Hook elementary, there was a deafening cry by gun control advocates to ban certain classes of firearms and to reduce the number of rounds that could be stored in magazines, driven by the belief that those changes would reduce the number of dead at mass shootings, or even eliminate them all together.
In addition to understanding whether those arguments were right or wrong, Part One also analyzes whether these shooters really do gravitate toward gun-free zones; and, how the response of potential victims affected the outcome.
Part One closes with a detailed analysis of the solutions being proposed by gun control advocates to determine whether the data indicated that those solutions would work, or not work.
Topics explored in Part One include:
- Mass shootings by the numbers.
- Would reducing magazine capacity or banning AR-15s work?
- Do gun-free zones help or hurt?
- Does victim response make a difference?
- What are universal background checks, and would they end mass shootings?
- What about no fly lists and terror watch lists?
This Class is approximately 2.5 hours in length.
Cost is : $50 per person with a maximum of 6 persons
For registration, contact Jon Thompson at: 763-263-9587
NRA Range Safety Officer Class
Course
Description:
This Course is designed to develop NRA Certified Range Safety Officers with the knowledge, skills, and attitude essential to organizing, conducting, and supervising safe shooting activities and range operations.
More Details:
This course is nine hours long and is conducted in a classroom and/or at a shooting facility. Range Safety Officer candidates will learn roles and responsibilities of an RSO; Range Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs); range inspection; range rules; range briefings; emergency procedures; and firearm stoppages and malfunctions.
Each Range Safety Officer Candidate will receive an RSO Student Study Guide, a Basic Firearm Training Program brochure, an NRA Gun Safety Rules brochure and a Course Evaluation form.
$100 per student inclusive of NRA materials for the class
Operation and Maintenance of the AR-15
This course is designed to enable the AR-15 owner fully understand the operation and maintenance of the AR-15. The topics covered are:
• Operational Overview/Walk Through
• Semi-Auto vs Full Auto Operation
• Gas Impingement vs. Gas Piston
• Know Your Chamber—What is on the Barrel:
• Twist Rate – Why is it Important? (The AR-15 Complete Owner’s Guide, Walt Kuleck/Scott Duff)
• Sighting in the AR-15/M16
• Disassembly
• Proper lubrication and re-assembly
This course id scheduled on an individual basis. The maximum number of students in two.
There are two course options:
Option one is a reduced class that is approximately an hour in length.
Option Two is the full class and covered everything in Option one but also includes the student fully disassembling and reassembling their own firearm cleaning it and lubricating it during class. This class lasts approximately two hours
Option one is $50.00
Option two is $100
For registration, contact Jon Thompson at: 763-263-9587
Individualized Instruction
Course
Description:
This course is designed to to assess the operator's firearms skills through an individual assessment. To often general courses for more advanced operators are either to challenging or not challenging enough. Either way the operator wastes their money.
More Details:
This course is utilizes a predetermined checklist of firearms skills. The operator goes to the range with the instructor and works through the checklist with the instructor. Once the checklist is completed the instructor will help the operator to design a lesson plan to advanced the operators skills forward. That lesson plan can be implemented with the instructor though future lessons.
$150 per student including the fee for range use which is collected on behalf of the operator for the range.
Once the lesson plan is devised, the cost for instructor time is $50.00/ hour. Range fees are usually $25.00.
Contact Jon Thompson at: 763-263-9587 for further information.
This class is offered on an individual basis spring through fall. It is not offered during the winter months.
Handgun Wound Ballistics
This is a 4 hour class, including class room preface, utilizing live fire on calibrated ballistic gelatin, and will teach the origins of the FBI’s Wound Ballistic Protocol, adhering to the protocol’s guidelines, and will ultimately equip the student with the understanding and ability to judge/evaluate defensive handgun ammunition performance, without being beguiled and misguided by marketing/advertising information.
The instructor, Johann Boden, Technical Lead of Kinetic Group’s (Federal, Speer, CCI, Remington) Law Enforcement Division, with 20 years of industry experience as well as military anti-terrorist operational experience, has taught this very class to the global LE/Military community for almost two decades and is sure to provide a highly informative, engaging and interactive event that will have you returning for more.
This course is offered by Edelweiss Concepts LLC (Johann and Beth Boden)
Class cost is $225.00 per person
Spring of 2024 for the next class.
For registration, contact Jon Thompson at: 763-263-9587
Optimizing the Red Dot Sight
Probably the largest advancement in practical handgun shooting in several decades, the pistol red dot sight is taking over the shooting world, not only gaining dominance in the competitive arena, but also becoming the most effective sighting system in Law Enforcement and Military ranks.
While there are many advantages to this system, it does require a certain amount of training and education to change paradigms and old habits that no longer apply, and, most importantly, ingrain fresh neural pathways (muscle memory) so the new process becomes “second nature”, namely subconscious.
Many of these new processes are not intuitive, which is why the best results are achieved through high quality training.
The lead instructor, Johann Boden (Edelweiss Concepts) has been teaching this very class to the LE community for several years now, as part of his duties as Technical Lead, Law Enforcement Division, Vista Outdoor (Federal Cartridge, Speer, CCI, Remington).
The class will be held at Tactical Advantage, St. Cloud, MN, on January 28th, 2024.
How to register/get further information:
-Email Edelweissconcepts@gmail.com to reserve a slot.
-Send check/money order in amount of $300 to:
Edelweiss Concepts LLC, PO Box 234, Zimmerman, MN, 55398.
OR
Contact Jon Thompson at: rsgear@charter.net or call 763-263-9587.
Refuse to be a Victum
One of the most important steps toward ensuring your own safety is having a personal safety strategy in place before you need it. NRA’s Refuse To Be A Victim® program teaches the tips and techniques you need to be alerted to dangerous situations and to avoid criminal confrontation.
Seminars are held across the nation and are open to individuals of all ages. Today, thousands of federal, state and local law enforcement officials and civilians from across the nation utilize this popular program in their crime prevention and community policing initiatives to help protect their communities.
Corporations, educational institutions, and community centers have also adopted the program. All told, more than 170,000 people have benefited from these seminars
For registration, contact Jon Thompson at: 763-263-9587
More new Classes to Come!
Class Dates
- USCCA Instructor Class: March May 4-5-2024
- Minnesota Permit to Carry Class Permit to Carry MAy 11, 2024
- Countering the Mass Shooter-- What have we Learned
- Individualized Instruction (scheduled individually spring through fall)
- Operation and Maintenance of the AR-15 ( scheduled individually)
- NRA Range Safety Officer Class 2023 ( Maple Grove Location)
- Handgun Wound Ballistics Spring of 2024
- Optimizing the Red Dot Sight 2024
- Refuse to be a Victim 2024