About Atlanta Firearms Training

Atlanta Firearms Training is owned by Thomas Lipscomb and Brian Wilson. We are airline pilots who are shooting sports competitors and enthusiasts. We established the company to share our skills and knowledge with others. We are also instructor pilots. The training and certification for instructor pilots is rigorous, requiring candidates to demonstrate in-depth knowledge of adult learning concepts and their practical application. We bring  these instructional skills to the problem of basic and advanced firearms training. We also carefully select our instructors who work with us for their teaching skills and ability to work well with students. You will find a diversity of skills in our instructors and a diversity of courses. Our instructors are NRA Certified in several disciplines or have combat experience in various military units. (see bio page for specifics).  Please scroll through the home page to find what you need. We hope to see you soon in one of our classes.

NRA Basic Pistol

The NRA Basic Pistol Course is designed by the NRA as a primer course for new pistol owners or those considering a pistol purchase. While the NRA Course is a familiarization course only, Atlanta Firearms Training goes well beyond the requirements of the NRA curriculum to provide you with in-depth training in safe firearm handlilng skills and marksmanship skills. We format this as a two day course. Day one is academics where the student learns about firearm construction and function, gun safety rules, ammunition construction and types, safe firearm handling skills, accepted safe storage practices, and the shooting sports.  Day two is a live fire day where we work with you on low powered pistols until you gain proficient marksmanship skills. The the student is given a chance to fire higher powered pistols for familiarization purposes. Completion of the course results in an NRA Completion Certificate which can be used to obtain a concealed carry permit in most states.  For more information click here.

Length: Two day course.     Tuition:  $175.00     Prerequisites:  None everything provided

Advanced Pistol Courses

Having basic marksmanship skills is one thing but are you really prepared to defend yourself on the street or compete in matches? Our Defensive Pistol Courses equip you with the knowledge and skills to legally, morally, and effectively defend yourself in a lethal encounter while our advanced shooting courses provide the requisite skills to be competitive. Self defense requires applicable knowledge of the legalities of the use of deadly force on the street and in the home in order to avoid finding yourself in jail instead of your attacker. Lethal encounters are very high stress situations, - the mental aspect of a fight is perhaps more important to survival than raw skill. The combatant who can better manage the psychological and physiological effects of stress will likely prevail. Managing the aftermath is as important as the fight - those who are prepared will survive psychologically as well as physically. Our advanced pistol courses are designed to navigate this landscape and show you the way to effective combat pistol skills.

Length: One to two days.   Tuition:   $175 to $250. 

Prequisites:  NRA Basic Pistol or basic pistol familiarity and skill. 

For more information on Advanced Pistol Courses, Click on the course titles below:

Basic Defensive Pistol       Block II Defensive Pistol     Shooter Improvement      IDPA Competion

AR-15 Tactical Rifle Course

Atlanta Firearms Training offers several AR-15 tactical rifle courses which convey basic tactical skills appropriate to home defense or civil unrest situations. These courses are taught  by Chris Avery, a former Marine Recon and Army LRS sniper with two combat tours in Iraq and Co-Owner Brian Wilson. Our basic course begins with a two hour lecture on various aspects of the weapons system. Here you will learn about the history and development of the AR platform, ballistics, optics, lights, and other accessories. All classes are foundational, builidng skill on skill culminating in an integrated series of exercises to put your new skills into practice. Block II and III build on these foundational skills to convey advanced tactical skills including team shooting skills. For more information please click here.

Length:  One day.     Tuition:  $200     Prerequisites:  Safe gun handling skills

NRA  Basic Rifle Course

The NRA Basic Rifle Course is designed by the NRA as a primer course for new rifle owners or those considering a rifle purchase. While the NRA Course is a familiarization course only, Atlanta Firearms Training goes well beyond the requirements of the NRA curriculum to provide you with in-depth training in safe firearm handlilng skills and marksmanship skills. We format this as a two day course. Day one is academics where the student learns about firearm construction and function, gun safety rules, ammunition construction and types, safe firearm handling skills, accepted safe storage practices, and the shooting sports.  Day two is a live fire day where we work with you on low powered rifles until you gain proficient marksmanship skills. The the student is given a chance to fire higher powered rifles for familiarization purposes. Completion of the course results in an NRA Completion Certificate which can be used to obtain a concealed carry permit in most states. For more information, please click here.

Length:  Two days.   Tuition: $175.   Prerequisites: None everything is provided.

Elements of Precision Rifle Shooting

If you have taken the Long Range Precision Rifle Course and wanted more, this course is for you. This course is also for the new rifle shooter looking for the foundation of knowledge to make intelligent choices in long range rifle equipment and caliber. This course conveys a foundational knowledge of ballistics, ballistics program usage, equipment setup and limitations, accuracy issues and foundational marksmanship skills. Subjects include but are not limited to: Bullet anatomy, form factors, drag coefficients, ballistic coefficients and usage, use of ballistic programs for trajectory and equipment analysis, wind effects on trajectory, hunting ground recon, reloading for accuracy, equipment setup and limitations, and basic long range precision marksmanship skills. For more information please click here.

Length:  Two day.   Tuition: $250.      Prerequisites:  Basic rifle marksmanship skills.

IDPA Combat Pistol Competition Introduction

Competitions put on by the International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA) are a great way to develop, hone, and maintain your practical pistol skills. The matches can be intense as they mimick scenarios you might find yourself facing in everyday life. This one-day course introduces you to IDPA competition through a building block set of practical pistol skills set out within the context of an IDPA match. During the course of the day, we will evaluate and classify your skill level according to IDPA standards so you can enter and shoot the very next IDPA match with your instructors coaching you along the way. At the end of the course the student will have one IDPA match behind them and a new comfort level in their practical defensive pistol skills. Due to demand for other courses this course is only offered twice a year. For more information, please click here.

Length:  One day.  Tuition:  $175.  Prerequisites:  Basic pistol proficiency and safe gun handling.

Shooter Improvement Course

The Shooter Improvement Course is a one-day course starting with an overview and refresher on the fundamentals of marksmanship and progressing through a building block series of exercises designed to convey a foundation of practical pistol skills. During the day instructors will work with you on individual needs as they come up. At the end of the day students will shoot several scenario-based shoots that demand them to exercise the constituent skills they learned during the day. This course is appropriate for those who have already taken a course in the issues surrounding self defense such as avoiding the threat, psychology and physiology of lethal encounters, legal issues etc, and want a course focusing strictly on practical pistol skills. IDPA participants, or those who simply have not exercised their pistols recently willl benefit from this course. For more information please click here.

Length:  One day.    Tuition: $175.00  Prerequisites:  Basic proficiency and safe gun handling.