The Carolina Caller

The new-and-improved Pistolseed program is coming to North Carolina! Join us for one (or all) of three upcoming events that are already on the state events calendar and filling up fast. These first three new events in NC are rolling out at the home range in Ramseur, but we will expand to other sites around the state soon!

Special for the month of October: Full-color Pistol AQT targets and full color Pistoleer patches will be available at all events nationwide! Get signed up now and bring home some special swag and stories of your own!

Question: What does the Age of Enlightenment in 17th and 18th century Europe have to do with a national marksmanship program in present-day America?

Answer: I'll get to that...read on!

First, here is a peek behind the curtain of Project Appleseed: The education never stops! Once a shooter persists and qualifies with a minimum 210 score on an Appleseed Qualification Test (AQT) at one of our events, they might choose to take an orange hat as an instructor-in-training (IIT). At that point, the IIT embarks on several levels of training and progress checks before they become a full instructor with a red hat. Then, if they are motivated to do so, instructors can work toward becoming a shoot boss (green hat). This qualifies them to be the point person in charge of running Appleseed events. This whole process requires patience and dedication, including hours of outside study and practice on the part of the volunteer. For those who are driven to do it, there are amazing resources and a whole national community of fellow instructors along the way. This is how we continue to develop our volunteer cadre into the best in the entire industry!

In July this year, I had the pleasure of attending an instructor boot camp (IBC) in Asheboro, NC, for current and aspiring shoot bosses. This was a weekend-long intensive workshop facilitated by a pair of our master instructors, Rusty (Maximum Ordinate on the forum) and Diana (Google on the forum). I've said many times that Project Appleseed's senior and master instructors are among the most skilled and thoughtful educators I've ever known, and that's coming from someone who has taught in several different public and private schools for over twenty years! The shoot boss IBC weekend further solidified my opinion. The fifteen instructors attending were treated to discussions and practical exercises to dive deep into marksmanship instruction, history telling, administrative tasks, and a lot of reflection about effective leadership.

One highlight for me was a dinner discussion that started way back at the Age of Enlightenment. Maximum Ordinate took us all back in the late 1600's with a college-level overview of Thomas Hobbes' seminal book Leviathan and John Locke's Two Treatises of Government. These works grapple with human nature, the social contract, purpose of government, and whether people have fundamental inherent rights. Then we followed that thread through the establishment of American colonial self-rule to our own Declaration of Independence and subsequently the Constitution. 

My point is this: There are hundreds of ways for citizens to learn to shoot firearms in America. And almost every town has small businesses or individual entrepreneurs selling classes. There are many national nonprofit organizations besides ours ready with their own instructors and access to gun ranges. And then there is the unlimited supply of online influencers with pages of videos pushing their methods. But Project Appleseed is different. The all-volunteer nature of our instructor corps ensures that everyone coaching on the line or working behind the scenes is mission-driven, not in it for their own gain. My experience at the recent boot camp reinforces the fact that our focus is broad. We want Americans to get actively engaged in improving their nation right now, but we don't measure time in years. The seeds of the liberty we now hold dear were planted centuries ago by patriots who were pushed into dire choices. We are working to ensure that same liberty flourishes for centuries to come. The marksmanship we teach is fun and exciting, but I am repeatedly reminded that the foundations of Project Appleseed extend deep into ancient soil. Together, we are all part of something bigger, older, and more powerful than any one person can hope to affect alone.

If you have any questions or thoughts about how to be a more effective shooter or instructor with Project Appleseed, please let me know. I don't have all the answers, but I will always do my best to find someone who can help. My email address is NC@appleseedinfo.org. 

In Liberty,

Dan Chase

North Carolina State Coordinator
Project Appleseed - a 501(c)3 Organization

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