Photo courtesy of Steve Moses
Dallas Pistol Club’s facilities are known to be excellent and have supported the esteemed Rangemaster Tactical Conference for many years. The local host for this course secured our access to the Carrolton Police range within Dallas Pistol Club, which he described as “sovereign territory” exempt from otherwise applicable cold range procedures. Needing to follow cold range procedures would have been a significant drag on the progress of the course. Instead, we were in a neatly-maintained, well air-conditioned classroom and shooting outdoors under a large permanent cover. The asphalt ground cover had conveniently visible yardage markers. The facilities supported the course well and could have supported enrollment easily many times those present.
Our weather was fantastic. It was 60’s-70’s with a light breeze slight overcast. One could not ask for better shooting weather.
Palisade Training Group requests that shooters bring an appropriate defensive handgun with appropriate holster, concealed, 250 rounds, and at least three magazines. Other equipment includes miscellaneous gear such as a camp chair, bad weather gear, and note-taking gear. One of my fellow course attendees did bring exactly the 250 rounds requested, and from his experience I know that we did exceed the 250 round count. I would estimate an expenditure of 300-350 rounds.
Palisade Training Group is composed of six instructors. Present for my course were Steve Moses and Alan McBee. Their resumes include extensive private security experience, thousands of hours of instruction received, and numerous instructor credentials. Most relevantly, both have spent many years providing security services to houses of worship. My fellow students on the line brought a mixture of law enforcement, private security, and other lifetime experiences.
Training Day 1 began with an extensive classroom deep-dive into issues relevant to church security. Steve gave us a thorough run through the profiles of most deadly force incidents which occur at churches, the most significant security risks which face houses of worship, and factors which go into the choice to target a house of worship. The presentation continued on cover specific considerations for selecting, training, and employing team members for a church security team while touching on common tools and planning considerations.
After a morning in the classroom, we proceeded out to the range. Beginning with dry exercises, we drilled presentations from the holster and reloads. Steve and Alan also covered tactical positions relevant to work around non-combatant crowds. We proceeded on to run drills demonstrating marksmanship on reduced anatomic targets, adapted from the Sage Dynamics thoracic vital target. The day culminated in a scored 10-rd qualification course which PTG recommends for consideration as church teams set qualification standards for their members. I find it to be a respectable course of fire which demands precision and integrates movement.
Training Day 2 began on the range with a warm-up repeating the 10-rd qualification course of fire. The shooting workout continued with various drills integrating movement with visual and auditory shoot/no shoot indications. Team engagements with two students engaging one target and performing appropriate follow-on actions further emphasized the cooperative nature of the efforts. The afternoon returned us to the classroom to cover active shooter considerations and the assertive interview. We also drilled unarmed self defense from default cover and OC spray. We concluded with scenario-based demonstration and practice after a thorough download of all active tools and frisk for safety.
Steve and Alan are commensurate professionals with extensive experience both as practitioners of their art and as instructors. It shows in their classroom content, range management, and overall demeanor. Churches and houses of worship face both increasing and diversifying threats. Are you already serving on volunteer, or even professionalized, security teams at a house of worship or those considering forming one? Training with Palisade Training Group should be on your short list of desired experiences.
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