Church Security Team Pistol Qualification Course

Keith Graves, founder and trainer of Christian Warrior Training, has developed the following 43-round course-of-fire pistol qualification for his church security team.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Interview with Keith Graves of Christian Warrior Training ]

Before allowing people to carry a firearm to protect the congregation, they must demonstrate competency with their weapon; at the very least, safe drawing and re-holstering, accurate shot placement, reloading magazines without prompting, and malfunction and stoppage clearing.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, What to Take to the Shooting Range—Including a Prayer ]

He says, “A proper annual qualification test is a non-negotiable requirement for church security. You know exactly where your incident will occur: in your sanctuary, your parking lot, your classrooms. Your qualification course should reflect that.”

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Firearms Training: A Directory of Shooting Drills ]

To qualify, he requires that all rounds must be verified on target; any miss from the target is considered a fail. If at any point a person’s firearm has a malfunction or stoppage, it’s up to the person to clear it and continue with the course-of-fire within the set time limit, otherwise it’s considered a fail. He allows 3 attempts to qualify; after 3 the person must practice and schedule another qualification session.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Organizing, Training & Running a House of Worship Armed Congregant Security Team ]

Watch him demonstrate the course-of-fire in the video below:

Or watch it here.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Church Security Armament Recommendations By Tom Givens, John Correia, and 6 Other Professionals ]

•  Warm Up Dot Drill: 5 to 10 yards from target, draw, fire 1 round, re-holster. Repeat for 50 rounds, each time concentrating on proper drawing, consistent shot placement, and deliberate and safe re-holstering. (Watch the video here.)

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Self-Defense and Church Security: Proper Firearm Defense in a Crowd ]

Begin the qualification with carrying 3 magazines: 2 loaded to their maximum capacity and 1 loaded with only 2 rounds.

•  1 yard from target, draw, fire 3 rounds in 5 seconds from retention position, re-holster.

•  3 yards from target, draw, fire 2 rounds in 5 seconds, dominant hand (one-handed only), re-holster.

•  3 yards from target, start at either low- or high-ready position with pistol in your support hand, fire 2 rounds in 4 seconds (one-handed only), re-holster.

•  5 yards from target, draw, fire 2 rounds center mass and 1 round to the head in 6 seconds, re-holster.

•  7 yards from target, draw, begin firing and continue while backing up to the 10-yard line firing a total of 5 rounds in 10 seconds, re-holster.

•  10 yards from target, draw, begin firing and continue while advancing to the 7 yard line firing a total of 5 rounds in 10 seconds, re-holster.

•  [Replace current pistol magazine with a magazine loaded with only 2 rounds (retaining the round already in the chamber), giving the shooter a total of 3 rounds in the pistol]
7 yards from target, draw, fire 3 rounds, conduct emergency magazine reload while sidestepping (moving laterally) and fire 2 more rounds, all in 10 seconds, re-holster.

•  [Load pistol magazine with 5 live rounds and 1 dummy round (e.g. an empty cartridge shell, snap cap, etc.)]
7 yards from target, draw, fire 5 rounds, clearing the stoppage on the first trigger press caused by the dummy round (by tapping the magazine, turning the pistol upside-down and racking the slide to allow the dummy round to fall out, releasing the slide to chamber a functioning round, reassessing your surroundings, and firing the remaining rounds in the magazine), in 12 seconds. Do an administrative reload by replacing your pistol magazine with a freshly loaded one.

•  7 yards from target, start at either low- or high-ready position with pistol in your support hand, fire 4 rounds center mass in 7 seconds (one-handed only), re-holster.

•  7 yards from target, draw, fire 2 rounds center mass and 1 round to the head in 7 seconds, re-holster.

•  15 yards from target, draw, fire 6 rounds in 9 seconds, re-holster.

Read More SemperVerus Articles of Interest on Church Security

•  A Prayer for Church Security Team Members

•  IDPA: Practical Training for Self-Defense and Church Security

•  Tactical Training for Individuals and Church Security Teams to Thwart Active Violence Incidents (Part 2)

•  Church Security Book Review: Defending the Flock

•  Self-Defense and Church Security Training Resources

•  Checklist: Church Security/Safety Equipment

•  Chart: The Spectrum of Potential Threat Personas in Self-Defense and Church Security

[ Read SemperVerus articles on the topic of CHURCH SECURITY ]

Invite SemperVerus^® to present its 5 life-changing success-generating components—prepare, aware, be, know, do—to your organization to inspire and motivate your members.

Join the SemperVerus Brotherhood™!