The UPMS Scholarship

UPMS Educational Programs

Home Firearms Safety Classes

Home Firearms Safety Classes are taught approximately monthly by NRA-certified instructors. The course is non-judgmental as to whether anyone should own a gun, but strongly stresses that if one chooses to own one, one must also accept the responsibility for storing and using it responsibly.

The objective is to make participants, particularly parents, aware of potential hazards associated with firearms, point out that the primary causes of firearms accidents are ignorance and carelessness, then teach the three fundamental rules of gun safety as well as give numerous details and specific examples. The Eddy Eagle Program is stressed for younger children. A major portion of the class involves allowing participants to get hands-on experience with operating a wide variety of different types of guns - rifles, shotguns and handguns - in order to gain first-hannd knowledge of how to open the actions and learn that any gun they encounter is unloaded and therefore safe. The class ends with an optional examination and certificates of attendance or completion for participants.

Numerous locations, including the University of Utah Naval ROTC Building, Salt Lake County Libraries and industries, and private homes, are used. No shooting is done; no live ammunition compatible with guns used for demonstration purposes is allowed in the classroom. For more information or to schedule a class for your family, coworkers, church group or any other organization, send us email or leave a message on our answering machine at 801-278-6335.

NRA Basic Pistol Shooting Course

The NRA Basic Pistol Shooting Course is a 10-hour course taught in accordance with strict guidelines of the National Rifle Association and leading to a nationally-recognized Certificate of Completion. The objective of this course is to impart to students the basic knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for owning and using a pistol safely. The course is taught in five 2-hour segments or three meetings of 3 1/3 hours each. The topics included are:

  • Nomenclature and operation
  • Ammunition
  • Using a pistol safely
  • Operating a pistol
  • Cleaning, storing and transporting a pistol
  • Shooting fundamentals
  • The benchrest position
  • Two-handed shooting
  • One-handed shooting
  • Improving and maintaining skills
  • Choosing a pistol for purchase
  • Follow-on activities

University of Utah Division of Continuing Education
Basic Pistol Marksmanship

The University of Utah Division of Continuing Education Basic Pistol Marksmanship course is predicated on the premise that target pistol shooting is fundamentally an academic discipline: the mental aspects of the sport are far more important than the physical requirements of the participants. The course includes basic information about safe firearm handling as well as an extensive discussion of the principles of marksmanship. Application of those principles involves firing approximately 50 rounds per week. Personal .22 caliber semiautomatic pistols with adjustable sights are strongly recommended. Air guns are also used fall and winter quarters.

The class may be taken for two credits or non-credit. It meets for two hours weekly. Graduates will have mastered the fundamental skills required to participate at an entry level in conventional NRA or International/Olympic-style competition The class is a great beginning point for those wishing to become competitive shooters, either as members of the University of Utah Collegiate Pistol Team or the many competitive pistol events sponsored by UPMS.

Pistol Marksmanship for Women

NRA Basic Pistol Shooting
and Home Firearms Safety Instructor Courses

Our Basic Pistol Shooting and Home Firearms Safety Instructor courses came on line in the Spring of 1996. For information on future classes, leave a message at 801-278-6335 or check our Schedule of Upcoming Events.

Coach Training

UPMS helps train coaches for various competitive groups by encouraging and partially or fully subsidizing costs for attending events such as the NRA Class C Coaching Clinic (typically held in conjunction with the National Matches at Camp Perry OH) and the National Coaches College held at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs CO. We currently have five Class C coaches and four graduates of the Coaching College. They are involved in coaching the West High School Junior ROTC Pistol Team and the University of Utah men's and women's Collegiate Pistol Teams.